Category: Business

MIL-OSI New Zealand: Stats NZ information release: Business financial data: March 2025 quarter
Business financial data: March 2025 quarter – information release

9 June 2025

For all business financial data (BFD) industries, in the March 2025 quarter compared with the March 2024 quarter:
- sales were $190 billion, up $6.1 billion (3.3 percent)
- purchases were $133 billion, up $4.6 billion (3.6 percent)
- salaries and wages were $31 billion, down $363 million (1.2 percent)
- operating profit was $26 billion, up $1.9 billion (8.0 percent).
When adjusting for seasonal effects, in the March 2025 quarter compared with the December 2024 quarter:
- sales increased in 13 of the 14 New Zealand Standard Industrial Output Classification (NZSIOC) level 1 industries
- manufacturing (up $1.7 billion); electricity, gas, water, and waste services (up $1.3 billion); and wholesale trade (up $1.2 billion) industries had the largest movements in sales.
The business financial data release covers most market industries in the New Zealand economy, using survey and tax data.

Visit our website to read this information release and to download CSV files:
- Business financial data: March 2025 quarter
- CSV files for download
MIL OSI New Zealand News –
June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Stats NZ information release: Business employment data: March 2025 quarter
Business employment data: March 2025 quarter – information release

9 June 2025

Total actual filled jobs in the March 2025 quarter were 2.26 million.

In the March 2025 quarter (compared with December 2024 quarter):
- total seasonally adjusted filled jobs were down 0.1 percent (2,499 jobs).
For the year ended March 2025 compared with the year ended March 2024:
- total gross earnings were up 2.3 percent ($4.0 billion).
An annual comparison is used for earnings to account for payroll timing differences between quarters.

Visit our website to read this information release and to download CSV files:
- Business employment data: March 2025 quarter
- CSV files for download
MIL OSI New Zealand News –
June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM launches national skills drive to unlock opportunities for young people in tech
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

PM launches national skills drive to unlock opportunities for young people in tech

Pupils across the country will be given the skills and tools needed to get the AI-powered jobs of the future thanks to a new skills programme launched by the Prime Minister.
1 million students in secondary school to be given an unprecedented chance to learn and develop their skills in tech and AI

£187 million investment in national skills programme to bring digital skills and AI learning into classrooms and communities

7.5 million UK workers to gain essential AI skills by 2030 through industry partnership as major tech players including NVIDIA, Google and Microsoft back the Government’s skills drive

Skills drive to break down barriers to opportunity, drive growth and put more money in people’s pockets through skilled jobs as part of the Plan for Change and the forthcoming modern Industrial Strategy

Pupils across the country will be given the skills and tools needed to get the AI-powered jobs of the future thanks to a new skills programme launched by the Prime Minister today (Monday 9 June).

At the heart of the skills drive, and as part of the upcoming modern Industrial Strategy, is a new £187 million government “TechFirst” programme to bring digital skills and AI learning into classrooms and communities and train up people of all ages and backgrounds for the tech careers of the future.

Today’s announcements show this government is laser focused on investing in the futures of young people across Britain, knocking down barriers to opportunities, regardless of where they grow up.

It comes as research commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) shows that by 2035, around 10 million workers will be in roles where AI will be part of their role or responsibilities in some form, with a further 3.9 million in roles directly in AI.

The flagship strand of this programme “TechYouth” – backed by £24 million of government funding – will give 1 million students over three years across every secondary school in the UK the chance to learn about technology and gain access to new skills training and career opportunities.

There will also be an online platform to inspire and educate students about the potential of computing and tech careers – building on CyberFirst’s Explorers which has access to most secondary schools in the UK with 100,000 students registered already. This will bring together learning tools and training opportunities in a streamlined accessible space.

In each of the UK’s regions and nations, a local delivery partner will be selected by DSIT to run the programme and deliver activities to schools and colleges in local areas.

The AI sector alone is valued at £72.3 billion and is projected to exceed £800 billion by 2035. It is growing 30 times faster than the rest of the economy, employing over 64,000 people across more than 3,700 companies.

But despite these strengths, access to AI skills in the UK remains one of the biggest barriers to growth—especially for startups, scaleups, and regions outside London. According to a TechNation report released today, one in three UK tech founders say the availability of top talent is their biggest barrier to growth.

That’s why the government is backing young people and investing in skills as an engine of economic growth—putting more money in people’s pockets and breaking down barriers to opportunity as part of the Plan for Change.

This package underpins the upcoming industrial strategy and also delivers on the government’s manifesto commitment to create higher-quality training and employment paths by empowering local communities to develop the skills people need and putting employers at the heart of our skills system.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

“We are putting the power of AI into the hands of the next generation – so they can shape the future, not be shaped by it.

“This training programme will unlock opportunity in every classroom – and lays the foundations for a new era of growth.

“Too many children from working families like the one I grew up in are written off. I am determined to end that.

“This programme is the Plan for Change in action – breaking down barriers, driving innovation, and giving every young person the chance of a good, well paid job and a bright future.”

TechFirst will also support over 4,000 graduates, researchers, and innovators through three additional strands:

TechGrad (£96.8m) – will support 1,000 exceptional domestic students a year with undergraduate scholarships in areas like AI, cyber security, and computer science. This will also go towards 100 Research MSc places in key tech sectors, and 100 elite AI scholarships. Applicants will be able to apply to the scheme online and those successful will have their bursaries paid from a central fund.

TechExpert (£48.4m) – will give up to £10,000 in additional funding to 500 domestic PhD students conducting research in tech with the aim of accelerating cutting-edge innovation, strengthen the UK’s research pipeline in strategic technology sectors, and ensure that emerging talent is supported to contribute to national tech leadership.

TechLocal (£18m) – will offer seed funding to help regional innovators and small businesses develop new tech products and adopt AI. A panel made up of local tech businesses will be established in each region to decide which applications have merit, with the necessary checks then done centrally by Innovate UK.

Major industry players including IBM, BAE Systems, QinetiQ, BT, Microsoft and the Careers & Enterprise Company – the national body for careers education – have backed the initiative.

TechFirst builds on the success of the CyberFirst programme, which has already helped hundreds of thousands of young people gain cyber security skills.

Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:

“We are getting Brits ready for jobs of the future by helping millions across the country gain vital digital skills in AI and beyond.

“Embedding these skills into our education system and local communities will help people of all backgrounds and ensure tech talent flourishes in every corner of our nation.

“These partnerships with industry will translate skills into real jobs and economic growth, putting more money in people’s pockets and breaking down barriers to opportunity. This is our Plan for Change in action – investing in the skills that will power our economy and deliver prosperity for working people across the country.”

David Hogan, Vice President Enterprise EMEA – NVIDIA said:

“AI developers are the engine of the next industrial revolution. AI talent, skills and research are crucial ingredients in the UK’s mission to become an AI maker, not an AI taker.

“So, we’re delighted to partner with the government to train the next generation of AI developers, capable of finding new cures for diseases, discovering new materials and building world-beating, British AI companies.”

Google EMEA President, Debbie Weinstein, said:

“Our AI Works report revealed that £400bn worth of economic growth awaits the UK, but half of this depends on workers embracing and using AI. That’s precisely why we’re thrilled to join this crucial initiative, essential for supercharging AI upskilling, unlocking AI-powered growth and cementing the UK’s position as an AI leader.”

Carolyn Dawson OBE, CEO of Founders Forum Group and Tech Nation, said:

“AI will transform every industry – but we can only unlock its full potential if we ensure the UK’s workforce has the skills to keep pace. This national upskilling programme is an ambitious and necessary step – not just to boost productivity, but to make sure we’re equipping the UK to participate in and benefit from the AI-driven economy. At Tech Nation, we’ve long championed the power of both homegrown talent and global expertise – whether that’s through supporting founders to scale or endorsing the UK’s Global Talent Visa. We’re proud to support initiatives that help the UK remain globally competitive”.

Leon Butler Chief Executive of IBM UK and Ireland said:

“Boosting technology skills across the economy is key to the UK maintaining its leadership position in AI. Having helped millions globally to develop new AI skills with our IBM SkillsBuild programme, we are delighted to partner with the UK government to help equip workers with vital tech skills. This complements our long-standing commitment to programmes such as CyberFirst, which we are excited to see expand. We look forward to continuing our support as the programme grows.”

Darren Hardman CEO of Microsoft UK said:

“Artificial Intelligence represents a generational opportunity, already transforming the way we live, work, and innovate. For the UK to remain globally competitive, we have to equip people with the skills they need to be successful in an AI-powered economy. Microsoft is proud to be playing its part, by training one million people with AI skills this year, and by supporting millions more through this new initiative.”

Intuit EMEA General Manager Leigh Thomas said:

“AI is a growth enabler for small and medium-sized businesses, levelling the playing field, by giving them the opportunity to access the sort of technology solutions that larger businesses have access to. The announcement today is a great step forward in improving their bottom line, and we look forward to collaborating with Government and other private sector partners to accelerate knowledge, understanding and adoption of AI tools by the businesses that need it most.”

Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO, NVIDIA said:

“AI developers power the next industrial revolution. AI talent, skills and research are crucial ingredients in the UK’s mission to become an AI maker, not an AI taker. We’re delighted to partner with the government to train the next generation of AI developers, capable of finding new cures for diseases, discovering new materials and building word-class AI companies.”

Alongside TechFirst, the Prime Minister also announced a new government-industry partnership to train 7.5 million UK workers in essential skills to use AI by 2030—equivalent to around 20% of the UK workforce.

Leading technology companies including Google, Microsoft, IBM, SAS, Accenture, Sage, Barclays, BT, Amazon, Intuit, and Salesforce have signed up to the partnership. They have committed to making high-quality training materials widely available to workers in businesses – large and small – up and down the country free of charge, over the next five years.

Training will focus on enabling workers to use and interact with AI systems such as chatbots and large language models to boost productivity across a wide range of roles. Sector-specific training will also be developed to meet the needs of industries from healthcare to finance to manufacturing.

These companies will meet the Technology Secretary Peter Kyle this week to discuss how to meet the 2030 target, agree a terms of reference and will convene regularly to track progress.

Following his speech, the Prime Minister will join NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang for an “in conversation” event to discuss the challenges of closing the AI skills gap and the potential of AI to transform public services and drive economic growth.

This comes as the government and NVIDIA today signed two Memorandums of Understanding, supporting the development of a nationwide AI talent pipeline and accelerating critical university-led research into the role of AI in advanced connectivity technologies. In addition, NVIDIA will expand its AI lab in Bristol to other areas of the UK to accelerate UK research in AI.

Today’s package follows the Department for Education’s announcement of the board members for Skills England, a new body which will work with employers and local leaders to shape training policy and delivery. Skills England will identify and tackle skills shortage in key Industrial Strategy sectors such as digital, creating more opportunities for young people.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister hosted a private reception at Chequers with leading tech CEOs and investors—including Eric Schmidt (Former CEO & Chairman of Google), Angie Ma (Faculty AI) Demis Hassabis (Google DeepMind), and Alex Wang (Scale) —to reaffirm the UK’s position as a global tech leader.

Tomorrow, he will welcome business leaders and entrepreneurs to Downing Street, including 16-year-old AI entrepreneur Toby Brown, who recently secured $1 million in Silicon Valley funding for his startup, Beem.

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Published 8 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 9, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: How Trump’s trade war is supercharging the fast fashion industry

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mona Mashhadi Rajabi, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney

Jade Gao/Getty Images

When US President Donald Trump introduced sweeping new tariffs on Chinese imports the goal was to bring manufacturing back to American soil and protect local jobs.

However, this process of re-shoring is complex and requires years of investment and planning – far too slow for the world of ultra-fast fashion, where brands are used to reacting in weeks, not years.

Many clothing companies started to move production out of China during Trump’s first term. They relocated to countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia when the initial China-specific tariffs hit.

This trend accelerated with the newer “reciprocal” tariffs. Instead of re-shoring production, many fashion brands are simply sourcing from whichever country offers the lowest total cost after tariffs. The result? The ultra-fast fashion machine adapted quickly and became even more exploitative.

From Guangzhou to your wardrobe in days

Platforms such as Shein and Temu built their success by offering trend-driven clothing at shockingly low prices. A $5 dress or $3 top might seem like a bargain, but those prices hide a lot.

Much of Shein’s production takes place in the so-called “Shein village” in Guangzhou, China, where workers often sew for 12–14 hours a day under poor conditions to keep pace with the demand for new items.

When the US cracked down on Chinese imports, the intention was to make American-made goods more competitive. This included raising the tariff on Chinese goods as high as 145% (since paused), and closing the “de minimis” loophole, which had allowed imports under US$800 to enter tariff-free.

But these tariffs did not halt ultra-fast fashion. They just rerouted production to countries with lower tariffs and even lower labour costs. The Philippines, with a comparatively low tariff rate of 17%, emerged as a surprising alternative. However, the country can’t provide the industrial scale and infrastructure to match what China can offer.

So why does Australia matter?

Much of the cheap fashion previously bound for the US is now flooding other markets, including Australia.

Australia still allows most low-value imports to enter tax-free, and platforms such as Shein and Temu have taken full advantage. Australian consumers are among the most frequent Shein and Temu buyers per capita globally.

Just 3% of clothing is made in Australia and most labels rely on offshore manufacturing. This makes Australia an ideal target market for ultra-fast fashion imports. We have high purchasing power, lenient import rules and strong demand for low-cost style, especially due to the cost-of-living crisis.

The hidden costs of cheap clothes

The environmental impact of fast fashion is well known. However, amid the chaos of Trump’s tariff announcements, far less attention has been paid to how these policies – together with the retreat from climate commitments – worsen environmental harms, including those linked to fast fashion.

The irony is that the tariffs meant to protect American workers have, in some cases, worsened conditions for workers elsewhere. Meanwhile, consumers in Australia now benefit from faster delivery of even cheaper goods as Temu, Shein and others have improved their shipping capabilities to Australia.

Australian consumers send more than 200,000 tonnes of clothing to landfill each year. But the deeper problem is structural. The entire business model is built on exploitation and environmental damage.

Factory workers bear the brunt of cost-cutting. In the race to stay competitive, many manufacturers reduce wages and overlook hazardous working conditions.

Will ethical fashion ever compete?

Fixing these problems will require a global rethink of how fashion operates.
Governments have a role in regulating disclosures about supply chains and enforcing labour standards.

Brands need to take responsibility for the conditions in their factories, whether directly owned or outsourced. Transparency is essential.

Alternatives to fast fashion are gaining traction. Clothing rentals are emerging as a promising business model that help build a more circular fashion economy. Charity-run op shops have long been a sustainable source of second-hand clothing.

Australia’s new Seamless scheme seeks to make fashion brands responsible for the full life of the clothes they sell. The aim is to help people buy, wear and recycle clothes in a more sustainable way.

Consumers also matter. If we continue to expect clothes to cost less than a cup of coffee, change will be slow. Recognising that a $5 t-shirt has hidden costs, borne by people on the factory floor and the environment, is a first step.

Some ethical brands are already showing a better way and offer clothes made under fairer conditions and with sustainable materials. These clothes are not as cheap or fast, but they represent a more conscious alternative especially for consumers concerned about synthetic fibres, toxic chemicals and environmental harm.

Trump reshuffled the deck, but did not change the game

Trump’s trade rules aim to re-balance global trade in favour of American industry, yet have cost companies more than US$34 billion in lost sales and higher costs. This cost will eventually fall on US consumers. In ultra-fast fashion, it mostly exposed how fragile and exploitative the system already was.

Today, brands such as Shein and Temu are thriving in Australia. But unless we address the systemic inequalities in fashion production and rethink the incentives that drive this market, the true cost of cheap clothing will continue to be paid by those least able to afford it.

Mona Mashhadi Rajabi receives funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand (AFAANZ), and a Business Research Grant from the University of Technology Sydney.

Lisa Lake previously received funding from NSW Department of Education Innovation and Collaboration grant to establish the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion + Textiles.

Martina Linnenluecke receives funding from The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Australian Research Council. Her work is also supported by a Strategic Research Accelerator Grant from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

Yun Shen 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. How Trump’s trade war is supercharging the fast fashion industry – https://theconversation.com/how-trumps-trade-war-is-supercharging-the-fast-fashion-industry-257727

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 9, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Curious Kids: Why do dolphins jump out of the water?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharina J. Peters, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong

Will Falcon/Shutterstock

Why do dolphins jump out of the water?

Charlize, age 8, Melbourne

Have you ever seen images of dolphins jumping out of the waves and performing impressive acrobatics in the air? Or maybe you’ve seen it in real life?

When a dolphin jumps, it can launch its whole body out of the water. While it looks like fun, it must also be hard work!

So, why do dolphins jump out of the water? There are several possible reasons. Let’s jump in and explore them.

A dolphin can launch its whole body out of the water.
Paulphin Photography/Shutterstock

To stay in touch

Dolphins are social animals and live in groups. But it’s hard to see long distances underwater. So, they use the power of sound to stay in contact with each other.

Sound travels much farther underwater than through the air. When dolphins jump, the slap of the landing makes a loud noise, and would be heard some distance away.

Some species, such as spinner dolphins, use jumping to communicate their location to other group members, especially at night. This helps them keep track of each other.

As an aside, spinner dolphins are very skilled jumpers. As the name suggests, they spin up to seven times in the air before landing back in the water!

Spinner dolphins are the acrobats of the sea.

The need for speed

Have you ever tried to walk underwater? You will have felt how hard it is. That’s because water is more dense than air, which creates a “drag”, or resistance.

Dolphins have streamlined bodies to reduce drag, but they still feel it. So, if they want to travel quickly – for example, if they are trying to escape a predator or hunt fish – they sometimes jump.

While in the air, they travel faster than they would through water, and also save energy.

To gather food

Some dolphins weigh less than 50 kilograms, such as the Hector’s dolphin. Others weigh several tonnes, such as an orca.

Either way, when a dolphin crashes back into the water, you can be sure it makes quite a noisy splash.

Some dolphin species, such as dusky dolphins, use this noise to herd fish at the surface to make them easier to capture.

Shaking off hitchhikers

Fish called remoras can attach themselves to dolphins using a sucker on their head. This is good for the fish, because it can keep them safe and they have plenty to eat, such as small parasites and old bits of dolphin skin.

While the remoras don’t hurt the dolphin, they probably slow it down. So dolphins may try to get rid of the little hitchhikers by jumping to dislodge them.

A dolphin calf jumping to remove remoras.

Fighting and frolicking

Dolphins are highly intelligent animals. They have big brains and can learn tricks and solve puzzles. With intelligence also come other traits: playfulness and social behaviour.

Sometimes, that social behaviour can end in a “fight”. Dolphin experts say two dolphins jumping around together might be actually trying to hit each other!

Dolphins also love to frolic – not just with each other but with other marine mammals such as whales and sea lions, with turtles – or even just a piece of seaweed! So they might jump as some sort of “game”.

As you can see, dolphins may jump for a range of reasons – sometimes just because it’s really fun!

Katharina J. Peters 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. Curious Kids: Why do dolphins jump out of the water? – https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-do-dolphins-jump-out-of-the-water-256462

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 9, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: 2-million-year-old pitted teeth from our ancient relatives reveal secrets about human evolution

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Towle, Research Fellow in Biological Anthropology, Monash University

Ian Towle / The Conversation

The enamel that forms the outer layer of our teeth might seem like an unlikely place to find clues about evolution. But it tells us more than you’d think about the relationships between our fossil ancestors and relatives.

In our new study, published in the Journal of Human Evolution, we highlight a different aspect of enamel. In fact, we highlight its absence.

Specifically, we show that tiny, shallow pits in fossil teeth may not be signs of malnutrition or disease. Instead, they may carry surprising evolutionary significance.

You might be wondering why this matters. Well, for people like me who try to figure out how humans evolved and how all our ancestors and relatives were related to each other, teeth are very important. And having a new marker to look out for on fossil teeth could give us a new tool to help fit together our family tree.

Uniform, circular and shallow

These pits were first identified in the South African species Paranthropus robustus, a close relative of our own genus Homo. They are highly consistent in shape and size: uniform, circular and shallow.

Initially, we thought the pits might be unique to P. robustus. But our latest research shows this kind of pitting also occurs in other Paranthropus species in eastern Africa. We even found it in some Australopithecus individuals, a genus that may have given rise to both Homo and Paranthropus.

Uniform, circular and shallow pitting on teeth may be a previously undetected clue about evolutionary relationships.
Towle et al. / Journal of Human Evolution

The enamel pits have commonly been assumed to be defects resulting from stresses such as illness or malnutrition during childhood. However, their remarkable consistency across species, time and geography suggests these enamel pits may be something more interesting.

The pitting is subtle, regularly spaced, and often clustered in specific regions of the tooth crown. It appears without any other signs of damage or abnormality.

Two million years of evolution

We looked at fossil teeth from hominins (humans and our closest extinct relatives) from the Omo Valley in Ethiopia, where we can see traces of more than two million years of human evolution, as well as comparisons with sites in southern Africa (Drimolen, Swartkrans and Kromdraai).

The Omo collection includes teeth attributed to Paranthropus, Australopithecus and Homo, the three most recent and well-known hominin genera. This allowed us to track the telltale pitting across different branches of our evolutionary tree.

What we found was unexpected. The uniform pitting appears regularly in both eastern and southern Africa Paranthropus, and also in the earliest eastern African Australopithecus teeth dating back around 3 million years. But among southern Africa Australopithecus and our own genus, Homo, the uniform pitting was notably absent.

A defect … or just a trait?

If the uniform pitting were caused by stress or disease, we might expect it to correlate with tooth size and enamel thickness, and to affect both front and back teeth. But it doesn’t.

What’s more, stress-related defects typically form horizontal bands. They usually affect all teeth developing at the time of the stress, but this is not what we see with this pitting.

The uniform, even nature of the pitting suggests a genetic origin rather than environmental factors such as malnutrition or disease.
Towle et al. / Journal of Human Evolution

We think this pitting probably has a developmental and genetic origin. It may have emerged as a byproduct of changes in how enamel was formed in these species. It might even have some unknown functional purpose.

In any case, we suggest these uniform, circular pits should be viewed as a trait rather than a defect.

A modern comparison

Further support for the idea of a genetic origin comes from comparisons with a rare condition in humans today called amelogenesis imperfecta, which affects enamel formation.

About one in 1,000 people today have amelogenesis imperfecta. By contrast, the uniform pitting we have seen appears in up to half of Paranthropus individuals.

Although it likely has a genetic basis, we argue the even pitting is too common to be considered a harmful disorder. What’s more, it persisted at similar frequencies for millions of years.

A new evolutionary marker

If this uniform pitting really does have a genetic origin, we may be able to use it to trace evolutionary relationships.

We already use subtle tooth features such as enamel thickness, cusp shape, and wear patterns to help identify species. The uniform pitting may be an additional diagnostic tool.

For example, our findings support the idea that Paranthropus is a “monophyletic group”, meaning all its species descend from a (relatively) recent common ancestor, rather than evolving seperatly from different Australopithecus taxa.

And we did not find this pitting in the southern Africa species Australopithecus africanus, despite a large sample of more than 500 teeth. However, it does appear in the earliest Omo Australopithecus specimens.

So perhaps the pitting could also help pinpoint from where Paranthropus branched off on its own evolutionary path.

An intriguing case

One especially intriguing case is Homo floresiensis, the so-called “hobbit” species from Indonesia. Based on published images, their teeth appear to show similar pitting.

If confirmed, this could suggest an evolutionary history more closely tied to earlier Australopithecus species than to Homo. However, H. floresiensis also shows potential skeletal and dental pathologies, so more research is needed before drawing such conclusions.

More research is also needed to fully understand the processes behind the uniform pitting before it can be used routinely in taxonomic work. But our research shows it is likely a heritable characteristic, one not found in any living primates studied to date, nor in our own genus Homo (rare cases of amelogenesis imperfecta aside).

As such, it offers an exciting new tool for exploring evolutionary relationships among fossil hominins.

Ian Towle 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. 2-million-year-old pitted teeth from our ancient relatives reveal secrets about human evolution – https://theconversation.com/2-million-year-old-pitted-teeth-from-our-ancient-relatives-reveal-secrets-about-human-evolution-258390

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Velázquez, Waters, Warren, Markey, and Whitehouse Unveil Bill to Support Small Business Compliance with Corporate Transparency Act
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nydia M Velázquez (D-NY)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, introduced new bicameral legislation to help small businesses comply with beneficial ownership reporting requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and push back against the Trump administration’s efforts to weaken the law. She was joined in the House by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee. Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ed Markey (D-MA), Ranking Members of the Senate Banking and Small Business Committees; and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

The FinCEN–SBA Coordination on Beneficial Ownership Registration Act would require the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to coordinate directly on outreach and education to help small business owners understand and meet their reporting obligations under the CTA.

“The Corporate Transparency Act is still the law, and the Trump administration is wrong to stop enforcing it,” said Congresswoman Velázquez. “Turning a blind eye to anonymous shell companies leaves us vulnerable to fraud, corruption, and abuse. These shell companies don’t just enable white-collar crime—they hurt honest small businesses by rigging the system and exploiting programs meant for real entrepreneurs. This bill is about holding bad actors accountable while making sure small business owners have the information and support they need to follow the law.”

“The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is a strongly bipartisan law designed to bust the U.S. registered anonymous shell companies that are abused by fentanyl dealers, Iranian terrorists, financial scammers and more to launder and hide their illicit finances. By ignoring this intent and gutting the law, President Trump and Secretary Bessent are gifting these bad actors a free pass to continue exploiting the system, while leaving consumers, investors, and small businesses who play by the rules in harm’s way,” said Congresswoman Waters.

“Anonymous shell companies hurt honest small businesses and open the door to fraud and abuse. The Trump Administration should be working with small businesses, not refusing to enforce the Corporate Transparency Act,” said Senator Warren. “Small businesses deserve a system that works for them — not for scammers and cheats – and that’s why our bill would require the Administration to work with them as part of implementing the law.”

“The Trump Administration is allowing bad actors to get away with illicit activities and financial crimes, and we must make sure they do not get away with disregarding the law,” said Ranking Member Markey. “I am grateful for Ranking Member Velazquez’s partnership in introducing the Corporate Transparency Act to crack down on bad actors while giving small businesses the tools to succeed.”

Originally passed with bipartisan support, the CTA was designed to crack down on shell companies used to facilitate money laundering, tax evasion, terrorism financing, and other illicit activities. But earlier this year, the Trump administration suspended enforcement for U.S. companies and proposed changes to dramatically narrow the law’s scope.

The reporting requirements are minimal for the vast majority of small businesses, 82 percent of which are non-employer firms with only one beneficial owner. FinCEN has previously projected the average cost to file would be about $85, roughly equal to what many states charge to register a business. However, outreach during the initial rollout was limited, and confusion about the law remains persistent.

Velázquez’s legislation would help spread awareness and increase compliance with CTA among small businesses by:
1. Requiring FinCEN and the SBA to sign a formal agreement within 90 days to coordinate outreach;
2. Distributing guidance in English, Spanish, and other commonly spoken languages;
3. Using SBA field offices and partners to host webinars and town halls;
4. Developing strategies to protect small businesses from scams and fraud;
5. Submitting monthly updates to Congress on outreach and compliance.
For a full copy of the bill, click here.

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MIL OSI USA News –
June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI: PFMCrypto Announces Free and Sustainable Cloud Mining Technology for Bitcoin Users

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Los Angeles, California, June 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PFMCrypto, the cloud mining service operated by UK-registered and FCA-regulated Precision Financial Management Ltd (Company No. 11719896), has officially launched a sustainable mining platform that combines user-friendly cloud contracts with renewable energy. The company’s service allows users to participate in Bitcoin mining without owning hardware, while its operations are powered by solar and wind energy—minimizing environmental impact and reducing operational costs.

As technology continues to evolve, the global shift toward renewable energy is accelerating. PFMCrypto powers its cloud mining operations using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. This significantly reduces mining costs while returning excess electricity to the grid. This approach not only conserves energy but also delivers sustainable returns to investors—highlighting the enormous potential of green-powered mining.

In the fast-paced world of cryptocurrencies, simplicity and profitability are key. For beginners seeking a reliable source of income, PFMCrypto’s cloud mining service is an especially appealing option.

What Is PFMCrypto Cloud Mining?

PFMCrypto cloud mining is a remote cryptocurrency mining solution that supports a range of digital assets, including Bitcoin. Users leverage the mining company’s computational power to earn profits without investing in hardware or handling technical maintenance. Through access to high-powered mining farms, PFMCrypto enables users to benefit from ongoing crypto mining rewards as complex blockchain problems are solved in real time.

Key Benefits of PFMCrypto Cloud Mining

Easy Investment: Users can invest effortlessly without complicated procedures.

No Hardware Required: There’s no need to buy expensive mining equipment, lowering the barrier to entry.

No Technical Expertise Needed: Ideal for beginners, with minimal technical requirements.

Zero Operational Costs: No electricity, maintenance, or other overhead expenses for the user.

Flexible and Reliable: Users can adjust their investment strategy according to their individual goals.

Instant Start: interested users can quickly start mining without cumbersome preparations.

Why Choose PFMCrypto?

PFMCrypto is committed to clean and efficient energy solutions. Founded in 2018 in the UK, the platform has grown to serve more than 9.2 million users globally. Since its inception, the company has focused exclusively on Bitcoin mining. Today, PFMCrypto operates more than 20 large-scale mining farms and reportedly accounts for approximately 6.2% of the global mining hash rate.

Platform Advantages

Cutting-Edge Equipment: PFMCrypto uses top-tier mining hardware from manufacturers like Bitmain, Antminer, and other energy-efficient rigs to ensure stable and high-yield mining performance.

Legal and Globally Trusted: Operated by FCA-regulated Precision Financial Management (PFM) Ltd, PFMCrypto complies with all UK financial regulations and serves a global user base of over 9.2 million real users.

User-Friendly Interface: Designed with intuitive navigation so even beginners can easily manage their accounts.

Multi-Crypto Support: Supports settlement in various popular cryptocurrencies including USDT-TRC20, BTC, ETH, LTC, USDC, BNB, USDT-ERC20, BCH, DOGE, SOL (Solana), XRP, and more.

Stable Daily Returns: Mining contracts yield daily returns, with principal automatically refunded upon contract expiration to protect investment security.

Expert Team: PFMCrypto boasts a professional IT team and 24/7 live customer support to assist users at all times.

Affiliate Program: Invite friends and earn referral bonuses of up to $18,999.

How to Join PFMCrypto

1.Register: Sign up today and receive a $10 welcome bonus (plus $0.60 daily check-in rewards).

2.Choose a Contract: After registering, select a mining contract that suits your goals and budget. PFMCrypto offers a range of plans to fit both new and seasoned miners.

3.Start Earning: Once your mining contract is activated, the platform’s advanced technology handles the rest—ensuring your operation runs efficiently and maximizes your potential profits.

Sample Investment Plans

Trial Contract: Investment: $100 | Net Profit: $106.6

Classic Contract: Investment: $500 | Net Profit: $530.75

Classic Contract: Investment: $3,000 | Net Profit: $3,888

Prepaid Contract: Investment: $5,000 | Net Profit: $7,370

Advanced Contract: Investment: $10,000 | Net Profit: $17,240

As your mining activity progresses, your account will begin to accumulate earnings. You can track performance through your dashboard and withdraw profits whenever you’re ready.

In Summary

PFMCrypto is a legally registered UK company authorized and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), adhering strictly to local regulations. The platform offers a seamless, low-barrier entry into crypto mining for both beginners and experienced investors, aiming to help users maximize their earnings with minimal effort.

Start your hassle-free cloud mining journey with PFMCrypto and boost your income today! New users can get a $10 bonus.

For more information, visit the official PFMCrypto website: https://pfmcrypto.net/

Or download the mobile app from Google Play and the Apple App Store.

The MIL Network –

June 9, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: What can you do if you don’t like your child’s friends?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachael Murrihy, Director, The Kidman Centre, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney

Getty Images/ Wander Woman Collective

Many parents will be familiar with this situation: your child has a good or even best friend, but you don’t like them.

Perhaps the friend is bossy, has poor manners or jumps on your furniture. Maybe you don’t like the way your child behaves when they are with this friend.

For older children, your dislike might relate to the friend’s language, attitude towards school, or risk-taking behaviours. Maybe the friend is hot and cold and elicits more drama than Mean Girls.

What can parents do?

Read more:
How can you help your child make friends?

You will have a protective instinct

If you see your child being treated poorly, this can ignite a protective instinct in parents that manifests in a bodily “fight or flight” response.

This provides a rush of adrenaline, which can spur parents to take actions such as criticising the friend or even attempting to ban the friendship.

However, this approach can do more harm than good, particularly for adolescents who are hardwired to push back on their parents.

What can you do for younger kids?

With younger children, clear boundaries can be set at the outset of a playdate. For example, “my bedroom is off limits for playing” or “we don’t jump on the couch”.

If kids are using mean or rude language around each other, you can say “we don’t use that word in this house, be kind to each other”.

Playdates can be moved outside, which can be particularly helpful if a child shows loud, destructive or rude behaviour. And if you can help it, organise fewer plays with that child.

But parents may also want to reflect on why this child rubs them the wrong way. Is the reaction warranted, or does it comes from your own biases and opinions? Your child’s friends do not have to be the friends you would choose.

Change your approach for older kids

To become successful adults, teens need to move through developmental milestones of becoming autonomous and self-reliant. Intervening in their friendships interferes with this vital process of developing independence and identity, which ultimately disempowers them.

In the 1960s, US psychologist Diana Baumrind published famous research on parenting. She found an authoritarian style – where the parent exerts complete control and does not listen to the child’s needs – results in a child with less confidence and independence than one brought up in a household that has rules but is also responsive to their needs.

Adopting an authoritarian approach to friends or potential partners also risks the “Romeo and Juliet” effect, whereby disapproval makes the child more attracted to that person.

So, for teenagers and their friends, the approach should be more nuanced. The primary goal is to encourage the child to see the parent as a person to come to when they have problems. If parents are tempted to be critical, they could ask themself: is it in the best interests of your child to be controlled?

It is important to let children make mistakes so they can learn from them. Learning about what they do and don’t want in relationships is a crucial life skill.

Read more:
‘How was school today?’ How to help kids open up and say more than ‘fine’

How can you talk about friendship?

Fostering an open dialogue about friends and relationships can allow parents to have influence in a subtle and developmentally appropriate way.

For younger children, you could use a quiet moment to ask questions like “what can you say to Charlotte if you don’t want to play her game anymore?” or “what’s a good way to deal with it if she is being too bossy?”

For older children, ideally wait until your teen wants to connect, rather than launching into questions. Ask gentle, non-judgmental questions about their friendship, like “what do you like to do together?” or “tell me about what you have in common”.

If they seem upset or uncomfortable in some way, resist the urge to dismiss or solve the problem. Simply listening is the key to helping the child work it out, so they feel supported but not judged.

And remember, not all friendships last. As children move through school and grow, most will naturally make new friends and move on from old ones.

Clearly, one exception to adopting a teen-led approach is when safety is at risk. If they are being bullied or abused in any form – even if the child is opposed – parents should step in and speak to the school or other relevant authorities.

Read more:
What can you do if your child is being bullied?

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

– ref. What can you do if you don’t like your child’s friends? – https://theconversation.com/what-can-you-do-if-you-dont-like-your-childs-friends-257353

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 9, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Measles cases are surging globally. Should children be vaccinated earlier?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meru Sheel, Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases, Immunisation and Emergencies (IDIE) Group, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney

EyeEm Mobile GmbH/Getty Images

Measles has been rising globally in recent years. There were an estimated 10.3 million cases worldwide in 2023, a 20% increase from 2022.

Outbreaks are being reported all over the world including in the United States, Europe and the Western Pacific region (which includes Australia). For example, Vietnam has reportedly seen thousands of cases in 2024 and 2025.

In Australia, 77 cases of measles have been recorded in the first five months of 2025, compared with 57 cases in all of 2024.

Measles cases in Australia are almost all related to international travel. They occur in travellers returning from overseas, or are contracted locally after mixing with an infected traveller or their contacts.

Measles most commonly affects children and is preventable with vaccination, given in Australia in two doses at 12 and 18 months old. But in light of current outbreaks globally, is there a case for reviewing the timing of measles vaccinations?

Some measles basics

Measles is caused by a virus belonging to the genus Morbillivirus. Symptoms include a fever, cough, runny nose and a rash. While it presents as a mild illness in most cases, measles can lead to severe disease requiring hospitalisation, and even death. Large outbreaks can overwhelm health systems.

Measles can have serious health consequences, such as in the brain and the immune system, years after the infection.

Measles spreads from person to person via small respiratory droplets that can remain suspended in the air for two hours. It’s highly contagious – one person with measles can spread the infection to 12–18 people who aren’t immune.

Because measles is so infectious, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends two-dose vaccination coverage above 95% to stop the spread and achieve “herd immunity”.

Low and declining vaccine coverage, especially since the COVID pandemic, is driving global outbreaks.

Read more:
What are the symptoms of measles? How long does the vaccine last? Experts answer 6 key questions

When are children vaccinated against measles?

Newborn babies are generally protected against measles thanks to maternal antibodies. Maternal antibodies get passed from the mother to the baby via the placenta and in breast milk, and provide protection against infections including measles.

The WHO advises everyone should receive two doses of measles vaccination. In places where there’s a lot of measles circulating, children are generally recommended to have the first dose at around nine months old. This is because it’s expected maternal antibodies would have declined significantly in most infants by that age, leaving them vulnerable to infection.

If maternal measles antibodies are still present, the vaccine is less likely to produce an immune response.

Research has also shown a measles vaccine given at less than 8.5 months of age can result in an antibody response which declines more quickly. This might be due to interference with maternal antibodies, but researchers are still trying to understand the reasons for this.

A second dose of the vaccine is usually given 6–9 months later. A second dose is important because about 10–15% of children don’t develop antibodies after the first vaccine.

In settings where measles transmission is under better control, a first dose is recommended at 12 months of age. Vaccination at 12 months compared with nine months is considered to generate a stronger, longer-lasting immune response.

In Australia, children are routinely given the measles-mumps- rubella (MMR) vaccine at 12 months and the measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV, with “varicella” being chickenpox) vaccine at 18 months.

Babies at higher risk of catching the disease can also be given an additional early dose. In Australia, this is recommended for infants as young as six months when there’s an outbreak or if they’re travelling overseas to a high-risk setting.

A new study looking at measles antibodies in babies

A recent review looked at measles antibody data from babies under nine months old living in low- and middle-income countries. The review combined the results from 20 studies, including more than 8,000 babies. The researchers found that while 81% of newborns had maternal antibodies to measles, only 30% of babies aged four months had maternal antibodies.

This study suggests maternal antibodies to measles decline much earlier than previously thought. It raises the question of whether the first dose of measles vaccine is given too late to maximise infants’ protection, especially when there’s a lot of measles around.

Should we bring the measles vaccine forward in Australia?

All of the data in this study comes from low- and middle-income countries, and might not reflect the situation in Australia where we have much higher vaccine coverage for measles, and very few cases.

Australia’s coverage for two doses of the MMR vaccine at age two is above 92%.

Although this is lower than the optimal 95%, the overall risk of measles surging in Australia is relatively low.

Nonetheless, there may be a case for broadening the age at which an early extra dose of the measles vaccine can be given to children at higher risk. In New Zealand, infants as young as four months can receive a measles vaccine before travelling to an endemic country.

But the current routine immunisation schedule in Australia is unlikely to change.

Adding an extra dose to the schedule would be costly and logistically difficult. Lowering the age for the first dose may have some advantages in certain settings, and doesn’t pose any safety concerns, but further evidence would be required to support this change. In particular, research is needed to ensure it wouldn’t negatively affect the longer-term protection that vaccination offers from measles.

Making sure you’re protected

In the meantime, ensuring high levels of measles vaccine coverage with two doses is a global priority.

People born after 1966 are recommended to have two doses of measles vaccine. This is because those born before the mid-1960s likely caught measles as children (when the vaccine was not yet available) and would therefore have natural immunity.

If you’re unsure about your vaccination status, you can check this through the Australian Immunisation Register. If you don’t have a documented record, ask your doctor for advice.

Catch-up vaccination is available under the National Immunisation Program.

Meru Sheel receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Anita Heywood 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. Measles cases are surging globally. Should children be vaccinated earlier? – https://theconversation.com/measles-cases-are-surging-globally-should-children-be-vaccinated-earlier-257942

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: SBA Opens Disaster Loan Outreach Centers in Diaz and Pocahontas

Source: United States Small Business Administration

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today the opening of Disaster Loan Outreach Centers (DLOCs) in the counties of Jackson and Randolph to assist small businesses, private nonprofit (PNP) organizations and residents affected by severe storms and tornadoes occurring March 14-15 and also for those impacted by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding occurring April 2-22.

Beginning Monday, June 9, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the DLOCs in Diaz and Pocahontas to answer questions and assist with the disaster loan application process. No appointment is necessary, walk-ins are welcome. Those who prefer to schedule an in-person appointment in advance can do so at appointment.sba.gov.

The center’s hours of operation are as follows:

JACKSON COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Diaz City Hall
3401 S. Main St.
Diaz, AR 72112

Opens at 8 a.m., Monday, June 9
Mondays – Fridays, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Closes Friday, June 20 at 4 p.m.

RANDOLPH COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Black River Technical College, Room 101
1410 Hwy. 304 E.
Pocahontas, AR 72455

Opens at 9 a.m., Monday, June 9
Mondays – Fridays, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Closes Friday, June 20 at 6.p.m.

The following DLOC locations are also open and continue to serve survivors:

SHARP COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
City Hall – Cave City
Conference Room
201 S. Main St.
Cave City, AR 72521

Mondays – Fridays, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

SHARP COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Hardy Fire Station
203 Church St.
Hardy, AR 72542

Mondays – Fridays, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

“When disasters strike, SBA’s Disaster Loan Outreach Centers perform an important role by assisting small businesses and their communities,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the U.S. Small Business Administration. “At these centers, our SBA specialists help business owners and residents apply for disaster loans and learn about the full range of programs available to support their recovery.”

Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.

Applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include insulating pipes, walls and attics, weather stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows to help protect property and occupants from future disasters.

The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and private nonprofit organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to these disasters. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.

EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

Interest rates are as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.62% for nonprofits, and 2.75% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA determines eligibility and sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage due to the March storms is July 14, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Feb. 9, 2026.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage due to the April storms is July 22, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Feb. 23, 2026.

###

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Batesville to Relocate

Source: United States Small Business Administration

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today the relocation of its Batesville Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC) from the Independence County Office of Emergency Management – EOC Building to the Independence County Courthouse beginning Monday, June 9 at 8:00 a.m.

SBA opened the DLOC to provide personalized assistance to Batesville businesses affected by severe storms and tornadoes occurring March 14-15.

“When disasters strike, SBA’s Disaster Loan Outreach Centers perform an important role by assisting small businesses and their communities,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the U.S. Small Business Administration. “At these centers, our SBA specialists help business owners and residents apply for disaster loans and learn about the full range of programs available to support their recovery.”

Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment in advance at appointment.sba.gov. The Independence County Office of Emergency Management – EOC Building closed Saturday, June 7. The Independence County Courthouse will open Monday, June 9, with the location and hours of operation as indicated below.

INDEPENDENCE COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Independence County Courthouse
Basement Conference Room
192 Main St.
Batesville, AR 72501

Opens at 8:00 a.m., Monday, June 9
Mondays – Fridays, 8:00a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

The following DLOC locations are open and continue to serve survivors:

SHARP COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
City Hall – Cave City
Conference Room
Entrance and parking at back of building
201 S. Main St.
Cave City, AR 72521

Mondays – Fridays, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturdays, 9:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

SHARP COUNTY
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Hardy Fire Station
203 Church St.
Hardy, AR 72542

Mondays – Fridays, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturdays, 9:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.

Applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include insulating pipes, walls and attics, weather stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows to help protect property and occupants from future disasters.

The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and private nonprofit organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to these disasters. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.

EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

Interest rates are as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.62% for nonprofits, and 2.75% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA determines eligibility and sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The deadline to return physical damage applications is July 14, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Feb. 9, 2026.

###

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI: $HAREHOLDER ALERT: Class Action Attorney Juan Monteverde Investigates the Merger Flowserve Corporation (NYSE: FLS)
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, June 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

Class Action Attorney Juan Monteverde with Monteverde & Associates PC (the “M&A Class Action Firm”), has recovered millions of dollars for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm in the 2024 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. The firm is headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City and is investigating Flowserve Corporation (NYSE: FLS) related to its merger with Chart Industries, Inc. Upon completion of the proposed transaction, Flowserve shareholders will own approximately 46.5% of the combined company.

Click here for more info https://monteverdelaw.com/case/flowserve-corporation/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

NOT ALL LAW FIRMS ARE EQUAL. Before you hire a law firm, you should talk to a lawyer and ask:
1. Do you file class actions and go to Court?
2. When was the last time you recovered money for shareholders?
3. What cases did you recover money in and how much?
About Monteverde & Associates PC

Our firm litigates and has recovered money for shareholders…and we do it from our offices in the Empire State Building. We are a national class action securities firm with a successful track record in trial and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

No one is above the law. If you own common stock in the above listed company and have concerns or wish to obtain additional information free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:
Juan Monteverde, Esq.
MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC
The Empire State Building
350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4740
New York, NY 10118
United States of America
jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com
Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2025 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

The MIL Network –
June 9, 2025

MIL-OSI: ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, Raising the Standard for Gaming Handhelds

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

KEY POINTS

All-day comfort: Redesigned chassis is purpose-built to fit the hands like a real gamepad
Seamless software experience: New Xbox^® software offers the best of Xbox and Windows PC gaming in one handheld
Efficiency and performance: Two new processors offer incredible AAA and indie gaming experiences

LOS ANGELES, June 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) is proud to announce an all-new series of Ally handhelds built from the ground up with improved ergonomics and a seamless player-first user experience.

Developed in partnership with the incredible team at Xbox, the new ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X offer best-in-class ergonomics and a full-screen Xbox experience that marries the best of Xbox and PC gaming in one cohesive package.

“We wanted to take our handheld to the next level, but we could not do it alone.” said Shawn Yen, Head of the Consumer product team at ASUS. “This revolutionary partnership with Microsoft allowed us to forge a brand new device with ROG muscle and the soul of Xbox.”

The ROG Xbox Ally sports an AMD Ryzen™ Z2 A Processor with incredible power efficiency, while the ROG Xbox Ally X offers the new AMD Ryzen™ AI Z2 Extreme Processor for next-level gaming performance. Both launch holiday 2025 in select markets, with additional markets to follow.

All-day comfort

The ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X feature a completely redesigned chassis. Gaming on handheld is a very personal experience, and comfort in the hand is a key pillar of a well-designed device. With years of feedback on the original Ally and Ally X, the ROG Xbox Ally series offers a more comfortable grip than ever, inspired by Xbox. With a redesigned palm rest and texturing patterns to keep gamers locked on target, the ROG Xbox Ally series truly raises the bar for comfort with a handheld gaming device.

The ROG Xbox Ally X also features impulse triggers, improving the haptics in supported games. These triggers allow for more nuance and immersion and are a feature that Xbox gamers have come to expect with their controllers. These devices are the most comfortable and immersive handhelds ever built by ROG.

Seamless software experience

While the ROG Armoury Crate Special Edition software made the original Ally easy to use, ROG and Xbox aimed to make handheld gaming even more seamless on Windows 11. “We wanted to create an authentic Xbox experience in a handheld form factor,” explained Roanne Sones, CVP at Xbox. “With ROG, we made it happen on the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X.”

As soon as players power on the device, they enter the full screen Xbox experience. Powered by Windows 11 underneath, this software has been optimized for the ROG Xbox Ally, reducing system overhead and offering easy joystick and button navigation. Quick access to settings and customizable widgets are available via Game Bar with a single press of the Xbox button. But with the full freedom of Windows 11 running under the hood, games and mods from other sources are still easily accessible. The ROG Xbox Ally series offers the power of Xbox, the craftsmanship of ROG, and the versatility of Windows, all in one cohesive device.

Efficiency and performance

The ROG Xbox Ally X features the new top-of-stack AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor, giving it plenty of horsepower even in AAA games. Combined with software optimizations from the new Xbox experience, the ROG Xbox Ally X stands ready to provide gamers with next-gen handheld performance.

“Battery life is paramount on handhelds like the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X,” said Jack Huynh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of AMD. “The Ryzen Z2 series improves efficiency over the previous generation while still offering excellent performance in modern games.”

The ROG Xbox Ally offers console-caliber performance with its AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor. At the same time, its ultra-efficient design at low wattages and its 60Wh battery produce improved battery life. Meanwhile, the ROG Xbox Ally X takes performance to greater heights, offering more room for graphical fidelity at higher framerates with the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor.

Both chips are primed to take full advantage of AMD’s latest software suite for graphics and performance improvements, including AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution (FSR), Radeon Super Resolution (RSR), and AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) frame generation, the latter of which can offer better framerates for improved smoothness.

In a nod to the future, the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme-equipped ROG Xbox Ally X features an NPU. With these next-generation chips, the ROG Xbox Ally X will be ready to power the latest AI features as they are introduced.

At launch this holiday, the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X will be available in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with availability to follow for other markets where ROG Ally series products are sold today.

For more information, please visit https://rog.asus.com/content/rog-xbox-ally/. Users can also sign up on the page to get notified when pre-orders go live.

SPECIFICATIONS

ROG Xbox Ally X (2025)

Operating System	Windows 11 Home
Comfort & input	Contoured grips inspired by Xbox Wireless Controllers deliver all-day comfort, complete with impulse triggers for enhanced control ABXY buttons / D-pad / L & R impulse triggers / L & R bumpers / Xbox button / View button / Menu button / Command Center button / Library button / 2x assignable back buttons / 2x full-size analog sticks / HD haptics / 6-Axis IMU
Processor	AMD Ryzen^™ AI Z2 Extreme Processor
Display	7” FHD (1080p) IPS, 500 nits, 16:9 120Hz refresh rate FreeSync Premium Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus® + Corning DXC Anti-Reflection
Memory	24GB LPDDR5X-8000
Storage	1TB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgrade
Network and Communication	Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2) + Bluetooth^® 5.4
I/O Ports	1x USB4^® with DisplayPort^™ 2.1 / Power Delivery 3.0, Thunderbolt^™ 4 compatible 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C^® with DisplayPort^™ 2.1 / Power Delivery 3.0 1x UHS-II microSD card reader (supports SD, SDXC and SDHC; UHS-I with DDR200 mode) 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack
Battery	80Wh
Dimensions	290.8 (W) x 121.5 (D) x 50.7 (H) mm
Weight	715 grams
Included	ROG Xbox Ally X 65W charger Stand

ROG Xbox Ally (2025)

Operating System	Windows 11 Home
Comfort & input	Contoured grips inspired by Xbox Wireless Controllers deliver all-day comfort ABXY buttons / D-pad / L & R Hall Effect analog triggers / L & R bumpers / Xbox button / View button / Menu button / Command Center button / Library button / 2x assignable back buttons / 2x full-size analog sticks / HD haptics / 6-Axis IMU
Processor	AMD Ryzen^™ Z2 A Processor
Display	7” FHD (1080p) IPS, 500 nits, 16:9 120Hz refresh rate FreeSync Premium Corning® Gorilla® Glass Vitus® + Corning DXC Anti-Reflection
Memory	16GB LPDDR5X-6400
Storage	512GB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgrade
Network and Communication	WiFi 6E (2 x 2) + Bluetooth^® 5.4
I/O Ports	2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C^® with DisplayPort^™ 2.1 / Power Delivery 3.0 1x UHS-II microSD card reader (supports SD, SDXC and SDHC) 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack
Battery	60Wh
Dimensions	290.8 (W) x 121.5 (D) x 50.7 (H) mm
Weight	670 grams
Included	ROG Xbox Ally 65W charger Stand

NOTES TO EDITORS

ROG Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asusrog

ROG X (Twitter): https://www.x.com/asus_rog

ASUS Pressroom: http://press.asus.com

ASUS Canada Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asuscanada/

ASUS Canada Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asus_ca

ASUS Canada YouTube: https://ca.asus.click/youtube

ASUS Global Twitter: https://www.x.com/asus

About ROG

Republic of Gamers (ROG) is an ASUS sub-brand dedicated to creating the world’s best gaming hardware and software. Formed in 2006, ROG offers a complete line of innovative products known for performance and quality, including motherboards, graphics cards, system components, laptops, desktops, monitors, smartphones, audio equipment, routers, peripherals and accessories. ROG participates in and sponsors major international gaming events. ROG gear has been used to set hundreds of overclocking records and it continues to be the preferred choice of gamers and enthusiasts around the world. To become one of those who dare, learn more about ROG at http://rog.asus.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/589e47e6-72cf-472f-b58a-2d4425432efb

The MIL Network –

June 9, 2025

MIL-Evening Report: Why bystanders defend bad behaviour at work — even when they know it’s wrong

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zhanna Lyubykh, Assistant Professor, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University

Rather than intervening, supporting targets or reporting the misconduct, bystanders may downplay it, withdraw support or even blame the target, which ultimately reinforces the mistreatment. (Shutterstock)

“You always mess things up. Why are you even on this project? Just quit already.” Demeaning, hostile or undermining behaviour like this is more common in the workplace and damaging than many people realize. One in three employees experience such behaviours, and almost half witness them.

Rather than intervening, supporting targets or reporting the misconduct, research shows bystanders may downplay it, withdraw support or even blame the target, which ultimately reinforces the mistreatment.

As our recent study shows, this is largely because when mistreatment seems inevitable or commonplace, bystanders are psychologically motivated to justify it rather than challenge it.

Why do bystanders rationalize mistreatment?

Humans are hardwired to see mistreatment as wrong. Most of us value fairness and want to punish wrongdoing. But if this is the case, why do bystanders so often fail to act when they witness mistreatment?

Our recent research explores this question drawing on system justification theory — the idea that people are motivated to see the systems they live and work in as fair, legitimate and stable.

When mistreatment seems inevitable — when people think “that’s just how things work around here” — bystanders face a psychological dilemma. They can either challenge the behaviour and risk conflict, exclusion or backlash, or they can rationalize it as normal or deserved.

Most people, often without realizing it, choose the latter. This mental shortcut allows them to preserve the comforting belief that the system is fair and people get what they deserve.

One in three employees experience demeaning, hostile or undermining behaviour in the workplace, and almost half witness them.
(Shutterstock)

Witnessing workplace mistreatment

We interviewed 554 employees who had witnessed workplace mistreatment within the past two weeks at the time the survey was conducted. They shared their thoughts on how inevitable they believed the mistreatment incident was, and how tolerant they felt their organization was toward such behaviour.

In a follow-up survey, we asked these employees whether they felt the incident they witnessed was justifiable and the target as deserving. A week later, in a third survey, we asked these bystanders to report how they behaved toward the target, and whether they tried to address or minimize the incident.

We found that when bystanders perceived mistreatment as inevitable, they were more likely to see the incident as justified and targets as deserving of that treatment. These bystanders were more likely to socially distance themselves from the target, engage in negative gossip about them and were less willing to offer help.

Bystander inaction wasn’t due to cowardice or callousness, but was often a defence mechanism. Rationalizing mistreatment allowed bystanders to preserve the belief that their workplace was just. But this coping strategy can deepen harm for those who experience mistreatment, who may be further marginalized, isolated or discredited.

How mistreatment is normalized

Workplace climates play a key role in the normalization of mistreatment. Our findings indicate when employees believed their workplace tolerated mistreatment, they were more likely to rationalize it and less likely to support the person being mistreated.

In these contexts, mistreatment isn’t just ignored, but is quietly accepted. Tacit acceptance sends a powerful message: this is normal, this is deserved, this is not worth challenging.

What does a toxic, permissive workplace look like? Warning signs include staff who feel anxious about coming to work and leaders who publicly criticize employees or tell them to “toughen up” or “not take it personally.”

If negative gossip is tolerated, or reports of mistreatment are ignored or delayed, these are also strong indicators that mistreatment has been normalized.

Organizations may fail to acknowledge these patterns for a variety of reasons, including resistance, denial or a lack of readiness. But surfacing these issues is a strength, not a weakness. It allows organizations to address root causes, retain valuable employees, and foster a more respectful environment.

When mistreatment is ignored in the workplace, it sends a message to employees that it is normal, deserved and not worth challenging.
(Unsplash/Borja Verbena)

4 ways to create positive change

Even in workplaces where mistreatment has become normalized, positive change is possible. Research shows that effectively managing everyday incidents can create bottom-up effects that support broader positive change within the workplace, ultimately improving workplace climate.

Managers have a particularly pivotal role to play. When they respond quickly, support targets openly and hold perpetrators accountable, they challenge the perception that mistreatment is inevitable. They also send a broader message about what behaviours are and aren’t acceptable in the workplace.

Here are four evidence-based strategies that can help disrupt the bystander dynamic and improve workplace culture:

1. Challenge the narrative of inevitability

Organizations should clearly signal that mistreatment will not be tolerated in their workplace. This includes explicitly communicating behavioural expectations, investigating reports quickly and transparently, and ensuring senior leaders model respectful behaviour. These small but visible actions disrupt the sense that mistreatment is “just how things work.”

2. Reduce ambiguity

When organizations don’t define behavioural norms clearly, bystanders are more likely to rationalize mistreatment. Organizations should define what mistreatment includes, such as exclusion and sarcastic comments, and distinguish it from tough feedback or constructive conflict. Training can help employees recognize subtle forms of harm and reflect on how their reactions would appear to someone they respect.

3. Enforce consequences consistently

When policies exist but aren’t enforced, bystanders learn that mistreatment carries no cost. Organizations need to follow through on mistreatment policies, protect those who report it and make it clear that retaliation is unacceptable. Visibility matters: people need to see that action is taken.

4. Support targets openly and meaningfully

System justification often works by undermining the credibility of those being mistreated. Managers can counteract this by affirming the value of a person targeted, encouraging reintegration and monitoring their teams for subtle social exclusion. When targets are supported by respected leaders, bystanders are more likely to follow suit because people tend to look to leader behaviour towards employees as a sign of their value to the group.

When targets are supported by respected leaders, bystanders are more likely to follow suit.
(Shutterstock)

Why this matters

Much of the existing research on workplace mistreatment has focused on the importance of bystander and leader intervention. Our research adds a deeper layer by illustrating that bystanders may not intervene because they are subconsciously defending their belief in a fair and legitimate system.

This defence mechanism is especially dangerous when mistreatment is common, creating a cycle in which the most vulnerable employees are harmed twice: first by the perpetrator, and then by those who fail to stand by them.

Breaking this cycle requires more than training videos or one-off statements. It requires reshaping the climate that makes mistreatment seem normal, inevitable or trivial.

The encouraging news is that even small, consistent actions can begin to shift these dynamics. Research has shown that incivility training that teaches people how to engage in civil ways, for example, has lasting effects on employee well-being and relationships. When these harmful dynamics are shifted, it improves the workplace for everyone.

Zhanna Lyubykh receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Laurie J. Barclay receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the University of Guelph’s Research Leader Award.

Nick Turner receives research funding from Cenovus Energy Inc., Haskayne School of Business’s Future Fund, Mitacs, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Sandy Hershcovis receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

– ref. Why bystanders defend bad behaviour at work — even when they know it’s wrong – https://theconversation.com/why-bystanders-defend-bad-behaviour-at-work-even-when-they-know-its-wrong-257941

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 9, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Immortality at a price: how the promise of delaying death has become a consumer marketing bonanza

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Errmann, Senior Lecturer, Marketing & International Business, Auckland University of Technology

Living forever has become the wellness and marketing trend of the 2020s. But cheating death – or at least delaying it – will come at a price.

What was once the domain of scientists and the uber rich is increasingly becoming a consumer product. Those pushing the idea, spearheaded by tech billionaire Bryan Johnson’s “Don’t Die” movement, believe death isn’t inevitable, but is a solvable problem.

The global longevity market – spanning gene therapies, anti-ageing drugs, diagnostics and wellness plans – is projected to hit US$610 billion this year. At its core, the marketing of these products feeds off the age-old fear of mortality and the desire to stay young.

But while the marketing is reaching the masses, this is still very much a luxury product. Immortality is being sold as exclusive, aspirational and symbolic. It’s not just about living longer – it’s about signalling status, controlling biology and being your “best future self”.

Tapping into long-held fears

What’s known as “terror management theory” puts forward the idea that humans and other animals have an instinctive drive for self-preservation. But humans are not only self-aware, they are also able to anticipate future outcomes – including the inevitability of death.

The messaging behind the push to extend life taps into this internal tension between knowledge of our own mortality and the self-preservation instinct. And to be fair, it is not a new phenomenon.

Cryonics – the preservation of bodies and brains at extremely low temperatures with the hope medical advancements will allow for their revival at some point in the future – was first popularised in Robert Ettinger’s 1962 book The Prospect of Immortality.

Since then, the super-rich have invested in various companies promising to preserve their bodies for some unknown future date. It now costs US$200,000 to freeze your body, or $80,000 for just your brain.

What’s truly new is how death is being marketed – not as fate, but as a flaw. Longevity isn’t just about living longer; it’s about turning mortality into a design problem, something to delay, manage and eventually solve.

“Biohacking” sells the idea that with the right data, tools and discipline, you can upgrade your biology – and become your best, most future-proof self.

This pitch targets high-income consumers aged 30 to 60, people already fluent in the language of optimisation – a mindset focused on maximising performance, productivity and longevity through data.

The brands behind the living forever movement sell control, optimisation and elite identity. Ageing becomes a personal failure. Anti-ageing is self-discipline. Consumers are cast as CEOs of their own health – tracking sleep, fixing their gut and taking supplements.

From biohacks to consumer branding

There are now more than 700 companies working in the longevity market. Startups such as Elysium Health and Human Longevity Inc. offer DNA testing, supplements and personalised health plans.

These aren’t medical treatments – they’re sold as tools to age “smarter” or “slower” and are pitched with the language of control over what once might have seemed uncontrollable.

Don’t Die’s Bryan Johnson spends over US$2 million annually on his personal anti-ageing experiment.

But the real pitch is to consumers: buy back time, one premium subscription at a time. Johnson’s company Blueprint offers diagnostics, supplements and exercise routines bundled into monthly plans starting at $333 and climbing to over $1,600.

Longevity products promise more than health. They promise time, control and even immortality. But the quest to live forever, or at least a lot longer, raises moral and ethical questions about who benefits, and what kind of world is being created.

Without thoughtful oversight, these technologies risk becoming tools of exclusion, not progress. Because if time becomes a product, not everyone will get to check out at the same counter.

Amy Errmann 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. Immortality at a price: how the promise of delaying death has become a consumer marketing bonanza – https://theconversation.com/immortality-at-a-price-how-the-promise-of-delaying-death-has-become-a-consumer-marketing-bonanza-257009

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: China’s Marine Economy Development Index Up 2.3% in 2024

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

HAIKOU, June 8 (Xinhua) — China’s marine economic development index, a key indicator of the country’s progress in the sector, increased 2.3 percent year on year to 125.2 in 2024, showing robust development of the maritime sector.

The index was released by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources on Sunday to mark World Oceans Day.

Data show that in 2024, China’s maritime sector structure was further optimized and technological innovation capability was improved. The sub-index of marine economy optimization and upgrading in 2024 was 131, up 1.8 percent year on year.

The ministry’s statistics also show that the added value of emerging marine industries grew 7.2 percent year-on-year in 2024. Marine-related companies raised 11.4 billion yuan (US$1.58 billion) in IPOs, accounting for 17 percent of the total funding for all IPO companies in China, indicating strong capital market activity in the maritime sector. –0–

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Kustoff, Pfluger, Cassidy Introduce Bill to Expand Health Care Innovation

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative David Kustoff (TN-08)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Reps. David Kustoff (R-TN) and August Pfluger (R-TX), as well as U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), introduced the Small Biotech Innovation Act to exempt research and development-intensive small biotech manufacturers from the Medicare drug price negotiation program.

“It is critical that the United States remains at the forefront of developing new medical technologies, treatments, and drugs,” said Congressman Kustoff. “The Small Biotech Innovation Act will help smaller companies invest in research and development by alleviating the excessive Biden-era regulations placed on them. This legislation is an important step in boosting innovation and helping find new cures for patients across the globe.”

“The Inflation Reduction Act has proven to fall short in several areas, including its small biotech exemption that disincentivizes companies from investing in R&D and hinders the development of innovative therapies. By tying eligibility to R&D spending, we can better incentivize companies to develop new treatments that will benefit patients nationwide,” said Congressman Pfluger. “The bicameral Small Biotech Innovation Act is a forward-thinking approach that will strengthen America’s leadership in life-saving science by modernizing the small biotech exemption to reward real innovation and research investment, and ultimately protect these innovative small biotech companies.”

“When the federal government stands in the way of developing better care, there’s a problem. The cures developed through small biotech innovation change the future for many patients. Instead of limiting it, we should encourage it,” said Dr. Cassidy.

The Small Biotech Innovation Act would counter the negative impact that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will have on innovation and drug development by providing any small biotech that spends a certain amount of money on research and development with the ability to delay one of their drugs for IRA negotiation for a year. The bill also prohibits any company that is owned by a foreign adversary from being eligible for the delay.

Click here for the full text of the bill.

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MIL OSI USA News –

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: MATSUI LEADS CA COLLEAGUES IN OPPOSING AI MORATORIUM IN RECONCILIATION BILL
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, led a group of her California colleagues in sending a letter to Senate leadership, strongly objecting to the section of H.R. 1 that would impose a ten-year moratorium on state and local enforcement of their own artificial intelligence laws and regulations.

“This moratorium’s assumption—that the United States will be unable to lead the world in AI if states identify and implement measures to protect their citizens from potential AI harms—is misguided,” wrote the lawmakers. “It wrongly accepts the premise that identifying and addressing AI-specific risks and harms and imposing guardrails is counterproductive to being the world’s AI leader. Nothing is further from the truth. Common sense AI guardrails can propel innovation by building trust with consumers and future users, while promoting a fair, open, and competitive playing field.”

In the absence of a federal AI regulatory framework, California and other states across the nation are embracing common-sense safeguards that ensure innovation and competition can continue to thrive. As AI tools grow more sophisticated and more widely deployed, these state measures are crucial to promote safety and trust with consumers. The House-passed moratorium, spearheaded by Republicans, would strip states of their authority to respond to new and evolving AI risks—freezing vital consumer protections for a full decade.

“We should not place consumers in harm’s way by pausing for a decade the good work that states have done and will continue to do,” the lawmakers continued. “Instead, let us work together in a bicameral, bipartisan fashion to create smart, tailored, and consensus-driven legislative solutions that empower Americans’ use of AI and automated decision systems.”

Full text of the letter can be found below or HERE.

Dear Majority Leader Thune, Minority Leader Schumer, Chairman Cruz, and Ranking Member Cantwell:

We are writing to express our strong objections to the section of H.R. 1 that would impose a sweeping ten-year moratorium on state and local enforcement of their own artificial intelligence (AI) laws and regulations.

As part of being the global AI leader, the United States must take the lead on identifying and setting common sense guardrails for responsible and safe AI development and deployment. To prevent states, including our state of California, from enforcing state AI regulations that provide such guardrails—particularly without any meaningful federal alternative—is inconsistent with the goal of AI leadership. This moratorium’s assumption—that the United States will be unable to lead the world in AI if states identify and implement measures to protect their citizens from potential AI harms—is misguided. It wrongly accepts the premise that identifying and addressing AI-specific risks and harms and imposing guardrails is counterproductive to being the world’s AI leader. Nothing is further from the truth. Common sense AI guardrails can propel innovation by building trust with consumers and future users, while promoting a fair, open, and competitive playing field.

California is the fourth largest economy in the world in part because innovative technology companies, including 32 of the world’s 50 leading AI companies, call the state home. As a hub of AI activity, our state has been a national leader in ensuring that innovation and competition thrive alongside common-sense safeguards, starting with transparency. In our increasingly digital world, AI and other emerging technologies are rapid disruptors. To place a ten-year hold on state and local enforcement of their own AI laws, especially without federal alternatives, exposes Americans to a growing list of harms as AI technologies are adopted across sectors from healthcare to education, housing, and transportation. The resulting regulatory gap created by the AI moratorium in H.R. 1 would decimate the good work that California and other states, led by both Democrats and Republicans, have done, such as:
- requiring transparency regarding training data or the use of AI to communicate with patients in medical settings
- giving performers and their families rights over digital replicas of their likenesses
- protecting American artists’ voice and likeness from unauthorized AI impersonations,
- requiring employers to ensure AI-enabled employment decisions comply with civil rights laws, and
- requiring mental health platforms to disclose to users that they are interacting with an AI mental health chatbot, not a human therapist.
These examples and other proposed state legislation exemplify the mounting desire among AI experts and the American public to provide guardrails to promote AI safety, trust, and transparency. This is an extension of bipartisan concerns over online safety and manipulative algorithms—issues that, if left unchecked, leaves Americans vulnerable to harms impacting their health, their jobs, their education, and ultimately, their lives. Now is the time for Congress to work on bipartisan legislation to address these harms. The House Republican ten-year moratorium, by contrast, would gut protections for the very people we represent.

This bill provision isn’t limited to state laws and regulations of new and emerging AI. It imposes a ten-year moratorium on laws and regulations regulating “automated decision making systems” which arguably covers any computer processing.

Furthermore, the provision covers state and local regulations of their own use of AI and of automated decision making systems, which will mean states and localities cannot impose procurement requirements on AI and computer systems that are different than those imposed on other technologies. Under this provision, they would not be allowed, for example, to adopt regulations imposing safeguards on education technology to be used in public schools or on AI systems that they want to use to improve the provision of government services. That makes no sense at all.

Late in the process, House Republicans added an exception to the ten-year moratorium for state and local laws to the extent they impose criminal penalties. But that exception only underscores the absurd breadth of the 10-year moratorium. Why should the federal government incentivize states and localities to adopt criminal penalties to deal with harms from AI models and systems, and automated decision-making systems, in instances where a civil penalty, breach of contract claim, injunctive relief or some other non-criminal remedy is more appropriate to address the problem at hand?

We have already seen an outpouring of opposition to this moratorium, including bipartisan opposition from state attorneys general, state legislators, voters, and over 140 consumer advocacy, online safety, and civil rights groups. The House Bipartisan AI Taskforce last Congress acknowledged the “risks” of enacting an AI moratorium on state activity and, instead, recommended that Congress “commission a study to analyze the applicable federal and state regulations and laws that affect the development and use of AI systems across sectors.” We should not place consumers in harm’s way by pausing for a decade the good work that states have done and will continue to do. We must learn from them. After all, we have had the opportunity to learn from five years’ worth of several state efforts to criminalize the sharing of non-consensual intimate imagery, real and AI-generated, to produce the TAKE IT DOWN Act that President Trump recently signed into law. Now is not the time to deny Congress the critical insight our states provide as laboratories of democracy.

Additionally, this moratorium is procedurally deficient, as it bears no relationship to the federal budget. House Republicans stretch credulity beyond its breaking point when claiming this moratorium is necessary to effectuate their reconciliation bill’s $500 million for the Department of Commerce to update its IT and cybersecurity systems. Under the Supremacy Clause, states cannot pass laws that restrict or impose obligations on the federal government, including the Department of Commerce and federal procurement rules governing agency IT systems. Consequently, the moratorium does not impact the federal budget and must fall out as an “extraneous matter” prohibited, under the Senate Byrd Rule, from inclusion in a reconciliation bill.

As you take up the House Republicans’ reconciliation bill for consideration, we urge you to remove the AI moratorium provision. Instead, let us work together in a bicameral, bipartisan fashion to create smart, tailored, and consensus-driven legislative solutions that empower Americans’ use of AI and automated decision systems. We can learn from what the states—like California, New York, Tennessee, Utah, and many others—are doing to leverage the benefits of AI technologies while protecting consumers from their harms.

# # #

MIL OSI USA News –
June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: MATSUI, COSTA, AND COLLEAGUES CALL FOR TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO HALT EFFORTS TO GUT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07) and Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) led a group of 23 lawmakers in a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Howard Lutnick and Acting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Laura Grimm, demanding that the Trump Administration restore 24/7 operations at the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Sacramento and Hanford Forecast Offices.

It was recently reported that the NWS Sacramento and Hanford Weather Forecast Offices are unable to maintain 24/7 operations due to severe staffing shortages, following layoffs, resignations, and a hiring freeze by the Trump Administration.

“These service reductions represent the beginning of a public safety crisis with potentially catastrophic consequences if the NWS is unable to retain the staff necessary to maintain around-the-clock weather monitoring in California,” wrote the lawmakers. “Across the state’s airports, highways, farms, and reservoirs, accurate, reliable, and timely weather forecasting is critical for every Californian.”

From hurricanes and tornadoes to atmospheric rivers, NWS provides the forecasting necessary to keep Americans safe and prepared for natural disasters. In California, NWS experts are critical for wildfire prediction and water management. NWS also delivers critical services for our farmers, our military, and our critical infrastructure. However, since the Trump Administration took office, over 500 NWS employees have been laid off or pushed into early retirement. Those cuts mean that nearly half of NWS offices have staffing vacancy rates of 20 percent or higher.

“The National Weather Service is a public safety lifeline and an essential public good. This is not waste or fraud. Americans depend on accurate and timely weather forecasts and alerts not just to plan their day, but to prepare for, and survive, deadly natural disasters,” the lawmakers concluded. “We demand that you immediately reinstate all terminated workers at these offices, lift the federal hiring freeze for NWS, and ensure that the Sacramento and Hanford weather forecast offices are adequately staffed to maintain 24/7 operations.”

Full text of the letter can be found below or HERE.

Dear Secretary Lutnick and Acting Administrator Grimm,

Due to terminations, hiring freezes, and vacancies, the National Weather Service (NWS) recently announced that it would cease 24-hour 7-day-a-week operations at the Sacramento and Hanford Weather Forecast Offices. These service reductions represent the beginning of a public safety crisis with potentially catastrophic consequences if the NWS is unable to retain the staff necessary to maintain around-the-clock weather monitoring in California. Across the state’s airports, highways, farms, and reservoirs, accurate, reliable, and timely weather forecasting is critical for every Californian. We urge immediate action to halt any service interruptions at the Sacramento and Hanford Weather Forecast Offices by reinstating terminated workers and lifting the federal hiring freeze for NWS.

Across NWS, reports have recently stated that as many as 500 employees have been terminated or taken an early retirement, representing a 12% reduction in staffing since President Trump took office. A recent internal assessment by NWS employees found that nearly half of NWS Weather Forecast Offices had vacancy rates of 20% or higher, a level that represents “critical understaffing.” The Sacramento office currently has seven vacancies for meteorologists, out of 16 positions, while the Hanford office has eight vacancies out of 13 positions—leaving both offices operating at half strength as we approach the peak of wildfire season. Slashing staffing in half at the offices responsible for predicting wildfires, atmospheric rivers, and natural disasters is unacceptable, puts thousands of lives at risk, and does nothing to increase government efficiency.

Recent years have demonstrated that wildfire season in California is now year-round. In 2024, California saw 8,018 wildfires, burning a total of 1,049,963 acres.4 Since 2013, an average of 1,029,049 acres have burned annually.5 NWS fire weather forecasting plays a critical role in predicting wildfire and protecting the lives of millions of Californians who live in fire prone areas. Incident meteorologists at NWS are often at the frontline to provide information to wildfire managers and first responders to safely contain wildfires.

The Office of Water Prediction and the National Water Prediction Service also play a critical role in hydrological predictions, in concert with NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. Water managers in California rely on the forecasting expertise of these federal agencies to make reservoir operating decisions. Without the NWS’s expert hydrological forecasters, water managers in California are left blindly guessing and forced to make life-or-death decisions amid the state’s swings between crippling drought and catastrophic flooding.

The National Weather Service is a public safety lifeline and an essential public good. This is not waste or fraud. Americans depend on accurate and timely weather forecasts and alerts not just to plan their day, but to prepare for, and survive, deadly natural disasters. If the NWS weather forecast offices in Sacramento and Hanford, together covering the entire Central Valley, cannot monitor overnight conditions, that puts our constituents in danger. This is a reckless and unnecessary risk that offers no benefit to the American public. We demand that you immediately reinstate all terminated workers at these offices, lift the federal hiring freeze for NWS, and ensure that the Sacramento and Hanford weather forecast offices are adequately staffed to maintain 24/7 operations. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

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MIL OSI USA News –

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: MATSUI SLAMS NEW BEAD GUIDANCE FROM DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, released the following statement after the Department of Commerce released new guidance regarding the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.

“The result of today’s announcement is simple: the Trump administration is delaying once-in-a-generation investments, blocking states from closing the digital divide and getting Americans online,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “Congress was thoughtful and bipartisan when hammering out the details for BEAD, because we realize the stakes for getting connectivity right are sky high. We empowered our states and local communities to use their on-the-ground knowledge to ensure BEAD dollars go where they’re most needed. We have worked hard to ensure access, affordability, and adoption go hand in hand. This is a matter of necessity for our constituents. Reliable, high speed internet access dictates who succeeds and who is left behind in the modern economy.”

“These new changes undo the states’ hard work, punt the broadband deployment timeline further down the line, and ultimately, drive up costs for consumers,” Matsui continued. “This delay is unacceptable. Americans, especially those in rural and underserved areas, are counting on this funding. The Trump Administration is clearly willing to leave everyday Americans behind – but I will continue to fight to ensure we deliver on our promises to close the digital divide.”

Background:

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs in all 50 states. In California, the BEAD program is being implemented by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). California was allocated over $1.8 billion to deploy or upgrade high-speed internet networks and close the digital divide. California is currently selecting the service providers that would deploy last mile broadband infrastructure to unserved and underserved communities.

Today, the Department of Commerce released new guidelines that would substantially delay broadband projects and increase costs to states by forcing all states to conduct at least another round of applications, rescinding all their preliminary and provisional awards. The new guidelines also would impose burdensome scoring requirements that would hamstring states’ flexibility to choose the right mix of technologies to provide the most reliable, scalable, and future-proof internet service available to a location. Additionally, the Trump administration’s changes would weaken or eliminate protections for affordability, good-paying jobs, climate-resilient networks, and a free and open internet. These changes will drive up costs for consumers while driving down the quality of service.

For a more detailed breakdown of the entire BEAD process in California, click HERE.

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MIL OSI USA News –

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Cleaver Joins 199 Lawmakers in Bipartisan Effort to Save Job Corps

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

(Washington, D.C.) – This week, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) joined Congressmen Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and nearly 200 other congressional lawmakers in urging the Department of Labor to continue the Job Corps program. In a letter to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Cleaver and the bipartisan cohort of lawmakers highlighted the benefits of the program and reiterated its importance to young workers and small businesses across the nation.

“Nearly 20,000 young people utilize Job Corps to learn skills for in-demand vocational and technical job training,” the lawmakers wrote. “Job Corps is one of the few national programs that specifically targets the 16-24-year-old population that is neither working, nor in school, and provides them with a direct pathway into employment openings in industries such as manufacturing and shipbuilding. The program also connects these young Americans with apprenticeships, higher education opportunities, or the military.”

“As companies continue to onshore and invest in the men and women of our country, a steady stream of skilled laborers will be required to meet the growing workforce demand,” the lawmakers continued. “The Job Corps program is uniquely positioned to fill that role and provide these hardworking young Americans with the vocational and technical job training that will set them and our country up for success.”

“There is no one more capable than the American worker when given a chance at success. We urge you to support our request so that local Job Corps Centers can continue connecting young Americans with careers and opportunities available to them. We are confident that, in collaboration with the Administration and Job Corps Centers in our communities, we can strengthen this program, continuing to develop a highly skilled and competitive labor force,” the lawmakers concluded.

On May 29, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a notice that it will begin a phased pause in operations at contractor-operated Job Corps centers across the country. Job Corps is a national program with over 120 centers nationwide. Job Corps offers at-risk youth varied academic opportunities and career pathways in business and industry.

Congressman Cleaver has been a longtime supporter of Job Corps and the benefits it provides to young workers across Missouri, requesting Congress to provide adequate funding for the program and Job Corp Centers throughout the Show Me State.

The official letter from lawmakers is available here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 9, 2025
India’s transformative decade: Landmark reforms drive ease of doing business

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

Over the past eleven years, India has undergone a remarkable transformation in its business and investment climate, driven by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governance model that emphasizes Seva (service), Sushasan (good governance), and Garib Kalyan (welfare of the poor). As part of the vision for a Viksit Bharat (Developed India), a series of economic and administrative reforms have positioned India as one of the most attractive global destinations for business and entrepreneurship.

One of the most striking signs of progress is the meteoric rise of India’s startup ecosystem. From a few hundred startups in 2014, the country now boasts over 1.6 lakh recognized startups, which have collectively created more than 17.6 lakh direct jobs. Today, India is the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem.

This growth has been supported by bold structural reforms that have reshaped the Ease of Doing Business landscape. The government has repealed over 1,500 obsolete laws and scrapped thousands of unnecessary compliances that previously created bureaucratic hurdles and increased the cost of doing business. These moves have significantly reduced red tape and rent-seeking practices, replacing them with a red-carpet welcome for investors and entrepreneurs.

To enhance transparency and simplify government-citizen and business interactions, measures such as the National Single Window System have been introduced, enabling businesses to secure approvals through a single digital platform. Randomized labour inspections and faceless tax assessments have eliminated the era of ‘Inspector Raj’ and boosted compliance by reinforcing trust in businesses.

The government’s commitment to fair and efficient governance is also reflected in the success of platforms like the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), which now handles nearly 75% of public procurement transparently, and in record tax collections, indicating a broader and more willing tax base.

India’s improvements have been recognized globally. The country’s ranking in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index soared from 142 in 2014 to 63 in 2019. In the 2023 Logistics Performance Index (LPI), India climbed six places to reach the 38th position out of 139 countries—thanks to infrastructure development programs such as PM Gati Shakti and the National Logistics Policy.

Furthermore, landmark decisions such as the removal of retrospective taxation, the scrapping of the Angel Tax, and a significant reduction in corporate tax rates have reinforced investor confidence.

Prime Minister Modi’s economic philosophy sees entrepreneurs not merely as profit-makers but as key partners in national development. This shift in perception, supported by policy and institutional reforms, has expanded the pool of wealth creators, increased job opportunities, and generated higher incomes.

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Ocean-friendly changes on Chinese island bring double benefits – ecological and economic

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

HANGZHOU, June 8 (Xinhua) — On a beach in Taizhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, 68-year-old Wang Zhongfu bends down to pick up discarded plastic bottles and torn fishing nets.

Wang Zhongfu is one of thousands of participants in the Blue Circle marine plastic recycling program, which launched in 2020 and uses blockchain and the Internet of Things to track the full life cycle of marine plastic waste, from collection to remanufacturing and resale.

The Blue Circle program, developed by the Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Ecology and Environment and Zhejiang Lanjing Technology Co., Ltd., is the largest of its kind in the country.

In 2023, the program won the United Nations /UN/ Champions of the Earth 2023 Award for Entrepreneurial Vision for its efforts to combat marine plastic pollution. According to the UN Environment Programme, the award is the UN’s highest environmental honour.

“We are reducing the amount of plastic waste in the ocean and helping people earn extra income from collecting trash,” said Kong Chen, who runs the Blue Circle plastic waste collection station, known as Little Blue Home, located on Dachen Island, about 29 nautical miles off the coast of Taizhou. He noted that the station has removed more than 20 tons of marine waste in 2024.

Blue Circle pays 0.20 yuan (almost 3 US cents) for each plastic bottle collected, a price several times higher than the market average, in an effort to supplement the incomes of many local residents.

“This initiative motivates people to participate in environmental protection and increase their income. People who fish can consciously collect plastic waste while working in the sea,” said Kong Chen, noting that participants like Wang Zhongfu can earn about 1,000 yuan a month this way.

People can trace the path of recycled plastic by scanning QR codes on products such as car parts, suitcases and phone cases made from certified ocean-bound plastic. Plastic waste is cleaned and processed into pellets for industrial use at Veolia Huafei Polymer Technology /Zhejiang/ Co., Ltd.’s plant in Anji County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province.

“Since 2022, we have recycled tens of millions of plastic bottles collected through the Blue Circle program,” said Fu Xianwei, the company’s chief operating officer. He added that certified marine plastic pellets can sell for more than 1.3 times the price of regular recycled plastic, and products made from these pellets have higher added value.

“Once fishermen make a profit and businesses are motivated, marine plastic waste management enters a virtuous cycle,” said Ye Zongsen, an official with the Jiaojiang District branch of Taizhou City’s Ecology and Environment Bureau.

The initiative has expanded to all coastal areas of Zhejiang, and to date, about 1,360 residents, 10,000 vessels and seven recycling companies have joined in. In Zhejiang alone, the program has collected 15,000 tons of marine waste, including more than 2,900 tons of plastic waste. It has also expanded to seven other provinces, including China’s southernmost island province of Hainan.

Dachen Island in Jiaojiang District is a model of green development. Dozens of wind turbines on the island’s mountain ridge generate an average of 60 million kWh of electricity per year, five times the island’s consumption, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 45,000 tons.

Excess electricity is sent to the mainland via undersea power cables, according to Jiang Weijian, director of the Dachen power station of State Grid Zhejiang Power Co.

Green energy has led to many changes, including all-electric buses, electric oxygen and ice production in fisheries, and the gradual introduction of electric stoves in guest houses on the island.

In addition, thanks to Dachen’s low-carbon solid waste treatment plant and sewage treatment plant, the proportion of high-quality water in coastal areas has reached 98%.

As the island’s environment improves, tourism is booming. Last year, Dachen welcomed 200,000 tourists and earned 170 million yuan in revenue.

“As the situation improves, our hotel business is booming,” said Dachen resident Kong Qinglei, who opened his business on the island in 2020. In 2024, his revenue exceeded 1 million yuan.

The island also benefits from its marine resources. The island, famous for its pink salmon plantations, has 14 pink salmon farms, and its output reached 10,005 tons last year, worth more than 1.1 billion yuan. The fishing industry has created jobs for nearly 300 people.

Local authorities are currently encouraging the development of the sea travel and souvenir industry. Some guest house owners are even combining their business with yellow croaker farming.

The island is also a pioneer in trading “blue carbon” and forest carbon. “The funds were channeled into a common prosperity fund to protect the marine environment, as well as for the island’s marine farmers and residents,” said Yang Haifei, a spokesman for the island’s administration. -0-

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 9, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Phil Goff: Israel doesn’t care how many innocent people it’s killing in Gaza

COMMENTARY: By Phil Goff

“What we are doing in Gaza now is a war of devastation: indiscriminate, limitless, cruel and criminal killing of civilians. It’s the result of government policy — knowingly, evilly, maliciously, irresponsibly dictated.”

This statement was made not by a foreign or liberal critic of Israel but by the former Prime Minister and former senior member of Benjamin Netanyahu’s own Likud party, Ehud Olmet.

Nightly, we witness live-streamed evidence of the truth of his statement — lethargic and gaunt children dying of malnutrition, a bereaved doctor and mother of 10 children, nine of them killed by an Israeli strike (and her husband, another doctor, died later), 15 emergency ambulance workers gunned down by the IDF as they tried to help others injured by bombs, despite their identity being clear.

Statistics reflect the scale of the horror imposed on Palestinians who are overwhelmingly civilians — 54,000 killed, 121,000 maimed and injured. Over 17,000 of these are children.

This can no longer be excused as regrettable collateral damage from targeted attacks on Hamas.

Israel simply doesn’t care about the impact of its military attacks on civilians and how many innocent people and children it is killing.

Its willingness to block all humanitarian aid- food, water, medical supplies, from Gaza demonstrates further its willingness to make mass punishment and starvation a means to achieve its ends. Both are war crimes.

Influenced by the right wing extremists in the Coalition cabinet, like Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s goal is no longer self defence or justifiable retaliation against Hamas terrorists.

Israel attacks Palestinians at US-backed aid hubs in Gaza, killing 36. Image: AJ screenshot APR

Making life unbearable
The Israeli government policy is focused on making life unbearable for Palestinians and seeking to remove them from their homeland. In this, they are openly encouraged by President Trump who has publicly and repeatedly endorsed deporting the Palestinian population so that the Gaza could be made into a “Middle East Riviera”.

This is not the once progressive pioneer Israel, led by people who had faced the Nazi Holocaust and were fighting for the right to a place where they could determine their own future and be safe.

Sadly, a country of people who were themselves long victims of oppression is now guilty of oppressing and committing genocide against others.

New Zealand recently joined 23 other countries calling out Israel and demanding a full supply of foreign aid be allowed into Gaza.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters called Israel’s actions “ intolerable”. He said that we had “had enough and were running out of patience and hearing excuses”.

While speaking out might make us feel better, words are not enough. Israel’s attacks on the civilian population in Gaza are being increased, aid distribution which has restarted is grossly insufficient to stop hunger and human suffering and Palestinians are being herded into confined areas described as humanitarian zones but which are still subject to bombardment.

People living in tents in schools and hospitals are being slaughtered.

World must force Israel to stop
Like Putin, Israel will not end its killing and oppression unless the world forces it to. The US has the power but will not do this.

The sanctions Trump has imposed are not on Israel’s leaders but on judges in the International Criminal Court (ICC) who dared to find Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu guilty of war crimes.

New Zealand’s foreign policy has traditionally involved working with like-minded countries, often small nations like us. Two of these, Ireland and Sweden, are seeking to impose sanctions on Israel.

Both are members of the European Union which makes up a third of Israel’s global trade. If the EU decides to act, sanctions imposed by it would have a big impact on Israel.

These sanctions should be both on trade and against individuals.

New Zealand has imposed sanctions on a small number of extremist Jewish settlers on the West Bank where there is evidence of them using violence against Palestinian villagers.

These sanctions should be extended to Israel’s political leadership and New Zealand could take a lead in doing this. We should not be influenced by concern that by taking a stand we might offend US president Donald Trump.

Show our preparedness to uphold values
In the way that we have been proud of in the past, we should as a small but fiercely independent country show our preparedness to uphold our own values and act against gross abuse of human rights and flagrant disregard for international law.

We should be working with others through the United Nations General Assembly to maximise political pressure on Israel to stop the ongoing killing of innocent civilians.

Moral outrage at what Israel is doing has to be backed by taking action with others to force the Israeli government to end the killing, destruction, mass punishment and deliberate starvation of Palestinians including their children.

An American doctor working at a Gaza hospital reported that in the last five weeks he had worked on dozens of badly injured children but not a single combatant.

He noted that as well as being maimed and disfigured by bombing, many of the children were also suffering from malnutrition. Children were dying from wounds that they could recover from but there were not the supplies needed to treat them.

Protest is not enough. We need to act.

Phil Goff is Aotearoa New Zealand’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs. This article was first published by the Stuff website and is republished with the permission of the author.

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Tracking apps monitor remote employees’ performance — and invade their privacy

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Danielle E. Thompson, PhD Candidate, Sociology and Legal Studies, University of Waterloo

Business owners and managers claim that monitoring apps improve worker productivity. (Shutterstock)

Digital monitoring is now a regular part of our working reality. From CCTV cameras to call recording, surveillance in the workplace is not new.

But workers now face a more detailed and intrusive type of monitoring that is less understood, and at times even entirely unknown, by employees: employee monitoring applications (EMAs).

It’s no longer just about being captured in the frame of a CCTV camera or having phone calls recorded. Workers now must be concerned about the collection of any and all activities that occur on their devices, and the use of this information to make decisions about their productivity, performance and risk to company security.

Behaviour-monitoring software

EMAs are a type of monitoring software that can be installed on worker devices to monitor their behaviours and activities. Common features include tracking time, keyboard strokes, email communications, websites visited, applications used and webcam video footage. Many of these apps also operate in an “invisible mode” that runs in the background, unknown to the employee.

Amid the move to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, employers faced the challenge of managing their employees while they worked from home. EMAs provided employers with a quick and easy solution.

Read more:
Remote work requires us to reconsider how to evaluate and pay employees

My research focuses on surveillance and privacy. Working alongside surveillance scholar Adam Molnar of the University of Waterloo, we conducted a survey between January and February 2022 of 402 managers, supervisors and employers working in companies in Ontario (60 per cent), British Columbia (30 per cent) and Québec (10 per cent) to better understand the use of these apps during the pandemic.

Both remote working and EMA use were found to have increased after the start of the pandemic. Many, but not all, companies turned to EMAs to monitor their remote workers.

A comparison of remote work and use of EMA rates before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(D.E. Thompson), CC BY

Privacy concerns

We asked participants about the specific EMA software their company uses. A variety of EMAs exist on the market and are advertised for uses from security to workforce analytics. The most frequently used apps in our sample were Kickidler (49.8 per cent), Spyera (49.5 per cent), Flexispy (49.3 per cent), and Teramind (48.4 per cent).

We then took a deeper dive into their advertised features and found that all four apps collected data using at least two highly invasive features, such as video surveillance or keystroke logging.

Table comparing features and uses for the top four employee monitoring applications.
(D.E. Thompson), CC BY

Collecting data in these ways can raise serious concerns for employee privacy, especially when they work at home — a space that is typically viewed as private and often contains personal information that employers should not be privy to.

If we’re concerned about employee privacy, then we need to understand exactly what companies are using the data for.

We know that employee monitoring apps were adopted by many Canadian companies to manage remote workers, but what does that mean exactly? What is the data actually telling employers and how are they using it?

We asked employers, managers and supervisors how their company currently uses EMAs, and found the most common uses to be productivity (28.9 per cent), efficiency (20.1 per cent), remote workforce management (19.9 per cent) and company analytics (18.2 per cent).

Privacy versus productivity

Owners and managers appear to be aware of the harmful consequences of these applications: 87.1 per cent were at least somewhat concerned about the negative impacts of these apps on employee trust. More than two-thirds — 70.7 per cent — also reported that they would be more likely adopt an app if it did not use invasive features like keystroke logging and video surveillance.

Are the gains in productivity and efficiency worth the losses to employee privacy and trust? For some companies, the answer appears to be yes. While most owners and managers reported concerns about the invasiveness of EMAs, 51.7 per cent were still using the applications.

For other companies, the gains in productivity are not worth the risks to employee privacy. For example, 29.3 per cent of owners and managers stated that significant changes to app features would be necessary before they would consider using it in their company.

Protecting employees

As hybrid working arrangements remain a normal part of our working lives, employee monitoring apps appear to be here to stay.

A public opinion poll by the Center for Democracy and Technology in the United States found that American workers wanted to know why and how they were being monitored by their employers.

Workers also felt they should be able to review any and all data collected about them, and that employers should be prohibited from sharing worker data without their permission, monitoring workers while off the clock, tracking their locations and monitoring productivity in ways that are harmful to the mental or physical health of workers.

In Canada, the protection of employee privacy falls under a patchwork of federal and provincial laws that is insufficient for the management of EMAs.

Worker protections vary by province and territory. Ontario’s Bill 88, passed in April 2022, established the first notification law for electronic monitoring in Canada. While a step in the right direction, notification alone is insufficient for the protection of worker privacy and well-being.

Restrictions must be placed on the types of data collected, how it is collected and what it can be used for.

Companies that continue to use EMAs must respect the privacy of workers by limiting the use of invasive features and providing workers with transparency and agency in their monitoring.

Business owners considering the use of EMAs should ask themselves if the software is necessary to reach their goals. Do they need to track the location and activity of workers or access their webcams to determine productivity? Or are there other less harmful ways to measure performance, such as the quality of outputs and whether tasks are completed on time?

Danielle E. Thompson 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. Tracking apps monitor remote employees’ performance — and invade their privacy – https://theconversation.com/tracking-apps-monitor-remote-employees-performance-and-invade-their-privacy-256261

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Why bystanders defend bad behaviour at work — even when they know it’s wrong

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Zhanna Lyubykh, Assistant Professor, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University

Rather than intervening, supporting targets or reporting the misconduct, bystanders may downplay it, withdraw support or even blame the target, which ultimately reinforces the mistreatment. (Shutterstock)

“You always mess things up. Why are you even on this project? Just quit already.” Demeaning, hostile or undermining behaviour like this is more common in the workplace and damaging than many people realize. One in three employees experience such behaviours, and almost half witness them.

Rather than intervening, supporting targets or reporting the misconduct, research shows bystanders may downplay it, withdraw support or even blame the target, which ultimately reinforces the mistreatment.

As our recent study shows, this is largely because when mistreatment seems inevitable or commonplace, bystanders are psychologically motivated to justify it rather than challenge it.

Why do bystanders rationalize mistreatment?

Humans are hardwired to see mistreatment as wrong. Most of us value fairness and want to punish wrongdoing. But if this is the case, why do bystanders so often fail to act when they witness mistreatment?

Our recent research explores this question drawing on system justification theory — the idea that people are motivated to see the systems they live and work in as fair, legitimate and stable.

When mistreatment seems inevitable — when people think “that’s just how things work around here” — bystanders face a psychological dilemma. They can either challenge the behaviour and risk conflict, exclusion or backlash, or they can rationalize it as normal or deserved.

Most people, often without realizing it, choose the latter. This mental shortcut allows them to preserve the comforting belief that the system is fair and people get what they deserve.

One in three employees experience demeaning, hostile or undermining behaviour in the workplace, and almost half witness them.
(Shutterstock)

Witnessing workplace mistreatment

We interviewed 554 employees who had witnessed workplace mistreatment within the past two weeks at the time the survey was conducted. They shared their thoughts on how inevitable they believed the mistreatment incident was, and how tolerant they felt their organization was toward such behaviour.

In a follow-up survey, we asked these employees whether they felt the incident they witnessed was justifiable and the target as deserving. A week later, in a third survey, we asked these bystanders to report how they behaved toward the target, and whether they tried to address or minimize the incident.

We found that when bystanders perceived mistreatment as inevitable, they were more likely to see the incident as justified and targets as deserving of that treatment. These bystanders were more likely to socially distance themselves from the target, engage in negative gossip about them and were less willing to offer help.

Bystander inaction wasn’t due to cowardice or callousness, but was often a defence mechanism. Rationalizing mistreatment allowed bystanders to preserve the belief that their workplace was just. But this coping strategy can deepen harm for those who experience mistreatment, who may be further marginalized, isolated or discredited.

How mistreatment is normalized

Workplace climates play a key role in the normalization of mistreatment. Our findings indicate when employees believed their workplace tolerated mistreatment, they were more likely to rationalize it and less likely to support the person being mistreated.

In these contexts, mistreatment isn’t just ignored, but is quietly accepted. Tacit acceptance sends a powerful message: this is normal, this is deserved, this is not worth challenging.

What does a toxic, permissive workplace look like? Warning signs include staff who feel anxious about coming to work and leaders who publicly criticize employees or tell them to “toughen up” or “not take it personally.”

If negative gossip is tolerated, or reports of mistreatment are ignored or delayed, these are also strong indicators that mistreatment has been normalized.

Organizations may fail to acknowledge these patterns for a variety of reasons, including resistance, denial or a lack of readiness. But surfacing these issues is a strength, not a weakness. It allows organizations to address root causes, retain valuable employees, and foster a more respectful environment.

When mistreatment is ignored in the workplace, it sends a message to employees that it is normal, deserved and not worth challenging.
(Unsplash/Borja Verbena)

4 ways to create positive change

Even in workplaces where mistreatment has become normalized, positive change is possible. Research shows that effectively managing everyday incidents can create bottom-up effects that support broader positive change within the workplace, ultimately improving workplace climate.

Managers have a particularly pivotal role to play. When they respond quickly, support targets openly and hold perpetrators accountable, they challenge the perception that mistreatment is inevitable. They also send a broader message about what behaviours are and aren’t acceptable in the workplace.

Here are four evidence-based strategies that can help disrupt the bystander dynamic and improve workplace culture:

1. Challenge the narrative of inevitability

Organizations should clearly signal that mistreatment will not be tolerated in their workplace. This includes explicitly communicating behavioural expectations, investigating reports quickly and transparently, and ensuring senior leaders model respectful behaviour. These small but visible actions disrupt the sense that mistreatment is “just how things work.”

2. Reduce ambiguity

When organizations don’t define behavioural norms clearly, bystanders are more likely to rationalize mistreatment. Organizations should define what mistreatment includes, such as exclusion and sarcastic comments, and distinguish it from tough feedback or constructive conflict. Training can help employees recognize subtle forms of harm and reflect on how their reactions would appear to someone they respect.

3. Enforce consequences consistently

When policies exist but aren’t enforced, bystanders learn that mistreatment carries no cost. Organizations need to follow through on mistreatment policies, protect those who report it and make it clear that retaliation is unacceptable. Visibility matters: people need to see that action is taken.

4. Support targets openly and meaningfully

System justification often works by undermining the credibility of those being mistreated. Managers can counteract this by affirming the value of a person targeted, encouraging reintegration and monitoring their teams for subtle social exclusion. When targets are supported by respected leaders, bystanders are more likely to follow suit because people tend to look to leader behaviour towards employees as a sign of their value to the group.

When targets are supported by respected leaders, bystanders are more likely to follow suit.
(Shutterstock)

Why this matters

Much of the existing research on workplace mistreatment has focused on the importance of bystander and leader intervention. Our research adds a deeper layer by illustrating that bystanders may not intervene because they are subconsciously defending their belief in a fair and legitimate system.

This defence mechanism is especially dangerous when mistreatment is common, creating a cycle in which the most vulnerable employees are harmed twice: first by the perpetrator, and then by those who fail to stand by them.

Breaking this cycle requires more than training videos or one-off statements. It requires reshaping the climate that makes mistreatment seem normal, inevitable or trivial.

The encouraging news is that even small, consistent actions can begin to shift these dynamics. Research has shown that incivility training that teaches people how to engage in civil ways, for example, has lasting effects on employee well-being and relationships. When these harmful dynamics are shifted, it improves the workplace for everyone.

Zhanna Lyubykh receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Laurie J. Barclay receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the University of Guelph’s Research Leader Award.

Nick Turner receives research funding from Cenovus Energy Inc., Haskayne School of Business’s Future Fund, Mitacs, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Sandy Hershcovis receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

– ref. Why bystanders defend bad behaviour at work — even when they know it’s wrong – https://theconversation.com/why-bystanders-defend-bad-behaviour-at-work-even-when-they-know-its-wrong-257941

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Canada must take action to prevent climate-related migration

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Christopher Campbell-Duruflé, Assistant Professor, Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto Metropolitan University

As wildfire season begins, the destructive impacts of climate change are being felt across Canada. Several communities in northern Saskatchewan have been issued evacuation orders due to wildfires. In Manitoba, Pimicikamak Cree Nation worked to evacuate hundreds of people as wildfires closed in, while smoke from those fires caused air-quality issues across the country.

It isn’t just wildfires threatening people’s homes and livelihoods. In May, 1,600 residents from the Kashechewan Cree First Nation in Northern Ontario evacuated again due to flooding of the Albany River, which happens almost every year.

The 2018 United Nations Climate Conference called on all states to adopt “laws, policies and strategies” meant “to avert, minimize and address displacement related to the adverse impacts of climate change.”

The figures are disquieting. By 2050, more than 140 million people could become internal climate migrants in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America alone, especially if action towards reaching net-zero carbon emissions continues to be insufficient.

Canada is not spared: 192,000 people were evacuated in 2023 due to disasters made more severe by climate change, including floods and wildfires. As climate change leads to more extreme weather, temporary climate displacement could become permanent migration.

Climate migration

The World Bank defines internal climate migration as having to relocate for at least a decade to a location 14 kilometres or more away from your community because of climate impacts.

Research I presented at the 2025 Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies Conference at Toronto Metropolitan University analyzed how Canada addresses the climate migration challenge in its submissions under the Paris Agreement, which requires parties to adapt to climate change.

The Canadian government understated the reality of internal climate migration in its submissions under the 2015 Paris Agreement, which obscure the gravity of this phenomenon.

One of those submissions is the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the cornerstone report each state party must present every five years. Canada’s NDC from 2021 recognizes that climate change harms certain populations more than others, but does not address temporary displacement, let alone internal climate migration.

The Fort McMurray wildfires displaced more than 80,000 people in 2016, with its population declining 11 per cent between 2015 and 2018. Similarly, the 2019 Québec spring floods displaced more than 10,000 people and, in Sainte-Marie, hundreds of low-income families abandoned the city because they could not afford the reconstructed homes.

A clear definition of internal climate migrants in Canada, robust data and better co-ordination among Indigenous, municipal, provincial and federal governments is needed.

This is something a National Adaptation Act could deliver, as a part of a comprehensive framework to bolster adaptation action across the country.

Transparency lacking

Canada submitted an adaptation communication in 2024. The communication discusses climate impacts but mentions internal displacement only once. It contains no data or discussion of when displacement becomes permanent, nor does it focus on the disproportionate impact on equity-deserving groups.

The government submitted an updated NDC earlier this year. It noted “the devastating impact of wildfires, floods, drought and melting permafrost on communities across the country” but only briefly discusses adaptation, referring instead to the 2023 National Adaptation Strategy. The only mentions of displacement come in appended submissions by Indigenous Peoples, including Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation and Makivvik.

Indigenous Peoples suffer from flawed adaptation policies and institutional barriers that prevent them from effectively responding to emergencies. As a result, First Nations evacuate 328 times more frequently than settler communities during climate disasters.

In 2011, for example, officials in Manitoba diverted flood waters to Lake St. Martin to protect urban, cottage and agricultural properties. In the process, they flooded 17 First Nations and displaced 4,525 people. Return of the 1,400 residents of the Lake St. Martin First Nation to a new location only started in 2017, and as recently as 2020 displaced families were protesting on highways for their right to housing.

A national adaptation act

Canada should adopt a clear definition of internal climate migrants that captures displacement from climate disasters and slow-onset phenomena like sea-level rise, permafrost thaw and biodiversity loss.

UN experts released a Technical Guide on Human Mobility in 2024, calling for “a sound evidence base on the patterns and trends, as well as on the drivers and outcomes” of climate-induced mobility. It also highlighted the need for adaptation efforts “that are informed by stakeholder consultations” and “existing (Indigenous) adaptation practices.”

Defining internal climate migrants would allow Canada to gather robust data at last, and to act decisively on it.

One first step is the federal government’s pledge of a National Recovery Strategy by 2028, which would set out “shorter time frames for displaced individuals to be able to return to their homes or resettle after climate change disaster events.” But a comprehensive approach is needed to go beyond the fragmented landscape of federal and provincial strategies.

The Canadian government should work with all stakeholders toward the adoption of a National Adaptation Act, like Brazil, Germany and Japan.

Such a law could remove barriers to Indigenous adaptation action, co-ordinate efforts across orders of governments to prevent displacements, define internal climate migration, ensure data collection and protect the rights of people temporarily displaced or internally migrating because of climate change.

It should also aim for greater transparency and accountability than what Canada has so far achieved with its Paris Agreement submissions.

Christopher Campbell-Duruflé receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for his research. He serves on the Legal Committee of the Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement.

– ref. Canada must take action to prevent climate-related migration – https://theconversation.com/canada-must-take-action-to-prevent-climate-related-migration-257607

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Evans co-leads bill to restore basic right to victims of gun violence

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Dwight Evans (2nd District of Pennsylvania)

Bill would help victims & survivors hold companies accountable in court, discourage illegal sales, defective guns and irresponsible marketing

WASHINGTON (June 6, 2025) – U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA-03) is co-leading reintroduction of the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act, legislation to ensure that victims of gun violence would have their day in court and that negligent gun companies and gun sellers are not shielded from liability when they disregard public safety.

The bill would repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), passed by Congress in 2005, which gives the gun industry a unique and unjustifiable legal liability shield that protects gun manufacturers from lawsuits.

“As someone who’s advocated for this concept in Pennsylvania’s legislature and now in Congress, I’m proud to be a co-lead on this bill to restore this basic right of victims and survivors – a right that a heavy-handed federal government took away 20 years ago. So many American gun deaths could be avoided if we held companies accountable for things like illegal sales, defective guns and irresponsible marketing. State attorneys general were able to hold Big Tobacco accountable in the 1990s, and they should be able to hold gun manufacturing companies accountable in the 21st century since thousands of lives depend on it. This legislation would be an important tool in the toolbox to protect our citizens from gun violence,” Evans said.

Evans’ lead partners on the legislation are U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and were joined this week, the start of Gun Violence Awareness Month, by U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and U.S. Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Jason Crow (D-Colo.), and Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) in leading a group of 81 members of Congress in introducing the bill in both the House and Senate.

Murphy, Blumenthal, Swalwell, Schiff, Evans, and Thompson announced the legislation during a virtual press conference joined by leading gun violence prevention advocates: Kris Brown, president of Brady; Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action; and Adam Skaggs, chief counsel and vice president of GIFFORDS Law Center. Video of the press conference is available here.

Pennsylvania co-sponsors of the legislation include Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), and U.S. Reps Madeleine Dean (D-PA-04), Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17), and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-05).

When Congress passed PLCAA, its supporters argued that it was necessary to protect the gun industry from frivolous lawsuits, and that victims of gun violence would not be shut out of the courts. In reality, numerous cases around the nation have been dismissed on the basis of PLCAA, even when the gun dealers and manufacturers acted in a fashion that would qualify as negligent if it involved any other product. Victims in these cases were denied the right to even discover or introduce evidence. This legislation would allow civil cases to go forward against irresponsible bad actors.

“There’s absolutely no reason why the gun industry should get special treatment when it comes to negligence. Their immunity from lawsuits effectively gives them a license to kill. It’s past time for Congress to repeal PLCAA and allow gun violence victims their day in court,” said Murphy.

“PLCAA is the ultimate sweetheart deal – legal immunity afforded to basically no other industry for a product that kills tens of thousands of Americans every year,” said Blumenthal. “Despite the strength and perseverance of the Sandy Hook, Uvalde, and Highland Park families – and the tenacity of their legal teams – this is a problem that cannot be solved only through the courts. PLCAA must be repealed by Congress.”

“No industry in American has a liability shield like gun manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and importers,” said Swalwell. “The NRA and their GOP stooges made sure that the gun industry has a unique immunity from accountability. This bill ends that ridiculous carve out. The Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act will finally repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) once and for all, allowing victims of gun violence to bring civil suits against gun producers and sellers. The time has long since come for Congress to be clear – if you put the most dangerous weapons in the hands of the most dangerous people, you will be held accountable.”

“More than a 100 Americans are killed by a gun every single day in America. And yet, Congress does nothing to hold the gun industry accountable when the negligence of gun makers and dealers is responsible for the tragic consequences their products have on our kids, our families, and our communities. As long as gun violence continues to take the lives of so many in California and across the nation, I will fight to repeal the liability shield that wrongly protects negligent gun industry actors from liability,” said Schiff.

“Victims and survivors should be able to hold the gun industry accountable in court for negligent behavior. But right now, the gun industry is shielded from any liability when they disregard public safety. That’s wrong,” said Crow. “I’m introducing this bill so we can finally hold the gun industry responsible.”

“In the 20 years since PLCAA was passed, it’s become clear that negligent gun manufacturers and dealers have taken advantage of the law. Responsible manufacturers and dealers don’t need this legal protection – and irresponsible ones are hiding behind it. As a hunter, combat veteran and responsible gun owner, I’m proud to work with Senator Blumenthal and Representative Swalwell to introduce this sensible legislation,” said Thompson, Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.

In 2005, the National Rifle Association (NRA) identified PLCAA as their “number one” legislative priority, and the NRA celebrated the passage calling it the “most significant piece of pro-gun legislation in twenty years.” Changing the law to let courts hear these cases would provide justice to victims and their families, while creating incentives for responsible business practices that would reduce injuries and deaths. Effectively, the gun industry would once again be subject to the same laws as every other industry, just as it was prior to 2005.

The legislation is endorsed by Brady, GIFFORDS Law Center, Everytown for Gun Safety, March for Our Lives, Guns Down America, Newtown Action Alliance, and Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund.

Full text of the bill is available HERE.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

June 9, 2025
MIL-OSI: SkyCrest Capital Announces Completion of SAX-iCore Upgrade for AI Trading System SkyAlpha X, Secures $150 Million in Institutional Orders

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Denver, UT, June 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SkyCrest Capital officially announced today that its core AI trading system, SkyAlpha X, has successfully completed a comprehensive upgrade to its third-generation architecture, launching the institutional-grade version SAX-iCore (SkyAlpha X Institutional Core). This upgrade marks SkyAlpha X’s entry into a new era that balances high-frequency trading, cross-market arbitrage, and structured asset management, quickly drawing significant attention from international markets.

According to SkyCrest Capital’s technical and business teams, SAX-iCore has so far secured procurement intentions and signed orders from global hedge funds, quantitative institutions, and crypto-financial platforms, totaling $150 million. These include:

• A cross-asset hedge fund based in New York managing over $4.5 billion in assets, which has formally signed an integration agreement to deploy SAX-iCore for strategy automation in the U.S. equities and ETF options markets.

• A digital asset market maker in Singapore, which has embedded SAX-iCore as the core execution module in its DEX liquidity engine, mainly for perpetual contract arbitrage and volatility trading.

• An asset management firm in London that has signed a cooperation agreement for the AI-driven options volatility detection module, planning to integrate SAX-iCore into its global macro hedge strategies.

Key highlights of the upgrade include:

• Structured Volatility Engine (SVE): Detects breakout windows hidden within intraday price behavior, adaptable to index futures, tech stocks, and cryptocurrencies.

• Cross-Market Signal Coordination System: Enables strategic integration across U.S. equities, crypto, and options markets for trend capture, volatility arbitrage, and macro alerts.

• Smart Capital Flow Radar (SCF-Radar): Tracks institutional build-up and withdrawal paths to construct real-time capital behavior maps, enhancing trend confirmation efficiency.

• Options Anomaly Volatility Alert Module: Combines implied volatility shifts with Gamma risk identification to significantly improve strategic responsiveness and defense ahead of market events.

Dr. Ross, Founder and Chief Science Officer of SkyCrest Capital, stated:

“SAX-iCore is not a mere upgrade of a traditional trading system, but a deep response to the increasingly interconnected multi-market environment. We’ve made breakthroughs not only at the algorithmic level but also ensured the system evolves in sync with real-world trading structures-this enables us to provide institutional investors with faster, more penetrative strategic decision engines amid globally intensifying asset volatility.”

Since its initial launch in 2021, SkyAlpha X has delivered structured trading insights for stocks, futures, options, and crypto assets to SkyCrest’s strategy teams and institutional partners. As the flagship module of the platform’s 3.0 phase, SAX-iCore will serve as the core infrastructure for high-frequency trading, global asset allocation, and AI-driven execution system integration.

SkyCrest Capital is currently offering early access to SAX-iCore for select strategic partners and is opening a whitelist application process for high-net-worth clients to access strategic modules. Retail-focused modules and tiered signal services for high-frequency trading are planned for phased rollout.

For further information, please contact:

Media Contact

SkyCrest Capital PR Department

Website: https://www.skyskinla.com/

Contact: Audrey Sinclair

Email: service@skyskinla.com

Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities.

The MIL Network –

June 9, 2025

Category: Business

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