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Category: Commerce

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Indian Railways Achieves ₹2.56 Lakh Crore Revenue in 2023-24 with Net Profit of ₹3,260 Crore Amid Major Investments in Staff, Pension, and Energy

    Source: Government of India

    Indian Railways Achieves ₹2.56 Lakh Crore Revenue in 2023-24 with Net Profit of ₹3,260 Crore Amid Major Investments in Staff, Pension, and Energy

    Indian Railways Adopts Two-Pronged Strategy to Boost Profits by Increasing Revenue and Enhancing Operational Efficiency

    Freight Loading Surges 29% to 1,591 MT in 2023-24; Indian Railways Targets 1.6 Billion Tonnes in 2024-25 to Become World’s Third Largest Freight Carrier

    Railways Expands Freight Business with Private Investment in Terminals, Modern Wagons, Cargo Aggregation, and Competitive Tariff Policies

    Railways Strengthen Cost Management Through Electrification, Workforce Optimization, and Operational Efficiencies, Saving ₹4,700 Crore on Diesel in 2023-24

    Indian Railways Pioneers Green and Sustainable Initiatives with HOG Trains, Electrification, LED Adoption, Renewable Energy, and Hydrogen-Powered Trains

    Rail Network Speed Potential Expands to 80,000 km at 110 kmph, with 23,000 km Upgraded for 130 kmph Since 2014

    Posted On: 02 APR 2025 7:39PM by PIB Delhi

    During 2023-24, the earning of Indian Railways (IR) was ₹2,56,093 cr and revenue expenditure was ₹2,52,834 cr. The net Revenue has improved to Rs 3,260 crore in 2023-24. Major expenditure is done on Staff cost, Pension, energy consumption etc.

    To increase the profit, Indian Railways (IR) has adopted two-pronged approach i.e. increase the revenue and bring efficiency in operational expenditure. 

    Due to implementation of several freight revenue initiatives, the freight carried by IR during 2020-21 was 1,233 million tonnes which increased to 1,591 million tonnes during 2023-24 i.e. a growth of 29%. IR is set to achieve 1.6 billion tonnes freight loading in the FY 2024-25 making it the third largest freight handling railway system in the world. Some of the important measures to improve the freight include-

    • Encouraging private sector to develop the modern rail freight terminals under ‘Gati Shakti Multi- Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT)’ policy and augmenting/ upgrading the infrastructure at railway owned goods sheds.
    • Implementing various schemes for private sector to invest in wagons including the commodity focused specialized wagons such as wagons for cement, oil, steel, fly-ash, automobiles etc.
    • Facilitating cargo aggregation and thereby, expand the commodity basket by the schemes including the policy of “Cargo Aggregator Transportation Product” and “Joint Parcel Product-Rapid Cargo Services”.
    • Implementing the several tariff related measures to enhance the rail share by making rail mode competitive with respect to road. These include Short Lead Concession for traffic upto 90 Km, Liberalized Automatic Freight Rebate scheme for traffic loaded in empty flow direction, discounts on loading of bagged consignment in open and flat wagon, discount in freight to Fly ash/Bed ash traffic, operation of Mini Rake for Container train, fixation of special haulage rate for Bulk Cement (cement in loose form) when transported in normal containers.

    IR has also undertaken many initiatives to increase non-fare revenue such as measures to increase the advertisement earnings, implementing the NINFRIS (New and Innovative Ideas and Concepts Scheme for Generation for Non-fare Revenue) policy to encourage innovative revenue-generating ideas. Some examples of NINFRIS Contracts are Nursing pods, luggage wrapping and sanitization, digital cloakrooms, disposal linen kiosks, imitation jewellery kiosks, Khadi selling kiosks, handicraft kiosks, Kiosks for online education platforms, facilities for electric charging facilities, oxygen parlours, etc. An e-auction policy has been implemented to expedite the bidding for assets such as leased parcel space, parking lots, ATMs etc.  The benefits of e-Auction module include – realization of true earning potential of each asset, reduction the time taken in finalization of Tenders and prevent revenue loss on this account, re-award of contract in quick time in case of failure in commencing by any contractor etc.

    IR has also undertaken steps to improve the earning from passenger segments such as running of special trains, augmentation of on-board capacity, and introduction of new trains with higher facilities on appropriate fare.

    Similarly, various measures are being regularly taken in railways to ensure optimum expenditure.  Some of the expenditure management on railways includes manpower management, electrification of Railway tracks etc.  Measures like electrification of Railway tracks has led to savings of more than Rs 4700 crore under Diesel traction in FY 2023-24.    

    Cleanliness is a continuous process and various measures have been taken for maintaining cleanliness at stations and trains which include integrated housekeeping contracts at major stations & trains, mechanized cleaning, bio-toilets in passenger coaches, On Board Housekeeping Service (OBHS) scheme in long distance trains, Clean Train Station (CTS) scheme for identified trains en-routed at nominated stations, dustbins for bio-degradable and non-biodegradable wastes etc.

    IR has taken various steps to promote environment friendly & sustainable practices. Some of them are as under: –

    • Conversion of End on Generation (EOG) trains into Head on Generation (HOG) trains to reduce noise, air pollution and diesel consumption.
    • Construction of Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs).
    • Procurement of renewable energy from different power procurement modes for its future energy requirements.
    • Provision of energy efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting in all Railway installations including stations, service buildings, residential quarters and coaches for reduction in electricity consumption.
    • Use of star rated appliances.
    • 98% of railway tracks have been electrified, resulting in saving in diesel consumption.
    • Harnessing hydrogen gas to drive train sets.
    • Green Certifications of railway establishments.
    • Proper waste management.

    Improvement/up-gradation of Rolling Stock to enhance safety and comfort of passengers is a continuous and ongoing process on IR. The initiatives include LHB coaches with operating speed of 160 Kmph, better riding index, improved aesthetics and safety features like Lightweight design, Anti-telescopic & Anti climbing features, Centre Buffer Coupler, Axle mounted disc brake system etc. as compared to the conventional ICF coaches of the 1960s.

    In its constant endeavor to provide faster service and better travel experience to the passengers, IR are introducing Vande Bharat trains and Namo Rapid Rail service, which have modern coaches, enhanced safety features and better amenities. Presently, 136 Vande Bharat services and 2 Namo Rapid Rail services are in operation on the IR network.

    IR have also introduced modern State-of the Art fully Non-AC Amrit Bharat trains. These trains have advanced features like Semi-Permanent couplers for jerk free travel, horizontal sliding windows, better aesthetics of Berths with enhanced look & feel on the lines of Vande Bharat Sleeper, improved crashworthiness in coaches, Emergency Talk Back Unit, improved LED Light fitting & Charging Sockets, foldable snack table and bottle holders, mobile holders etc. These trains comprise 12 Sleeper Class Coaches and 8 General Class coaches. Presently, 4 Amrit Bharat services are in operation.

    Besides the improvement in rolling stock, the following measures have been taken by IR to upgrade railway tracks:

    1. Using modern track components consisting of 60kg, 90 Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) rails, Pre-stressed Concrete Sleeper (PSC) Normal/Wide base sleepers with modern elastic fastenings.
    2. Laying of fan-shaped turnout on PSC sleepers with Thick Web Switches and Weldable CMS Crossings.
    3. Providing Steel Channel/H-beam Sleepers on girder bridges while carrying out primary track renewals.
    4. Using 130m/260m long rail panels for rail renewals to minimize weld- joints.
    5. Field-welding by mobile Flash Butt Welding Plant and advanced USFD Testing technique of Rail/ Welds by Phased array technology.
    6. Mechanization in Track renewal/ replacement using Track Relaying Trains, Points & Crossing Changing machines, Track laying Equipment etc.
    7. Deployment of Integrated Track Monitoring Systems (ITMS) and Oscillation Monitoring System (OMS) for comprehensive health assessment to project optimal maintenance requirements.
    8. Induction of advance modern machines for track maintenance i.e., high output tampers, high output Ballast Cleaning Machines and Rail Grinding machines etc.
    9. Adopting Self-propelled Ultrasonic Rail Testing Car (SPURT) and Rail Cum Road Vehicle (RCRV) based USFD system for testing of rails/welds.
    10. Using web enabled Track Management System (TMS) for integration and data analytics of the track inspection records received through various sources to enable precise maintenance inputs.

    As a consequence of above measures, speed potential of 110 kmph has now been improved significantly to about 80,000 km at present which was only about 31,000 km in 2014. In addition, upgradation and improvement of about 23,000 km track has been done from 2014-15 to 2024-25 (up to Feb’25) for speed potential of 130 kmph. 

    IR strives to provide affordable services to all strata of the society. IR gave a subsidy of Rs. 56,993 crores on passenger tickets in 2022-23. This amounts to concession of 46% on an average, to every person, travelling on Railways. In other words, if the cost of providing service is Rs. 100, then the price of ticket is Rs. 54 only. This subsidy is continuing for all passengers. Further, concessions beyond this subsidy amount are continuing for many categories like 4 categories of Persons with disabilities (Divyangjans), 11 categories of patients and 8 categories of students.

    This information was given by the Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

    *****

    Dharmendra Tewari/Shatrunjay Kumar

    (Release ID: 2118003) Visitor Counter : 42

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal to inaugurate Startup Mahakumbh

    Source: Government of India

    Union Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal to inaugurate Startup Mahakumbh

    2nd edition of Startup Mahakumbh to be held from April 3-5 at Bharat Mandapam

    Over 45 Tribal entrepreneurs to participate in the event

    Event to witness representation from over 50 countries

    Posted On: 02 APR 2025 7:47PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal will inaugurate the second edition of Startup Mahakumbh, set to take place at Bharat Mandapam from April 3-5, 2025.The event  aims to contribute further to India’s economic growth and showcase to the world the unfolding story of Bharat. Minister of State, Ministry of Commerce & Industry and Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology,Shri Jitin Prasada, will deliver a special address during the inaugural event.

    The event’s unmatched scale and diversity of participants will provide an invaluable platform for entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders to come together, share ideas, and create lasting connections. With a strong focus on fostering innovation and collaboration, Startup Mahakumbh will lay the foundation for the next wave of entrepreneurial success. During this year’s edition Tribal entrepreneurs are also set to take the stage with participation from 45+ startups including those incubated at IIM Calcutta, IIM Kashipur, and IIT Bhilai.

    Explaining the theme of the event, Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, DPIIT, said, “Startup Mahakumbh will be a true ‘sangam’ of startup and industry ‘MahaRathis’ from across the Indian districts and the world – Jile se Jagat tak. With representation from multiple districts of India and 50 countries, the event will be a great opportunity to connect and collaborate. While at one end we will have a flying taxi made in India on display, at the other we have countries like Korea setting up a pavilion of 11 startups and Nepal putting up the largest pavilion with one of its startups showcasing a 2-stage rocket powered by sustainable hybrid propulsion rocket engines. I am really excited and looking forward to the next three days of some pathbreaking ideas and enriching discussions.”

    The first edition of the flagship startup event attracted over 48,581 business visitors engaging with 1306 exhibitors including finest startups, soonicorns, and unicorns, from 26+ states and 14+ countries. It also hosted 300+ incubators and accelerators and 200+ leading angel investors, VCs, and family offices.

    Startup Mahakumbh brings together the entire startup ecosystem of India including entrepreneurs, investors, incubators and accelerators, and industry leaders from several sectors. The event is led by FICCI, ASSOCHAM, IVCA and Bootstrap Advisory & Foundation; and supported by SIDBI, GEM, ECGC, Meity and DPIIT Startup India.

    For more information, visit www.startupmahakumbh.org.

    ***

    Abhishek Dayal/Abhijith Narayanan

    (Release ID: 2118013) Visitor Counter : 16

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Court Orders SunSetter to Pay $9.25M in Connection with Alleged Failure to Timely Report Defective Awning Covers to the CPSC

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    Yesterday, a federal court in Massachusetts entered a consent decree requiring SunSetter Products LP (SunSetter) to pay $9.25 million in civil penalties and implement and maintain a robust compliance program to prevent future illegal conduct, the Justice Department announced.

    In a complaint filed April 6, 2023, the government alleged that SunSetter failed to timely report to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) a defect affecting approximately 270,000 protective covers used with SunSetter retractable awnings. According to the complaint, removal of the defective awning cover could cause the retractable awning to unexpectedly spring open with enough force to knock over anyone in the awning’s path, putting consumers using ladders to access the awning at risk of death or serious injury. The complaint alleged that multiple consumers were injured, and one killed, as a result of this defect. The complaint alleged that SunSetter violated the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) by failing to report the defect until 2017, despite being aware of consumer complaints as early as 2012 and completing its own simulation testing in 2015 that confirmed the safety hazard. SunSetter recalled the covers in August 2019.

    “The failure to immediately report dangerous products puts consumers at unnecessary risk,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department will continue to work with the CPSC to hold accountable companies that fail to follow the law.”

    “This settlement makes clear that companies must prioritize consumer safety and comply with their legal obligations to report hazardous defects in a timely manner,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “SunSetter’s failure to do so had tragic consequences. We will continue to hold companies accountable when they put the public at risk by disregarding federal safety laws.”

    “This consent decree is an important reminder of the affirmative obligation to report product hazards in a timely manner,” said Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. “I appreciate the work of CPSC staff and our partners at DOJ in resolving this matter and keeping American consumers safe.”

    Trial Attorneys Brett Ruff and Nicole Frazer of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anuj Khetarpal for the District of Massachusetts, with the assistance of Renee McCune of CPSC’s Office of the General Counsel and Amelia Hairston-Porter of CPSC’s Office of Compliance and Field Operations, are handling the case.

    For more information about the enforcement efforts of the Consumer Protection Branch visit the Branch’s website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.

    The claims resolved by the consent decree announced today are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Security News: Federal Court Orders SunSetter to Pay $9.25M in Connection with Alleged Failure to Timely Report Defective Awning Covers to the CPSC

    Source: United States Department of Justice 2

    Yesterday, a federal court in Massachusetts entered a consent decree requiring SunSetter Products LP (SunSetter) to pay $9.25 million in civil penalties and implement and maintain a robust compliance program to prevent future illegal conduct, the Justice Department announced.

    In a complaint filed April 6, 2023, the government alleged that SunSetter failed to timely report to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) a defect affecting approximately 270,000 protective covers used with SunSetter retractable awnings. According to the complaint, removal of the defective awning cover could cause the retractable awning to unexpectedly spring open with enough force to knock over anyone in the awning’s path, putting consumers using ladders to access the awning at risk of death or serious injury. The complaint alleged that multiple consumers were injured, and one killed, as a result of this defect. The complaint alleged that SunSetter violated the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) by failing to report the defect until 2017, despite being aware of consumer complaints as early as 2012 and completing its own simulation testing in 2015 that confirmed the safety hazard. SunSetter recalled the covers in August 2019.

    “The failure to immediately report dangerous products puts consumers at unnecessary risk,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department will continue to work with the CPSC to hold accountable companies that fail to follow the law.”

    “This settlement makes clear that companies must prioritize consumer safety and comply with their legal obligations to report hazardous defects in a timely manner,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “SunSetter’s failure to do so had tragic consequences. We will continue to hold companies accountable when they put the public at risk by disregarding federal safety laws.”

    “This consent decree is an important reminder of the affirmative obligation to report product hazards in a timely manner,” said Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. “I appreciate the work of CPSC staff and our partners at DOJ in resolving this matter and keeping American consumers safe.”

    Trial Attorneys Brett Ruff and Nicole Frazer of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anuj Khetarpal for the District of Massachusetts, with the assistance of Renee McCune of CPSC’s Office of the General Counsel and Amelia Hairston-Porter of CPSC’s Office of Compliance and Field Operations, are handling the case.

    For more information about the enforcement efforts of the Consumer Protection Branch visit the Branch’s website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.

    The claims resolved by the consent decree announced today are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Panaderia Salvadorena, Inc. Issues Allergy Alert On Undeclared Milk In Quesadilla De Queso

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    Summary

    Company Announcement Date:
    April 02, 2025
    FDA Publish Date:
    April 02, 2025
    Product Type:
    Food & BeveragesBakery Product/MixAllergens
    Reason for Announcement:

    Recall Reason Description
    May contain undeclared milk

    Company Name:
    Panaderia Salvadorena Inc.
    Brand Name:

    Brand Name(s)
    Panaderia/Bakery

    Product Description:

    Product Description
    Quesadilla de Queso bread

    Company Announcement
    Panaderia Salvadorena Inc., of Providence, RI is recalling its 14-ounce packages of Quesadilla de Queso bread because they contain undeclared milk. People who have allergies to milk run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.
    The recalled “Quesadilla de Queso” were distributed in Rhode Island and Massachusetts through direct delivery.
    The recalled product comes in a 14-ounce, clear plastic package marked Quesadilla de Queso on the top and with an expiration date of 06/27/2025 or prior.
    No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.
    The recall was initiated after it was discovered during inspection by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) that the milk-containing product was distributed in packaging that did not reveal the presence of milk and only listed sour cream and butter. Subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by a temporary breakdown in the company’s packaging processes.
    Product has been recalled and the company are certain that the problem has been corrected.
    Consumers who have purchased 14-ounce packages of “Quesadilla de Queso” are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company Monday-Saturday between hours of 8am-6pm at 401-421-8410.

    Company Contact Information

    Consumers:
    401-421-8410

    Media:
    Margin Colato (Manager)
    401-999-2929

    Product Photos

    Content current as of:
    04/02/2025

    Regulated Product(s)

    Topic(s)

    Follow FDA

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tony’s Chocolonely Recalls Two Chocolate Products Because They May Contain Small Stones

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    Summary

    Company Announcement Date:
    April 01, 2025
    FDA Publish Date:
    April 02, 2025
    Product Type:
    Food & Beverages
    Reason for Announcement:

    Recall Reason Description
    Potential presence of small stones

    Company Name:
    Tony’s Chocolonely Inc.
    Brand Name:

    Brand Name(s)
    Tony’s Chocolonely Inc.

    Product Description:

    Product Description
    Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt Bar and Everything Bar

    Company Announcement
    Tony’s Chocolonely Inc., a New York, New York Corporation, is voluntarily recalling seven lots of Tony’s brand Dark Almond Sea Salt Bar (6.35oz); and Everything Bar (6.35oz) because the product may contain small stones.
    The products were distributed nationwide and sold in the United States via retail stores and www.tonyschocolonely.com; distribution of the products began February 7, 2025 and ended March 24, 2025.
    The recalled products have the following SKU and lot codes:

    Product Description 

    Weight 

    Lot code 

    Best Before / Best By Date 

    UPC 

    Tony’s Chocolonely Everything Bar

    180g / 6.35 oz

    4327

    22-Nov-25

    850011828564

    4330

    25-Nov-25

    850011828564

    4331

    26-Nov-25

    850011828564

    M4331

    26-Nov-25

    850032676441

    Tony’s Chocolonely Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt

    180g / 6.35 oz

    163094

    2-Apr-26

    858010005641

    162634

    28-Feb-26

    858010005641

    M162634

    28-Feb-26

    850011828908

    No other lot codes are included in this recall. No other Tony’s products are affected.
    The recall was initiated following 12 reports of consumers finding small stones in the product not filtered during third-party almond harvesting and the almond processing process. All complaints occurred outside of the United States and Canada, and no injuries were reported.
    If you have purchased one of the affected products with the specified lot codes and have not yet consumed it, you are advised not to eat the product. Please return the product to the store of purchase for a refund or replacement or dispose of the product. Please consult the following webpage to confirm how to identify the lot code and claim a refund or replacement in your market: https://us.tonyschocolonely.com/pages/recall-fo-intl-0325
    Company Contact Information for Consumers:Tony’s Chocolonely USA+1 (503)-388-5990
    News media who have questions should contact:Email: tonys@ledecompany.comPhone Number: 267-884-5801

    Company Contact Information

    Consumers:
    Tony’s Chocolonely USA
    +1 (503)-388-5990

    Product Photos

    Content current as of:
    04/02/2025

    Regulated Product(s)

    Follow FDA

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Maximize productivity and ROI with Windows 365: New innovations now generally available

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Maximize productivity and ROI with Windows 365: New innovations now generally available

    In today’s dynamic work environment, businesses need robust solutions that support resilience and maximize return on investment (ROI). As organizations modernize their IT environments, they increasingly turn to cloud solutions like Windows 365 to enhance security and productivity, streamline IT management and ensure seamless connectivity.

    We are thrilled to announce the general availability of our latest innovations, designed to help businesses seamlessly adapt to modern work environments. Among these announcements is Windows 365 Link, the first purpose-built Cloud PC device that connects securely to Windows 365 in seconds, enabling organizations to boost productivity and improve IT efficiency; the new shared mode for Windows 365 Frontline expanding Cloud PC access to more users; and much more.

    We are pleased to also share the findings from a Forrester Consulting study highlighting the economic impact of such innovations in New Technology: The Projected Total Economic Impact of Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop, a 2025 study conducted by Forrester Consulting and commissioned by Microsoft to assess the benefits organizations can achieve with Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop.

    Forrester Consulting projects economic gains with Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop

    The New Technology: The Projected Total Economic Impact of Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop study projects a substantial ROI ranging from 94% to 217%, with a net present value (NPV) between $3.2 million and $7.4 million over three years for a composite organization with 2,000 employees. These significant figures underscore the value of adopting Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop for businesses looking to optimize their operations and enhance their digital workplace strategy. Key benefits for the composite organization include:

    1. Enhanced productivity: Employees and contractors using Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop save 6 to 12 minutes per day from avoided outages and improved latency compared to their previous environments.
    2. Cost savings: Organizations can reduce PC lifecycle management costs by implementing a bring-your-own-PC (BYOPC) program, avoiding the need to purchase, provision and maintain physical laptops. This approach was projected to save organizations between $1.1 million and $1.2 million over three years.
    3. Reduced IT infrastructure costs: By migrating to Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop, organizations can reduce costs associated with on-premises operations. The study found a projected saving ranging from $722,000 to $1.5 million over three years.
    4. Improved security: The study found that organizations relying on Microsoft-managed services can reduce the need for extensive on-premises security infrastructure and personnel, resulting in projected savings of $60,000 to $122,000 over three years.

    These findings demonstrate the transformative impact of Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop on businesses, providing a clear path to enhanced productivity, cost savings and improved security. To explore more insights, read the Total Economic Impact study conducted by Forrester Consulting at aka.ms/WCTEI2025info.

    Windows 365 Link: The first Cloud PC device for Windows 365

    At Microsoft Ignite 2024, we announced the preview of Windows 365 Link, the first Cloud PC device purpose-built by Microsoft to connect securely to Windows 365 in seconds. Over 100 organizations participated in the preview program and helped refine the experience. We’ve heard valuable feedback on how Windows 365 Link devices can help save both IT and end users valuable time. The devices can be set up in minutes, require minimal configuration and are familiar for IT to manage using Microsoft Intune. End users – particularly desk-based or frontline workers in shared workspaces – can efficiently sign in to access their Windows 365 Cloud PCs, work securely with responsive, high-fidelity experiences and leave no data on the local devices when they sign out.

    “We needed a purpose-built device on the shop floor that could fit our new, collaborative approach. Windows 365 Link devices were exactly the solution we envisioned to enable our workers to access their assets in the cloud.”

    – Roman Kleyn, Head of Workplace Design, Krones. Read the customer story.

    Windows 365 Link is now generally available for purchase with an MSRP of AUD639 in Australia, CAD519.99 in Canada, EUR419 in Germany, JPY56,800 in Japan, NZD739 in New Zealand, GBP349 in the United Kingdom and USD349.99 in the United States.

    To purchase Windows 365 Link, reach out to your Microsoft account team or select resellers:

    • In Australia: ASI Solutions, Data#3, SHI International Corp.
    • In Canada: Insight Canada Inc., SHI International Corp.
    • In Germany: Bechtle AG.
    • In Japan: Japan Business Systems, Inc.
    • In New Zealand: ASI Solutions.
    • In the United Kingdom: Ballicom, Bechtle Ltd., Phoenix Software, Ricoh UK, SHI International Corp.
    • In the United States: Insight Enterprises, SHI International Corp.

    For more information on getting started with Windows 365 Link, read the technical documentation.

    Windows 365 Frontline’s new shared mode: Expand Cloud PC access to a greater number of users

    Windows 365 Frontline helps organizations optimize costs and expand Cloud PC access by allowing one license to be shared by multiple users. Organizations can expand access to corporate data and applications to a greater number of employees, contractors or vendors with Windows 365 Frontline’s shared mode, now generally available. With shared mode, businesses can purchase Cloud PCs based on the number of active users needing access at any given time: one Windows 365 Frontline license provides access to one shared Cloud PC, which can be accessed by any number of users, one at a time.

    This new shared mode is designed for users needing occasional Cloud PC access, such as entering inventory information, sending or updating data in a line-of-business application, or using productivity tools. Users can sign in to complete tasks, access data and use applications from a familiar Windows desktop experience. When the user is finished with their session, their profile data is automatically deleted and the Cloud PC is made ready for the next user, enabling privacy and security. With Windows 365 Frontline, organizations can choose to provision Cloud PCs in shared mode or in dedicated mode, based on their needs. For more details, visit our Learn page or check out the new Quickstart guide.

    “Windows 365, and Windows 365 Frontline’s shared mode capabilities have been a great addition to our setup. In the past, we gave external users VPN access, but this frequently caused problems as they couldn’t install the software, or used non-compliant devices to access our environment. Now, we can deliver projects much faster, without the complexity of traditional setups or VPNs, and without compromising on quality or security. It’s especially helpful to provide users with temporary access, as needed. Both our teams and external users like the full experience and integration with Windows. It has definitely improved the way we collaborate. It’s a highly scalable solution, while keeping access secure.”

    – Dieter Kempeneers, Cloud Solutions Architect, Arxus

    To help simplify image management and enhance efficiency for Windows 365 Frontline shared mode, Windows Autopilot device preparation is now in public preview. This new capability empowers organizations to streamline their operational processes by allowing IT admins to easily define and install essential Microsoft Intune applications and scripts during provisioning.

    Windows 365 Disaster Recovery Plus: Supporting business continuity

    Windows 365 Disaster Recovery Plus, an advanced disaster recovery solution designed for users who require high disaster recovery performance in case of a regional outage, is now generally available. Similar to the recently announced Cross Region Disaster Recovery service, Disaster Recovery Plus replicates Cloud PC disk snapshots to an alternate, fully reserved region allowing businesses to maintain compliance and minimize downtime with ease. However, this new optional service offers enhanced features including shorter recovery point objective (RPO) within 60 minutes and recovery time objective (RTO) within 30 minutes*. With Windows 365 Disaster Recovery Plus, organizations get advanced disaster recovery capabilities while benefiting from the simplicity and control of Microsoft Intune. Find more details.

    *The time estimates reflect a performance goal but not a guaranteed time frame.

    Windows 365 migration API: Simplified migration

    To further support our customers in realizing the full value of Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365, we are excited to introduce the new Windows 365 migration API, making it easier than ever for organizations to transition to Windows 365. To enable businesses to transition to Windows 365 more confidently and effortlessly, customers and partners will be able to use this API to create migration tools that take a snapshot of an existing virtual machine and easily import it into Windows 365 as a new Cloud PC. Stay tuned for updates on the migration API that will provide a more seamless and efficient migration experience.

    Windows App for Android: Expanded access across platforms

    Organizations can offer their employees more flexibility with Windows App – a simple, secured and user-friendly single access point to all Windows virtualization solutions, including Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Microsoft Dev Box, Remote Desktop and Remote Desktop Services. Windows App is now generally available on Android, making it accessible across all major platforms including Windows, macOS, iOS and web. Windows App makes it simple for users to connect to Windows on the device of their choice and has reached over 425 million usage hours across all platforms.

    This update brings new features to enhance the seamless and consistent experience that Windows App provides, including UX improvements to the Home screen, access to Government clouds and full support for Chrome OS. As organizations move towards passwordless authentication, we are excited to announce Windows App also fully supports passkeys, offering better security and user experience. Organizations can also expect new features coming soon that are exclusive to Windows App, like Teams Optimization on iOS and Android. Download Windows App in the Google Play Store or learn more by watching this video or visiting aka.ms/WindowsApp.

    Windows App will also be compatible and run seamlessly on Zebra mobile computers and tablets, giving workers access to a full Windows desktop when Zebra devices are on the go or docked in Workstation Connect cradles. This collaboration with Zebra Technologies furthers the expansion of Windows 365 Cloud PCs to enterprise Android users, providing flexibility and enhancing productivity. Read more about Windows App and Zebra.

    MAM Security updates: Boosted protection

    Mobile Application Management (MAM) support for Windows App on Android, including when using Microsoft Edge for Business on Windows, is now available. MAM allows organizations to manage and protect their data within an application without enrolling in device management, helping ensure that an employee’s personal data on the device is not accessed. With MAM integration, different redirection settings can now be applied based on user security group, operating system of the device, or whether the device is Intune managed or not. For organizations that have bring-your-own-device options, MAM support in Edge for Business on Windows offers tailored data protection to meet specific needs.

    Hotpatch updates for Windows clients help ensure your endpoints are protected

    Organizations using Windows 365 Enterprise or Windows 11 Enterprise can take advantage of hotpatch updates to safeguard against the ever-evolving landscape of cyberattacks without disrupting the flow of work. Now generally available for Windows endpoints, these updates provide rapid protection against vulnerabilities consistent with the level of security of the monthly standard security updates; unlike the standard monthly updates, hotpatch updates do not require a computer restart so employees are able to work without interruption.

    To learn how to activate hotpatch updates and control how it works for you, visit https://aka.ms/HotpatchForWindows11Enterprise.

    Discover more in our new Microsoft Mechanics video: Windows 365 Essentials

    Our latest Microsoft Mechanics video, How to set up Windows 365 – the 2025 tutorial, is now live! Join Jeremy Chapman and Scott Manchester as they discuss Windows 365, including Cloud PC deployment guidance and a look at recently released security and management features.

    These updates reflect the ongoing Microsoft commitment to deliver a seamless and secure Windows experience across all platforms. As Windows 365 continues to evolve, we remain dedicated to empowering users to be productive and secure on any device, no matter where they are.

    Stay tuned for more updates and thank you for being a part of the journey to embrace the future of Windows at work.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Video: President Trump: “You can stop wars with tariffs.”

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    President Trump speaks on the impact of tariffs on Fox Business.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXFVODLaqLM

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: North Dakota Launches State Data Hub to Empower Effective and Efficient Use of Data and Improve the Lives of Citizens

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    North Dakota is taking a significant step forward in leveraging the power of data with the launch of the official North Dakota “State Data Hub”. This initiative, spearheaded by North Dakota Information Technology (NDIT), aims to enhance the use and impact of North Dakota data to support better citizen and community outcomes.

    The State Data Hub will serve as a centralized platform to collect and disseminate reliable, up-to-date information from multiple sources. Initially, the Hub will feature dashboards and data provided by the North Dakota Department of Commerce’s State Data Center, offering valuable insights into demographics, economic development, and socioeconomic factors. Over time, the Hub will expand to include additional data and resources from other state agencies, further enhancing easy access to data for decision-makers and the public.

    The development of the Data Hub is a key component of the Statewide Data Strategy, an NDIT-led initiative established in 2022. “The vision of this effort is to harness the value of data to help North Dakota thrive,” said NDIT Chief Data Officer, Kim Weis. “The State Data Hub enables agencies to collaborate with the use of trusted data — essential to creating a government that is not just efficient, but also responsive to the needs of its citizens. The Data Hub is a transformational leap in the right direction, making government work better for everyone.”

    The State Data Hub is expected to play a critical role in supporting Commerce’s efforts to drive economic growth and attract investment. By providing access to accurate and timely data, this initiative will enable better planning and decision-making across all sectors.

    “Data is a powerful tool —critical to nearly every area of modern life,” said State Demographer Nigel Haarstad. “The State Data Hub moves North Dakota forward by providing timely, accessible data that supports informed decisions and creates opportunities for our state.” 

    For more information about the State Data Hub, please visit https://www.nd.gov/statedatahub. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tech startup culture is not as innovative as founders may think

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Yeonsin Ahn, Professeur assistant, stratégie et politique d’entreprise, HEC Paris Business School

    Eric Yuan was not happy at Cisco Systems even though he was making a salary in the high six figures, working as vice president of engineering on the videoconferencing software Cisco WebEx.

    “I even did not want to go to the office to work,” Yuan told CNBC Make It in 2019.

    Yuan was unhappy with the culture at Cisco, where new ideas were often shut down and change was slow. When he suggested building a new, mobile-friendly video platform from scratch, the idea was rejected by Cisco’s leadership. Frustrated by the resistance to innovation, Yuan left the company in 2011 and founded Zoom, whose value increased astronomically during the Covid pandemic years as it became the go-to app for remote work.

    One might think that founders who, like Yuan, expressed unhappiness with their previous employers’ culture would establish new companies with very different values. However, we found that, on average, whether they want to or not, founders are likely to replicate the culture of their previous employer in their new venture.

    Founders come from somewhere

    Yuan’s story includes the idea that many people have of the lumbering tech giant versus the agile startup. Yet our research found that this distinction is actually not so clear.

    More than 50 percent of US tech startup founders have previous experience in other companies, often in giants like Google or Meta. The work culture of these huge organizations is not always so easy to shake off when entrepreneurs go on to start their own companies.

    In our research, we identified 30 different cultural elements of companies. These include cultures of work-life balance, teamwork, authority, innovation, and compensation-oriented vs customer-oriented culture, to name a few.

    Previous research has shown that startup founders transfer knowledge and technology from former jobs. We found empirical evidence that they also transfer work culture.

    Comparing organizational cultures of “parents”, “spawns” and “twins”

    In our research, we identified startup founders and used their LinkedIn profiles to find companies where they had previously worked. Our team applied natural language processing, namely Latent Dirichlet allocation topic modelling, to text on Glassdoor, a site that allows current and former employees to anonymously review companies. We used the processed reviews to characterize the cultures of “parent” companies and startup companies, or “spawns”. We also identified a match or “twin” for the spawn organization that had a similar size, product and number of years in business.

    Then, we compared the culture of each spawn startup to the culture of its parent organization, and the culture of each spawn’s “twin” to the culture of the same parent, in a given year. If a spawn was more similar to its parent than the twin was to the parent, this supported our hypothesis that founders tend to transfer their previous work cultures to their new ventures.

    And we found that there are three conditions that favour such a transfer.

    • Length of employment

    First, the longer years founders have been at an organization, the more likely they are to transfer its culture to their new startup, because they have become very familiar with that culture.

    • Congruency of culture

    The second condition is the congruency of culture, i.e., the degree to which culture is composed of elements that are consistent in their meanings, and hence, have internal compatibility.

    For example, in our data, there a cloud-based location services platform that has high congruency in its culture. The company has three highly salient cultural elements: it is adaptive, customer-oriented and demanding. These elements consistently point to a culture of customer responsiveness. Our data also includes an e-commerce clothing platform with two cultural elements – growth orientation and work-life balance – that are poorly aligned in their meanings, reducing the congruency of its culture.

    We found that the more internally congruent a parent organization’s culture is – and thus, the easier it is to understand and learn – the more likely it is that founders will transfer its elements to their new companies.

    • Typicality of culture

    Third, the more atypical an organization is – the more it stands out from others in its field – the more likely it is that its culture will be transferred to the startup.

    In an atypical culture, it is easy for employees to identify cultural elements, and to remember and incorporate them once they found a startup. Because an atypical culture draws a stronger boundary that distinguishes an organization from others, employees become more aware that the organization has chosen them and that they have chosen to work in it. This creates a cognitive attachment in the employee toward the organization, and also increases how well they learn its culture.

    In our study, each startup’s cultural atypicality was measured by calculating the cultural distances between all organizations within the same product category for a given year.

    It’s common for founders to describe their culture as distinctive or one-of-a-kind. However, we found that’s not necessarily the case. Founders tend to replicate the culture of their previous employers because they’re accustomed to that way of working.

    False perceptions?

    Many students tell me they’re drawn to more creative and innovative work environments – something they often associate with startups rather than traditional, established companies.

    But our research suggests this perception might not be entirely accurate.

    Job seekers looking for unique or forward-thinking cultures may be surprised to find that startup environments resemble those of larger tech companies more often than expected.

    And for founders – especially those who left previous roles because of frustrating workplace cultures – it can be a wake-up call to realize how easy it is to unintentionally recreate the very environments they may have hoped to avoid.

    Yeonsin Ahn ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

    – ref. Tech startup culture is not as innovative as founders may think – https://theconversation.com/tech-startup-culture-is-not-as-innovative-as-founders-may-think-243216

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Kemp: Georgia-based Flock Safety Opens New 97,000-Square-Foot Manufacturing Facility

    Source: US State of Georgia

    ATLANTA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that Georgia-headquartered Flock Safety, a leading safety technology solutions provider, is opening a new manufacturing facility in Smyrna. The new 97,000-square-foot facility will ultimately create an estimated 210 new jobs over the next three years and represents an investment of approximately $10 million. Governor Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp joined Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley, Flock Safety Chief People Officer Paige Todd, Smyrna Mayor Derek Norton, Cobb County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce CEO Katie Kirkpatrick, Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer, and other state and local leadership to celebrate the ribbon cutting.

    “In Georgia, we foster a business environment where innovative companies can get off the ground and grow into leaders in their industry while operating in safe communities,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “Flock Safety is a great example of the success that approach has created, and we’re proud to celebrate this milestone with them. We look forward to many years of partnership with Flock Safety in their efforts to help keep Georgians safe.”

    Flock Safety was founded in Georgia in 2017, and the company currently supports more than 250 jobs in the state. Over 300 law enforcement agencies and 100 businesses in Georgia have deployed Flock Safety’s technology to solve and reduce crime. Flock Safety launched its Drone as First Responder system last year upon the acquisition of Aerodome, a leader in rapid response drones for public safety.

    “We feel fortunate to have our roots in Georgia, the state that is undisputedly the leader in the American aerospace industry, and are proud to invest further by creating hundreds of advanced manufacturing and aviation jobs locally,” said Garrett Langley, Founder and CEO of Flock Safety. “Drone as First Responder technology stands to transform emergency response, and these made-in-America, NDAA-compliant drones will have a transformative impact on the local communities we aim to serve.”

    Flock Safety’s new facility in Smyrna is dedicated to the production of the company’s advanced public safety tools, including Drone as First Responder technology as well as refurbishing damaged devices and assembling solar panels. Hiring for the new facility is underway now, with projections to meet full operations in 2027. Interested individuals can learn more about working at Flock Safety and apply at www.flocksafety.com/careers.

    “Smyrna’s convenient location and diverse talent pool make the city an ideal environment for corporate innovation opportunities,” said Smyrna Mayor Derek Norton. “We appreciate Flock’s confidence in Smyrna and welcome them to our community.”

    “We are thrilled to welcome Flock Safety to Cobb County,” said Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, Cobb County Board of Commissioners. “We have been early partners with Flock Safety by deploying their public safety technology, and I am happy to see this relationship evolve in our community, with its ready workforce and a business environment supportive of their commitment to innovation in public safety technology. We are certain the dynamic energy of Cobb’s business climate and quality of life for residents will add to Flock Safety’s success.”

    “Flock Safety’s expansion is yet another Georgia business success story. This growth in Cobb County shows why companies that start here stay, put down roots, and keep thriving,” said Katie Kirkpatrick, President & CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. “With our unmatched talent, innovation, and pro-business environment, the expansion strengthens Flock Safety’s ability to leverage technology to make our communities safer.” 

    Senior Regional Project Manager Caroline Kinchler represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDEcD) Global Commerce team on this project in partnership with the City of Smyrna, Cobb County Economic Development, Metro Atlanta Chamber, Georgia Power, and SelectCobb.

    “Aerospace products – Georgia’s No. 1 export – come in all shapes and sizes, from jets and turbines to cutting-edge innovations like Flock Safety’s Drone as First Responder technology,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “Georgia’s strength in aerospace innovation and manufacturing is driven by strategic investments in education and a collaborative, business-friendly environment. Congratulations to Flock Safety on launching the first of its aerospace-focused manufacturing operations, and to Cobb County and the greater metro Atlanta community on this exciting milestone.”

    About Flock Safety

    Flock Safety is a leading safety technology platform, helping communities thrive by taking a proactive approach to crime prevention and security. The company’s end-to-end hardware and software suite unites cities, law enforcement, businesses, schools, and neighborhoods in a nationwide public-private safety network. Flock is trusted by more than 5,000 communities, 4,500 law enforcement agencies, and 1,000 businesses to deliver real-time intelligence while upholding the highest standards of privacy, data integrity, and responsible innovation. Visit www.flocksafety.com for more info.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Iranian Company and Two Iranian Nationals Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and for Scheme to Procure U.S. Technology for Iranian Drones

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

    CEO and Commercial Manager of Iranian Company Charged in Connection with Conspiracies to Provide Material Support, Violate Export Control Laws and Commit Money Laundering

    BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, a complaint was unsealed charging Iranian nationals Hossein Akbari and Reza Amidi, and an Iran-based Rah Roshd Company (“Rah Roshd”), with conspiring to procure U.S. parts for Iranian Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (“UAVs”), also known as drones, conspiring to provide material support to the IRGC, a designated foreign terrorist organization, and conspiring to commit money laundering.  Akbari is the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of Rah Roshd. Amidi is the company’s commercial manager and was previously the commercial manager of Qods Aviation Industries (“QAI”), an Iranian state-owned aerospace company.  They are both citizens of Iran and remain at large.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the charges.

    “As alleged in the complaint, the defendants conspired to obtain U.S.-origin parts needed to manufacture drones for military use in Iran and send those parts to Iran in violation of export control laws,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “The charges filed today demonstrate the commitment by my Office and our law enforcement partners to dismantle illicit supply chains and prosecute those who unlawfully procure U.S. technology in support of a foreign terrorist organization.  The IRGC and Qods Aviation Industries have been core players in the Iranian military regime’s production of drones, which threaten the lives of civilians, U.S. personnel, and our country’s allies.  These charges should serve as a warning to those who violate U.S. export control laws and who unlawfully seek to aid Iran’s drone program.”

    Mr. Durham expressed his appreciation to the FBI and the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) for their work on the case.  Today, OFAC sanctioned Akbari, Rah Roshd, and other companies and individuals for their roles in the sanctions-evasion scheme described in the complaint.  OFAC previously sanctioned Amidi.

    “Today’s charges lay bare how U.S.-made technology ended up in the hands of the Iranian military to build attack drones,” stated Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.  “The Justice Department will continue to put maximum pressure on the Iranian regime. We will relentlessly dismantle illicit supply chains funneling American technology into the hands of Iran’s military and terrorist organizations and pursue those complicit in operations that threaten our country.”

    “Hossein Akbari and Reza Amidi allegedly engaged in a multi-year conspiracy to obtain U.S. technology for use in Iranian made drones in violation of export laws and to provide material support to the IRGC—a designated terrorist organization,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia.  “The Iranian government has repeatedly demonstrated they are willing to violate the laws of our nation—this time utilizing dishonest businessmen who deliberately misrepresented themselves—in order to further their treacherous goals.  The FBI will continue to protect the national security and interests of the United States through vigorous enforcement of export control laws put in place to prevent sensitive U.S. technology from being obtained by hostile foreign governments.”

    As set forth in the complaint, Akbari and Amidi operate Rah Roshd, which procures and supplies advanced electronic, electro-optical, and security systems to the Government of Iran and designs, builds, and manufactures ground support systems for UAVs.  Akbari serves as the CEO and Managing Director of Rah Roshd, and Amidi serves as the Commercial Manager.  Rah Roshd’s clients include the IRGC and several Iranian state-owned aerospace companies and drone manufacturers, including QAI, Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (“MODAFL”), Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center (“SAIRC”), and Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group (SBIG).

    Between January 2020 and the present, Amidi and Akbari used Rah Roshd in furtherance of a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions and procure U.S.-origin parts for use in Iranian-manufactured UAVs, including the Mohajer-6 UAV.  At least one of those parts was manufactured by a Brooklyn, New York-based company (“Company-1”).  In September 2022, the Ukrainian Air Force shot down an Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone used by the Russian military in Ukraine.  The drone recovered by the Ukrainian Air Force contained parts made by several U.S. companies, including Company-1.

    To facilitate their scheme, Amidi and Akbari falsely purported to represent companies other than Rah Roshd, including a company based in the United Arab Emirates (“Company-2”) and a company based in Belgium (“Company-3”).  The defendants used a “spoofed” email address with a misspelled version of Company-2’s name to communicate regarding the procurement of parts, including parts manufactured by U.S. companies.  The defendants also used various “front” or “shell” companies to pay for UAV parts and to obfuscate the true end destination and the true identities of the sanctioned end users, including QAI and the IRGC, which were acquiring U.S.-made parts through Rah Roshd.  Amidi and Akbari also used aliases to obfuscate their true identities in furtherance of the scheme.

    Additionally, the defendants conspired to provide material support to the IRGC by providing goods and services for the benefit of the IRGC’s military campaign. This included constructing military shelters, providing cameras and drone field hangers, and conspiring to procure drone parts as well as parts to operate drones, including “servo motors,” “pneumatic masts,” which are a component of the operation of the Mohajer-6 drone, and engines.  The investigation uncovered correspondence from the IRGC, signed by the head of the UAV Command for the IRGC’s Aerospace Force, thanking Rah Roshd for its work on behalf of the IRGC and praising Rah Roshd’s achievements in designing and manufacturing servo motors for defense equipment.  The letter included a quote from the Supreme Leader of Iran regarding the importance of self-sufficiency and domestic production to strengthen Iran’s economy and “disappoint the enemies of the Islamic Republic.”  The letter also noted continued efforts of Rah Roshd “in strengthening the defensive capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”  Both Amidi and Akbari possessed documents indicating that they had purchased servo motors for delivery to Iran, including a servo motor contained in the Mohajer-6 drone.  Akbari also emailed supply companies located in China and noted that he was purchasing parts for drones to be shipped to Iran.

    Finally, Amidi and Akbari conspired to commit money laundering.  They used at least three shell companies, all based in the United Arab Emirates, to pay a China-based company that sent invoices to Rah Roshd for the sale of motors.  Those payments were processed through U.S.-based correspondent bank accounts. The defendants also used two of these shell companies to pay a separate China-based company for the sale of pneumatic masts.

    Today’s actions were coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation states.

    The charges in the complaint are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.  Assistant United States  Attorneys Nina C. Gupta and Lindsey R. Oken are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Rebecca Roth, along with Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Trial Attorney Charles Kovats of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. 

    The Defendants:

    HOSSEIN AKBARI (also known as “Danial Yousef” and “Danial White”)
    Age: 63
    Iran

    REZA AMIDI (also known as “Ali Rahmani”)
    Age: 62
    Iran

    RAH ROSHD COMPANY
    Tehran, Iran

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-MJ-114

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Convening of the Annual General Meeting of Euronext N.V.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Convening of the Annual General Meeting of Euronext N.V.

    Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, Milan, Oslo and Paris – 2 April 2025 – Euronext today announced that the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) will take place on Thursday 15 May 2025 at 10.30 CEST at Beursplein 5, 1012 JW Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

    The agenda for the meeting is as follows:

    1.   Opening
    2.   Presentation by the Chief Executive Officer (discussion item)
    3.   Annual Report 2024
    a)   Explanation of the policy on additions to reserves and dividends (discussion item)
    b)   Proposal to adopt the 2024 remuneration report (voting item 1)
    c)   Proposal to adopt the 2024 financial statements (voting item 2)
    d)   Proposal to adopt a dividend of € 2.90 per ordinary share (voting item 3)
    e)   Proposal to discharge the members of the Managing Board in respect of their duties performed during the year 2024 (voting item 4)
    f)   Proposal to discharge the members of the Supervisory Board in respect of their duties performed during the year 2024 (voting item 5)
    4.   Composition of the Supervisory Board
    a)   Re-appointment of Piero Novelli as a member of the Supervisory Board (voting item 6)
    b)   Re-appointment of Olivier Sichel as a member of the Supervisory Board (voting item 7)
    c)   Appointment of Francesca Scaglia as a member of the Supervisory Board (voting item 8)
    5.   Composition of the Managing Board
    a)   Re-appointment of Delphine d’Amarzit as a member of the Managing Board (voting item 9)
    b)   Appointment of René van Vlerken as a member of the Managing Board (voting item 10)
    6.   Proposal to amend the remuneration policy with regard to the Managing Board (voting item 11)
    7.   Proposal to amend the remuneration policy with regard to the Supervisory Board (voting item 12)
    8.   Proposal to appoint the external auditor (voting item 13)
    9.   Proposal regarding cancellation of the company’s own shares purchased by the company under the share repurchase program (voting item 14)
    10.   Proposal to designate the Managing Board as the competent body:
    a)   to issue ordinary shares (voting item 15); and
    b)   to restrict or exclude the pre-emptive rights of shareholders (voting item 16)
    11.   Proposal to authorise the Managing Board to acquire ordinary shares in the share capital of the company on behalf of the company (voting item 17)
    12.   Proposal to authorise the Supervisory Board or Managing Board (subject to approval of the Supervisory Board) to grant rights to French beneficiaries to receive shares in accordance with Articles L225-197-1 and seq. of the French Code of commerce (voting item 18)
    13.   Any other business
    14.   Close

    The AGM will be conducted in English.

    Registration date AGM

    Pursuant to Dutch law and Euronext N.V.’s Articles of Association, the persons who will be considered as entitled to attend and vote at the AGM are those persons who are registered as such in the administrations held by their financial intermediaries (the “Shareholders”) on 17 April 2025, after processing of all settlements on that date (the “Registration Date”).

    Registration and voting instructions

    Shareholders holding their shares through Euronext Securities Milan (i.e. the public) who wish to attend the AGM, provide instructions or grant a power of attorney to vote on their behalf, must complete the form (voting form / attendance card request) provided for this purpose by their financial intermediary or by Euronext Securities Department – Uptevia. The Shareholders should be aware that these documents must be received, no later than on Thursday 8 May 2025 by their financial intermediary for receipt no later than on Friday 9 May 2025 by Uptevia, Assemblées Générales, 90-110 Esplanade du Général de Gaulle 92931 Paris La Défense Cedex, France. The financial intermediary should deliver to the Shareholder a certificate of holding containing: name and city of residence of the Shareholder; number of shares; name and city of residence of the attendee (if different from the Shareholder) and declaration that the shares were in custody with the Euroclear France-admitted institution on the Registration Date. This certificate will serve as the admission certificate for the AGM for the Shareholder.

    Shareholders holding their shares through Euronext Securities Porto in Portugal who wish to attend the AGM, provide instructions or grant a power of attorney to vote on their behalf, must complete the form (voting form / attendance card request) provided for this purpose by Euronext Securities Department – Uptevia Corporate Trust. The Shareholders should be aware that these documents must be received, no later than on Thursday 8 May 2025 by their financial intermediary for receipt no later than on Friday 9 May 2025 by BNP Paribas Securities Services, PT Local Team, Edificio ART’S – Av. D. Joao II – Lote 1.18.01, Bloco B, 1998-028 Lisboa, Portugal. The financial intermediary should deliver to the Shareholder a certificate of holding containing: name and city of residence of the Shareholder; number of shares on the Registration Date; name and city of residence of the attendee (if different from the Shareholder). This certificate will serve as admission certificate for the AGM for the Shareholder.

    Persons without a valid admission certificate will not be given access to the meeting. Attendants may be asked for identification prior to being admitted.

    At the time of the publication of this convening notice, Euronext’s total issued share capital in number of issued shares and in voting rights is published on Euronext’s website:
    https://www.euronext.com/en/investor-relations/capital-and-shareholding

    Webcast

    There will be a live broadcast of the AGM via
    https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/euronextwebcast/20250515_1/

    AGM Documentation

    The AGM Documentation (i.e. this convening notice, the agenda and the explanatory notes thereto including the information on the persons to be appointed to the Supervisory Board and the Managing Board, as well as the 2024 Annual Report) is available:

    • at the registered office of Euronext N.V.: Beursplein 5, 1012 JW Amsterdam, The Netherlands
    • by email request to EuronextCorporateSecretary@euronext.com
    • on Euronext’s website https://www.euronext.com/en/investor-relations/shareholder-meetings
    • at Uptevia – Assemblées Générales – 90-110 Esplanade du Général de Gaulle 92931 Paris La Défense Cedex, France – + 33 1 57 43 02 30

    Managing Board and Supervisory Board of Euronext N.V.
    Beursplein 5, 1012 JW Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Registered at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, under number 60234520

    CONTACTS  

    ANALYSTS & INVESTORS – ir@euronext.com

    Investor Relations        Aurélie Cohen                 

            Judith Stein        +33 6 15 23 91 97          

    MEDIA – mediateam@euronext.com 

    Europe        Aurélie Cohen         +33 1 70 48 24 45   

            Andrea Monzani         +39 02 72 42 62 13 

    Belgium        Marianne Aalders         +32 26 20 15 01                 

    France, Corporate        Flavio Bornancin-Tomasella        +33 1 70 48 24 45                 

    Ireland        Andrea Monzani         +39 02 72 42 62 13                 

    Italy         Ester Russom         +39 02 72 42 67 56                 

    The Netherlands        Marianne Aalders         +31 20 721 41 33                 

    Norway         Cathrine Lorvik Segerlund        +47 41 69 59 10                 

    Portugal         Sandra Machado        +351 91 777 68 97                

    About Euronext  

    Euronext is the leading European capital market infrastructure, covering the entire capital markets value chain, from listing, trading, clearing, settlement and custody, to solutions for issuers and investors. Euronext runs MTS, one of Europe’s leading electronic fixed income trading markets, and Nord Pool, the European power market. Euronext also provides clearing and settlement services through Euronext Clearing and its Euronext Securities CSDs in Denmark, Italy, Norway and Portugal.

    As of December 2024, Euronext’s regulated exchanges in Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal host over 1,800 listed issuers with around €6 trillion in market capitalisation, a strong blue-chip franchise and the largest global centre for debt and fund listings. With a diverse domestic and international client base, Euronext handles 25% of European lit equity trading. Its products include equities, FX, ETFs, bonds, derivatives, commodities and indices.

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Embracing the ASbA option

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Young Canberran Poppy Chalmers is now working as a training and business administration officer.

    A desire to work in health care has seen Poppy Chalmers embrace success via an Australian School-based Apprenticeship (ASbA).

    Poppy’s story is like many who choose a Vocational Education and Training pathway.

    She knew she didn’t want the university pathway but felt unsure which direction to take.

    In 2022, she started an Australian School-based Apprenticeship program with Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA).

    The next year, she was named ACT Australian School-based Apprentice of the Year at the 2023 ACT Training Awards.

    She then went on to be a finalist at the 2023 Australian Training Awards.

    These awards recognise students’ commitment to formal studies at school and in the workplace.

    A VET pathway

    Poppy had previously taken on leadership roles at school. She was selected as a Year 6 leader in 2017 and as a Year 10 Indigenous Leader in 2021.

    “I am a natural leader and see myself in a leadership position. I have a lot of ideas. I’m not sure where I want to end up, but I know I have what it takes to get there,” Poppy said.

    She completed a Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance under a new program in the ACT called the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Academy.

    “I didn’t particularly like school, it wasn’t something that I enjoyed. One of my friends got an ASbA in childcare and I thought that was cool, so I did a placement where she worked, and they offered me an ASbA,” Poppy said.

    Moving into health care

    “Though my school supported me to do the ASbA in childcare, I had always been interested in working in the health industry so when an Auntie from the Community reached out with an opportunity to do an ASbA in Allied Health through an Aboriginal company, I applied and was successful.

    “I wanted to be a nurse, my Auntie was a nurse, I had spent a lot of time in hospitals because my sister has cystic fibrosis. I even went to school at the hospital. I saw the positive impact that nurses, doctors, and the hospital had on us all,” Poppy said.

    Through the ASbA, Poppy got to experience what nursing and working in a hospital is all about and what is out there in terms of a future job in Allied Health. She is now employed as a training and business administration officer for Indigenous Allied Health Australia.

    Poppy says applying for the ASbA was seamless, with support available if she needed it.

    “The ASbA process showed me that there are so many other pathways to get to where I want to go. Doing this I saw that I can work in health without having to go to uni. I finished the Certificate III and was offered a job at the hospital as a social work assistant straight away,” she said.

    The path ahead

    Poppy graduated from college in 2023. She says the ASbA has given her self-confidence and redefined her idea of success.

    “The ASbA has given me a lot of direction, opportunity and such a great community. When I was younger, I wanted to be a nurse but now I’m not sure because I have so many opportunities. I’ve been told I can do anything I want. You work with what you have and take every opportunity you get,” she said.

    “I’m not ready for uni yet. I want to do a Cert IV in Business.

    “Success is not where you get to, it is how you got there, the path you took, what you learned and did. Success for me is to experience everything I get to do. I would have a goal, but I would focus on the journey,” Poppy said.

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: José Adolfo “Fito” Macías Villamar, Leader of Los Choneros Transnational Criminal Organization, Indicted in Brooklyn Federal Court on International Drug and Gun Charges

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    A seven-count indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging José Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as “Fito,” with international cocaine distribution conspiracy; international cocaine distribution; using firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking; smuggling firearms from the United States; and straw purchasing of firearms conspiracy.  Since at least 2020, he has been the leader of Los Choneros, one of Ecuador’s most violent drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations.  The defendant is not in U.S. custody.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Derek Maltz, Acting Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); L.C. Cheeks, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Newark Field Division, Atlantic City Satellite Office (ATF); and Jonathan Carson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office (OEE), announced the charges.

    “As alleged, the defendant was a ruthless leader and prolific drug trafficker for a violent transnational criminal organization.  By leading the Los Choneros’ network of assassins and drug and weapon traffickers and importing potentially lethal quantities of cocaine into the United States, the defendant has caused great harm to his own country and the United States, which was the destination for the vast majority of Los Choneros’ cocaine shipments,” stated United States Attorney Durham.

    Mr. Durham praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA’s Andean Region – Quito, Country Office, Special Operations Division-Bilateral Investigations Unit and Latin America/Caribbean Section, Joint Interagency Task Force South; U.S. Southern Command; the Government of Ecuador; the New Jersey State Police Casino Gaming Bureau; and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations Atlantic City.  The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance in this matter.

    “The indictment of José Adolfo Macías Villamar marks a significant strike against the violent networks that flood our communities with dangerous drugs like cocaine — a clear message that no one fueling this deadly trade is beyond the reach of justice. This case highlights the tireless efforts of DEA, alongside our partners in the United States and Ecuador,” stated DEA Administrator Maltz.  “We will continue to work across borders to dismantle the supply chain of violent, criminal networks, which underscores the ongoing need for vigilance and collaboration in the fight against drug trafficking and cartel violence.”

    “This investigation and charges are a testament to the combined efforts of law enforcement and underscores the resolve of ATF and our federal, state, and local partners. Drug trafficking and the heinous crimes associated with violent criminal organizations have an insidious impact on the public and tear apart the fabric of our communities. We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal, across the U.S. and around the globe, to combat violence, drug distribution, and the illegal sale and possession of firearms to safeguard the safety and well-being of all,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge Cheeks.

    “This indictment alleges the defendant and Los Choneros illegally smuggled firearms from the United States in furtherance of their violent drug trafficking operations,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Carson of the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office.  “The Office of Export Enforcement will continue its efforts alongside its law enforcement partners to pursue those who violate export laws, wherever they may be, worldwide.”

    As alleged in the indictment, from at least 2020 to 2025, Macías Villamar was the principal leader of Los Choneros, one of the most violent and powerful transnational criminal organizations in Ecuador.  Los Choneros, in partnership with the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, controlled key cocaine trafficking routes through Ecuador and operated a large-scale network responsible for the shipment and distribution of multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America through Central America and Mexico to the United States and elsewhere.  The vast majority of drugs trafficked by Los Choneros were imported into the United States.

    As the principal leader of Los Choneros, Macías Villamar employed members of the organization to carry out serious acts of violence on the organization’s behalf.  At Macías Villamar’s direction, Los Choneros committed violent acts towards law enforcement, Ecuadorian politicians, attorneys, prosecutors and civilians. Los Choneros obtained many of their firearms and weapons by illegally trafficking and exporting them from the United States.  As alleged, the defendant specifically employed individuals who purchased firearms, firearms components and ammunitions on Los Choneros’ behalf in the United States and then illegally smuggled them to Ecuador.

    Moreover, in furtherance of their drug trafficking operation, Los Choneros relied on “sicarios,” or hitmen, as well as corruption and bribe payments, to ensure protection and loyalty to Los Choneros. These “sicarios” regularly used military-grade weapons, like machine guns, AK-47 assault rifles and grenades to perpetrate violence, including murder, torture and kidnapping.  Macías Villamar and the Los Choneros organization have also been sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to life in prison.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section, and as part of the work of the Office’s Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force.  Assistant United States Attorneys Chand Edwards-Balfour and Lorena Michelen are in charge of the prosecution.

    The Defendant:

    JOSÉ ADOLFO MACÍAS VILLAMAR (also known as “Fito”)
    Age: 45
    Ecuador

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 25-CR-114 (FB)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Aguilar: Trump’s incompetence is jeopardizing our national security, crashing the economy and dismantling Social Security

    Source: US House of Representatives – Democratic Caucus

    The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI – April 01, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar was joined by House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Member Jim Himes, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan for a press conference on the Trump Administration national security team sharing classified information in a group chat, and how that same incompetence is leading America towards a recession.

    CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Good morning. It has become increasingly clear that the Trump Administration’s incompetence is jeopardizing our national security, crashing the American economy and dismantling Social Security.

    Secretary of Defense Hegseth must resign for his role in sharing classified war plans. This is a scandal that feels a little more like The Onion than the Atlantic, but he should be fired. But the White House’s carelessness is not isolated to our national security—it’s also having a negative impact on our economy. This carelessness and recklessness of Donald Trump is moving next to imposing tariffs, which have been suggested now that there are 40% chance that the economy crashes into a recession next year, according to Moody’s. They have not taken a single step toward bringing down the high cost of living. In fact, the President of the United States said he couldn’t care less if prices go up. Now, the stock market is crashing and inflation is rising. Hard-working Americans just want a little breathing room and some stability in their busy lives, but what they’ve received from Donald Trump is chaos, confusion and corruption. 

    Later today, House Democrats will hold a hearing on how Trump and Elon Musk are dismantling Social Security. Services are being cut and for the first time in our nation’s history, there is a very real concern that Americans won’t receive the benefits on time that they have paid into. And despite what the Commerce Secretary says, seniors aren’t fraudsters if they get mad—they’ve earned those benefits. 

    They’re doing all of this to help pay for tax giveaways for billionaires and Elon Musk,
    This isn’t about rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. This is about upending the status quo—these are unserious people looking out for themselves, their allies and their political
    donors. If the President doesn’t fix this incompetence, the consequences for our national
    security, our economic security, will be devastating. 

    Now, I’ll yield to the Ranking Member on Intelligence, Jim Himes.

    RANKING MEMBER HIMES: Thanks, Pete, and good morning. The White House Press Secretary’s efforts notwithstanding to sweep this scandal under the carpet, there is a lot of work yet to be done. 

    Since we learned about the disclosures from Jeffrey Goldberg in the Atlantic, the story has, of course, gotten larger. We hear press reports that an allied country provided targeting information and that they were pretty upset about the disclosure of that information. That is something that we need to follow up on, and we still, at this point, as the entity charged with oversight of these things, have no accounting of the breach other than what we’ve gotten from Jeffrey Goldberg at the Atlantic. Now, I know that Mr. Goldberg was being very, very careful in what information he put out there. So, at this moment, we don’t even know what information was in the Signal chat. So again, the White House Press Secretary’s efforts notwithstanding. The law requires the Director of National Intelligence to undertake an investigation and to report that investigation, the results of that investigation to the Senate and the House Intelligence Committee. Needless to say, we have seen nothing. 

    We the Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee issued a letter yesterday asking those questions and asking for an investigation, a real investigation—not something that the White House Press Secretary cooks up out of thin air—with those results reported to the Intelligence Committees, as the law would dictate. And I’ll just point out before handing this over to the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, it’s not just the law. It’s what anyone else associated with the Department of Defense or with the intelligence community would see done if they, in fact, were putting extremely sensitive information that should have been classified if it was not on an unclassified Signal chat here. There would have been a stand down. There would have been a full investigation. The results and the damage of that, of that act would have been reported, and there would have been accountability. This Administration has dodged every single one of those steps, starting with an attack on Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic, who didn’t even ask to be put on the Signal chat. So, the message being sent by this, both inside the Pentagon, from four star officers down to privates, or inside the intelligence community, from the senior intelligence service right on down to the recruit, is that you have to play by one set of rules, but our senior most people play by an entirely different set of rules, and that is not something that we can tolerate in either the DOD or the intelligence community. 

    So, we will be following up here to make sure that this story is reported to the Congress, that the full damage or potential damage associated with this Signal chat is out there and that accountability is ultimately visited. With that, let me hand over to Ranking Member Smith at the House Armed Services Committee.

    RANKING MEMBER SMITH: Thank you very much. I completely agree with everything Jim just said. I’ll just add three quick points. 

    One big concern we have on the Armed Services Committee, what is the policy going forward? Because obviously the action on the Signal chat is bad in a thousand different ways that Jim outlined fairly well. But worse is the fact that the Secretary of Defense and everybody else associated is saying, “There’s nothing to see here, there’s nothing wrong,” which clearly implies that they’re just going to keep doing it this way. So, what we really want to know is, what happened? How did you screw up? And how are you going to fix it? Because make no mistake about it, this is a very, very dangerous thing to do, to be giving out attack plans, the time, the weapons you’re going to use and the targets you’re going to hit in advance of that attack. I don’t know why we’re having a conversation about why that is bad. What are they going to do to fix it? Right now, the answer is nothing. So, I still think that the House Armed Services Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee should have a hearing. Ideally, Secretary Hegseth should come over and talk to us. But somebody from DOD should come over and explain what they’re going to do to make sure that OPSEC actually is something that they care about, that they’re going to fix going forward. 

    Second, this speaks to a larger problem of the overall competence and experience of the national security team. Just about anyone who’s ever been involved in an operation like this would have said, “Why are we having this conversation on a Signal chat?” But the people on that Signal chat, none of them have really had that experience, with the possible exception of Mike Waltz. Also worth noting, no senior uniform was on that call. That’s what happens when you fire the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and you don’t have one. So, we’re really concerned about the overall competence of the national security team. 

    The third point that has been lost in all of this, one of the justifications offered by Secretary Hegseth and by Mr. Waltz, was, “Hey, but the mission was a spectacular success. So, what are we looking at?” Was the mission a spectacular success? We don’t even really know at this point. And this is an ongoing campaign. We are now 17,18 days into the bombing campaign. And please understand, the mission wasn’t to blow some things up and kill a bunch of Houthis. The mission is to reopen the Red Sea to shipping, and the Red Sea is no more open today than it was 18 days ago when this campaign started. So again, getting to the competence of the national security team. If they think the mission has been accomplished, it appears they don’t even know what the mission is. 

    So, we should start asking some questions about what they’re trying to accomplish in Yemen going forward. With that, I’m pleased to yield to a Member of the Armed Services Committee and the Intelligence Committee, Ms. Houlahan. 

    REP. HOULAHAN: Thank you, Chairman. Thank you very much for the opportunity to talk to you about this very important issue.

    I want to pause for a moment and imagine a world where the Director of the FBI yells at a Member of Congress that his organization is the one that calls balls and strikes, defying Congress’s constitutional obligation for oversight, and in the process, also refusing to investigate. Imagine a world where the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency berates Members of Congress, specifically Democrats, that they don’t care about national security because they dared to ask him questions about a significant leak of information, a significant breach of classified data. Imagine a world where the Secretary of Defense shares information on an unclassified channel, that was arguably top-secret information and had to do as the Chairman said with targeting information, with timing and with weaponry. This is a channel that his own agency said should not be used because it was compromised or possibly compromised. 

    So, the problem is with this, we don’t have to imagine because this is reality. This is an unimaginable world that we are in, but it is the reality that we have found ourselves in today. And the only hope that I have, which I echo the Chairmen who have spoken before me, is that in this world, that the Director of National Intelligence has committed to following the law, which would allow opening an investigation into this, so that we can imagine a world where people are contrite, where people are non-partisan, where people work for the people, where people are true leaders and have the same rules that the people that they lead have, and where they hold themselves accountable. So, this is the world that I hope that we can live in. And this is the world that we demand because it’s the only world in which we will be safe.

    So, today, as many of my colleagues have already done, I call once again on the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, to fulfill that commitment that she made to me last Wednesday, a commitment to follow the law and to conduct an independent investigation into what is a significant unauthorized disclosure of compromised information. I want them to stop gaslighting us and the American public. I want them to stop distracting us and the American public, and to stop playing us for fools and hoping that Americans don’t catch on. 

    Follow the law. Do your job. Uphold the oath that we uphold, as well, that we took to this nation. The world and we are watching. And I thank the opportunity to speak, and I turn back over to the Chairman for any questions that you might have. 

    Video of the full press conference and Q&A can be viewed here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: José Adolfo “Fito” Macías Villamar, Leader of Los Choneros Transnational Criminal Organization, Indicted in Brooklyn Federal Court on International Drug and Gun Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    A seven-count indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging José Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as “Fito,” with international cocaine distribution conspiracy; international cocaine distribution; using firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking; smuggling firearms from the United States; and straw purchasing of firearms conspiracy.  Since at least 2020, he has been the leader of Los Choneros, one of Ecuador’s most violent drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations.  The defendant is not in U.S. custody.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Derek Maltz, Acting Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); L.C. Cheeks, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Newark Field Division, Atlantic City Satellite Office (ATF); and Jonathan Carson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office (OEE), announced the charges.

    “As alleged, the defendant was a ruthless leader and prolific drug trafficker for a violent transnational criminal organization.  By leading the Los Choneros’ network of assassins and drug and weapon traffickers and importing potentially lethal quantities of cocaine into the United States, the defendant has caused great harm to his own country and the United States, which was the destination for the vast majority of Los Choneros’ cocaine shipments,” stated United States Attorney Durham.

    Mr. Durham praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA’s Andean Region – Quito, Country Office, Special Operations Division-Bilateral Investigations Unit and Latin America/Caribbean Section, Joint Interagency Task Force South; U.S. Southern Command; the Government of Ecuador; the New Jersey State Police Casino Gaming Bureau; and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations Atlantic City.  The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance in this matter.

    “The indictment of José Adolfo Macías Villamar marks a significant strike against the violent networks that flood our communities with dangerous drugs like cocaine — a clear message that no one fueling this deadly trade is beyond the reach of justice. This case highlights the tireless efforts of DEA, alongside our partners in the United States and Ecuador,” stated DEA Administrator Maltz.  “We will continue to work across borders to dismantle the supply chain of violent, criminal networks, which underscores the ongoing need for vigilance and collaboration in the fight against drug trafficking and cartel violence.”

    “This investigation and charges are a testament to the combined efforts of law enforcement and underscores the resolve of ATF and our federal, state, and local partners. Drug trafficking and the heinous crimes associated with violent criminal organizations have an insidious impact on the public and tear apart the fabric of our communities. We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal, across the U.S. and around the globe, to combat violence, drug distribution, and the illegal sale and possession of firearms to safeguard the safety and well-being of all,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge Cheeks.

    “This indictment alleges the defendant and Los Choneros illegally smuggled firearms from the United States in furtherance of their violent drug trafficking operations,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Carson of the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office.  “The Office of Export Enforcement will continue its efforts alongside its law enforcement partners to pursue those who violate export laws, wherever they may be, worldwide.”

    As alleged in the indictment, from at least 2020 to 2025, Macías Villamar was the principal leader of Los Choneros, one of the most violent and powerful transnational criminal organizations in Ecuador.  Los Choneros, in partnership with the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, controlled key cocaine trafficking routes through Ecuador and operated a large-scale network responsible for the shipment and distribution of multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America through Central America and Mexico to the United States and elsewhere.  The vast majority of drugs trafficked by Los Choneros were imported into the United States.

    As the principal leader of Los Choneros, Macías Villamar employed members of the organization to carry out serious acts of violence on the organization’s behalf.  At Macías Villamar’s direction, Los Choneros committed violent acts towards law enforcement, Ecuadorian politicians, attorneys, prosecutors and civilians. Los Choneros obtained many of their firearms and weapons by illegally trafficking and exporting them from the United States.  As alleged, the defendant specifically employed individuals who purchased firearms, firearms components and ammunitions on Los Choneros’ behalf in the United States and then illegally smuggled them to Ecuador.

    Moreover, in furtherance of their drug trafficking operation, Los Choneros relied on “sicarios,” or hitmen, as well as corruption and bribe payments, to ensure protection and loyalty to Los Choneros. These “sicarios” regularly used military-grade weapons, like machine guns, AK-47 assault rifles and grenades to perpetrate violence, including murder, torture and kidnapping.  Macías Villamar and the Los Choneros organization have also been sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to life in prison.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section, and as part of the work of the Office’s Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force.  Assistant United States Attorneys Chand Edwards-Balfour and Lorena Michelen are in charge of the prosecution.

    The Defendant:

    JOSÉ ADOLFO MACÍAS VILLAMAR (also known as “Fito”)
    Age: 45
    Ecuador

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 25-CR-114 (FB)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Markey Introduces New Legislation to Require Boeing to Include Workers on its Board of Directors

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Safety Starts at the Top Act would ensure aerospace manufacturers prioritize safety over profits

    Bill Text (PDF)

    Washington (April 2, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today introduced the Safety Starts at the Top Act, legislation that would require large aerospace manufacturers to include two labor representatives and two safety experts on their boards of directors. The legislation comes in response to concerns that Boeing has prioritized profits over safety and failed to consider the views of its workforce in critical engineering decisions.

    “For years, Boeing has prioritized financial engineering over mechanical engineering, undermining the company’s safety culture. It’s time for that to change,” said Senator Markey. “Without input from the workers on the factory floor every day, Boeing is flying blind. By requiring Boeing’s Board to include worker and safety representatives, the Safety Starts at the Top Act will ensure that Boeing listens to the professionals who know safety best.”

    “IAM 751 appreciates and supports this proposed legislation and if passed would ensure that workers voices are heard at the highest levels when decisions impacting aerospace manufacturing and safety are being discussed and implemented,” said Jon Holden, President & Directing Business Representative for the International Association of Machinists (IAM) District 751.

    “SPEEA applauds Senator Markey for introducing the Safety Starts at the Top Act and we look forward to working towards its enactment. This bill invests in our nation’s aerospace engineering and manufacturing leadership by making sure the leading aerospace firms are committed to building a safety culture, continuing to improve product quality, and reestablishing effective communication between the bridge and the engine room.  With the Safety Starts at the Top Act, business decisions at these firms will be made with input from the men and women who design and build the greatest aerospace products in the world,” said John Dimas, President of Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (SPEEA, IFPTE) Local 2001.

    Senator Markey has long called for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and companies such as Boeing to be held accountable for their actions that undermine aviation safety. Last month, Senator Markey wrote a letter to Chris Rocheleau, Acting FAA Administrator, with questions about the FAA’s recent decision to deploy three Starlink terminals from Elon Musk’s SpaceX. In January 2024, Senator Markey, along with then Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), sent a letter to Boeing’s then-CEO David Calhoun about the company’s manufacturing quality control and oversight of contractors.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Boost to British business in the USA as top UK legal firms travel stateside

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Press release

    Boost to British business in the USA as top UK legal firms travel stateside

    Justice Minister Sarah Sackman has joined home-grown lawtech firms in Chicago this week to showcase how the UK legal sector is putting AI at the front and centre of its services.

    • UK delegation of Lawtech experts promote UK business on the world stage
    • Artificial intelligence, technology and innovation at the top of the agenda
    • Part of Plan for Change to support UK legal sector and drive economic growth

    In a boost for British business, a delegation of the best and the brightest legal minds have visited Illinois and New York as part of the Great Legal Services campaign, alongside the Department for Business and Trade.

    In both cities, the group met with hundreds of other law firms, businesses and investors from around the world at major lawtech conferences – helping them increase their international business and further boost the UK economy.

    Figures show trade in legal services between the US and UK was worth £2.2bn in 2022. Some of the companies in the delegation already turn over £20 million a year and have clients around the world, including in the USA, Singapore and Australia.

    Minister for Courts and Legal Services, Sarah Sackman KC, said:

    We’re kickstarting our economy by harnessing the power of AI, technology and innovation in law. Backing British lawtech will boost businesses and attract international investment as part of our Plan for Change.

    In a fast-changing global market, UK law and lawtech are at the cutting edge. This trade mission and Government investment in lawtech will ensure the UK stays in pole position for law while growing the wider economy.

    These events support UK lawtechs – companies which make technology or software to provide legal services – to win business and grow their market presence in the United States.

    The trip also helped develop a pipeline of US lawtech firms to be set up or expanded in the UK, further cementing the UK’s position as a world leader in legal services and legal technology and supporting smaller regional firms to trade internationally.

    His Majesty’s Consul General, British Consulate-General, Richard Hyde said:

    Chicago is home to one of the largest and most dynamic legal sectors in the US.

    There are huge opportunities for the brightest and best UK legal tech companies.

    We were excited to welcome this ministerial led trade mission; it is opening doors for UK innovators and driving growth in the UK and in Illinois.

    This mission comes following a recent announcement that the Lawtech UK programme, a government-backed initiative to drive digital transformation in the domestic legal services industry, will be funded for another year to help further the UK’s leading position in the global legal services market.

    Overall, the UK’s legal sector generates £37 billion for the UK economy every year.  In recent months key agreements have been made with other nations to strengthen the sector – including agreements with Switzerland, Japan, and Greece – by allowing UK lawyers to practise abroad. 

    Notes to editors:

    • The GREAT Legal Services campaign was launched in 2017 to promote and support the strength of English and Welsh Law, the UK’s world-renowned independent judiciary, and our legal expertise to the global market, including legal technology. 

    • In the last financial year, the campaign generated more than 800 business connections for UK legal professionals and reached over 2.6 million online in key markets across the world.

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At Antitrust Hearing, Welch Calls Out President Trump for Firing FTC Commissioners and Presses the Need for Right to Repair Legislation 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) called out President Trump for firing Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and discussed the importance of a fully-functioning FTC, which protects consumers from rip-offs. Senator Welch served as Ranking Member of the subcommittee while Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) held the floor with a marathon speech, which lasted more than 24 hours. 
    “I do want to address one thing that has disturbed me and it’s what happened at the FTC. [The FTC] is an organization that is about protecting against unfair competition, and we need five people on it and two have been fired. They happened to be the Democrats. There’s always been a five-person FTC—three of the majority party and two from the minority party and it shifts back and forth. I just want to express my dissatisfaction and dismay at that because that FTC does things that are absolutely helpful to protecting consumers from this abusive pricing power,” said Senator Welch in the hearing.  
    Senator Welch continued: “[The FTC] stopped a consolidation of Kroger and Albertsons, which most economists thought was going to raise food prices for those folks in Utah and those folks in Vermont. They brought an Administrative Complaint against the prescription benefit managers. And it’s such a rip-off what’s happening to everyday consumers and employers, by the way, who pay a lot of money for employer-sponsored health care, and they have no visibility, no transparency, into how much people are getting charged. It hurts small employers and big employers in your state and mine.  The FTC was on that case. They’re on another matter that is near and dear to Vermont farmers—the right to repair. How in the world is it that you can’t, if you own a tractor, repair it yourself?…The FTC was looking into that, and I think farmers in Florida, farmers in Utah, farmers if Illinois, if they can figure out how to repair it themselves, they shouldn’t have to get ripped off by not having a right to repair. I know there is some bipartisan support for that. We had an FTC that was on all three of those cases.” 
    In response to a question about right to repair legislation, Morgan Harper, a witness from the American Economic Liberties Project said: “It’s not fair – [that’s] the short of it. And even though it’s a different market area I think a lot of the principles are relevant for this discussion of Big Tech in the fact that there is litigation to address that, and the FTC is looking into it. It’s exactly like you said—one of the reasons why we have to make sure we have strong commissioners.” 
    Watch Senator Welch’s opening remarks in the hearing: 
    Watch the full hearing.
    ■■■ 
    Senator Welch’s Committee and Subcommittee Assignments for the 119th Congress include:   
    Senate Committee on Finance   
    Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry  
    Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit   
    Senate Committee on the Judiciary  
    Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution   
    Senate Committee on Rules & Administration  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ukraine Donor Platform confirms support for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    Ukraine Donor Platform confirms support for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction

    The Ukraine Donor Platform’s Steering Committee held its thirteenth meeting today, gathering for the second time in person in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.

    The meeting brought together senior representatives of Platform members, observers and international financial institutions. 

    The UK reiterated our absolute commitment to securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and is engaging with key allies in support of this effort. The UK reaffirmed our unwavering support for Ukraine and our determination to contribute to Ukraine’s long-term economic stability, resilience, and recovery. 

    Budget financing needs 

    Finance Minister Marchenko confirmed Ukraine’s external financing needs for 2025, projected at USD 39.3 billion. Through joint efforts, including the financing being mobilised by the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) loan initiative, resources have been secured to cover its external budget financing needs for 2025. 

    Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK’s total military, economic and humanitarian support for Ukraine amounts to £15 billion: £10 billion in military support (including our £2.26 billion ERA Loan contribution), and £5 billion in non-military support. The UK’s non-military support comprises £4.1 billion in fiscal support through World Bank loan guarantees to bolster Ukraine’s economic stability and support vital public services, and £977million in bilateral support, including £477million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region since the start of the full-scale invasion.  

    Recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine 

    Ukraine presented its top recovery and reconstruction priorities for 2025, based on the fourth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment and the Single Project Pipeline established by the Government of Ukraine: energy, heating, water supply and sanitation, housing and transport. Delivering effective support for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction is a key priority for the Platform and donors committed to further strengthen their engagement on this track. The UK emphasised the importance of long-term planning for recovery and reconstruction, including efforts to support social recovery which will be vital for underpinning economic recovery. 

    Ukraine has withstood the winter season, surmounting the impact of Russia’s attacks on energy infrastructure, with the strong support of the donor community. The UK will continue to support Ukraine in realising its vision of a cleaner, more modern, decentralised energy system.  

    The UK and other partners noted the importance of insurance for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction and for supporting international trade and investment. Work continues on facilitating a return of global reinsurance businesses to Ukraine. 

    Reforms driving sustainable growth and progress towards EU accession 

    Many participants welcomed Ukraine’s strong and continuing progress on reforms, including on the implementation of the Ukraine Plan, which are essential to improve the business climate, attract foreign direct investment and support economic development, and support Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic trajectory.  

    Enhancing public investment management for recovery and reconstruction 

    Ukraine updated on its progress towards an effective, transparent and well-coordinated public investment management system, which is crucial for its successful recovery and reconstruction. An integral part will be the two project preparation facilities under development – the Ukraine PPF, to be administered by the Government of Ukraine with support from the World Bank, and Ukraine FIRST, to be administered by the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The facilities are expected to be operational by the 2025 Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2025), which will take place in Rome on 10-11 July, hosted by the Governments of Italy and Ukraine. 

    Stakeholder engagement 

    The Steering Committee discussed the Business Advisory Council’s latest input and commended its members’ efforts to identify concrete steps to boost private sector investment in Ukraine. It also held a productive exchange of views with representatives of Ukrainian civil society, with a focus on human capital. This discussion also served as a preparatory event for the human dimension of URC 2025.

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Supercan Bulk Recalls a Single Lot of Pig Ear Slivers Pet Treats Due to Salmonella Contamination

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    Summary

    Company Announcement Date:
    April 01, 2025
    FDA Publish Date:
    April 02, 2025
    Product Type:
    Animal & Veterinary
    Reason for Announcement:

    Recall Reason Description
    Potential Foodborne Illness – Salmonella

    Company Name:
    Supercan Bulk
    Brand Name:

    Brand Name(s)
    Supercan

    Product Description:

    Product Description
    Pig ear slivers

    Company Announcement
    4/1/2025, Supercan Bulk of Miami, Florida is recalling one lot of Supercan Pig Ear Slivers- Thick Cut Piggy Ear Slices pet treats in 500 piece bags, 15.9 oz, expiration date 11/09/2026, due to Salmonella contamination.
    Pets that have consumed products contaminated with Salmonella can be adversely affected and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.
    Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.
    Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
    The product comes in 15.9 oz bags with expiration date 11/09/2026, marked on the back side of the product.
    The health risk was discovered when samples of the product were collected on 03/04/2025 and tested by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The product tested positive for Salmonella.
    The recalled lot of Supercan Pig Ear Sliver pet treats was distributed between 04/11/2024 in North 40 store located in Washington State.
    No illnesses have been reported to date. Supercan Bulk has proceeded with a recall on that lot and will safely proceed to dispose of it under the FDA’s instructions.
    Consumers who have purchased this product are urged to return to the place of purchase or destroy the food in a way that children, pets, and wildlife cannot access it. Do not sell or donate the recalled products. Do not feed the recalled product to pets or any other animals. Wash and sanitize pet food bowls, cups, and storage containers. Always ensure you wash and sanitize your hands after handling recalled food or any utensils and surfaces that come in contact with recalled food. For more information or refund, contact us at (689) 808-5419 Monday to Friday 8am-5pm ET.

    Company Contact Information

    Consumers:
    (689) 808-5419

    Product Photos

    Content current as of:
    04/02/2025

    Regulated Product(s)

    Follow FDA

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: How to Test Drive Adulthood and Change Your City for the Better

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Participants of the Youth Parliament in the Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg

    Volunteering is helping with specific actions, and an active life position is promoting and implementing initiatives for the benefit of society. This is the motto of the first deputy chairman of the student council of SPbGASU, head of the Open For Students project Ivan Baranovsky (a third-year student of the Faculty of Engineering Ecology and Urban Economy) and the editor-in-chief of the student council of SPbGASU Alexandra Polyanskaya (a second-year master’s student of the Faculty of Architecture). They have already accumulated a solid baggage of good deeds, successfully implemented many ideas and, as they admit, do not intend to stop there. We talk to them about their initiatives, supported by the Youth Parliament under the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, and the priority areas that they are developing.

    – How did your path to social activity and the volunteer movement begin?

    Ivan Baranovsky: The path of volunteering began in elementary school. What prompted it? Probably a simple desire to help. I realized that seeing happy faces in response, for whom you try to do something without asking for anything in return, is the most pleasant result. I get pleasure when I help people. Our university has a well-developed student government, thanks to which volunteering develops. In fact, we all do volunteering in one way or another throughout our lives: we help friends, the elderly, strangers. It became the starting point for me in active social activities.

    Alexandra Polyanskaya: I started doing social work back in the St. Petersburg State Academy of Art and Industry named after A. L. Stieglitz, where I joined the team of a grant project to create a media center. I have always been attracted by the opportunity to turn ideas into real products that others see and appreciate. And when I entered the master’s program at SPbGASU, I decided to continue what I had started: I joined the student council, completed the POTOK and Open for Students training programs. I wanted not just to study, but to create events, help the guys from the university, and develop the media direction. Volunteering and activism gave me the tools for this – from organizing events to working with people whose stories inspire.

    – What areas of volunteering are particularly in demand today and how are they developing in our university and city?

    Alexandra Polyanskaya: Media volunteering and projects related to patriotic education are in high demand now. For example, our university requires organizers, content creators, photographers, videographers, and designers to hold the events of the Golden Faculty or Architectural Seasons. This is a large team of diverse specialists, primarily from the student council media center, which trains these specialists to join its team under the Open for Students program. In addition, we are actively developing the media direction: in the last year alone, we have launched websites for elections, Olympiads, and workshops using neural networks. Such skills help activists in life: thanks to them, they can find a decent part-time job while studying. In St. Petersburg, there is a growing demand for projects that unite young people around common values: for example, helping the families of SVO participants or preserving historical memory. The state supports and encourages activists. Thus, Ivan received two honorary medals for his active civic position and contribution to public life.

    Ivan Baranovsky: When I learned about the awards, I was quite surprised: yes, I volunteered at the call of my heart, often went and collected humanitarian aid to the SVO zone, participated in charity events, helped the families of SVO participants, but I didn’t even think about any award. The first medal was awarded for assistance in conducting the Special Military Operation. The second medal, “Active Participant in the Volunteer Movement,” is for activities in the field of volunteerism.

    – What skills does active social activity help to develop?

    Ivan Baranovsky: Being active in public life develops communication and management skills, and most importantly, the ability to motivate your team to implement a project at the idea level. The student council is a small test drive of adult life: here you gain a lot of experience and expand your circle of acquaintances for the realization of yourself and others. The city has many opportunities for the comprehensive development of students, many youth organizations that also develop volunteering in one form or another.

    Alexandra Polyanskaya: Working in the student council of our university allows you to discover incredible opportunities in yourself that you never even knew about! Student council events became one of the compelling reasons for me to enroll in the master’s program at SPbGASU. Self-development in these areas is inevitable. For example, for the needs of the student council to implement our collective ideas, I mastered web design and the basics of UX/UI, although I had no experience in this area before. Organizing a workshop on neural networks for Young Design forced me to immerse myself in the world of AI tools in order to explain them clearly even to beginners. In general, volunteering for me is an opportunity to live thousands of lives at once, try myself in completely different areas and improve in what I already understand. Recently, Ksenia Vitsina, chairperson of the student council of SPbGASU, noted that after the student council, our guys want to work in the same active team, with a developed corporate culture.

    – You are taking part in the Youth Parliament of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg of the second convocation. It is appropriate to note your personal growth. What are your achievements in this area?

    Ivan Baranovsky: The Youth Parliament of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg is an advisory and consultative body that works on a voluntary basis. Its goal is to facilitate the activities of the Legislative Assembly in the area of legislative regulation of the rights and legitimate interests of young people. Our team of four people put forward an initiative to completely update the design of contactless smart cards (BSC) and contactless electronic smart cards (BEPK). This initiative passed the second reading, now all that remains is to hold a competition for the best design. I hope that this summer the design of the cards in St. Petersburg will completely change.

    I am also developing two initiatives for federal legislation: the first concerns the rules for advertising placement, the second is to supplement the Federal Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights” (No. 2300-1). I will be able to tell you more about it later.

    Alexandra Polyanskaya: The Youth Parliament is a structure that helps active young people influence the life of the city. Here we support youth projects, interact with the city administration and promote ideas that are aimed at improving the life of the city and, in the long term, the country. Now, for example, we are developing socially useful ideas for federal legislative initiatives. I am working on ideas for the Federal Law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage, including the topic of zoological parks, which overlap with my master’s thesis. This topic combines two areas that excite me at once – architecture as a life’s work and love for animals.

    We have just started our activities in the Youth Parliament, but I am sure that there is a lot of good ahead, as we receive incredible support from the curator of the Youth Parliament, Advisor to the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Maryana Borisovna Yakovleva.

    Vanya and I are on different committees, but I promote and defend his legislative initiatives, and Vanya helps me with project ideas. Our personnel reserve also includes the head of the SECOND HOM project, a student of the construction faculty, Olga Kostyleva.

    – How do you manage to combine your studies with active social activities? And what plans have you outlined for yourself?

    Ivan Baranovsky: It’s hard to combine. But I don’t intend to retreat: I need to successfully graduate from university, enroll in a master’s program, and implement all the ideas I have planned for 2025.

    Alexandra Polyanskaya: Strict planning helps to combine studies with active social activities. Without it, everything turns into chaos from a large number of different tasks. In such cases, notepads and reminder apps help. Although in reality, sometimes it is extremely difficult to manage everything due to the workload and specifics of the faculty. I prioritize my studies.

    At some point, there were so many tasks that I wanted to have a separate person to plan them, but nothing is impossible. You can contact Vanya and me on the topic of legislative and project initiatives: for example, now we are working on helping the SECOND HOM student council project hold the Russia-China festival. Vanya works more with projects, and I – in the field of legislation, mainly related to architecture and construction. Now I am also trying to improve my knowledge of legislation in general. At present, we are developing ideas for federal initiatives to solve certain problems. One of them is to provide students studying in a specialized field with the opportunity to participate in the examination of cultural heritage sites. I think it is very important for students to prove themselves in the professional field even before receiving a diploma, in order to gain initial experience. Then they are more likely to work in their profession, and good young people will come to the industry.

    I plan to enroll in graduate school and do not rule out that I will stay to work at the university in order to motivate the younger generation to take an active life position both in the professional environment and in public life.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: LocatorX Awarded Multi-Million-Dollar Sub-Contract to Provide DLA Inventory Visibility

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ORLANDO, Fla., April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LocatorX was awarded a sub-contract as part of a multi-million-dollar Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). This solution is part of a project that will provide a next-generation visibility and automated inventory management system to DLA Distribution Centers.

    By leveraging critical real-time visibility data captured through LocatorX’s data sensors, the DLA will be able to:

    • Improve the efficiency of physical inventories, receipt processing, and warehouse materiel tracking.
    • Increase inventory completeness and timeliness to support audit readiness.
    • Provide asset visibility and authoritative data, enabling informed logistics decision-making.
    • Enhance visibility of assets throughout various phases – in transit, storage, process, and use cases.

    The DLA manages the end-to-end global defense supply chain – from raw materials to end user disposition – for the five military services, 11 combatant commands, other federal, state, and local agencies, partner and allied nations.

    LocatorX Board member and Major General (Retired), James R. Myles, commented, “In today’s complex and rapidly changing environment, having real-time visibility of assets is critical to mission success. It ensures that our soldiers receive the right equipment at the right time, enabling them to operate with maximum efficiency and effectiveness. We look forward to partnering with the DLA to not only enhance operational readiness, but also directly support the safety and success of our troops in the field.”

    Added Chester Kennedy, CEO of LocatorX, “We are honored to work with the DLA to provide asset visibility and tracking solutions for such a critical solution. We are committed to delivering innovative solutions that meet the highest standards of security and performance.”

    LocatorX is the trusted, intelligent supply chain platform providing a unique LX Digital Fingerprint ensuring companies can develop and deliver products with confidence. To learn more about LocatorX, visit www.locatorx.com

                                                              

     

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Aero Capital Solutions Raises Fourth Aviation Investment Vehicle

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    AUSTIN, Texas, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aero Capital Solutions, Inc. (“ACS”), a world-class leasing platform that specializes in mid-life narrowbody aircraft, announces the final closing on its fourth and largest aviation investment vehicle with total aggregate equity commitments of $936 million. The vehicle was oversubscribed with a diverse investor base of new and existing relationships which include institutional investors, registered investment advisers, and single and multi-family offices. In addition to the $936 million of equity, ACS has negotiated two debt facilities led by Deutsche Bank and Atlas SP and is targeting over $3.5 billion in total capital for deployment.

    Jason Barany, ACS’ CEO & CIO, commented, “As we continue to operate in a capacity constrained environment, we are finding interesting risk adjusted opportunities and increased deal flow. With committed capital, our integrated platform and asset focused approach, ACS will continue to be a trusted and integral partner to airlines worldwide.”

    Adam Davidson, ACS’ EVP of Business Development, added, “We are grateful for the strong support from such a sophisticated and diverse group of investors. Raising our fourth investment vehicle will allow us to continue to grow with our valued partners and build on our successful track record in the mid-life aircraft space.”

    As of its final close on March 28, 2025, the investment vehicle was approximately 72% called, comprised of 160 commercial aircraft closed or under contract to close. The current portfolio includes a mix of mid-life Boeing and Airbus narrowbody aircraft on-lease to a diversified group of airlines around the world.

    Vedder Price serves as legal counsel to ACS.

    About Aero Capital Solutions, Inc.
    Aero Capital Solutions, Inc. (“ACS”) is a leading lessor of mid-life aircraft and engines with over $2.7 billion in AUM. Since it was founded in 2010, ACS has deployed more than $5 billion in aircraft assets in conjunction with institutional finance partners and via privately offered investment vehicles. ACS has 60 employees and offices in Austin, TX, Dublin, Ireland, and Singapore.

    Web: aerocapitalsolutions.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: From IBM to OpenAI: 50 years of winning (and failed) strategies at Microsoft

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Frédéric Fréry, Professeur de stratégie, CentraleSupélec, ESCP Business School

    Paul Allen (L) and Bill Gates in 1970 at Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington state, US. Microsoft was created five years later. Author unknown/Wikimedia

    Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary. This article was written using Microsoft Word on a computer running Microsoft Windows. It is likely to be published on platforms hosted by Microsoft Azure, including LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary with over one billion users. In 2024, the company generated a net profit of $88 billion from sales worth $245 billion. Its stock market value is close to $3,000 billion, making it the world’s second-most valuable company behind Apple and almost on a par with NVidia. Cumulative profits since 2002 are approaching $640 billion.

    And yet, 50 years ago, Microsoft was just a tiny computer company founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico by two former Harvard students, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, aged 19 and 22. The twists and turns that enabled it to become one of the most powerful companies in the world are manifold, and can be divided into four distinct eras.

    First era: Bill Gates rides on IBM’s shoulders

    At the end of the 1970s, IBM was the computer industry’s undisputed leader. It soon realized that microcomputers developed by young Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, such as the Apple II, would eventually eclipse IBM’s mainframes, and so the IBM PC project was launched. However, it soon became clear that the company’s hefty internal processes would prevent it from delivering a microcomputer on schedule. It was therefore decided that various components of the machine could be outsourced using external suppliers.


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    Several specialized companies were approached to provide the operating system. They all refused, seeing IBM as the enemy to be destroyed, a symbol of centralized, bureaucratic computing. Mary Maxwell Gates, who sat on the board of an NGO next to the IBM chairman, suggested the name of her son William, nicknamed Bill, who had just founded Microsoft, and the first contact was established in 1980.

    The problem was that Microsoft was focused on a programming language called BASIC and certainly not specialized in operating systems. Not that this was ever going to be a problem for Bill Gates, who, with considerable nerve, agreed to sign a deal with IBM to deliver an operating system he didn’t have. Gates then purchased the QDOS system from Seattle Computer Products, from which he developed MS-DOS (where MS stands for Microsoft).

    Gates, whose father was a founding partner of a major Seattle law firm, then made his next move. He offered IBM a non-exclusive contract for the use of MS-DOS, which gave him the right to sell it to other computer companies. IBM, which was not used to subcontracting, was not suspicious enough: the contract brought fortunes to Microsoft and misery to IBM when Compaq, Olivetti and Hewlett-Packard rushed to develop IBM PC clones, giving birth to a whole new industry.

    Success followed for Microsoft. It not only benefited from IBM’s serious image, which appealed to businesses, but also received royalties on every PC sold on the market. In 1986, the company was introduced on the stock market. Bill Gates, Paul Allen and two of their early employees became billionaires, while 12,000 additional Microsoft employees went on to become millionaires.

    Second era: Windows, the golden goose (courtesy of Xerox)

    In the mid-1980s, microcomputers were not very functional: their operating systems, including Microsoft’s MS-DOS, ran with forbidding command lines, like the infamous C:/. This all changed in 1984 with the Apple Macintosh, which was equipped with a graphic interface (icons, drop-down menus, fonts, a mouse, etc.). This revolutionary technology was developed in Xerox’s research laboratory, even though the photocopy giant failed to understand its potential. On the other hand, Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, was largely inspired by it: to ensure the success of the Macintosh computer, Jobs asked Microsoft to develop a customized version of its office suite, in particular its Excel spreadsheet. Microsoft embraced the graphic interface principle and launched Windows 1 in 1985, which was soon followed by the Office suite (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).

    Over the following years, Windows was further improved, culminating in Windows 95, launched in 1995, with an advertising campaign costing over $200 million, for which Bill Gates bought the rights of The Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up”. At the time, Microsoft’s world market share in operating systems exceeded 70%. This has hardly changed since.

    In 1997, Microsoft even went so far as to save Apple from bankruptcy by investing $150 million in its capital in the form of non-voting shares, which were sold back three years later. During one of his famous keynote speeches, Steve Jobs thanked Bill Gates by saying: “Bill, thank you. The world’s a better place.” This bailout also put an end to the lawsuit Apple had filed against Microsoft, accusing it of copying its graphic interface when designing the Windows operating system.

    Third era: bureaucratization, internal conflicts and a failed diversification strategy

    In the mid-1990s, computing underwent a new transformation with the explosion of the World Wide Web. Microsoft was a specialist in stand-alone PCs, with a business model based on selling boxed software, and it was ill-prepared for the new global networks. Its first response was to develop Internet Explorer, a browser developed from the takeover of the Mosaic browser designed by the Spyglass company, a bit like MS-DOS in its day. Internet Explorer was eventually integrated into Windows, prompting a lawsuit against Microsoft for abuse of its dominant position, which could have led to the company’s break-up. New competitors, such as Google with its Chrome browser, took advantage of these developments to attract users.

    In 2000, Bill Gates handed over his position as Microsoft CEO to Steve Ballmer, one of his former Harvard classmates, whose aim was to turn the company into an electronics and services company. Over the next fifteen years, Ballmer embarked on a series of initiatives to diversify the company by including video games (Flight Simulator), CD encyclopedias (Encarta), hardware (mice, keyboards), MP3 players (Zune), online web hosting (Azure), game consoles (Xbox), phones (Windows Phone), tablets and computers (Surface).

    While some of these products were successful (notably Azure and Xbox), others were bitter failures. Encarta was quickly swamped by Wikipedia and Zune was no match for Apple’s iPod. Windows Phone remains one of the greatest strategic blunders in the company’s history. In order to secure the company’s success in mobile telephony and compete with the iPhone, Microsoft bought the cell phone division of Finland’s Nokia for $5.4 billion in September 2013. The resulting integration was a disaster: Steve Ballmer wanted Microsoft’s phones to use a version of Windows 10, making them slow and impractical. Less than two years later, Microsoft put an end to its mobile phone operations, with losses amounting to $7.6 billion. Nokia was sold for just $350 million.

    One of the outcomes of Microsoft’s multiple business initiatives has been an explosion in the number of its employees, from 61,000 in 2005 to 228,000 in 2024. Numerous internal disputes broke out between different business units, which sometimes refused to work together.

    These turf wars, coupled with pervasive bureaucratization and effortless profitability (for each Windows installation, PC manufacturers pay around $50, while the marginal cost of the license is virtually zero), have hindered Microsoft’s capacity for innovation. Its software, including Internet Explorer 6 and Windows Vista, was soon mocked by users for its imperfections, which were continually plugged by frequent updates. As some people noted, Windows is equipped with a “safe” mode, suggesting that its normal mode is “failure”.

    Fourth era: is Microsoft the new cool (thanks to the Cloud and OpenAI)?

    In 2014, Satya Nadella replaced Steve Ballmer as head of Microsoft. Coming from the online services division, Nadella’s objective was to redirect Microsoft’s strategy online, notably by developing the Azure online web hosting business. In 2024, Azure became the world’s second-largest cloud service behind Amazon Web Services, and more than 56% of Microsoft’s turnover came from its online services. Nadella changed the company’s business model: software is no longer sold but available on a subscription basis, in the shape of products such as Office 365 and Xbox Live.

    Along the way, Microsoft acquired the online game Minecraft, followed by the professional social network LinkedIn, in 2016, for $26.2 billion (its largest acquisition to date), and the online development platform GitHub in 2018 for $7.5 billion.

    Between 2023 and 2025, Microsoft invested more than $14 billion in OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, giving it a particularly enviable position in the artificial intelligence revolution. ChatGPT’s models also contribute to Microsoft’s in-house AI, Copilot.

    Over the past 50 years, thanks to a series of bold moves, timely acquisitions and failed strategies to diversify, Microsoft has evolved significantly in its scope, competitive advantage and business model. Once stifled by opulence and internal conflicts, the company seems to have become attractive again, most notably to young graduates. Who can predict whether Microsoft will still exist in 50 years? Bill Gates himself says the opposite, but he may be bluffing.

    Frédéric Fréry ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

    – ref. From IBM to OpenAI: 50 years of winning (and failed) strategies at Microsoft – https://theconversation.com/from-ibm-to-openai-50-years-of-winning-and-failed-strategies-at-microsoft-253576

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: LPL Financial Welcomes Horizon Capital Advisors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN DIEGO, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LPL Financial LLC announced today that eight financial advisors with Horizon Capital Advisors have joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and custodial platforms. They reported serving approximately $450 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets* and join LPL from Osaic.

    Led by Partners Brett Deuth, CRPC®, J. Brock McClain, CFP®, and Brian Watts, CFP®, Horizon Capital’s roots date back more than 50 years. The ensemble practice is headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., with additional offices in Clinton and Van Buren, Mo., and Baxter Springs, Kan., and includes fellow financial advisors Brian Perley, CFP®, Bennett Long, CIMA®, AIF®, CRPS®, Cindy Gettel, Melissa Proffitt and Michael Sisson.

    “Our team is unified by a shared vision and synergy,” Deuth said. “We take a holistic approach to providing goals-based proactive wealth management with clear direction. We work with families, business owners and executives to create personalized financial plans and disciplined investment strategies to help clients work toward their financial goals.”

    The move to LPL was driven by the Horizon team’s desire for enhanced service experiences, office efficiencies and a more robust technology platform.

    “LPL has the right tools to add new services and create more value with our clients, as well as the stability we were looking for from a Fortune 500 company,” Watts said. “LPL invests heavily in industry-leading capabilities and strategic business resources that will create streamlined experiences for both our team and our clients.”

    McClain added, “We also appreciate LPL’s client-centric mission and forward thinking. LPL is driven by advisor feedback, making the business much more intuitive. We are excited about the future as we grow our team and evolve the practice.”

    Scott Posner, LPL Executive Vice President, Business Development, said, “We welcome the entire team at Horizon Capital Advisors. As a leading wealth management firm, LPL is committed to delivering innovative technology and comprehensive business solutions to help advisors differentiate their practices and increase value for their clients. We look forward to supporting Horizon for years to come.”

    Related

    Advisors, learn how LPL Financial can help take your business to the next level.

    About LPL Financial

    LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LPLA) is among the fastest growing wealth management firms in the U.S. As a leader in the financial advisor-mediated marketplace, LPL supports nearly 29,000 financial advisors and the wealth management practices of approximately 1,200 financial institutions, servicing and custodying approximately $1.7 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets on behalf of approximately 6 million Americans. The firm provides a wide range of advisor affiliation models, investment solutions, fintech tools and practice management services, ensuring that advisors and institutions have the flexibility to choose the business model, services, and technology resources they need to run thriving businesses. For further information about LPL, please visit www.lpl.com.

    Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial LLC (“LPL Financial”), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC.

    Throughout this communication, the terms “financial advisors” and “advisors” are used to refer to registered representatives and/or investment advisor representatives affiliated with LPL Financial. Horizon Capital Advisors and LPL Financial are separate entities.

    We routinely disclose information that may be important to shareholders in the “Investor Relations” or “Press Releases” section of our website.

    *Value approximated based on asset and holding details provided to LPL from end of year, 2024.

    Media Contact: 
    Media.relations@LPLFinancial.com

    Tracking #710795

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: How Does a Used Galaxy Device Become a Key Part of a New One? Inside Samsung’s Circular Battery Supply Chain

    Source: Samsung

    What if a used smartphone could become part of a brand-new device?
    Previously confined to the imagination, this idea is now a reality with Samsung Electronics’ Circular Battery Supply Chain — an initiative that recovers and reuses key materials from the batteries of used Galaxy smartphones. The Galaxy S25 marks the first time this closed-loop battery recycling system has been applied to Samsung’s flagship lineup.
    Samsung Newsroom spoke with Youngmin Kim from the Circular Economy Lab in the Global Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Office and Sangcheul Lee from the Battery Group in the Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics to learn more about the development and impact of this project.
    ▲ (From left) Sangcheul Lee and Youngmin Kim
    Used Galaxy Devices Reborn as Valuable Resources
    Each year, approximately 200 tons of waste battery material were collected at Samsung’s production facilities in Vietnam. Countries with proper recycling infrastructure can repurpose used batteries for applications like electric vehicle batteries. Vietnam, however, lacked the means to do so. Recognizing the need for a sustainable solution, the company decided to address the issue.
    “Samsung’s Vietnam facilities are among those that generate the highest volume of waste batteries, including defective units from the manufacturing process and batteries recovered from a factory that repairs Galaxy phones traded in from the United States,” said Youngmin Kim. “Our goal was to create a system that would allow us to recycle these resources and reintegrate them into our products.”
    ▲ Youngmin Kim explains the Circular Battery Supply Chain while showcasing cobalt and cathode materials.
    To develop an efficient recycling process for Vietnam’s waste batteries, Samsung partnered with multiple companies to build an optimized resource circularity system that connected cobalt extraction plants with battery production lines in neighboring countries.
    “For the Galaxy S24 series, we sourced recycled cobalt externally,” he explained. “However, with the Galaxy S25, we implemented a fully closed-loop recycling system that extracts cobalt directly from discarded Galaxy batteries.”
    The collected waste batteries are processed into high-purity cobalt, then shipped to the battery production line where it is integrated into Galaxy S25 batteries. This process transforms electronic waste from used Galaxy devices into a valuable resource, supporting Samsung’s vision for a sustainable circular economy.
    ▲ Samsung’s Circular Battery Supply Chain in action
    More specifically, the Circular Battery Supply Chain begins with collecting used Galaxy smartphones, followed by dismantling and discharging their batteries. These batteries are then shredded and processed into a fine powder known as “black mass.” This material is subsequently refined to extract cobalt — which is used to produce cathode materials, a key component of the Galaxy S25 battery.
    The Endless Recyclability of Cobalt
    Cobalt is essential for maintaining the stability and performance of lithium-ion batteries in smartphones. While lithium carries electrons within the battery, cobalt facilitates lithium’s movement to ensure optimal battery operation.
    ▲ Cobalt ore samples
    “Cobalt does not degrade with battery use, meaning it can theoretically be recycled indefinitely,” said Lee. “Recycled cobalt and newly mined cobalt are virtually identical — so much so that the difference is indistinguishable in the manufacturing process.”
    In essence, Galaxy devices containing cobalt can be recycled and repurposed regardless of their manufacturing date.

    ▲ Samsung’s Circular Battery Supply Chain on display at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 in Barcelona
    “The key to extracting high-purity cobalt lies in technology,” said Kim. “Through our Circular Battery Supply Chain, we have successfully recovered and utilized over 90% of the cobalt from the discarded batteries that have been collected.”
    Half of the cobalt used in the Galaxy S25 batteries comes from recycled sources — a strong testament to Samsung’s environmental strategy and commitment to reducing its environmental impact while maintaining premium product quality.
    The Road to a Reliable and Efficient Circular Supply Chain
    Nonetheless, establishing the Circular Battery Supply Chain was no easy feat as the batteries were required to meet stringent global safety and environmental regulations.
    ▲ Sangcheul Lee explains the certification management process.
    “We had to engage with numerous partner companies, navigating complex and rigorous procedures,” recalled Lee. “To prevent fire hazards during transport, the batteries had to be crushed and obtaining the necessary certifications to comply with relevant environmental regulations took considerable time.”
    “With constantly evolving regulations and Samsung’s exceptionally high internal standards, we underwent multiple rounds of reviews and certifications,” he added. “Despite the challenges, we persisted as a team and successfully implemented the system in the Galaxy S25.”

    Samsung’s Evolving Vision for a Circular Economy
    “I felt a great sense of pride when our Circular Battery Supply Chain was showcased at the recent Galaxy Unpacked event,” said Lee, reflecting on the achievement. “I hope to continue developing sustainable batteries by expanding our recycling efforts to include lithium and other materials.”
    “With the Galaxy S25, we’ve also reached another significant milestone in resource circularity — wafer trays discarded after semiconductor manufacturing have been repurposed into a plastic used in the side and volume keys,” shared Kim. “We are working on various projects to expand resource circularity across other product lines as well, and we hope our users will continue to join us on our journey.”
    Samsung has successfully established a closed-loop battery recycling system through the Circular Battery Supply Chain — turning a vision launched under its 2022 environmental strategy into reality with the Galaxy S25. This milestone has sparked growing anticipation for the next innovations that will emerge from Samsung’s pursuit of a more sustainable future.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Lancaster City Council makes strong progress on improvement plan A team of local government experts has praised Lancaster City Council for successfully delivering a plan to make its services even better.

    Source: City of Lancaster

    A team of local government experts has praised Lancaster City Council for successfully delivering a plan to make its services even better.

    Following a Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) in April 2024, the council was told how it could make improvements to the way it serves the public.

    A recent review of a plan for delivering these changes found that 85% of recommendations are on track and progressing well.

    Particular praise was given for the council’s approach to community wealth building, economic resilience, and environmental sustainability.

    Key areas of progress include:

    • Strengthened Community Partnerships: The Lancaster District Strategic Partnership (LDSP) has been formally established, bringing together key stakeholders, including local universities, NHS partners, third-sector organisations, and the Chamber of Commerce.
       
    • Economic Growth and Sustainable Development: The council has taken strategic steps towards developing an inclusive economic strategy, incorporating insights from Lancaster University’s ‘Before Eden’ research.
       
    • Commitment to a Sustainable Future: An early ‘call for sites’ process has been successfully implemented, ensuring alignment with the council’s Local Plan and climate action goals.
       
    • Enhanced Leadership and Governance: The council has invested in leadership development for senior officers and councillors, including dedicated training programmes and scrutiny enhancements.
       
    • Financial Sustainability: The ‘Fit for the Future’ transformation programme is driving efficiency, with a focus on aligning financial planning with long-term priorities and asset management.

    Mark Davies, chief executive of Lancaster City Council, welcomed the findings: “The peer challenge process has helped to highlight some of the excellent work by staff and Elected Members to continually improve the council and the services we provide. The positive feedback from the LGA confirms that our strategic vision is making a real impact and we are delivering key improvements for our residents, businesses, and stakeholders.

    “One of the areas the peer team highlighted was our Fit for the Future programme and the way the council is transforming its services in response to the continuing tough financial times in which local authorities are operating. This programme is helping to identify where we can become even more efficient while continuing to provide good services for our communities.”

    A peer challenge is when representatives from councils nationwide spend time with another council to evaluate their performance, assess their ambition for residents, and determine if adequate resources are in place to fulfil those objectives. In the city council’s case, the peer challenge team gathered information and views from more than 50 meetings, in addition to further research, and spoke to more than 130 people, including a range of council staff, councillors and external stakeholders.

    Last updated: 02 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Gauteng targets R300 billion in investments to boost economy

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Gauteng Economic Development MEC, Lebogang Maile, says the province is aiming to secure at least R300 billion in investment pledges at the Gauteng Investment Conference (GIC), to be held in Johannesburg.

    The MEC was speaking during a media briefing on the state of readiness of the province to host the conference, to be held at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, in Sandton, on 3 April 2025.

    “Leaders across all tiers of government, including Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, Premier of Gauteng Premier Lesufi, and Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero, will provide inputs at the conference. The keynote address will be delivered by the Deputy President, who also serves as the Leader of Government Business in South Africa, His Excellency, Paul Mashatile.  

    “Of equal significance is the large contingent of leaders across the business and government sectors on the African continent, the African diaspora and the globe. With over 50 companies represented, the conference will be a convergence point of the world’s most important companies in various sectors,” Maile said.

    The Gauteng province is of importance for South Africa’s economy and contributes at least 33% to the national Gross Domestic Product, and nearly 7% of sub-Saharan Africa’s output.

    “The [GIC] is a transformative event in affirming the place of the Gauteng province in the continental economy. We are asserting that the development of Gauteng is in the best interest of South Africa, the Southern African Development Community and the continent broadly.

    “Thus, investment in the economy of Gauteng extends beyond the confines of its provincial borders into other lands across the entire continent,” the MEC said.

    Furthermore, the conference will also serve as a platform for critical dialogue that will “enable direct engagement between policy makers, investors and industry experts”.

    “This will ensure that we come out with tangible and applicable outcomes. The sessions will focus on, amongst other things, public-private infrastructure investments, as well as key Gauteng most dynamic and high growth sectors, including…advanced manufacturing, green and renewable energy, ICT [information and communication technology] and data infrastructure, transport and logistics, smart property development and urban regeneration, as well as tourism and the creative economy,” he said.

    Maile emphasised that these sectors are critical to ensuring development on a provincial, national and continental level.

    “Investment in these sectors offers the most reliable instrument for ensuring sustainability and development, offering a clear path to economic prosperity that is anchored on inclusive growth, environmental protection and human development,” Maile said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –