NewzIntel.com

Category: Commerce

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey, Leader Schumer, Wyden Urge Republicans to Halt Health Care Cuts, Spare Small Businesses from Skyrocketing Costs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Lawmakers raise concerns with Republican health care and food security cuts
    Letter Text (PDF)
    Washington (June 26, 2025) – Small Business Committee Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today wrote to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) with concerns that the proposed cuts in the Republican budget reconciliation bill to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or allowing the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits to expire for 3 million small businesses, including more than 34,000 Massachusetts small businesses, would be a disaster for families and small businesses across the country.
    More than 40 percent of small business owners surveyed by Small Business For America’s Future (SBAF) are concerned that health care cuts would make it harder to compete with large companies, hurt local economies, and result in higher employee turnover and lower productivity. Small business owners are working entrepreneurs who fuel local economies and create jobs. Gutting these lifelines to give more tax breaks to billionaires is an insult to the workers and business owners who keep our communities going.
    The lawmakers write, “It is no surprise that small business owners across the country do not support Republicans’ health care and nutrition cuts: 7 in 10 small business owners oppose cutting healthcare programs while extending tax breaks for the wealthy. As a small business owner in Pennsylvania stated, ‘These cuts don’t solve problems – they shift costs from government programs onto the businesses least able to absorb them, all while extending tax breaks for corporations that already pay lower effective rates than the corner store.’ Small businesses succeed when their owners and employees are healthy, secure, and financially stable. Policies that strip away basic support systems in favor of giveaways for the ultra-wealthy don’t just hurt families, they stifle entrepreneurship and economic growth. The Senate reconciliation bill should recognize this and support America’s small business owners and employees. If this bill is enacted, small businesses would lose while big corporations and the ultra-wealthy win.”
    “Small businesses cannot afford to be shut out of access to affordable healthcare. Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP, and enhanced ACA premium tax credits are lifelines for small business owners, their families, and their workers. If Republicans gut these programs or allow them to expire, health care costs for small businesses and their families will skyrocket, employees will lose coverage, and entrepreneurs will be stifled,” said Senator Markey. “We must expand access to health coverage for all, especially small businesses.”
    “The GOP plan will destroy Main Street just to give more tax cuts to Wall Street. Republicans’ healthcare cuts will cripple the ability of small businesses to provide affordable health insurance for their employees and raise costs to make it even harder for small businesses to stay afloat, especially when so many are already being crushed by the higher prices of Trump’s tariffs,” said Leader Schumer. “Small businesses are the lifeblood of this country and the staggering healthcare cuts could cause Main Street businesses to shutter in every corner of the country. Republicans are dead set on continuing their billionaire tax giveaway, but Senate Democrats will not stop fighting to expose the cruelty at the heart of this legislation.”
    “The Republican prescription to cut lifeline health care programs will clobber small businesses making every ounce of effort to keep their lights on,” said Senator Wyden. “I’ve heard firsthand from Oregonians in red and blue communities alike that losing health care coverage will mean one more extra cost that’s hard to afford. As ranking member of the Finance Committee, I am fighting tooth and nail so working families in Oregon and across our country have the coverage they need to put food on the table and care for their loved ones.”
    “We can’t compete with the benefits that large companies offer, and losing good employees because they need healthcare elsewhere would crush us. Small businesses are the heart of our communities—we deserve better than being forced to choose between our workers and our survival,” said Shaundell Newsome, Co-chair of Small Business for America’s Future and owner of Sumnu Marketing, Las Vegas, Nevada.
    “The only reason my three sons have healthcare is Medicaid. It’s literally our lifeline. Now Congress wants to gut these programs to pay for tax cuts for wealthy corporations. The proposed work requirements? They’re a disaster waiting to happen for businesses like mine,” said Dr. Alexia McClerkin, Owner of The Wellness Doc, Houston, Texas.
    “Instead of cutting programs that Main Street depends on, we need policies that help small businesses provide health plan options, support expanding the ACA premium tax credits or quite simply protect Medicaid. Taking away Medicaid will create a snowball effect of other resources such as affordable housing and most recently, the snatching of grant funding opportunities that supported my Tutoring School with a Clean ‘INNERGY’ Program,” said Dr. Latoya Parker, Owner of INNERGY Educational Consulting Company, Fayetteville, North Carolina.
    “What’s particularly frustrating is that we’re talking about cutting programs that work to fund tax breaks for large corporations that are already our competitors for talent and contracts. These big companies have advantages we simply can’t match. Cutting healthcare programs just widens that gap,” said Doug Scheffel, President of ETM Manufacturing, Littleton, Massachusetts.
    “The enhanced premium tax credits are an essential tool that helps my employees afford coverage. Without these credits, many of my 35 workers would face an impossible financial situation. But those enhanced premium tax credits expire this year, and HR 1 fails to extend them while cutting other healthcare programs to fund tax breaks for large corporations,” said Walt Rowen, Small Business for America’s Future Co-chair, President of Susquehanna Glass Company, Columbia, Pennsylvania.
    Small businesses owners surveyed by SBAF expressed fears that the Republican tax scam will impact their ability to compete and retain employees, squeeze their bottom lines, and ultimately threaten the survival of their businesses and their access to essential health care. The SBAF survey also found that:
    Over half of small businesses surveyed have owners, employees, or family members who rely on Medicaid, CHIP coverage, or use the ACA premium tax credits.
    A majority of those surveyed stated that small businesses would face financial pressure if health care program cuts were enacted.
    55 percent of surveyed businesses have owners, employees, or families who rely on premium tax credits offered on the ACA Marketplace to afford coverage
    70 percent oppose cutting vital health care programs to pay for tax breaks for wealthy

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Government of Canada supports new AI Business Catalyst program

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    SMEs to adopt AI with help from new Toronto Region Board of Trade program

    June 26, 2025 – Toronto, Ontario         

    To ensure Canada remains a global leader in innovation, the Government of Canada is making strategic investments in businesses, organizations, entrepreneurs and leaders that are accelerating AI adoption and spurring economic growth.

    Today, the Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), along with Chi Nguyen, Member of Parliament for Spadina–Harbourfront, announced an investment of $2.4 million for the Toronto Region Board of Trade to launch its new AI Business Catalyst (AIBC) program.

    The Toronto Region Board of Trade connects businesses to programs, partners, and talent to help them succeed. Through this program, 75 businesses and 460 participants across a variety of industries will have access to the tools they need to adopt AI solutions. These new technologies will enhance productivity, drive innovation and help businesses compete globally.

    Through strategic investments to support responsible AI adoption, Canada is strengthening its AI ecosystem and enhancing productivity across the country.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: PDAAG Roger P. Alford Delivers Remarks to the International Association of Privacy Professionals

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Good afternoon. I am pleased to be here today. It is an honor to represent the United States and work with the Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater and the amazing attorneys, economists, and staff and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice. I also want to thank the IAPP for inviting me to participate in this 2025 Digital Policy Leadership Retreat and Jonathan Zittrain and David Sanger for joining this discussion on such an important and timely topic.

    The world today has indeed become a digital world. Almost every company has some digital presence and almost every product sector is touched by digital platforms. Every day, platforms are connecting users and consumers in new and exciting ways. They are introducing novel commercial relationships with ever sophisticated algorithms. While we welcome these changes, we also recognize that these innovations introduce a range of competition issues. At the Department of Justice, we are watching these developments closely, scrutinizing the competitive implications of digital conduct.

    The topic for my speech today is where we go from here in applying antitrust law and policy in the digital world. I won’t bury the lede. We are heading towards a better future for the American people that maximizes their consumer welfare in digital markets through the vigorous enforcement of the antitrust laws. In fact, thanks to recent enforcement efforts, we are already beginning to see that world unfold.

    Many doubted that would ever be possible. When digital markets first emerged, enforcers had for decades been accustomed mostly to smokestack industries. Products rolled off assembly lines with similar features and prices year after year. These things could be measured and scrutinized quantitatively. We came to think that’s all antitrust enforcers should do.

    In contrast, digital markets offered zero price goods, with consumers trading their time and data for services. They were often defined by innovation and dynamism. Those looked like square pegs that didn’t fit the round holes of traditional antitrust analysis.

    We had become so used to smokestack industries that many assumed consumer welfare should always be measured in the prices and outputs of the goods that rolled off the assembly line. Privacy, attention, choice, and innovation were afterthoughts. And so some suggested that there could be no antitrust enforcement in many digital markets because traditional measures of consumer welfare were difficult to apply.

    Others accepted that premise, but pushed for a divorce between antitrust enforcement and the consumer welfare standard. They thought that to adequately protect competition in digital markets, antitrust needed to abandon its core focus on consumer welfare and have an essentially unlimited lens on its mission to include citizen welfare or a nebulous public interest standard.

    We now know that there is a third way. Consumers’ welfare is not merely about the price they pay. Consumers benefit when their privacy is better protected. They pay for digital services in time, attention, and data. Consumer welfare rises when companies innovate, and new technologies disrupt incumbent technologies.

    The answer was not to abandon antitrust in digital markets, or to abandon consumer welfare. The answer was to recognize the many dimensions of the competitive process that maximizes consumer welfare online.

    I’d like to spend my time today talking about how that principle has played out in recent cases and will continue to inform our work in digital markets in the years to come.

    First, our recent successes in protecting consumers from monopoly abuse in digital markets unequivocally demonstrate the continued vitality of the consumer welfare frame in protecting the American people online.

    As many of you are aware, the Department of Justice has been vigorously enforcing the antitrust laws against the exclusionary and unlawful conduct of Big Tech for some time now, going back to the first Trump Administration. The DOJ currently has two large, ongoing litigations against Google in particular.

    These are historic monopolization cases in which the DOJ earned landmark wins in federal district courts in Washington D.C. and Virginia, finding that Google is a serial monopolist — in general search, in search text advertising, and in multiple segments of the ad-tech stack. These rulings recognize that Google has abused its monopoly status by controlling how digital advertisements are placed on the free and open internet.

    The DOJ has proven that Google repeatedly broke the law against monopolization. In response, we have proposed remedies tailored to restore competition and address the competitive harms of Google’s monopoly abuses.[1] In the Google Search case, a decision is expected by the end of the summer, following a three-week remedy hearing this spring. In Google Ad Tech, a remedies hearing is scheduled for early fall. We are hopeful that the federal courts in both cases will issue strong rulings that adopt structural and behavioral remedies to restore competition. Historic monopolization cases call for historic remedies, and our digital freedoms deserve nothing less.

    The Google cases represent a bipartisan consensus in favor of vigorous antitrust enforcement. Beginning in the first Trump Administration, these cases reflect an historic commitment by both Republican and Democratic Administrations and almost every State Attorney General to protect consumers from monopoly abuse.

    Both of these cases were won with evidence presented within a consumer welfare frame, expanded to account for the unique properties of digital markets. We defined consumer welfare broadly to include not only price, but also quality, output, innovation and anything else that impacts consumers. And we recognized that consumer welfare impacts do not always need to involve the kind of quantitative evidence available in a price-focused case, but that qualitative non-price evidence can be equally valuable.

    Judge Mehta’s opinion in Google Search is a great example of the modern approach to addressing all of the determinants of consumer welfare. It mentions privacy 55 times. For example, when assessing the relevant market, it notes how Google compares its privacy to Duck Duck Go.[2] And its overall market definition approach appropriately takes account for the full range of qualitative evidence that bears on defining competition in search. Meanwhile, the Google Ad Tech opinion reminds its readers that the antitrust laws are a “consumer welfare prescription,” and then goes on to examine the many unique attributes of consumer welfare, beyond price and output, in the ad tech markets Google monopolized there.[3]

    While we assess the full range of determinants of consumer welfare, that does not mean our analysis is unlimited. The ultimate question for antitrust law remains economic competition in a relevant market. The law does not permit an untethered overall public interest analysis that asks courts to weigh effects across markets or to include non-competition values.

    For that reason, we consistently reject arguments that we should excuse harm to competition in order to protect a national champion firm on the theory that this will somehow benefit national security. We don’t accept the premise that shielding our businesses from competition somehow makes us stronger. That’s the Chinese and Russian way. The American way of winning the global economic competition is with strong competition in our domestic firms that makes our companies stronger to compete abroad. That premise has served us well for centuries, and we do not intend to abandon it now.

    Let me offer a word of thanks to those who prosecuted these cases. The incredible attorneys, economists, and staff at the Antitrust Division that prosecuted the Google Search case deserve particular mention. Following a ten-week liability trial in 2023 and then a three-week remedies trial in 2025, they outlawyered the other side by presenting strong legal theories in support of critical remedies designed to ensure that our digital spaces will be free and open. No matter what the federal court orders in the remedies phase, the leadership at the Division is incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication of the public servants who have litigated that case.

    As Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater has said, “The Google Search case matters because nothing less than the future of the internet is at stake here. Are we going to give Americans choices and allow innovation and competition to thrive online? Or will we maintain the status quo that favors Big Tech monopolies? If Google’s conduct is not remedied, it will control much of the internet for the next decade and not just in internet search, but in new technologies like artificial intelligence.”[4]

    As for the Google Ad Tech case, the extraordinary attorneys have won a landmark liability ruling and we anticipate that they will present a strong case for robust remedies in the digital ad tech space. As Attorney General Pam Bondi has said, the ruling in the Antitrust Division’s favor in April in that case was “a landmark victory in the ongoing fight to stop Google from monopolizing the digital public square.”  I could not agree more. We are fortunate to have such quality attorneys working to protect the American public.

    Let me now turn to some of our thinking about how we will protect consumer welfare in digital markets in the future. Digital technologies have significant implications for virtually all the monopoly conduct and cartels that the DOJ analyzes today. The DOJ has an obligation to husband our resources to enforce the laws where it matters most, to protect markets that most directly impact the average American, markets such as healthcare, housing, agriculture, education, and insurance. Let me focus on just a few of those digital markets.

    In healthcare, in particular, we have a mandate to use our resources to ensure American markets in health sectors are more competitive, innovative, affordable, and provide higher quality to patients and consumers. For years, we have witnessed consolidation across healthcare leading to higher prices and lower wages for healthcare workers. We see pharmacy benefit managers and brand name monopolies driving up prescription drug prices. Consolidation and roll-ups of physician practices and hospitals often increase health care costs, raising prices for services, and deteriorating patient outcomes. And algorithms and data increase complexity by playing an ever-larger role in health care markets and practices. We are even seeing algorithmic management technologies gaining a foothold in the health care labor sector, one of the largest labor sectors in the country.[5]

    Our recent Las Vegas nursing case is an example of the Department of Justice protecting Americans’ pocketbooks in the health sector. In that case, the Division successfully prosecuted a three-year conspiracy to fix the wages of nurses — capping their wages. As AAG Slater has stated: “Wage-fixing agreements are nakedly unlawful attempts at unjustly profiting off American workers…. The nurses here deserved better, and under President Trump’s leadership, they will be protected.”[6]

    The DOJ is committed to combatting monopoly abuse and collusion in the health care sector. This includes collusion that is accomplished by digital algorithms. Our recent statement of interest in the In re Multiplan Health Insurance Provider Litigation is an example.[7] In that case, competitors used a common pricing algorithm to share confidential information to set prices. Such algorithmic sharing of confidential information on digital platforms should be challenged as a violation of the antitrust laws.

    The DOJ is focused on algorithmic collusion in housing markets as well. The Division is litigating an ongoing case against RealPage and large landlords for algorithmic collusion affecting the rental prices for millions of Americans.[8] In this case, RealPage has introduced a digital platform that made it easier for landlords to coordinate to dramatically increase rental prices for the average American. RealPage and large landlords actively participated in the illegal pricing scheme, setting their rents by using each other’s competitively sensitive information via common pricing algorithms.[9]

    These cases are examples of a growing trend. If we do not take a strong stand now against algorithmic collusion, we will see this new form of price fixing destroying effective competition across a whole range of digital markets.

    And still there is more. Algorithmic collusion is only a subset of the issues that algorithms raise for antitrust enforcement. We can see on the horizon new concerns that will be extremely difficult for enforcers to address using traditional antitrust law. Academic work is already exploring how artificial intelligence can be instructed to profit maximize and learn to set prices in a manner consistent with collusion. We are on the verge of autonomous algorithmic collusion.

    Regardless of the digital sector, we at the DOJ will follow the facts and apply the law in connection with algorithmic pricing and potential collusion. These issues provide an opportunity for our enforcers to engage critically with the practical realities of how complex technologies are affecting Americans’ lives today and in the future. Artificial intelligence holds so much promise, but it also presents unique challenges. Will these technologies empower anticompetitive behavior targeted at unsuspecting digital citizens?  The DOJ must meet this moment and fulfill its mandate to protect competition for the American people.

    Let me conclude with a few thoughts about the Antitrust Division’s agenda with respect to mergers in the digital space.

    When President Trump announced that Gail Slater would lead the Antitrust Division, he reiterated that Big Tech has stifled Little Tech innovation and competition. We are pro Little Tech and welcome Little Tech innovation. We will bring the antitrust laws to bear on Big Tech to answer for their abuses, but we are open and receptive to procompetitive mergers, especially in Little Tech. We want innovative start-ups to see exit opportunities other than acquisitions by the largest, most dominant players, whose acquisition strategies are often driven as much by their desire to entrench their existing power as they are to drive innovation. The enforcers at the DOJ work tirelessly to promote a competitive landscape to ensure that new ideas get funding, so that startups can compete on the merits and disrupt incumbents.

    An embrace of Little Tech recognizes the benefits of venture capital and digital mergers. We want to see venture capital funds flowing to support innovative companies. In healthy, competitive markets, venture capital funds should flow freely.

    During AAG Slater’s tenure at the Division, we will challenge anticompetitive mergers. That is already evident in these early months. But the vast majority of mergers do not raise competition concerns, and those that do often can be resolved through negotiation, settlements, and consent decrees. We are committed to providing clear guidance to merging parties on their proposed transactions, welcoming most mergers and only challenging the problematic ones.

    In conclusion, let me state what an honor it is for me to return to the Antitrust Division and serve as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General to AAG Slater. As part of the Republican realignment, President Trump and Assistant Attorney General Slater have a clear vision for robust antitrust enforcement over the next four years. Our paramount focus will be to put consumer welfare first, accounting for the wide range of harms and benefits to consumers and workers that can arise in modern markets.

    Yes, competition brings lower prices. But it also brings better quality, improved privacy options, lower advertising loads, greater data portability, more choice, and increased innovations. Competition maximizes consumer welfare by driving businesses to deliver everything consumers want. That makes it the critical tool to protect consumers in our free market system, even in a changing world.

    Thank you. 

    [2] See United States v. Google LLC, 747 F. Supp. 3d 1, 54-55 (D.D.C. 2024).

    [3] See United States v. Google LLC, 23-cv-108, 2025 WL 1132012 (E.D. Va. Apr. 17, 2025) (“Google AdTech”).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Second Owner of Fuel Truck Supply Company Incarcerated for Bid Rigging, Market Allocation, and Wire Fraud Conspiracies

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    The owner of a fuel truck supply company, Kris Bird, 62, was sentenced today in Boise, Idaho, to three months in prison and a $24,000 fine for his role in schemes to rig bids, allocate territories, and commit wire fraud over an eight-year period. Further, Bird was ordered to forfeit to the federal government $1,542,387 as proceeds of his wire fraud offenses. The conspiracies Bird participated in related to contracts to provide fuel trucks that assist the U.S. Forest Service’s efforts to battle wildfires in Idaho and the mountain west.

    Bird pleaded guilty in March 2025 — two weeks before his trial was set to begin — to the seven-count indictment. The plea followed an investigation that involved evidence from a judicially authorized wiretap and led to charges against two executives in December 2023. Earlier this month on June 5, Bird’s co-defendant, Ike Tomlinson, 61, was sentenced to 12 months in prison and a $20,000 fine for his leadership role in the criminal conduct.

    “Mr. Bird stole taxpayer funds allocated for critical wildfire-fighting efforts protecting the American people to line his own pockets,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Trump Antitrust Division’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force and its law enforcement partners will continue the fight to ensure that the fraudulent use of taxpayer money results in incarceration.”

    “Today’s sentencing underscores the FBI’s commitment to protecting the integrity of our markets,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Antitrust violations are not just corporate misconduct, they’re federal crimes that distort competition, drive up costs for consumers and erode public trust. We will continue to work with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to hold accountable those who rig the system for personal gain.”

    “Bid rigging is not a victimless crime. It cheats taxpayers and the honest contractors who play by the rules,” said Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Jason Suffredini of the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Inspector General (OIG). “GSA OIG and our partners remain committed to pursuing those who engage in procurement fraud.”

    According to court documents, the co-conspirators coordinated their bids to inflate prices and to determine who would have priority to receive business from the U.S. Forest Service and other federal agencies in the event of a wildfire in a specific geographic area. The co-conspirators further coordinated to exclude and punish potential competitors to further maintain the success of their conspiracy. During the conspiracies, from March 2015 to March 2023, Bird annually submitted false SAM certifications to the federal government covering up his bid-rigging conspiracy and committing wire fraud. 

    The Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho, FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Boise Resident Agency, and General Services Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant Chief Christopher J. Carlberg and Trial Attorneys Elena A. Goldstein, Daniel B. Twomey, and Matthew Chou of the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Mazorol for the District of Idaho have been prosecuting the case.

    In addition to today’s criminal sentence, in May 2025, the United States, on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Small Business Administration, entered into a civil settlement with Kris Bird and other related entities and individuals who agreed to pay $781,186 to resolve civil claims after admitting to allegations that they obtained government contracts through bid-rigging and the submission of false SAM Certifications, as well as wrongly obtained a Paycheck Protection Program loan.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General investigated the civil case. Assistant United States Attorney Robert B. Firpo and Civil Chief James Schaefer are handling the case.

    In November 2019, the Justice Department created the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government—federal, state and local. To learn more about the PCSF, or to report information on bid rigging, price fixing, market allocation and other anticompetitive conduct related to government spending, go to www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation can contact the PCSF at the link listed above. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Second Owner of Fuel Truck Supply Company Incarcerated for Bid Rigging, Market Allocation, and Wire Fraud Conspiracies

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    The owner of a fuel truck supply company, Kris Bird, 62, was sentenced today in Boise, Idaho, to three months in prison and a $24,000 fine for his role in schemes to rig bids, allocate territories, and commit wire fraud over an eight-year period. Further, Bird was ordered to forfeit to the federal government $1,542,387 as proceeds of his wire fraud offenses. The conspiracies Bird participated in related to contracts to provide fuel trucks that assist the U.S. Forest Service’s efforts to battle wildfires in Idaho and the mountain west.

    Bird pleaded guilty in March 2025 — two weeks before his trial was set to begin — to the seven-count indictment. The plea followed an investigation that involved evidence from a judicially authorized wiretap and led to charges against two executives in December 2023. Earlier this month on June 5, Bird’s co-defendant, Ike Tomlinson, 61, was sentenced to 12 months in prison and a $20,000 fine for his leadership role in the criminal conduct.

    “Mr. Bird stole taxpayer funds allocated for critical wildfire-fighting efforts protecting the American people to line his own pockets,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Trump Antitrust Division’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force and its law enforcement partners will continue the fight to ensure that the fraudulent use of taxpayer money results in incarceration.”

    “Today’s sentencing underscores the FBI’s commitment to protecting the integrity of our markets,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Antitrust violations are not just corporate misconduct, they’re federal crimes that distort competition, drive up costs for consumers and erode public trust. We will continue to work with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to hold accountable those who rig the system for personal gain.”

    “Bid rigging is not a victimless crime. It cheats taxpayers and the honest contractors who play by the rules,” said Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Jason Suffredini of the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Inspector General (OIG). “GSA OIG and our partners remain committed to pursuing those who engage in procurement fraud.”

    According to court documents, the co-conspirators coordinated their bids to inflate prices and to determine who would have priority to receive business from the U.S. Forest Service and other federal agencies in the event of a wildfire in a specific geographic area. The co-conspirators further coordinated to exclude and punish potential competitors to further maintain the success of their conspiracy. During the conspiracies, from March 2015 to March 2023, Bird annually submitted false SAM certifications to the federal government covering up his bid-rigging conspiracy and committing wire fraud. 

    The Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho, FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Boise Resident Agency, and General Services Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant Chief Christopher J. Carlberg and Trial Attorneys Elena A. Goldstein, Daniel B. Twomey, and Matthew Chou of the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Mazorol for the District of Idaho have been prosecuting the case.

    In addition to today’s criminal sentence, in May 2025, the United States, on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Small Business Administration, entered into a civil settlement with Kris Bird and other related entities and individuals who agreed to pay $781,186 to resolve civil claims after admitting to allegations that they obtained government contracts through bid-rigging and the submission of false SAM Certifications, as well as wrongly obtained a Paycheck Protection Program loan.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General investigated the civil case. Assistant United States Attorney Robert B. Firpo and Civil Chief James Schaefer are handling the case.

    In November 2019, the Justice Department created the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government—federal, state and local. To learn more about the PCSF, or to report information on bid rigging, price fixing, market allocation and other anticompetitive conduct related to government spending, go to www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation can contact the PCSF at the link listed above. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Alford Introduces STRONG Act to Support Small Businesses with Greater Access to SBA-Backed Lending

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mark Alford (Missouri 4th District)

    Today, Congressman Mark Alford (MO-04), the Chairman of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations, introduced the Supporting Trade and Rebuilding Opportunity for National Growth (STRONG) Act.

    The STRONG Act will give American small businesses greater access to financing to create jobs, support existing workers, and invest in their communities by increasing the maximum value threshold of SBA 7(a) and 504 loans.

    “We’re proud to introduce the STRONG Act to ensure American small businesses not only survive but thrive,” said Congressman Alford. “After four years of being crushed by inflation, supply chain bottlenecks, and overregulation under the Biden Administration, our small businesses are on the brink. Job creators and entrepreneurs desperately need support, including greater access to SBA lending, to help them make ends meet and stay in business. This critical legislation will work in concert with the One Big, Beautiful Bill and other initiatives from the Small Business Committee to finally put Main Street before Wall Street.”

    Read the text of the legislation here.

    Background:

    • The STRONG Act raises the maximum value threshold of 7(a) and 504 loans from $5,000,000 to $10,000,000.
    • The upper limit for 7(a) and 504 was last updated in 2010 and has not been adjusted for inflation since then.
    • The bill also provides an increase on the total limit of 504 loans SBA is able to issue, allowing more small businesses to access long-term, fixed-rate financing for major fixed assets.

    What are 7(a) and 504 loans?

    • SBA 7(a) loans offer flexible, government-backed financing up to $5 million for small businesses, which can be used for a wide range of purposes including working capital, equipment, or buying a business, with terms and rates negotiated between the borrower and lender.
    • 504 loans provide long-term, fixed-rate financing for small businesses to purchase major fixed assets like real estate or equipment, typically with a 50-40-10 structure (50% from a private lender, 40% from a Certified Development Company backed by the SBA, and 10% from the borrower).
    • The programs are subsidy free and are paid for by fees on SBA partnered lenders.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: INTESI GROUP S.p.A. and iGrant.io Enhance EUDI Wallets with Integrated Solution

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Stockholm / Milan, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — iGrant.io, a Swedish provider of EU Digital Identity Wallet infrastructure, and Intesi Group S.p.A., a European Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP), have entered into a strategic partnership to enable document signing and the issuance and management of Qualified Electronic Attribute Attestations (QEAAs) using EU Digital Identity Wallets (EUDI Wallets).

    Intesi Group and iGrant.io partnership

    This collaboration delivers the first fully integrated solution combining qualified electronic signature and legally recognised issuance of QEAAs within the iGrant.io Organisation Wallet Suite, also referred to by the European Commission as the European Business Wallet.

    Two Game-Changing Capabilities, One Seamless Offering

    1. Effortless Document Signing via EUDI Wallets

    By integrating Intesi Group’s Qualified Electronic Signature and Seal services into iGrant.io’s Organisation Wallet Suite, organisations can enable users to sign documents using their EUDI Wallets with a one-click experience. This ensures legally valid, cross-border transactions across all sectors, including public administration.

    2. Issuance of Qualified Electronic Attribute Attestations (QEAAs)

    QEAAs represent verifiable credentials that establish legal roles, mandates, or affiliations. These are issued to EUDI Wallets through iGrant.io’s Organisation Wallet Suite, which provides the credential issuance and delivery framework. The underlying qualified infrastructure, including certificate lifecycle management and Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), is provided by Intesi Group..

    The result? A future-proof solution that:

    ●      Delivers  high assurance identity and credential services fully compliant to the European Digital Identity Framework.

    ●      Leverages EU Trust List mechanisms to validate QTSP status and ensure legal recognition

    “This partnership enables a production-ready, one-stop-shop solution for signing and credential issuance within the EUDI Wallet ecosystem,” said Lotta Lundin, CEO of iGrant.io. “By embedding Intesi Group’s capabilities into the Organisation Wallet Suite, we accelerate real-world adoption of what the EU refers to as the European Business Wallet”.

    “The EUDI Wallet represents a landmark opportunity for Europe to lead the world in digital identity. Intesi Group is excited to join forces with iGrant.io to provide a practical, legally sound, and easy-to-implement solution that empowers businesses and citizens to thrive in this new era. Together, we’re making the vision of a truly interconnected European digital economy a reality. ” said Paolo Sironi, CEO of Intesi Group.

    This cutting-edge solution is already making waves in key European programmes like the European Digital Identity Wallet Consortium (EWC) and CRANE PCP, revolutionizing use cases including:

    • Legal Person Identification (LPID) and business registry onboarding: Streamlining and securing the verification process.
    • Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) and payment verification: Reducing fraud and boosting consumer trust.
    • Remote patient monitoring and consent-based data exchange under the European Health Data Space (EHDS): Protecting patient privacy while enabling seamless access to vital medical information.

    About iGrant.io:

    iGrant.io is a Swedish provider of EU Digital Identity Wallet infrastructure, empowering individuals and organizations to manage and share their digital identities securely and seamlessly.

    About Intesi Group:

    Intesi Group is a leading European Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP), offering a wide range of digital trust services to ensure secure and legally compliant electronic transactions.

    For more information, contact:

    iGrant.io
    Lotta Lundin – CEO
    lotta@igrant.io
    www.igrant.io

    Intesi Group
    Paola Monti – Head of Marketing and Communication
    marketing@intesigroup.com
    intesigroup.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: EUDI Wallets Get Boost from iGrant.io and Intesi Group

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Stockholm / Milan, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — iGrant.io, a Swedish provider of EU Digital Identity Wallet infrastructure, and Intesi Group S.p.A., a European Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP), have entered into a strategic partnership to enable document signing and the issuance and management of Qualified Electronic Attribute Attestations (QEAAs) using EU Digital Identity Wallets (EUDI Wallets).

    This collaboration delivers the first fully integrated solution combining Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) and legally recognised issuance of QEAAs within the iGrant.io Organisation Wallet Suite, also referred to by the European Commission as the European Business Wallet.

    Two Game-Changing Capabilities, One Seamless Offering

    1. Effortless Document Signing via EUDI Wallets

    By integrating Intesi Group’s Qualified Electronic Signature and Seal services into iGrant.io’s Organisation Wallet Suite, organisations can enable users to sign documents using their EUDI Wallets with a one-click experience. This ensures legally valid, cross-border transactions across all sectors, including public administration.

    2. Issuance of Qualified Electronic Attribute Attestations (QEAAs)

    QEAAs represent verifiable credentials that establish legal roles, mandates, or affiliations. These are issued to EUDI Wallets through iGrant.io’s Organisation Wallet Suite, which provides the credential issuance and delivery framework. The underlying qualified infrastructure, including certificate lifecycle management and Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), is provided by Intesi Group..

    The result? A future-proof solution that:

    ● Delivers high assurance identity and credential services fully compliant to the European Digital Identity Framework.

    ● Leverages EU Trust List mechanisms to validate QTSP status and ensure legal recognition 

    “This partnership enables a production-ready, one-stop-shop solution for signing and credential issuance within the EUDI Wallet ecosystem,” said Lotta Lundin, CEO of iGrant.io. “By embedding Intesi Group’s capabilities into the Organisation Wallet Suite, we accelerate real-world adoption of what the EU refers to as the European Business Wallet”.

    “The EUDI Wallet represents a landmark opportunity for Europe to lead the world in digital identity. Intesi Group is excited to join forces with iGrant.io to provide a practical, legally sound, and easy-to-implement solution that empowers businesses and citizens to thrive in this new era. Together, we’re making the vision of a truly interconnected European digital economy a reality. ” said Paolo Sironi, CEO of Intesi Group S.p.A.

    This cutting-edge solution is already making waves in key European programmes like the European Digital Identity Wallet Consortium (EWC) and CRANE PCP, revolutionising use cases including:

     About iGrant.io:

    iGrant.io is a Swedish provider of EU Digital Identity Wallet infrastructure, empowering individuals and organisations to manage and share their digital identities securely and seamlessly.

    About Intesi Group S.p.A.:

    Intesi Group is a leading European Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP), offering a wide range of digital trust services to ensure secure and legally compliant electronic transactions.

    For more information, contact:

    iGrant.io

    Lotta Lundin, CEO

    Email: lotta@igrant.io

    Website: www.igrant.io


    Intesi Group S.p.A.

    Paola Monti – Head of Marketing and Communication

    Email: marketing@intesigroup.com

    Website: www.intesigroup.com

    A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.youtube.com/embed/mKTCaa-Cv6Q

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Appointment of the Chancellor of the High Court: June 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Appointment of the Chancellor of the High Court: June 2025

    His Majesty The King has been pleased to approve the appointment of The Rt Hon Lord Justice Colin Birss as the Chancellor of the High Court with effect from 1 November 2025.

    His Majesty The King has been pleased to approve the appointment of The Rt Hon Lord Justice Colin Birss as the Chancellor of the High Court with effect from 1 November 2025. This appointment follows the retirement of Sir Julian Flaux.

    Background

    Biography of candidate

    The Rt Hon Lord Justice Colin Birss was called to the Bar in 1990 and took Silk in 2008. He started his judicial career as a Deputy Chairman of the Copyright Tribunal in 2009. He was appointed as a Senior Circuit Judge in 2010, as a High Court Judge assigned to the Chancery Division in 2013 and as a Judge of the Court of Appeal in 2021. He is currently the Deputy Head of Civil Justice and Lead Judge for Artificial Intelligence.

    The Appointment

    The appointment of the Chancellor of the High Court is made by His Majesty The King on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor following the recommendation of an independent selection panel chaired by Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, the Lady Chief Justice. The other panel members were Lady Rose (Justice of the Supreme Court), Helen Pitcher OBE (Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission), The Rt. Rev. Dr. Barry Morgan (Lay JAC Commissioner) and Mr Tom Cross KC (Professional JAC Commissioner).

    The Chancellor of the High Court (CHC) is one of the most senior judges in England and Wales and holds day-to-day responsibility for the operation of the Business & Property Courts (B&PCs) in London and seven city centres across the country, in consultation with the President of the King’s Bench Division. The B&PCs are a global centre of excellence for the resolution of business disputes and hear some of the most complex and high-profile domestic and international specialist civil claims in the world.

    The CHC has full responsibility for the Chancery lists of the B&PCs, which includes the Business List, the Insolvency and Companies List, the Intellectual Property List (including IPEC), the Property Trusts and Probate List, the Competition List, the Financial List (jointly with the Commercial Court) and the Revenue List. Those responsibilities include the deployment of the specialist judges who conduct the hearings and the allocation of cases.

    Originally created as the office of Vice-Chancellor in 1813 and having undergone a number of changes in role since then, the CHC also presides in the Court of Appeal (Civil Division) and sits at first instance in the B&PCs.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Serial Armed Robber Sentenced to Over 26 Years Imprisonment for String of Commercial Armed Robberies

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    STATESBORO, GA:  A Waynesboro resident was sentenced to federal prison for 10 commercial armed robberies that he committed in Bulloch, Burke, Chatham, Emanuel, Glascock, Jenkins, and Ware Counties.

    Cordell Cobb, 24, of Waynesboro, was sentenced to 318 months in prison after pleading guilty to ten counts of Interference With Commerce by Robbery and two counts of Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, said Tara M. Lyons, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Cobb to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term and to pay $12,081 in restitution to the various victimized businesses.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    As described in court documents and testimony, on ten different occasions from January 2023 through June 2023, Cobb entered commercial establishments throughout the Southern District of Georgia and brandished weapons before demanding money. Employees in all ten locations provided United States currency to Cobb to avoid physical harm and Cobb left the locations with his ill-gotten proceeds. Following an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Chatham County Police Department (CCPD), Glascock County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO), Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), Jenkins County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO), Waycross Police Department (WPD), Burke County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), and Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO), Cobb was apprehended and ultimately admitted to committing all ten robberies.

    “This sentencing reflects the serious consequences of violent crime and the strength of coordinated law enforcement” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “Communities across Georgia are safer today because of the tireless work of our local, state, and federal partner agencies in bringing this armed robber to justice.”

    “We applaud the collaborative efforts of all law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation. Together, we have sent a strong message that armed robbery will not be tolerated, and we will work tirelessly to ensure that those responsible are held accountable,” said Thomas Crawford, ATF Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, 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 Neighborhoods (PSN).

    This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer.

    The case was being investigated by the ATF, GBI, CCPD, GCSO, JCSO, WPD, BCSO, ECSO and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley R. Thompson and Henry W. Syms, Jr.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Why brands are embracing fantasy: The psychology behind escapist marketing in anxious times

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Eugene Y. Chan, Associate Professor of Marketing, Toronto Metropolitan University

    Why did Aritzia open a café inside its flagship store in Toronto? Why did Burberry pivot from fashion photography to cinematic ads that transport viewers into dreamlike sequences? And why is Simons, Canada’s remaining department store, incorporating art and interactive technologies into its retail spaces?

    The answer lies in a trend known as escapist marketing. In an era marked by economic uncertainty, climate anxiety, geopolitical tensions and relentless digital fatigue, brands are turning to fantasy, storytelling and emotionally immersive design to sell products to consumers.

    Escapist marketing is a strategy that creates emotionally immersive experiences to help consumers temporarily escape from reality, often through fantasy, nostalgia or idealized lifestyles. It taps into the desire for relief from stress or monotony by offering imaginative or aspirational narratives.

    A video introducing ‘It’s Always Burberry Weather: London in Love,’ a series of seven films by Burberry inspired by British romantic comedies.

    Escapist marketing has been gaining traction in Canada as consumers are drawn to brands that spark imagination and emotional engagement. According to a 2024 Retail Council of Canada report, Gen Z shoppers prefer brands that offer emotional connection, purpose and creativity.

    The inaugural Great Canadian Brand Index, which one of us (Eugene Y. Chan) helped develop, found that brands perceived as adventurous, honest and imaginative scored highest in overall public favourability. These are precisely the qualities expressed through fantastical storytelling.

    As marketing professors and researchers, we’ve been studying how and why this approach works, and we’ve found it’s grounded in psychology.

    The rise of fantasy in branding

    While brands have long used aspiration in their marketing, today’s strategies feel noticeably different. The focus has shifted from luxury and exclusivity to escapism itself, and it’s becoming increasingly visible across industries.

    Consider Coca-Cola’s “Real Magic” campaign, for instance, which uses AI-generated imagery to create whimsical dreamscapes. Or Apple’s recent “Mother Nature” ad, which reframes a corporate report about the brand’s support of environmental and social issues as a high-concept film starring Octavia Spencer.

    Apple’s ‘Mother Nature’ ad.

    In London, Gucci’s “Gucci Cosmos” series invites visitors into a surreal world of time travel and design history.

    These marketing campaigns are all designed to be emotional experiences for consumers. This means that the emotional reactions consumers have during interactions with a brand, product or service influence their attitudes, memories and future decision-making. These emotions deepen engagement and strengthen brand loyalty.

    As consumers continue to feel burned out and overstimulated, fantasy in the form of escapism offers them mental relief. Research shows that immersive experiences — whether through entertainment, retail environments or brand storytelling — can distract from stressors and promote emotional recovery. By providing a temporary break from reality, fantasy-driven marketing taps into a deep psychological need for comfort and cognitive release.

    Why it works: The psychology of escapism

    To understand why escapist marketing is so effective, it helps to look at the psychology behind it.

    One explanation comes from construal level theory, a framework that examines how psychological distance shapes thinking. When something feels far away in time, space or familiarity, we tend to think about it more abstractly.

    Surreal or fantastical branding increases this distance, shifting consumers’ focus from immediate utility to emotional resonance, identity and imagination.

    While escapist marketing is a broader strategy that aims to help consumers mentally disengage from reality, surreal or fantastical branding is one specific tactic that uses dreamlike, imaginative visuals and narratives to achieve that goal.

    Not all escapist marketing is surreal, but surreal branding often serves as a powerful form of escapism by transporting consumers into an alternate world.

    A video about the Gucci Cosmos exhibition celebrating over 100 years of the brand’s history.

    Our research supports this. In one study, we explored how concave visual design — where ad elements curve inward — draws viewers into the imagery, increases feelings of immersion and enhances message recall and persuasion. This is likely why dreamlike campaigns often use fluid, expansive or distorted imagery.

    Another factor is anthropomorphism: the tendency to assign human traits to objects or environments. In our studies on destination branding, we found that people are more emotionally connected to places or products that seem to come alive. These findings help explain why fantastical branding resonates so strongly with consumers, particularly in times of stress.

    Escapism also pairs naturally with luxury branding, where emotional desire often outweighs functional need. In a recent study with our research colleagues, we found that luxury brands were evaluated more favourably when their positioning felt abstract or elevated. Fantasy enhances this effect, allowing consumers to feel both wealthier and transported.

    Escapism isn’t a free pass

    There’s a fine line between meaningful escapism and empty spectacle. If a brand’s fantasy narrative feels disconnected from its action, or appears to mask unethical practices, consumers are quick to notice.

    Greenwashing, AI overuse or tone-deaf advertising can easily backfire on businesses.

    When consumers perceive a brand as inauthentic — whether through misleading sustainability claims, excessive reliance on AI or insensitive messaging — it can erode trust, trigger public criticism and lead to brand avoidance.

    Studies show that such missteps often result in reputational damage and decreased customer loyalty, particularly among values-driven or socially aware consumers

    This is where the concept of radical honesty intersects with escapism. The most effective marketing campaigns today blend creativity with transparency. They tell imaginative stories while also acknowledging real-world issues like carbon emissions, labour practices and social justice issues.

    Brands like Patagonia — and Peace Collective in Canada that’s working in conjunction with McDonalds — have managed to strike this balance by combining emotionally impactful ad campaigns with commitments to ethical and sustainable practices.

    Consumers want experiences that resonate

    In times of economic stress and cultural fatigue, Canadians are seeking experiences that resonate with them. When done thoughtfully and grounded in psychology and authenticity, escapist marketing can respond to consumers’ desire to feel something deeper, even via something as brief as a 30-second ad.

    So next time you find yourself smiling at a surreal commercial or lingering in a carefully curated retail space, understand that small moment of wonder is a strategic choice, supported by research.

    But while immersive storytelling may captivate audiences, consumers are becoming more discerning about what feels authentic. The future of escapist marketing may lie in the blending of digital and physical realities. Tools like augmented and virtual reality can allow brands to create even more immersive fantasies.

    Imagine ordering coffee from an AI-generated character or in a branded metaverse cafe. While it may seem futuristic and fun, many consumers feel uneasy when brands rely too heavily on artificial interactions, fearing a loss of authenticity. This tension highlights the growing divide between technological novelty and the human connection consumers still crave.

    As technology evolves, so, too, will consumer expectations of emotional, imaginative engagement. The next chapter in fantasy branding may not just offer us an escape, but could redefine how we experience commerce itself.

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

    – ref. Why brands are embracing fantasy: The psychology behind escapist marketing in anxious times – https://theconversation.com/why-brands-are-embracing-fantasy-the-psychology-behind-escapist-marketing-in-anxious-times-259226

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Alfa-Bank and HSE Expand Partnership in Business Education

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    The Higher School of Business of the National Research University Higher School of Economics and Alfa-Bank have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at developing educational programs in the field of business informatics.

    The document consolidates the strategic partnership of the parties and opens up new opportunities for integrating practical competencies into student training. Alfa-Bank will become a partner of two HSB bachelor’s programs at once — “Business Informatics” And“Digital Product Management”. The bank’s top managers and key experts will join the Academic Councils of both programs and, together with HSE GSB teachers, will work on developing curricula and strengthening the practical focus of training.

    A separate focus of the cooperation is support for talented students. As part of the agreement, Alfa-Bank is establishing ten grants for students of the Digital Product Management program. The grant will cover 50% of the cost of annual tuition, and applicants entering the program in 2025 will be able to apply for it. This is a significant contribution to supporting talented students and developing the human resources potential of the digital economy.

    Other equally important initiatives include joint lectures, master classes, scientific research and business events, as well as the creation of real cases based on the bank’s experience.

    Marat Ismagulov

    HR Director of Alfa-Bank

    “We are convinced that quality education should go hand in hand with practical experience and modern professional knowledge. Thanks to cooperation with the Higher School of Business HSE, we offer students unique conditions for professional growth, we prepare graduates who are in demand by the market. We are glad to see promising young specialists in our bank, who will be able to make a significant contribution to the development of fintech both in our bank and in the country as a whole.”

    Zaramenskikh Evgeny Petrovich

    Head of the Department of Business Informatics, Academic Director of the Business Informatics program at the Higher School of Business, National Research University Higher School of Economics

    “Cooperation with Alfa-Bank allows us to make educational programs even closer to practice. Students have the opportunity not only to learn from industry professionals, but also to work on real business tasks, receive expert support and professional guidance. This is especially important in such rapidly developing areas as business informatics and digital product management.”

    The partnership between the HSE Higher School of Business and Alfa-Bank has been developing for several years. Ivan Pyatkov, Director of Retail Business at Alfa-Bank, and Marat Ismagulov, HR Director at Alfa-Bank, have already spoken within the walls of the business school. The new stage of cooperation will allow such meetings to be held on a regular basis and attract even more leaders and experts to them.

    This summer, the cooperation will also reach an international level: VShB and Alfa-Bank will hold Summer school “Digital Product Management” for students from China. Participants will spend a week in Moscow, learning from leading industry experts, developing practical skills in managing digital products, and getting to know the culture and history of one of the largest megacities in the world.

    The concluded agreement is a step towards closer interaction between business and education, the focus of which is the training of specialists who are ready for the challenges of the digital economy and able to work in real market conditions.

    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 USA: Oklahoma City Locals Join Forces to Lift Up Community Members in Need

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    IAM Local 850’s Women’s Committee, along with IAM Local 2909, recently partnered with Upward Transitions, an Oklahoma City nonprofit, for an outreach event as part of the charity’s 100-year celebration.

    Local 850 offered to host the “Gears and Shears” event at their union hall, where volunteers provided free haircuts, hygiene care kits, and a cookout-style meal to local people in need.

    “We got the word out by handing out our flyer at the local shelters, a day shelter and a night shelter, and it was posted on their notification screens,” said IAM Local 850 Secretary-Treasurer Alana Kirkpatrick. “We hand-billed residents of a low-income, public housing apartment complex just down the road from the union hall and walked through camps of unhoused people around the city to encourage people to come.”

    IAM Local 850 Women’s Committee Chair Tamara Wood formerly worked at Upward Transitions and introduced the idea of a partnership to the local.

    “We will be making this an annual event,” said Wood. “We recruited volunteer barbers, and next time we’ll have twice as many. We merged our locals’ Women’s Committees, we meet together a lot, and we put in a lot of hard work to make this first event happen.”

    “Our Women’s Committee has really stepped up to aid our community,” said IAM Local 850 President Larry Solomon. “This was a huge success. All credit goes to the Women’s Committee, and I can definitely see our Local doing more community service like this in the future.”

    “It’s just really great here in Oklahoma City because we all gather together. We’re not separate local unions, we are all one union fighting for the same cause, and we work really well together in getting things done,” said IAM Local 2909 President Jaime Myers, who led her local to participate in the project.

    “We are also planning a Labor Day event, a bowling tournament, and a Guide Dogs of America | Tender Loving Canines fundraiser,” said Myers. “It has been amazing working together; they give me so much inspiration and hope doing this together. That’s what I love about our unions.”

    Oklahoma AFL-CIO Political Director Isabella Rodriguez helped enormously to coordinate the event. The Oklahoma AFL-CIO donated most of the food and drinks, Local 2909 donated condiments, and Oklahoma AFL-CIO President Jimmy Curry manned the grill.

    IAM Local 850 member James Taylor, who owns a barbering business in addition to working at Tinker Air Force Base, was one of the four volunteer barbers/hair stylists.

    Dozens of community members came to be treated to a fresh cut, hot plates, and cold drinks in the shade. The locals thought of everything, including making baby pools and pet supplies available for those who brought their pets, a special consideration on the 92-degree day.

    “I’m incredibly proud of these locals for working together to do something very generous for their shared community in Oklahoma City,” said IAM District 171 Directing Business Representative Ben Moody, who comes from Local 850 and attended to support and help wherever needed. “I imagine next year’s event will be even more successful now that they’ve done their first.”

    “‘Service to the community’ is in our union’s motto for a reason and these locals are really exemplifying it,” said IAM Air Transport Territory General Vice President Ritchie Johnsen. “Communities trust local unions, their fellow working people and neighbors, when they need help and our union members always step up for their communities.”

    “Aviation and aerospace is the largest industry in the Oklahoma City region, employing thousands of IAM members like those of Local 850 at Tinker Air Force Base,” said IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Craig Martin. “These members and their family-supporting, union jobs are vital to the local economy and lift up the surrounding area. I could not be more proud than to see these members engage with their community members who have fallen on hard times and do what they can to help.”

    The event saw somewhere between 120 and 150 community members and all food and hygiene kits were distributed before haircuts were finished.

    The post Oklahoma City Locals Join Forces to Lift Up Community Members in Need appeared first on IAM Union.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM remarks to the British Chambers of Commerce: 26 June 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Speech

    PM remarks to the British Chambers of Commerce: 26 June 2025

    The Prime Minister gave remarks to the British Chambers of Commerce.

    Thank you, Shevaun, and not just for that introduction, but for all of your leadership over four years now. It’s really good to have been working with you. And I know how valuable this chamber network is to UK PLC, representing us around the world. Building your own communities, brick by brick, creating the jobs, the wealth, the tax receipts that means that we have the opportunity to change our country for the better. And I want to begin by thanking you for all of that. Because, look, I fully acknowledge, and I do acknowledge here, that this year, as we’ve had to fix the foundations of our country, deal with the unprecedented mess that we inherited, we’ve asked a lot of you. I understand that and I want to acknowledge that. It has made a huge difference. Because of it, the money has gone into the NHS and waiting lists are coming down. We’ve put investment into the skills of our young people. The new homes, new roads, new infrastructure that we’re building, they are all vital for the long-term growth of our country. But none of that would have been possible without your contribution, and I say thank you. It’s what I mean by partnership. It’s what I spoke about, Shevaun, two years ago when I last came here. Because for me, this is not just dialogue, it’s a partnership of us all, the British nation, facing down the challenges of a volatile world together. It’s a more volatile world than I think many of us have seen in many years, and frankly the more I see the way this world is changing, the more I see the future that we must build, and the more convinced I am about the need for this unity, a sense between us of shared national purpose. And that is, I believe, how we can rise again together and mark my words, we will.

    Take the Spending Review. This is a clear shift in the nature of this government, beyond fixing those inherited problems and now investing in the future of our country. We’ve, as it were, wiped the slate clean, we’ve stabilised the economy, and now we can go on to the next phase of government, building on that foundation, building a fairer Britain, change and renewal that you can feel. And that means, of course, that we have to back you to the hilt, because your members are the engines of growth in every community across the United Kingdom. And that’s the responsibility of partnership, and we want to be the best state partner for enterprise anywhere in the world and to give you the best possible conditions to succeed, and I am optimistic about this. And don’t get me wrong, I know that the trading environment is not easy. The challenges that you face are front and centre of my mind. When I’m sitting across the negotiating table with the EU, with the US, with India, whoever it is, trust me, I’m fighting for you, and politics is about who do you have in your mind’s eye. But together I do believe we’ve got to stop doing that British understatement thing. We do it all the time, including me. Because believe you me, this is a great moment to get on the phone to the world and say, take another look at Britain. I was speaking to Jensen Huang the other day, CEO of Nvidia, the largest semiconductor company in the world, and he was saying Britain is in a Goldilocks situation on AI. Ready to take off, a really good place to be investing. You can see it with Amazon this week, a massive 40-billion-pound investment in our country. One of the biggest investments that’s ever gone in. Thousands of jobs created in Hull, in the East Midlands, in Northampton, which means that since July of last year, we’ve attracted over 120 billion pounds into our economy. Now, you will all get this and understand this straight away, but these are companies that can invest anywhere in the world. They don’t have to invest here, but they’re choosing Britain. And that’s a sign of confidence in our plan for change, that we are a stable partner, that we are open for business, that we are putting our money in your customers’ pockets. [Political content redacted]. 380,000 jobs have been created. More demand for your goods and your services. More opportunities to boost your bottom line. Because, this is crucial, as we fix those foundations, we also make choices that will make us a fairer, more prosperous country. For example, as Shevaun mentioned, two years ago at this conference, I set out that bold vision in relation to planning reform, then leader of the opposition – to remove the blockages in the system, to build the labs, the warehouses, the grid connections that all of your businesses need. And two years later, standing here, that vision is written into legislation and we’re pushing it through Parliament. And every day new spades are hitting the ground. Growth revised up because of it. A promise made to you two years ago – a promise delivered.

    It’s the same with our industrial strategy announced earlier this week. For far too long, Britain ignored this. We didn’t back businesses, we didn’t invest in projects and technology that are critical to our future. Didn’t have a plan that gave your businesses the certainty that you need. Well, now we have that plan and it’s been drawn up in partnership and it is, quote, ‘a significant step forward for our economy’. That’s not my words, they’re Shevaun words. And as she says, and this to me was the most important part in Shevaun’s response on your behalf, that what you shared with us, what you fed in, has been quote, ‘heard and reflected in our strategy’. Your fingerprints are on that strategy. It came out of the discussions that I and others have had with many people in this room. It wasn’t plucked out of the sky by a government, it was reflecting back what you had told us needed to change. And that is what I mean by partnership, where both partners do different things, bring different things to the table. It’s a statement shared by other leaders. What Shevaun said wasn’t just what Shevaun thought, what you thought, it was the sentiments of the CBI, of Enterprise Nation, the Federation of Small Businesses, Make UK, Small Business Britain, and the Startup Coalition. Backing British business with significant investment in R&D. New technical colleges across the country. Electricity bills slashed for more than 7,000 businesses – that will make a massive difference, so many people in this room and elsewhere have said to me, it’s the energy cost here, they’re not competitive across Europe, we have to find a way to bring them down. That’s what we’ve been able to do to boost our competitiveness. A promise that we made and a promise that we have delivered.

    And across the country, it’s the same story. Stripping out regulation that blocks investment. Pushing forward with radical devolution agenda. Investing in skills and making sure that that’s devolved. Unlocking pension wealth to back British business. Building new infrastructure the length and breadth of our country. Carbon capture projects in Merseyside, in Scotland and along the east coast. Nuclear in Nottinghamshire and, of course, at Sizewell. Rail investment in Wales. A new runway at Heathrow. New Metro schemes everywhere from the Northeast to the West Midlands, Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds.

    And now today, another step, a new trade strategy that I am proud to launch at this conference, because there’s no better place for that than with Britain’s leading exporters, with you. It builds, as you would have expected, and of course, on the deals we’ve already struck with India, the United States and the European Union. The hat-trick, as I call it. I’ve played defensive midfield all my life as a footballer. The last time I got a hat-trick, I think, was when the kids were about seven and I could just about get the ball past them, so I’m going to take this particular hat-trick. But look, seriously, you don’t need me to stand here and tell you how important these trade deals are. The EU SPS agreement on its own is a huge boost for food exporters and importers, driving down the cost base for retailers, reducing friction for our exports. A huge boost for the food industry and, I think, a sign that partnership is not just empty rhetoric, that we’re prepared to fight for your political case for the growth and jobs that you can deliver. Small businesses, of course, as well as larger firms. And that EU-UK reset is so important on so many strands. There were 10 strands to that agreement. The SPS was one of them. There was the Defence and Security Partnership. Yesterday, I was at the NATO summit, we were increasing spending on defence across all of our allies. And because of the relationships that we’ve built, as people increase their spending, they’re coming to us for discussion. They were doing it in the margins of the meetings yesterday because they know that we have the ability to help them with the defence capability that they need to build. And therefore, the EU-UK reset is about the strands that are in the deal, but it’s also about the relationships that we’re building that absolutely help and enable trade, and you will understand that. But that mindset is true of all the other deals.

    The US deal, hugely important for car manufacturing, particularly for companies like Jaguar Land Rover. And before we made the deal, and after we made the deal, I went to Solihull, to JLR, a number of times to speak to the workers there and to look into their eyes, and I know how much it meant to them. Before the deal, they knew that trading at 27.5 per cent tariffs into the North American market was really difficult, and they absolutely appreciated what that meant for them, for their jobs, for their families and their communities. And that’s why when we got the deal done, when we got it over the line eventually last week, that signature, the CEO of JLR, Adrian Mardell, called me and made it crystal clear that thousands of jobs across the West Midlands had been saved. And then think of the supply chains that go with that, in logistics, in engineering, in freight. Think of the demand in the local economy, the cafés, the retailers, the pubs. And that is all true of that deal. It’s why we had to be so focused to achieve that deal. The only country in the world to have got a trade deal with the US, something which we’ve been talking about for a very, very long time, is vital for these sectors that it protects.

    And that approach is true also of the India deal, again talked about for a very long time, but an unprecedented opportunity for UK PLC to access the world’s fastest-growing economy. And I’ve spoken to some of our whisky and gin distillers about the India deal and they’ve told me that their concern now is whether they can produce enough to meet the demand. What a great problem to have, what a great problem. It’s a huge win for them. And under the India deal, tariffs for our car manufacturer slashed from over 100 per cent to just 10 per cent, the best terms of any country in the world – a deal which people said could never be done. That actually is true of all three deals. They said it wouldn’t be possible to get a US deal, it wouldn’t be possible to get an EU deal, if you had a US deal, you had to choose between the two, and it certainly wouldn’t be possible to get an India deal. We’ve been able to get them and that is brilliant for Britain and brilliant for you. And we’ll go forward from here, and it’s not just the terms of the trade deal, it’s the signal that it sends about us, a transformation of our global brand.

    Because for years the message the previous government was sending to the world was one of chaos, instability, the lack of courage to strike deals. Because when push comes to shove, in my view, they put politics before country. And together we’ve now completely turned the page on that. With these three deals, we’ve rewritten our brand, restored our identity that even in this volatile world, Britain is proudly, unashamedly, defiantly even, open for business. And today’s trade strategy builds on that. We’re going to keep pushing, keep making deals, keep opening up new markets for you. We’re expanding the capacity of our export credit agency by 20 billion pounds, and I know how important that is for everyone in this room. We’re launching a new Ricardo Fund. We will reduce trade friction for professionals in engineering, architecture, accountancy and so much more, opening up five billion pounds worth of export opportunities.

    Because trade isn’t just about goods. We’re a services superpower, so we’ll back our exporting services as well, show more flexibility in that approach. And what we want to do is push not just for traditional trade agreements, but also for smaller deals that we can make quicker, at pace. Whether that’s a digital trade agreement with Brazil, Thailand or Kenya, clean energy cooperation with the Philippines and Mexico, professional qualification recognition all around the world. But perhaps, most importantly, in this uncertain and challenging world, we will also give ourselves new powers on trade and defence, make sure that if your businesses are threatened by practices like dumping, that we have the right powers to defend you. And I’m determined that Britain becomes a global champion for free trade. I’m determined that we are the beacon for those values. And frankly, I think our actions already speak louder than any words. But in a world where things can change quickly, as you’ve seen in the recent days, we have seen in sectors like steel that protection measures do need to be put in place, then we have to be ready to back British business. And that is what we’ve done on trade, that is what we will do in the future right across our economy. Businesses creating wealth in every community, and a [political content redacted] government investing in the skills, the infrastructure, the future that we need to build. A partnership in the national interest, driving us forward, delivering change and renewal, putting more money in the pockets of working people. That is the change that we can deliver together, a Britain that is back in business. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: As Congressional Republicans Take An Axe To Clean Energy, Luján Reintroduces Commonsense Legislation To Expand Access To Solar Energy For Families And Businesses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
    Republican Lawmakers Are Working To Cut Funding For Clean Energy;
    Luján’s Bill Offers A Practical, Commonsense Solution For Our Energy Future
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) reintroduced the Community Solar Consumer Choice Act, legislation that would support community solar projects and expand access to solar energy across the country, regardless of one’s income or ability to host a solar system on their roof. Directing more resources to expand renewable energy through community solar projects would lower energy costs for consumers, support good-paying jobs, and help combat the climate crisis. Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) introduced companion legislation in the House.
    As Congressional Republicans continue to push their reconciliation bill that slashes clean energy investments that have helped create hundreds of thousands of jobs and lowered energy costs for hardworking families, Senator Luján is leading legislation to expand access to clean energy while creating good-paying jobs and lowering energy prices. Currently, nearly half of American households and businesses are unable to use rooftop solar systems due to high costs of installation or because they live in buildings that cannot host solar panels.
    “As the climate crisis intensifies and Republican lawmakers push to cut clean energy funding, fighting for practical solutions like community solar is more critical than ever,” said Senator Luján. “I’m proud to reintroduce the Community Solar Consumer Choice Act to expand access to solar power through community solar projects for all Americans and create more good-paying, clean energy jobs. This bill is a step forward in combating the climate crisis, and I look forward to working with Representative Castor to get this bill passed.”
    “Every family deserves access to affordable, clean energy—no matter their zip code or housing situation,” said Rep. Kathy Castor. “Too many Americans are locked out of rooftop solar because they rent their homes, live in multi-family buildings or can’t afford the upfront costs. The Community Solar Consumer Choice Act helps break down these barriers by expanding access to shared solar projects, allowing more Americans to save money on their electric bills and benefit from the clean energy economy. I’m thankful for Sen. Luján’s partnership in pushing for lower electric bills for Americans across the country. This bill empowers communities—especially working families, small businesses and Tribal governments—to participate in local solar projects that reduce energy costs, cut pollution and create good-paying jobs. It’s a win-win for working families and for our climate future.”
    Specifically, the Community Solar Consumer Choice Act would:
    Require the Department of Energy to expand existing grant, loan, and financing programs to include community solar programs and to establish a program to increase access to community solar programs, including through technical assistance;
    Require each electric utility to offer a community solar program that provides all ratepayers, including low-income ratepayers, with equitable access; 
    Allow the General Services Administration to offer a public utility contract for a period of up to 30 years – currently, the maximum is 10 years. 
    “The New Mexico Climate Investment Center is particularly focused on development of community solar facilities that are community-owned, tribal-owned, and those in rural electric cooperative districts of New Mexico. Such community solar facilities will need the technical assistance in developing such programs particularly to provide greater access to low-cost solar subscriptions for the most vulnerable households in our communities that they are targeting. This bill seeks to address the need for technical assistance and other types of support to provide greatest access to those subscribers. We are in support of Senator Lujan’s bill to provide such support,” said Beth Beloff, CEO of New Mexico Climate Investment Center.
    “The Community Solar Choice Act is exactly the kind of forward-thinking, commonsense energy policy we need to expand access to affordable clean energy for more Americans. Community solar delivers bill savings, energy resilience, and local jobs—especially for low- and moderate-income households. We’re grateful to Senator Luján and Representative Castor for championing this legislation and look forward to working with them to ensure community solar continues to grow as a vital part of the nation’s energy economy,” said Jeff Cramer, President and CEO, Coalition for Community Solar Access.
    “As extreme heat drives up electricity bills across the country, this legislation couldn’t come at a more urgent time. Americans are demanding relief from rising energy costs, and expanding community solar is a commonsense way to deliver it. Solar energy is cheaper and faster to build, but not everyone can install solar panels on their roof. Community solar offers a practical solution to ensure everyone, especially those in low-income neighborhoods facing the highest energy cost burdens, has the option to power their homes with affordable, reliable clean energy. We applaud Rep. Castor and Senator Lujan’s leadership in advancing this critical effort,” said Rachel Patterson, Senior Policy Director, Evergreen Action.
    “Ensuring families, particularly renters, have more choices to access cheaper, cleaner, local solar energy in their communities is a win-win-win. It’s good for families’ budgets, good for communities’ development and job creation, and good for our environment. Solar energy is the fastest electricity to get on the grid, and when it is local, or distributed, and especially when paired with battery storage, it is even better at stabilizing our grids and driving down costs for all communities and businesses,” said Matthew Davis, Vice President of Federal Policy, League of Conservation Voters.
    “Too many families—especially in communities overburdened by pollution—have been left out of the benefits of solar power. The Community Solar Consumer Choice Act is a critical step toward correcting that injustice. By expanding access to community solar, this bill helps ensure that low-income households and renters can finally share in the cost savings and cleaner air that solar energy provides. As parents, we support this legislation because it prioritizes previously overlooked communities, protects our children’s health, and builds a more just and sustainable energy future for all of us,” said Liz Hurtado (she/her), National Field Manager, EcoMadres, Moms Clean Air Force.
    “Community solar is one of the smartest and most reliable tools we have to lower electricity bills, reduce pollution, and build energy independence, especially for renters and low-income families who are too often left behind. The Community Solar Consumer Choice Act expands fairness and opportunity in our energy system by giving more Americans access to the benefits of affordable, domestic, clean power at a time when families need it most. This is common-sense policy that strengthens energy freedom, supports local jobs, and makes our communities more resilient,” said Xavier Boatright, Deputy Legislative Director, Sierra Club.
    The bill is endorsed by New Mexico Climate Investment Center, Coalition for Community Solar Access, Evergreen Action, GreenLatinos, League of Conservation Voters, Moms Clean Air Force, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Solar Energy Industries Association, WE ACT for Environmental Justice.
    Senator Luján has been a champion in advancing clean energy, previously introducing legislation that would require states to consider policies to promote the deployment of community solar projects.
    Full text of the bill can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SEC Publishes Data on Broker-Dealers, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Business Development Companies

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (DERA) has published new reports and data on broker-dealers, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and business development companies (BDCs).

    Today’s reports provide the public with information about the changes in broker-dealer and M&A activity over time. In addition, the BDC data allow the public to conduct its own analysis of data filed with the Commission.

    “It is important to understand the current status of markets and how they have been changing,” said Robert Fisher, Acting Chief Economist and Director of the SEC’s Division of Economic and Risk Analysis. “Providing such information helps all of us to understand how the markets are functioning.”

    The three reports and data issued today are:

    • Broker-Dealer Activity in the United States provides information on registered broker-dealers and their activities over the period 2010-2024, including an analysis of the industry, the structure of activity of different types of broker-dealers, and the revenues and expenses of broker-dealers. As of 2024, there were approximately 3,340 broker-dealers with total assets of approximately $6.4 trillion. The number of broker-dealers declined by approximately 30% from 2010 to 2024, but assets grew by approximately $1.7 trillion. These results show a trend of industry consolidation, with a declining fraction of market participants responsible for a larger asset pool by the end of the sample period.
    • Analysis of Merger & Acquisition Activity provides a recent analysis of the U.S. mergers and acquisitions market, including an analysis of the characteristics of a typical deal and the geographic location of the acquirers and targets. The market has exhibited cyclicality such that years with favorable overall market performance were generally associated with higher deal volume. The average deal value was $3.5 billion, while the median deal value was $0.5 billion. The average acquirer had assets of $40 billion, but the median was close to $7 billion. In contrast, targets were significantly smaller, with the average target reporting assets of $5 billion and the median target reporting assets of $1 billion. Close to three-quarters of the deals involved acquirers and targets in the same two-digit Standard Industrial Classification industry and approximately a third of the deals involved targets and acquirers headquartered in the same state.
    • Business Development Company Data Sets provide data extracted from disclosures filed by BDCs with the Commission. The BDC Data Sets provide a schedule of investments report, detailed financial data sets, and a summary non-financial data set.

    DERA integrates financial economics and rigorous data analytics into the SEC’s core mission. It conducts detailed, high-quality economic and statistical analyses to advise on Commission matters and helps identify and respond to issues, trends, and innovations in the marketplace.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SEC Publishes Data on Broker-Dealers, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Business Development Companies

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (DERA) has published new reports and data on broker-dealers, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and business development companies (BDCs).

    Today’s reports provide the public with information about the changes in broker-dealer and M&A activity over time. In addition, the BDC data allow the public to conduct its own analysis of data filed with the Commission.

    “It is important to understand the current status of markets and how they have been changing,” said Robert Fisher, Acting Chief Economist and Director of the SEC’s Division of Economic and Risk Analysis. “Providing such information helps all of us to understand how the markets are functioning.”

    The three reports and data issued today are:

    • Broker-Dealer Activity in the United States provides information on registered broker-dealers and their activities over the period 2010-2024, including an analysis of the industry, the structure of activity of different types of broker-dealers, and the revenues and expenses of broker-dealers. As of 2024, there were approximately 3,340 broker-dealers with total assets of approximately $6.4 trillion. The number of broker-dealers declined by approximately 30% from 2010 to 2024, but assets grew by approximately $1.7 trillion. These results show a trend of industry consolidation, with a declining fraction of market participants responsible for a larger asset pool by the end of the sample period.
    • Analysis of Merger & Acquisition Activity provides a recent analysis of the U.S. mergers and acquisitions market, including an analysis of the characteristics of a typical deal and the geographic location of the acquirers and targets. The market has exhibited cyclicality such that years with favorable overall market performance were generally associated with higher deal volume. The average deal value was $3.5 billion, while the median deal value was $0.5 billion. The average acquirer had assets of $40 billion, but the median was close to $7 billion. In contrast, targets were significantly smaller, with the average target reporting assets of $5 billion and the median target reporting assets of $1 billion. Close to three-quarters of the deals involved acquirers and targets in the same two-digit Standard Industrial Classification industry and approximately a third of the deals involved targets and acquirers headquartered in the same state.
    • Business Development Company Data Sets provide data extracted from disclosures filed by BDCs with the Commission. The BDC Data Sets provide a schedule of investments report, detailed financial data sets, and a summary non-financial data set.

    DERA integrates financial economics and rigorous data analytics into the SEC’s core mission. It conducts detailed, high-quality economic and statistical analyses to advise on Commission matters and helps identify and respond to issues, trends, and innovations in the marketplace.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Booker Renew Push to Ban the U.S. Sale and Manufacturing of “K-Leather” and Protect Kangaroos from Largest Commercial Slaughter in the World

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    June 25, 2025
    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced legislation to ban the sale and manufacturing of products made from kangaroo skin, also known as “k-leather.” After years of the two lawmakers leading the charge on this issue, this week Mizuno and UMBRO joined cleat manufacturing giants—including Nike, Adidas, Puma and ASICS—in pledging to halt production of k-leather in their soccer cleats and other products. To help build on this momentum, reverse this inhumane trend and safeguard the kangaroo species from commercial exploitation, Senators Duckworth and Booker are introducing the Kangaroo Protection Act, which would help protect millions of wild kangaroos and their innocent babies who are needlessly killed every year for the use of their leather in commercial products. Additionally, this legislation would empower the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with other agencies, to issue civil and criminal penalties of fines up to $10,000 and other regulations.
    “The mass killing of millions of kangaroos to make commercial products is needless and inhumane,” said Senator Duckworth. “While it is encouraging that more and more cleat manufacturers are pledging to stop using k-leather, the U.S. must stop incentivizing this cruel practice once and for all. I’m proud to reintroduce this bill with Senator Booker that would help prevent the deadly exploitation of kangaroos and promote the use of more humane alternatives to k-leather.”
    “We should not allow the unnecessary killing of animals just so that big corporations can maximize profits,” said Senator Booker. “This legislation will help conserve the kangaroo species by ensuring that no one in the United States can distribute kangaroo products for commercial gain.”
    The commercial slaughter of kangaroos isn’t just widespread—it’s unnecessarily cruel. It uses similar killing methods and is ten times larger than the infamously brutal Canadian seal hunt, which prompted the United States to ban the import of seal pelts in 1972. Despite having similar import bans for other animals, the U.S. is currently the second largest commercial market for k-leather products in the world. The Senators’ proposed legislation would help change that.
    Copy of the bill text is available on Senator Duckworth’s website.
    “It’s profit from the sale of skins and other body parts that drives the killing of more than a million kangaroos a year in their native habitats in Australia,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “Senator Duckworth’s bill is a tremendous complement to the decisions by all the big athletic shoe brands to halt sourcing of kangaroo skins for cleats and her measure has the potential to spare the lives of hundreds of thousands of the iconic marsupials every year.”
    This legislation is supported by 13 Hands Equine Rescue Team (Clinton Corners, NY), A Place Called Hope (Killingworth, CT), A Voice for the Voiceless (Louisville, KY), Alaqua Animal Refuge & Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, (Freeport, FL), Albuquerque Vegan (NM), Alliance for Animals (Madison, WI), Allied Scholars for Animal Protection, Angels Grove Ranch and Horse Rescue (Bush, LA), Animal & Earth Advocates (Seattle, WA), Animal Advocates of South Central Pennsylvania, Animal Alliance Network, Animal Behavior and Healing (Portland, ME), Animal Care Society (Mathews, VA), Animal Education & Rescue (Libertyville, IL), Animal Kindness Foundation (Las Vegas, NV), Animal Protection Affiliates (NV), Animal Protection League of New Jersey, Animal Protection New Mexico, Animal Rights Foundation of Florida, Animal Rights Initiative, Animal Rights Maine, Animal Save Movement, Animal Welfare Society (Kennebunk, ME), Animal Wellness Action, Animal Wellness Foundation, Animals’ Angels, Anonymous for the Voiceless – Las Vegas (NV), Arizona Humane Society, Arrow Fund (Louisville, KY), Associated Humane Societies, Ballydídean Farm Sanctuary (Clinton, WA), Basin and Range Watch (NV), Berkeley Animal Rights Center (CA), Berkshire Voters for Animals (MA), Bleating Hearts Sanctuary (Golden, CO), Blissful Dreams Rescue Ranch (Huger, SC), Boulder Bear Coalition (CO), Bucky’s Bull Rescue (Cedar Grove, WI), Cedar Cove Conservation & Education Center (Louisburg, KS), Center for, Ethical Science, Charleston Carriage Horse Advocates (SC), Chicago Alliance for Animals (IL), Christian Animal Rights Association, Citizens for Alternatives to Animal Research and Experimentation (CAARE), Climate Save Movement, Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc. (NY), Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages (NY), Colorado Voters for Animals, Compassionate Action for Animals (Minneapolis, MN), Compassionate & Responsible Tourism (NY), Connecticut Votes for Animals, DC Voters for Animals, Dead Broke Farm (Raleigh, NC), Defend Them All Foundation (Portland, OR), Difference Makers Media (Wilmette, IL), Direct Action Everywhere (Berkeley, CA), EarthAction, Emerald City Pet Rescue (Seattle, WA), Endangered Habitats League (West Hollywood, CA), Endangered Species Coalition, Environmental Protection Information Center (CA), Equine Collaborative International, Equine Voices Rescue & Sanctuary (Amado, AZ), Erika’s Equine Center (Nerstrand, MN), Exotic Avian Sanctuary of Tennessee, Fair Start Movement, Fayette Regional Humane Society (Washington Court House, OH), Federation of Humane Organizations of West Virginia, Fish Feel, Footloose Montana, Forever Home Beagle Rescue (Pittsburgh, PA), Four Paws USA (Boston, MA), Friends of Animals of Metro Detroit (MI), Friends of the Merry Meeting Bay (Richmond, ME), Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf and Wildlife, Friends of Washoe (Ellensburg, WA), Georgia Animal Rights and Protection, Georgia Equine Rescue League, Ginger’s Pet Rescue (Seattle, WA), Global Coalition of Farm Sanctuaries, Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, Good Karma Pet Rescue (Pompano Beach, FL), Great Spirit Animal Sanctuary (Snowflake, AZ), Green Mountain Animal Defenders (Burlington, VT), Grit and Grace Farm & Wildlife Rehabilitation (Cynthiana, KY), Hanaeleh Horse Rescue and Advocacy (Trabuco Canyon, CA), Harmony Farm Sanctuary (Bend, OR), Heart of Alabama (Killen, AL), Heartland Equine Rescue (IN), Heartwood Haven (Roy, WA), Hope Haven Farm Sanctuary (Sewickley, PA), Hot Springs Village Animal Welfare League (AR), Hotchkiss Humane Society (CT), Houston Animal Activism (TX), Howling for Wolves (Hopkins, MN), Humane Action Pennsylvania, Humane Action Pittsburgh (PA), Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh (PA), Humane Long Island (NY), Humane Society of Central Arizona, Humane Society of Huron Valley (MI), Humane Voters of Washington, In Defense of Animals, In-Sync Wildlife Rescue and Educational Center (Wylie, TX), Indiana Skunk Rescue (North Salem), Indraloka Animal Sanctuary (Dalton, PA), Indraloka Sanctuary Children’s Programs (Dalton, PA), Iowa Farm Sanctuary, Jefferson County Humane Society (OH), Jewish Vegan Life, Keepers of the Wild (Valentine, AZ), Kentuckians Vote for Animals, Kindred Spirits, Rescue Ranch (Darlington, PA), Klamath Forest Alliance (CA), LA Animal Save (Los Angeles, CA), Lancaster Farm Sanctuary (PA), League of Humane Voters – Georgia, League of Humane Voters – New Jersey, Liberty Equine (Park City, UT), Los Angeles Alliance for Animals (CA), Luvin Arms Farm Animal Sanctuary (Erie, CO), Madrean Archipelago Wildlife Center (Canelo, AZ), Magical Creatures Sanctuary (Laupahoehoe, HI), Maine Animal Coalition, Maine Friends of Animals, Marley’s Mutts (Tehachapi, CA), Maryland Votes for Animals, Inc., Massachusetts for Elephants, Massachusetts Society for the, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals – Angell, Mauritius Primate Rescue, Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals (NY), Michelson Center for Public Policy, Misfits Coven Animal Haven (Pittsburgh, PA), Mississippi Animal Rescue League, Monmouth County SPCA (Eatontown, NJ), My Pegasus Project (Duncanville, TX), Nevada Paws – The Link, New Hampshire Animal Rights League, Noah’s, Lost Ark Animal Sanctuary (Berlin Center, OH), North Country Animal League (Morrisville, VT), Northeast Equine Rescue (West Newbury, ME), NYC Plover Project (New York City, NY), NYCLASS (New York City, NY), Ocean Conservation Research, Oceanic Preservation Society , OceansWide (Newcastle, ME), Off the Plate Farm Animal Sanctuary (Montgomery, VT), Oregon Animal Rescue, Oregon Horse Rescue, Out to Pasture Animal Sanctuary (Estacada, OR), Off the Table Farm Sanctuary (Westfield, WI), Open Sanctuary Project, Ozarks, Kat and K9 Shelter (Sunrise Beach, MO), Palm Springs Animal Shelter (CA), Panhandle Equine (Cantonment, FL), Partnership to Ban Horse Carriages Worldwide, Pasado’s Safe Haven (Sultan, WA), Patchwork Pastures (Wantage, NJ), Pawsitive Beginnings, Inc. (Key Largo, FL), Peace Ridge Sanctuary (Brooks, ME), Peaceful Planet Foundation, Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary (Deer Trail, CO), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Phoenix Zones Initiative, Piedmont Farm Animal Rescue (Pittsboro, NC), Pigsburgh Squealers (Tarentum, PA), Pittie Posse Rescue (ME), Pittsburgh Vegan Society (PA), Plant Based in Baja (CA), Plant-Based Treaty, Plant Peace Daily (Glorieta, NM), Pollination Project (Marin County, CA), Possums Welcome (San Rafael, CA), Potter’s Angels Rescue (Montpelier, VT), Pride & Joy Horse Rescue (Fargo, ND), Project Animal Freedom (Eureka, MO), Protect Our Wildlife Vermont, Rainbow Meadows Equine Rescue (Junction City, KS), Red Robin Song Animal Sanctuary (West Lebanon, NY), Revolution Philadelphia (PA), Rise for Animals, Rocket, Dog Rescue (Oakland, CA), Rowdy Girl Sanctuary (Waedler, TX), Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary (Imlay, NV), Sanctuary Education Advisory Specialists (East Hartford, CT), Santa Fe Vegan (NM), Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center (CA), Save Our Sky Blue Waters (Duluth, MN), Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue (South Acworth, NH), SHARK (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness), Social Compassion in Legislation (Laguna Beach, CA), Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA), Southern Cross Animal Rescue, (Laurel, MS), SPCA International, SPCA of Hancock County (ME), Species United (Brooklyn, NY), Spirit’s Promise Equine Rescue (Riverhead, NY), Stray Dog Support, Inc., Supporting and Promoting Animal Ethics for the Animal Kingdom (SPEAK) (Tucson, AZ), Switch4Good (Irvine, CA), Tahoe Wolf Center (CA), TevaLand Sanctuary Farm (Hillburn, NY), Texas Humane Legislation Network, The Animal Law Office (San Rafael, CA), The Buddy Fund (New York City, NY), The Center for a Humane Economy, The Parrot Club (Hartford, CT), The Urban Wildlands Group (Los Angeles, CA), The Wild Animal Sanctuary (Keenesburg, CO), Their Turn, Think Wild (Bend, OR), Trailsafe Nevada, Tulsa Vegan Guide (OK), Turtle Island Restoration Network (CA/TX), Unitarian Universalist Animal Ministry (Boulder, CO), Urban Acres Horse Farm (Omaha, NE), Urban Wildlife Research Project (CA), Vegan Organic Network, Vegan Pittsburgh (PA), Veganville Animal Sanctuary (Seaside, OR), VegMichigan, VENDX (Edgewater, FL), Vermont Wildlife Patrol, Victorian Kangaroo Alliance, Voice for Animals (York, ME), Voices of Wildlife in New Hampshire, Voters for Animal Rights (Brooklyn, NY), West Virginia Voters for Animal Welfare, Western Massachusetts Animal Rights Advocates, Western Wildlife Outreach (WA), WildAid (San Francisco, CA), Wildcare Oklahoma, Wildcat Creek Wildlife Center, Inc. (Delphi, IN), Wildlife for All, Wildlife in Crisis (Weston, CT), Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, Inc. (San Antonio, TX), Wildlife Watch, Inc., World Vegan Vision (Paterson, NJ), Wynnwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (Elizabethton, TN), Wyoming Untrapped and Wyoming Wildlife Advocates.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Mulberry and Appliance.io Launch Scalable, Tech-Forward Product Protection Program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mulberry, a leader in innovative product protection solutions, has partnered with Appliance.io, the all-in-one software platform for appliance dealers, to deliver a fully integrated, customizable warranty experience designed to drive revenue and enhance customer satisfaction.

    “Appliance.io shares our vision of empowering dealers through smart technology,” said Chinedu Eleanya, CEO of Mulberry. “It’s imperative in today’s market to leverage innovative software solutions to reduce overhead and drive incremental revenue. With significant profit margin and reduced operational costs, leveraging the Mulberry platform is a clear win for dealers.”

    As retailers seek more efficient, digital-first solutions, this strategic collaboration equips Appliance.io’s network of independent dealers with a seamless way to offer tailored protection plans that integrate directly with their point-of-sale and e-commerce operations. Appliance.io not only supports this shift—it raises the bar by fully automating the warranty process with Mulberry’s API-driven solution in a way that has never been done before.

    “We’re building innovative tools with partners like Mulberry, and dealers are taking notice,” said Katie Bange, Head of Product at Appliance.io. “With this integration, warranty plans are automatically registered once the appliance is delivered, eliminating the need for retailers to manually submit claims, coordinate coverage, or follow up on customer issues. Mulberry replaces the full-time role many dealers had dedicated to warranty follow-up. It’s a game changer in terms of saving time, resources, and operational costs.”

    The partnership has already driven strong results for forward-thinking Appliance.io dealers that switched from a legacy warranty solution to Mulberry:

    • 80% increase in protection plan attachment rates on appliance orders
    • 132% growth in total warranty sales as a result of Mulberry’s integration

    Integrating Mulberry’s tech-enabled warranty solution marks a major step forward in Appliance.io’s mission to deliver powerful tools and enhanced revenue opportunities to appliance dealers nationwide. To learn more about Mulberry’s product protection solutions, visit getmulberry.com.

    About Appliance.io
    Appliance.io is a modern retail platform built exclusively for appliance dealers. From point-of-sale and inventory to eCommerce, integrated routing, protection plan automation, optional in-house website builds, and comprehensive reporting with real-time data tracking, Appliance.io provides the end-to-end infrastructure retailers need to grow and compete in a digital world.

    About Mulberry
    Mulberry is a people-first product protection platform that offers solutions for retail partners and consumers. Mulberry product protection plans can be purchased directly from Mulberry or through qualified retail partners. Mulberry protects customer purchases from accidental damages and losses with a best-in-class solution that offers simple claims-filing and fast resolutions. To learn more about Mulberry, visit https://www.getmulberry.com.

    Press contact:

    press@getmulberry.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: TWL Miner launched A New Upgraded Cloud Mining Contract Today

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    New York City, NY, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cloud mining is moving towards a new stage of being lighter and smarter. TWL Miner announced the launch of an upgraded free cloud mining platform designed to meet the needs of a new generation of cryptocurrency users, demonstrating its commitment to innovation and environmental responsibility.This move is in line with the industry’s growing focus on sustainability, smart mining technology and secure digital asset access. It is designed for efficiency-oriented investors, supports automatic settlement and zero maintenance, and combines AI computing power scheduling with green energy to lower the threshold for participation and build a sustainable and transparent passive income channel.

    With users from over 180 countries and a strong foundation of automated mining infrastructure, TWL Miner enables users to mine Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other top digital assets directly from the cloud – no hardware, no technical knowledge required.
    A responsible way to mine cryptocurrency
    The cryptocurrency mining landscape is changing rapidly in 2025. Growing concerns about energy consumption, cybersecurity, and environmental impact have prompted many miners and investors to seek alternatives to traditional hardware mining.TWL Miner responds to this demand by launching a zero-cost, low-carbon and technologically advanced mining platform that eliminates user joining conditions and prioritizes profitability and protecting the earth’s environment.
    The main features of the TWL Miner platform include:
    • Free mining trial launched for all new users worldwide
    •No hardware required, mining is done via TWL Miner’s secure cloud infrastructure
    •Green energy powered data center
    •AI-optimized mining plans for increased efficiency and speed
    •User dashboard with real-time revenue tracking
    •Daily payment in USDT or selected mainstream cryptocurrencies such as BTC, DOGE, LTC, XRP, SOL, etc.
    The perfect combination of technical excellence and everyday practicality
    What sets TWL Miner apart is its ability to seamlessly blend technological innovation with everyday convenience. The platform’s mining engine is powered by artificial intelligence algorithms and a secure server cluster, while the interface is simple, user-friendly, and responsive.

    Users only need to register their email address and start mining in a few minutes without any upfront investment. The platform also provides a series of low-threshold contracts for users who want to scale at their own pace, and adopts a hierarchical referral system to encourage community development.
    Sustainability
    TWL Miner’s infrastructure covers energy usage policies and carbon reduction plans that meet green environmental standards, and is committed to building a smarter and more sustainable crypto ecosystem.This commitment not only aligns with the benchmarks outlined in the 2025 Global Crypto Mining Sustainability Framework, but also reflects the values of a growing number of environmentally conscious digital asset users around the world.
    How to get started
    ⒈Visit twlminer.com
    ⒉Sign up with your email to activate your free mining contract trial
    ⒊Select your favorite mining contract and let the cloud engine start mining
    ⒋Track your earnings daily and withdraw as needed or re-select contracts for continued earnings
    ⒌Invite others and receive referral rewards for each new user
    About TWL Miner
    Founded in 2019, TWL Miner is a UK-based cloud mining platform powered by renewable energy and artificial intelligence.The platform operates in more than 180 countries and has obtained multiple regulatory certifications, providing safe, high-yield mining services, easy global access, and committed to long-term sustainable development.

    For more information, please visit:https://twlminer.com

    MEDIA Details 

    info@twlminer.com

    Address: C F C House Woodseats Close, Acorn Business Park, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom, S8 0TB

    Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release does not constitute an investment solicitation, nor does it constitute investment advice, financial advice, or a trading recommendation. Cryptocurrency mining and staking involve risks and may result in loss of funds. You are strongly advised to perform due diligence before investing or trading in cryptocurrencies and securities, including consulting a professional financial advisor.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: TWL Miner launched A New Upgraded Cloud Mining Contract Today

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    New York City, NY, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cloud mining is moving towards a new stage of being lighter and smarter. TWL Miner announced the launch of an upgraded free cloud mining platform designed to meet the needs of a new generation of cryptocurrency users, demonstrating its commitment to innovation and environmental responsibility.This move is in line with the industry’s growing focus on sustainability, smart mining technology and secure digital asset access. It is designed for efficiency-oriented investors, supports automatic settlement and zero maintenance, and combines AI computing power scheduling with green energy to lower the threshold for participation and build a sustainable and transparent passive income channel.

    With users from over 180 countries and a strong foundation of automated mining infrastructure, TWL Miner enables users to mine Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other top digital assets directly from the cloud – no hardware, no technical knowledge required.
    A responsible way to mine cryptocurrency
    The cryptocurrency mining landscape is changing rapidly in 2025. Growing concerns about energy consumption, cybersecurity, and environmental impact have prompted many miners and investors to seek alternatives to traditional hardware mining.TWL Miner responds to this demand by launching a zero-cost, low-carbon and technologically advanced mining platform that eliminates user joining conditions and prioritizes profitability and protecting the earth’s environment.
    The main features of the TWL Miner platform include:
    • Free mining trial launched for all new users worldwide
    •No hardware required, mining is done via TWL Miner’s secure cloud infrastructure
    •Green energy powered data center
    •AI-optimized mining plans for increased efficiency and speed
    •User dashboard with real-time revenue tracking
    •Daily payment in USDT or selected mainstream cryptocurrencies such as BTC, DOGE, LTC, XRP, SOL, etc.
    The perfect combination of technical excellence and everyday practicality
    What sets TWL Miner apart is its ability to seamlessly blend technological innovation with everyday convenience. The platform’s mining engine is powered by artificial intelligence algorithms and a secure server cluster, while the interface is simple, user-friendly, and responsive.

    Users only need to register their email address and start mining in a few minutes without any upfront investment. The platform also provides a series of low-threshold contracts for users who want to scale at their own pace, and adopts a hierarchical referral system to encourage community development.
    Sustainability
    TWL Miner’s infrastructure covers energy usage policies and carbon reduction plans that meet green environmental standards, and is committed to building a smarter and more sustainable crypto ecosystem.This commitment not only aligns with the benchmarks outlined in the 2025 Global Crypto Mining Sustainability Framework, but also reflects the values of a growing number of environmentally conscious digital asset users around the world.
    How to get started
    ⒈Visit twlminer.com
    ⒉Sign up with your email to activate your free mining contract trial
    ⒊Select your favorite mining contract and let the cloud engine start mining
    ⒋Track your earnings daily and withdraw as needed or re-select contracts for continued earnings
    ⒌Invite others and receive referral rewards for each new user
    About TWL Miner
    Founded in 2019, TWL Miner is a UK-based cloud mining platform powered by renewable energy and artificial intelligence.The platform operates in more than 180 countries and has obtained multiple regulatory certifications, providing safe, high-yield mining services, easy global access, and committed to long-term sustainable development.

    For more information, please visit:https://twlminer.com

    MEDIA Details 

    info@twlminer.com

    Address: C F C House Woodseats Close, Acorn Business Park, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom, S8 0TB

    Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release does not constitute an investment solicitation, nor does it constitute investment advice, financial advice, or a trading recommendation. Cryptocurrency mining and staking involve risks and may result in loss of funds. You are strongly advised to perform due diligence before investing or trading in cryptocurrencies and securities, including consulting a professional financial advisor.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: AI innovation and insights for educators on display at ISTELive 25 June 29-July 2

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: AI innovation and insights for educators on display at ISTELive 25 June 29-July 2

    Learn about AI features for educators coming to Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Chat for teens, and insights from the 2025 AI in Education Report.

    We’re announcing new AI features for educators coming to Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot+ PCs, general availability of Copilot Chat for teen students, our 2025 AI in Education Report, and more.

    We’re inspired by innovative teaching, leading, and learning and excited to share new insights, features for educators and students, and resources to help you get started. Join us in-person at ISTELive 25 and ASCD Annual 25, June 29 – July 2, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas to explore the latest from Microsoft Education with solutions that spark joyful learning and equip educators with AI skills.

    Explore details in the Tech Community blog

    Insights from the 2025 AI in Education Report

    In times of change and innovation, the need for insights and examples of impact becomes increasingly important. That’s why we’re sharing the 2025 AI in Education Report which highlights key findings across AI usage, concerns, and opportunities alongside learnings and progress from global institutions.

    Read the 2025 AI in Education Report

    According to the report, AI in education is advancing daily with over 80% of surveyed educators using AI this year, up 21 points from last year as its role expands from just an assistant to a thought partner and force multiplier. At the same time, approximately one in three surveyed United States K-12 educators still lack confidence in using AI effectively and responsibly and more than half of surveyed students report that they have not received AI training.1

    It’s critical to engage with students, educators, and all community stakeholders to address challenges, learn together, and co-develop the path forward. Further, we need to collectively prepare for an AI-powered future and support students in building relevant AI skills as every industry and discipline evolves. Read the report for an overview and even more insights.

    Teachers are saying, ‘I need training, it needs to be high quality, relevant, and job-embedded…’ In reality, people require guidance and that means teachers and administrators going through professional development.

    Pat Yongpradit, Chief Academic Officer, TeachAI

    Enhancing instruction with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Learning Zone

    Microsoft 365 Copilot delivers the latest AI innovations whether through reasoning agents like Researcher and Analyst, or advanced functionality like Copilot Tuning. Institutions such as Brisbane Catholic Education and Miami Dade College are saving time to reinvest into meaningful work and beginning to explore new capabilities like agents. We’re also collaborating with Learning Management System (LMS) providers like Canvas and Moodle to take the power of agents a step further by supporting integration with Copilot through open-source, customizable samples.

    We told our staff: you have permission to try, and permission to fail. That opened the door for teachers to test Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat without fear of judgment or wasted time. And guess what? Most of the time, those experiments don’t fail—they spark new ways of thinking.

    Shane Tooley, Assistant Principal Curriculum, St. Peter Claver College, Brisbane Catholic Education

    We recently introduced the updated Microsoft 365 Copilot app, your hub for the latest functionality and later this year in preview, for AI-powered features for educators. In one place, educators will be able to easily create lesson plans, draft materials like quizzes and rubrics, and quickly make modifications like translation, adjusted reading levels, length, difficulty, alignment to relevant standards, and more.

    We’re announcing Microsoft Learning Zone, a free, AI-powered learning app and the first Copilot+ PC experience purpose built for educators to create personalized, adaptive learning activities.2 Formerly known as the code name Project Spark, the experience will launch in public preview later this summer on Copilot+ PCs, including Microsoft Surface, and across the Windows ecosystem. It’s powered by new AI innovation, learning science, educator input, and features like lesson creation, customizable tools to meet learning goals, and data-driven insights.

    Microsoft Learning Zone is built on collaborations with organizations such as NASA, The Economist Educational Foundation, PBS NewsHour, Figma, and Minecraft Education to bring real-world relevance into the classroom. It also includes integration with Kahoot! to generate interactive games and OpenStax for content from vetted open educational resources.

    Using Microsoft Learning Zone in the classroom has been an exciting opportunity to explore innovative ways to engage students. I was impressed by the app’s intuitive layout and how easily I could edit and share content with my class. While still in its early stages, Learning Zone shows great potential for helping teachers create AI-driven educational resources.

    Terry Borko, Teacher of Social Studies and Media, Red Deer Lake School

    Preparing students for academic and career success

    Students at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and University of South Carolina are already seeing academic and career preparedness gains with Microsoft 365 Copilot. Copilot Notebooks are now included, and we’re looking forward to bringing even more value with a study guide experience, in preview later this year. Study guide creation is designed to help students, or educators, turn scattered materials into an organized study space with engaging learning activities and content like podcasts instantly. It will include flashcards, fill in the blanks, matching exercises, quizzes, and the ability to review progress.

    In some job interviews recently, I’ve actually been asked about my experience with AI and if I know how to use it efficiently to help manage workflows. Copilot will really help students stay at the forefront of today’s changing world and make them more marketable.

    Emma Ernst, Public Relations Student, University of South Carolina

    In May 2025, we announced that teen student availability for Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot would be coming this summer. We’re now sharing that general availability is expected in late July 2025. To prepare, administrators should review guidance to enable Copilot Chat for students and help ensure appropriate access.

    Enable Copilot Chat access for students

    Copilot Chat is included with Microsoft 365 at no additional cost and offers secure AI chat powered by GPT-4o with the ability to maintain IT control through enterprise data protection and management. It also includes features like file upload, image generation, Copilot Pages, and agents. We’re optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead to help students increase their agency and build skills to prepare for future success. Read more about use cases, reflections, and advice from our global private preview educators and students in the announcement blog and from Johns Creek High School in the following video.

    We’re looking forward to continuing to add education value to Microsoft 365 Copilot and you can review the details, learn about additional updates like the Microsoft 365 Education Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI®), and join our preview communities through the Education Tech Community blog.

    Explore details in the Tech Community blog

    As AI usage and innovation increases, so does the need for training resources that empower educators and students alike. We’re continuing to provide opportunities to build essential skills—from immersive activities in Minecraft Education AI Foundations, to equipping preservice educators with ISTE+ASCD, providing hands-on cybersecurity experience for students, and offering GitHub Certifications on Microsoft Learn and Pearson VUE.

    We’ll also continue highlighting new evidence of impact such as the recent World Bank study in Nigeria, where a pilot program deployed Copilot, which stated that a “cost-effectiveness analysis revealed substantial learning gains, equating to 1.5 to years of ‘business as usual’ schooling, situating the intervention among some of the most cost-effective programs to improve learning outcomes.”

    Additional resources

    • Microsoft Education AI Toolkit – Designed to guide school leaders through the process of planning for and integrating AI across the institution.
    • 2025 AI in Education Report – Learn more about the latest insights on AI in Education from Microsoft.
    • AI strategies from the frontlines of higher education – Read the recent IDC White Paper, sponsored by Microsoft and explore perspectives from academic and IT leaders.
    • AI Classroom Toolkit – Try this creative resource to introduce AI to teen students that blends engaging narrative stories with instructional information for an immersive and informative learning experience.
    • Copilot Chat Adoption Kit – Review the collection of resources for IT, educators, and parents and caregivers to get started with Copilot Chat.
    • Minecraft Education AI Foundations – Build AI literacy with Agent and Chicken! AI Foundations offers accessible on-ramps with lessons, immersive content, parent resources, and fun animated videos. Stay tuned for new content coming later this year and join the training cohort to learn more.

    Learning from others

    1 Survey Data – 2025 AI in Education Report

    2 Microsoft Learning Zone is available with a Copilot+ PC and Microsoft Education license (A1, A3, A5). Initial availability will be English only.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: AI innovation and insights for educators on display at ISTELive 25 June 29-July 2

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: AI innovation and insights for educators on display at ISTELive 25 June 29-July 2

    Learn about AI features for educators coming to Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Chat for teens, and insights from the 2025 AI in Education Report.

    We’re announcing new AI features for educators coming to Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot+ PCs, general availability of Copilot Chat for teen students, our 2025 AI in Education Report, and more.

    We’re inspired by innovative teaching, leading, and learning and excited to share new insights, features for educators and students, and resources to help you get started. Join us in-person at ISTELive 25 and ASCD Annual 25, June 29 – July 2, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas to explore the latest from Microsoft Education with solutions that spark joyful learning and equip educators with AI skills.

    Explore details in the Tech Community blog

    Insights from the 2025 AI in Education Report

    In times of change and innovation, the need for insights and examples of impact becomes increasingly important. That’s why we’re sharing the 2025 AI in Education Report which highlights key findings across AI usage, concerns, and opportunities alongside learnings and progress from global institutions.

    Read the 2025 AI in Education Report

    According to the report, AI in education is advancing daily with over 80% of surveyed educators using AI this year, up 21 points from last year as its role expands from just an assistant to a thought partner and force multiplier. At the same time, approximately one in three surveyed United States K-12 educators still lack confidence in using AI effectively and responsibly and more than half of surveyed students report that they have not received AI training.1

    It’s critical to engage with students, educators, and all community stakeholders to address challenges, learn together, and co-develop the path forward. Further, we need to collectively prepare for an AI-powered future and support students in building relevant AI skills as every industry and discipline evolves. Read the report for an overview and even more insights.

    Teachers are saying, ‘I need training, it needs to be high quality, relevant, and job-embedded…’ In reality, people require guidance and that means teachers and administrators going through professional development.

    Pat Yongpradit, Chief Academic Officer, TeachAI

    Enhancing instruction with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Learning Zone

    Microsoft 365 Copilot delivers the latest AI innovations whether through reasoning agents like Researcher and Analyst, or advanced functionality like Copilot Tuning. Institutions such as Brisbane Catholic Education and Miami Dade College are saving time to reinvest into meaningful work and beginning to explore new capabilities like agents. We’re also collaborating with Learning Management System (LMS) providers like Canvas and Moodle to take the power of agents a step further by supporting integration with Copilot through open-source, customizable samples.

    We told our staff: you have permission to try, and permission to fail. That opened the door for teachers to test Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat without fear of judgment or wasted time. And guess what? Most of the time, those experiments don’t fail—they spark new ways of thinking.

    Shane Tooley, Assistant Principal Curriculum, St. Peter Claver College, Brisbane Catholic Education

    We recently introduced the updated Microsoft 365 Copilot app, your hub for the latest functionality and later this year in preview, for AI-powered features for educators. In one place, educators will be able to easily create lesson plans, draft materials like quizzes and rubrics, and quickly make modifications like translation, adjusted reading levels, length, difficulty, alignment to relevant standards, and more.

    We’re announcing Microsoft Learning Zone, a free, AI-powered learning app and the first Copilot+ PC experience purpose built for educators to create personalized, adaptive learning activities.2 Formerly known as the code name Project Spark, the experience will launch in public preview later this summer on Copilot+ PCs, including Microsoft Surface, and across the Windows ecosystem. It’s powered by new AI innovation, learning science, educator input, and features like lesson creation, customizable tools to meet learning goals, and data-driven insights.

    Microsoft Learning Zone is built on collaborations with organizations such as NASA, The Economist Educational Foundation, PBS NewsHour, Figma, and Minecraft Education to bring real-world relevance into the classroom. It also includes integration with Kahoot! to generate interactive games and OpenStax for content from vetted open educational resources.

    Using Microsoft Learning Zone in the classroom has been an exciting opportunity to explore innovative ways to engage students. I was impressed by the app’s intuitive layout and how easily I could edit and share content with my class. While still in its early stages, Learning Zone shows great potential for helping teachers create AI-driven educational resources.

    Terry Borko, Teacher of Social Studies and Media, Red Deer Lake School

    Preparing students for academic and career success

    Students at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and University of South Carolina are already seeing academic and career preparedness gains with Microsoft 365 Copilot. Copilot Notebooks are now included, and we’re looking forward to bringing even more value with a study guide experience, in preview later this year. Study guide creation is designed to help students, or educators, turn scattered materials into an organized study space with engaging learning activities and content like podcasts instantly. It will include flashcards, fill in the blanks, matching exercises, quizzes, and the ability to review progress.

    In some job interviews recently, I’ve actually been asked about my experience with AI and if I know how to use it efficiently to help manage workflows. Copilot will really help students stay at the forefront of today’s changing world and make them more marketable.

    Emma Ernst, Public Relations Student, University of South Carolina

    In May 2025, we announced that teen student availability for Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot would be coming this summer. We’re now sharing that general availability is expected in late July 2025. To prepare, administrators should review guidance to enable Copilot Chat for students and help ensure appropriate access.

    Enable Copilot Chat access for students

    Copilot Chat is included with Microsoft 365 at no additional cost and offers secure AI chat powered by GPT-4o with the ability to maintain IT control through enterprise data protection and management. It also includes features like file upload, image generation, Copilot Pages, and agents. We’re optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead to help students increase their agency and build skills to prepare for future success. Read more about use cases, reflections, and advice from our global private preview educators and students in the announcement blog and from Johns Creek High School in the following video.

    We’re looking forward to continuing to add education value to Microsoft 365 Copilot and you can review the details, learn about additional updates like the Microsoft 365 Education Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI®), and join our preview communities through the Education Tech Community blog.

    Explore details in the Tech Community blog

    As AI usage and innovation increases, so does the need for training resources that empower educators and students alike. We’re continuing to provide opportunities to build essential skills—from immersive activities in Minecraft Education AI Foundations, to equipping preservice educators with ISTE+ASCD, providing hands-on cybersecurity experience for students, and offering GitHub Certifications on Microsoft Learn and Pearson VUE.

    We’ll also continue highlighting new evidence of impact such as the recent World Bank study in Nigeria, where a pilot program deployed Copilot, which stated that a “cost-effectiveness analysis revealed substantial learning gains, equating to 1.5 to years of ‘business as usual’ schooling, situating the intervention among some of the most cost-effective programs to improve learning outcomes.”

    Additional resources

    • Microsoft Education AI Toolkit – Designed to guide school leaders through the process of planning for and integrating AI across the institution.
    • 2025 AI in Education Report – Learn more about the latest insights on AI in Education from Microsoft.
    • AI strategies from the frontlines of higher education – Read the recent IDC White Paper, sponsored by Microsoft and explore perspectives from academic and IT leaders.
    • AI Classroom Toolkit – Try this creative resource to introduce AI to teen students that blends engaging narrative stories with instructional information for an immersive and informative learning experience.
    • Copilot Chat Adoption Kit – Review the collection of resources for IT, educators, and parents and caregivers to get started with Copilot Chat.
    • Minecraft Education AI Foundations – Build AI literacy with Agent and Chicken! AI Foundations offers accessible on-ramps with lessons, immersive content, parent resources, and fun animated videos. Stay tuned for new content coming later this year and join the training cohort to learn more.

    Learning from others

    1 Survey Data – 2025 AI in Education Report

    2 Microsoft Learning Zone is available with a Copilot+ PC and Microsoft Education license (A1, A3, A5). Initial availability will be English only.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former High-Ranking New York State Government Employee and her Husband Charged with Accepting Kickbacks in PPE Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Linda Sun Falsified Information to Cause Approval of NYS Contracts Awarded to Businesses Operated by her Family Member and her Husband

    BROOKLYN, NY – A federal grand jury in Brooklyn yesterday returned a second superseding indictment that added charges against Linda Sun and her husband and co-defendant Chris Hu related to a fraudulent scheme involving procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) by the New York State (NYS) government at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.  As part of the scheme, Sun steered contracts to vendors with whom she had undisclosed personal connections, and she and Hu received millions of dollars from the vendors, including some in the form of kickbacks, which Sun did not disclose to the NYS government.  The new charges against Sun and Hu include honest services wire fraud, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, bribery, and conspiracy to defraud the United States.  Additionally, Hu is charged with tax evasion.  The defendants will be arraigned on Monday, June 30, 2025.

    Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI New York), announced the new charges.

    “As alleged, Linda Sun not only acted as unregistered agent of the government of the People’s Republic of China, but also enriched herself to the tune of millions of dollars when New York State was at its most vulnerable at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “When masks, gloves, and other protective supplies were hard to find, Sun abused her position of trust to steer contracts to her associates so that she and her husband could share in the profits.  We demand better from our public servants, and this Office will continue to hold accountable public officials who enrich themselves at the expense of the New York taxpayers.”

    Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, the New York State Office of the Inspector General, the New York State Police, and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) for their work on the case.  He also thanked the New York State Executive Chamber for its cooperation with the investigation.

    “During a global pandemic, Linda Sun allegedly leveraged her authority within the New York State government to secretly steer contracts to selective PPE vendors in exchange for millions of dollars in kickbacks to her and her husband,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia.  “This alleged scheme not only created an unearned and undisclosed benefit for the defendants and their relatives, but it also exploited the state’s critical need for resources in a health crisis. The FBI will never tolerate any public official who abuses their position to profit at the expense of others, especially when their objectives align with foreign agendas.”

    “Not only did Sun allegedly use Chinese money and her influence in New York State to benefit the Chinese government, it is further alleged that she used her position to steer multi-million-dollar contracts to companies controlled by family members and friends.  With this investigation, this husband-and-wife team with supposed ties to corruption has been rooted out, and they will soon understand that in legitimate government spending, there is no friends and family discount,” stated IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Chavis.

    As alleged in the superseding indictment, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and while working with the team of NYS government employees responsible for obtaining PPE, Sun used her position of influence with the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to coordinate the NYS government’s purchase of PPE from vendors located in the PRC.  In addition to certain vendors referred by the PRC government, Sun referred two vendors (the Cousin Company and the Associate Company) that were not recommended by the PRC government but rather had ties to Sun and Hu, while claiming falsely that these, too, were referrals from components of the PRC government.  In reality, the Cousin Company was operated by one of Sun’s second cousins, and the Associate Company was operated by Hu and one of Hu’s business associates.  With Sun’s assistance, the Cousin Company and the Associate Company each entered into multiple contracts with the NYS government worth millions of dollars apiece.

    Sun, the Associate Company, and the Cousin Company did not disclose to the NYS government (1) the fact that Sun and Hu had relationships with the Associate Company and the Cousin Company, or (2) that Sun and Hu received a portion of the profits that the Associate Company and the Cousin Company made as a result of their contracts with the NYS government for PPE, including through kickback payments from the Cousin Company.

    To conceal her relationship with the Cousin Company from procurement authorities at the NYS government, Sun falsified a document to suggest that the Jiangsu Department of Commerce had recommended the Cousin Company.  On or about March 20, 2020, Sun and other NYS government officials received an email from the U.S. representative to the Jiangsu Trade & Business Representative Office in Albany, New York suggesting four PRC-based vendors who were able to provide PPE for the NYS government.  On or about March 21, 2020, Sun forwarded herself an altered version of the email in which she replaced the first suggested vendor—a vendor that produced ventilators—with the Cousin Company and wrote that the Cousin Company was recommended by the Jiangsu Department of Commerce.

    On or about March 24, 2020, in an email with the subject line “Already VERIFIED by Linda Sun,” Sun wrote to NYS procurement officials that the Cousin Company “came recommended by Jiangsu Chamber of Commerce,” that the representative had helped “screen potential vendors,” and that the Cousin Company’s surgical mask was the “gold standard.”  Below Sun’s message was what purported to be quoted text from the Jiangsu Chamber of Commerce’s email recommending vendors. However, the email in the quoted text was the altered email.

    In connection with the Cousin Company contracts with the NYS government, a spreadsheet maintained on Sun and Hu’s personal computer indicated that the Cousin provided payments to Hu (and Sun) totaling approximately $2.3 million during 2020 and 2021.  These kickbacks from the Cousin Company represented taxable income.  Hu did not report these payments as income to the U.S. government, as required, or pay taxes on this income in Forms 1040 for 2020 and 2021 that he filed on behalf of himself and Sun.

    In part, Hu laundered the income from the Cousin Company by having the Cousin make $1.5 million in payments in three $500,000 increments from another entity that the Cousin owned (the Cousin Entity) to U.S. accounts at a financial institution.  Hu created these accounts in a close relative’s name instead of his own on April 29, 2020, two days before the final $6 million payment from NYS government to the Cousin Company.

    Sun also arranged for the Associate Company to be a vendor for NYS government contracts.  On March 14, 2020, Sun wrote an email with the subject “Mask suppliers” to other members of the NYS government PPE task force with procurement authority and listed the Associate Company as a potential supplier.  Sun subsequently communicated with the Associate Company by email to obtain a price quote for the contract and provided a status update to the NYS government about the contracts with the Associate Company.

    A computer owned by the defendants contained a NYS internal document tracking various state PPE contracts, broken out by vendor.  One of the fields in the document contained, for each company, an answer to the question “why did we do business with this vendor?”  For the Associate Company, the answer to the question was listed as: “referred by Chinese chamber of commerce.”  However, there was no such referral for the Associate Company.

    According to a spreadsheet found in one of Hu’s electronic accounts, the total profits Hu expected to reap from the contracts that the Associate Company and the Cousin Company had with the NYS Department of Health totaled $8,029,741.  Hu marked the column for these expected profits with the word “me.”

    The new charges are in addition to the existing charges against Sun, which include violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering, and the existing charges against Hu, which include money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, as well as conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of means of identification.  The charges in the superseding indictment 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 Alexander A. Solomon, Robert M. Pollack, and Amanda Shami are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Trial Attorney Eli Ross from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Litigation Analyst Emma Tavangari. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Mantell of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters.

    The Defendants:

    LINDA SUN, also known as “Wen Sun,” “Ling Da Sun,” and “Linda Hu”
    Age: 41
    Manhasset, New York

    CHRIS HU
    Age: 40
    Manhasset, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-346 (S-2) (BMC)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK-Argentina Bicentenary celebration

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    UK-Argentina Bicentenary celebration

    Authorities from both countries commemorated 200 years of diplomatic relations yesterday with a musical evening at the Colon Theatre.

    Ambassador Hayes delivering her speech at Teatro Colón.

    The British Embassy in Argentina yesterday celebrated 200 years of diplomatic relations between both countries with a musical evening at the Colon Theatre. The event was attended by high-level authorities from the national government, businesspeople, members of the diplomatic corps, artists, scientists and civil society representatives.

    The gathering also represented Ambassador Kirsty Hayes’s formal farewell after four years as Head of Mission in Buenos Aires, and served as a prelude to the performance of the British opera Billy Budd which the theatre will be staging from next Tuesday, with a cast that includes artists from Argentina, the UK and other countries.

    Among the most prominent guests were the ministers of Justice, Mariano Cúneo Libarona; and Deregulation, Federico Sturzenegger; the former Chief of Staff Nicolás Posse and the former chancellor Diana Mondino; Secretaries for Foreign Affairs, Eduardo Bustamante; Mining, Luis Lucero; Finance, Pablo Quirno and the Fight against Drug Trafficking, Martín Verrier; the Head of the President’s Advisory Council, Demian Reidel; deputies Lucila Crexell, Fernando Iglesias, María Fernanda Araujo, Marcela Campagnoli and Pilar Ramírez; businessmen Gustavo Weiss, Jaime Campos, and Juan Martín Bulgheroni; the president of Conicet, Daniel Salamone; CABA’s Ministers for Economic Development, Hernán Lombardi, and for Infrastructure Pablo Bereciartúa; the Chief of the Armed Forces Joint Staff, Air Chief Marshal Xavier Isaac; the Navy Chief of Staff, Admiral Carlos María Allievi; and the Army Chief of Staff, General Carlos Alberto Presti, among others.

    On 2 February 1825, the UK and the United Provinces of the River Plate signed a Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation which established diplomatic relations between both countries. It was also the first act of recognition by a leading European power of the independence of the country that would later become known as the Argentine Republic. For this reason, the British Embassy will be celebrating the Bicentenary of diplomatic relations throughout the year with a number of commemorative events like yesterday’s gala at the Colon Theatre’s Golden Room.

    During her speech, Ambassador Hayes said:

    Over these 200 years we have experienced times of closeness and times of distance, but our common history has always been marked by respect, mutual admiration and, above all, by the will to build bridges”.

    She then spoke about her departure from Argentina:

    Tonight also has a very personal significance for me, as it is my last public event as British Ambassador to Argentina. I must confess that saying goodbye to this country is not easy. I am taking with me unforgettable memories, strong friendships and immense gratitude for the warm welcome I received in every one of the 24 provinces.

    With Argentine scientist Diego Golombek as host, the event gave guests the opportunity to enjoy the Prologue of Billy Budd, sung by British tenor Toby Spence and interpreted on the piano by the musical director of the production, Erik Nielsen. As well as an extract from the opera “Darwin in Patagonia”, and an adaptation of the symphony “¡Viva la libertad!” (Long Live Freedom!) composed by Lalo Schifrin and Rod Schejtman. Before the end, Schejtman himself gave an impromptu live performance in honour of Ambassador Hayes, combining the musical notes randomly selected by the Ambassador herself, by Minister Cúneo Libarona representing the Argentine government, and by Julio Aro, president of the No Me Olvides Foundation, whose mission is related to preserving the memory of those who fell in the 1982 conflict.

    The main sponsor of the event was the GREAT campaign – the UK’s country brand – whose motto is an invitation to “See Things Differently”, and the private sponsors was Standard Chartered.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Changing attitudes end auxiliary lodge system

    Source: US International Brotherhood of Boilermakers

    In the 1940s, the Boilermakers’ union, along with other unions, faced pressure to end their auxiliary lodge systems which segregated Black members into separate locals. It’s important to note that while not all unions were segregated in the 1940s, the majority were, mirroring wider society.

    While union leaders like International Vice President Charles J. MacGowan and Local 72 Business Agent Thomas Ray denied any discrimination, both the Fair Employment Practices Committee and the California Supreme Court came to the opposite conclusion, ultimately demanding that the system be dismantled.

    A pivotal case in the fight against the auxiliary system involved Joseph James, an African American Boilermaker working at Marinship in San Francisco. He sued both the International union and his employer, arguing that the auxiliary system was inherently discriminatory. His legal team was headed by Thurgood Marshall, who was then an attorney for the NAACP and would later become the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. In a landmark decision, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of James, declaring the auxiliary system to be discriminatory and unconstitutional. The court ordered the union to abolish the system.

    Meanwhile, the FEPC, which had been established to ensure fair employment practices in wartime industries, also ordered Local 72 to end the auxiliary system. These double rulings highlighted the growing legal and political pressure on the Boilermakers’ leadership to address the issue of racial equality within the union.

    At the 1944 convention, MacGowan, who was preparing to succeed Joseph Franklin as the International President, used a letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to sway the delegates to vote to end the system. In the letter, Roosevelt praised the Boilermakers for their contributions to the war effort and appealed to their sense of patriotism, urging them to support racial equality so that “every worker capable of serving his country… [could] serve regardless of creed, race, or national origin.” The letter had an impact, leading to changes in the auxiliary system.

    In response, the 1944 convention passed a resolution that allowed auxiliary locals to elect their own delegates to union conventions and affiliate with local Metal Trades Councils. Previously, they had been dependent on their supervising white locals for representation. While auxiliary locals gained some autonomy, their meetings still had to be attended by the business agent of the supervising local. The precise nature of the relationship between supervising and auxiliary locals remained unclear, leaving much discretion to the International Executive Council.

    MacGowan pushed for a voluntary approach to integration, predicting that the issue would resolve itself over time. In 1945, the IEC agreed to stop forming new auxiliary locals, to open all job classifications to Black workers and to equalize insurance benefits between Black and white members. Black members were also allowed to transfer between auxiliary locals.

    Despite these reforms, voluntary integration did not lead to immediate change. By 1948, a few locals had integrated, but the majority remained segregated. The Boilermakers’ transformation from a segregated organization to an integrated one was slow, reflecting the broader social and political struggles of the United States during this period.

    The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s finally brought about a decisive shift. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation and discrimination, effectively ending the auxiliary system for good. In the years that followed, the union made concerted efforts to integrate and encourage Black workers to participate fully in the union. Subsequently, they were elected to positions at every level, from local lodge officers to the International Executive Council.

    The Boilermakers’ journey from a segregated union to an integrated one mirrored the nation’s slow and often painful path toward racial equality. What began throughout the labor movement as a reluctant and gradual process eventually led to workers of all races participating fully and equally, reflecting the changing values of the union and of American society.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: International Arms Dealer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Export Firearms to Russia

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    Defendant Unlawfully Exported American-Made Firearms Through JFK International Airport

    Yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn, Sergei Zharnovnikov, 46, of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit export violations. The defendant exported firearms and ammunition worth over $1.5 million from the United States to Russia, in violation of U.S. law. When sentenced, Zharnovnikov faces up to 20 years in prison.

    “By his own admission, Zharnovnikov willfully violated U.S. export controls to smuggle American-made firearms into Russia,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to disrupt illicit arms networks and prosecute those who illegally transfer U.S. weaponry abroad.”

    “The defendant admitted that he purchased American-made, military-grade firearms and re-exported them to Russia,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella for the Eastern District of New York. “Today’s guilty plea is the culmination of extensive investigative work, showing that this office will not allow merchants of lethal weapons and Russia to flout U.S. sanctions.”

    According to court filings and statements made during the plea proceeding, the defendant is the owner of an arms dealer located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzstan Company-1). Since at least March 2020, the defendant, together with others, has conspired to export firearms controlled by the U.S. Department of Commerce from the United States to Russia. The defendant exported $1,582,836.52 worth of U.S.-manufactured firearms and ammunition from the United States to Russia without the required licenses from the Department of Commerce. In one transaction, he entered into a five‑year, $900,000 contract with a company in the United States (U.S. Company‑1) to purchase and export U.S. Company-1 firearms to Kyrgyzstan. DOC issued a license for U.S. Company-1 to export firearms to Kyrgyzstan Company-1. The license, however, explicitly prohibited the export or re-export of the firearms to Russia. Nevertheless, the defendant exported and re-exported U.S. Company‑1 firearms, including semi‑automatic hybrid rifle-pistols, to Russia via Kyrgyzstan without the necessary approvals.

    According to an export filing, in connection with the defendant’s contract with U.S. Company-1, U.S. Company-1 exported semi-automatic rifles from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Kyrgyzstan Company-1 on or about July 10, 2022. On or about Nov. 14, 2022, the General Director of a Russian company that is a client of the defendant executed a tax form listing the same semi‑automatic rifle‑pistols that U.S. Company‑1 had exported to Kyrgyzstan Company‑1, the defendant’s company. The defendant did not apply for, obtain, or possess a license to export or re-export the semi‑automatic pistol-rifles to Russia.

    The defendant traveled from Kyrgyzstan to the United States on or about Jan. 18, 2025. The defendant traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he attended the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show to meet with U.S. arms dealers.

    The FBI New York Field Office and U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Office of Export Enforcement are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Sise for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Litigation Analyst Rebecca Roth. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Utah Businessman Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding the COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program Out of Over $628,000

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    Click Here to Sign Up for SBA OIG Email Updates on Recent Investigative Cases, Audit Oversight Reports, and General News

    Click Here to View the Original U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Press Release

    A Utah entrepreneur was sentenced today to 18 months’ imprisonment after he fraudulently obtained $628,307 from a COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan in 2021 by submitting a fraudulent loan application in the name of his business.

    The COVID-19 PPP Loans were provided to small businesses for funding to meet specific obligations, including payroll and rent during the pandemic.

    Marcelo Federico Torre, 42, of Draper, Utah, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, and possession of stolen mail on April 10, 2025. In addition to his sentence, and credit for time served, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Clark Waddoups sentenced Torre to three years’ supervised release and ordered him to pay $628,307 in restitution. Torre also forfeited a money judgement in the amount of $628,307.

    According to court documents and statements made at Torre’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, from April 27, 2021 to May 5, 2021, Torre fraudulently submitted a PPP Loan application through U.S. Bank for approximately $628,307 on behalf of his company, Offerworks Inc., a company he owned and controlled. By fraudulently submitting the Loan application, he lied to U.S. Bank and the United States government in order to be approved for the PPP Loan. Some of the false statements Torre made on the PPP Loan application included that his company, Offerworks Inc., had been in operation as of February 15, 2020, when it had not; his company had 37 employees, when it did not; and that Offerworks Inc., had an average monthly payroll of $251,323 in 2020, when it did not.

    “The amount of money Mr. Torre stole from the U.S. government and taxpayers, which was intended to keep businesses open and provide salaries for employees and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic, is significant and his fraud and will not go unpunished,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah. “It is our hope Mr. Torre’s sentence will deter him and others who seek to take criminal advantage of government programs meant to help honest and hardworking business owners and their employees during a crisis.”

    The case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Postal Investigation Service, Draper City Police Department, U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office, Salt Lake City Police Department, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), and the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).

    Assistant United States Attorney Todd C. Bouton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

    Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Since the inception of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases and has seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at Justice.gov/OPA/pr/justice-department-takes-action-against-covid-19-fraud.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Utah Businessman Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding the COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program Out of Over $628,000

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    Click Here to Sign Up for SBA OIG Email Updates on Recent Investigative Cases, Audit Oversight Reports, and General News

    Click Here to View the Original U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Press Release

    A Utah entrepreneur was sentenced today to 18 months’ imprisonment after he fraudulently obtained $628,307 from a COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan in 2021 by submitting a fraudulent loan application in the name of his business.

    The COVID-19 PPP Loans were provided to small businesses for funding to meet specific obligations, including payroll and rent during the pandemic.

    Marcelo Federico Torre, 42, of Draper, Utah, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, and possession of stolen mail on April 10, 2025. In addition to his sentence, and credit for time served, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Clark Waddoups sentenced Torre to three years’ supervised release and ordered him to pay $628,307 in restitution. Torre also forfeited a money judgement in the amount of $628,307.

    According to court documents and statements made at Torre’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, from April 27, 2021 to May 5, 2021, Torre fraudulently submitted a PPP Loan application through U.S. Bank for approximately $628,307 on behalf of his company, Offerworks Inc., a company he owned and controlled. By fraudulently submitting the Loan application, he lied to U.S. Bank and the United States government in order to be approved for the PPP Loan. Some of the false statements Torre made on the PPP Loan application included that his company, Offerworks Inc., had been in operation as of February 15, 2020, when it had not; his company had 37 employees, when it did not; and that Offerworks Inc., had an average monthly payroll of $251,323 in 2020, when it did not.

    “The amount of money Mr. Torre stole from the U.S. government and taxpayers, which was intended to keep businesses open and provide salaries for employees and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic, is significant and his fraud and will not go unpunished,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah. “It is our hope Mr. Torre’s sentence will deter him and others who seek to take criminal advantage of government programs meant to help honest and hardworking business owners and their employees during a crisis.”

    The case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Postal Investigation Service, Draper City Police Department, U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office, Salt Lake City Police Department, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), and the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).

    Assistant United States Attorney Todd C. Bouton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

    Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Since the inception of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases and has seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at Justice.gov/OPA/pr/justice-department-takes-action-against-covid-19-fraud.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: International Arms Dealer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Export Firearms to Russia

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Defendant Unlawfully Exported American-Made Firearms Through JFK International Airport

    Yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn, Sergei Zharnovnikov, 46, of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit export violations. The defendant exported firearms and ammunition worth over $1.5 million from the United States to Russia, in violation of U.S. law. When sentenced, Zharnovnikov faces up to 20 years in prison.

    “By his own admission, Zharnovnikov willfully violated U.S. export controls to smuggle American-made firearms into Russia,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to disrupt illicit arms networks and prosecute those who illegally transfer U.S. weaponry abroad.”

    “The defendant admitted that he purchased American-made, military-grade firearms and re-exported them to Russia,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella for the Eastern District of New York. “Today’s guilty plea is the culmination of extensive investigative work, showing that this office will not allow merchants of lethal weapons and Russia to flout U.S. sanctions.”

    According to court filings and statements made during the plea proceeding, the defendant is the owner of an arms dealer located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzstan Company-1). Since at least March 2020, the defendant, together with others, has conspired to export firearms controlled by the U.S. Department of Commerce from the United States to Russia. The defendant exported $1,582,836.52 worth of U.S.-manufactured firearms and ammunition from the United States to Russia without the required licenses from the Department of Commerce. In one transaction, he entered into a five‑year, $900,000 contract with a company in the United States (U.S. Company‑1) to purchase and export U.S. Company-1 firearms to Kyrgyzstan. DOC issued a license for U.S. Company-1 to export firearms to Kyrgyzstan Company-1. The license, however, explicitly prohibited the export or re-export of the firearms to Russia. Nevertheless, the defendant exported and re-exported U.S. Company‑1 firearms, including semi‑automatic hybrid rifle-pistols, to Russia via Kyrgyzstan without the necessary approvals.

    According to an export filing, in connection with the defendant’s contract with U.S. Company-1, U.S. Company-1 exported semi-automatic rifles from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Kyrgyzstan Company-1 on or about July 10, 2022. On or about Nov. 14, 2022, the General Director of a Russian company that is a client of the defendant executed a tax form listing the same semi‑automatic rifle‑pistols that U.S. Company‑1 had exported to Kyrgyzstan Company‑1, the defendant’s company. The defendant did not apply for, obtain, or possess a license to export or re-export the semi‑automatic pistol-rifles to Russia.

    The defendant traveled from Kyrgyzstan to the United States on or about Jan. 18, 2025. The defendant traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he attended the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show to meet with U.S. arms dealers.

    The FBI New York Field Office and U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Office of Export Enforcement are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Sise for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Litigation Analyst Rebecca Roth. 

    MIL Security OSI –