NewzIntel.com

Category: Economy

  • MIL-OSI China: China-developed AS700D electric manned airship completes maiden flight

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday presided over a State Council executive meeting that discussed trade in services, services consumption and other issues.
    During the meeting, an action plan to improve the recycling system for used new energy vehicle (NEV) power batteries was approved.
    The meeting said that China will adopt innovative measures to boost trade in services and fully apply a negative list for cross-border trade in services.
    New opening-up measures will be introduced in fields such as telecommunication, education, culture, medical services and finance.
    The country will boost exports of services and expand multilateral and bilateral cooperation, as well as regional cooperation on trade in services and digital trade.
    The meeting also called for the high-quality development of services consumption, and stressed that the country should increase the supply of quality services through the comprehensive use of fiscal, tax and financial policies.
    It highlighted efforts to build a normative, safe and effective recycling and utilization system for power batteries, as well as efforts to ensure that power batteries can be traced throughout their whole life cycle, covering production, marketing, disassembly and utilization.
    Efforts should also be made to improve related administrative regulations, and to accelerate the development and revision of standards for the green design and carbon footprint accounting of batteries.
    Noting that departments of the State Council have completed their handling of all suggestions and proposals submitted by lawmakers and political advisors last year, the meeting called for further efforts to handle this year’s suggestions and proposals in a quality manner to garner broader public support for the country’s high-quality development. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China reinforces ‘one PE class a day’ for students’ physical, mental health

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Passengers wait to board a train at Tengzhou East Railway Station in Zaozhuang City, east China’s Shandong Province, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed. The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Li Zongxian/Xinhua)
    The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    Driven by family reunions and leisure travel for the Chinese New Year, the country saw railways, highways, waterways and airlines operating at full capacity during the period, which concluded on Saturday.
    About 8.39 billion trips were made by road, the busiest mode of transportation. Passenger volume reached 513.63 million for railways, 90.19 million for air travel, and 31.15 million for waterways.
    The travel rush, often referred to as the world’s largest annual human migration, highlights China’s vast mobility and economic activity. With a steadily recovering economy and rising demand for travel, this year’s chunyun saw a robust transportation network handling unprecedented passenger volumes.
    The Spring Festival, an occasion for family reunions, fell on Jan. 29 this year.

    Passengers check in to take a train in Zaozhuang Railway Station in Zaozhuang, east China’s Shandong Province, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Sun Zhongzhe/Xinhua)

    An aerial drone photo shows a bullet train running on China-Laos Railway in Jinghong City, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Li Yunsheng/Xinhua)

    A bullet train runs on the Lijiang-Shangri-la railway with the Yulong Snow Mountain in the background, in Lijiang, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Zhao Qingzu/Xinhua)

    Passengers wait to board a train at Luoyang Longmen Railway Station in Luoyang, central China’s Henan Province, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Zhang Yixi/Xinhua)

    A passenger takes a bus at a bus station in Luocheng Mulao Autonomous County, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Wu Yaorong/Xinhua)

    Passengers arrive at Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing, east China’s Jiangsu Province, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Yang Suping/Xinhua)

    A drone photo shows a bullet train running at Changzhou North Railway Station in Changzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Chen Wei/Xinhua)

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Over 9B trips estimated during China’s Spring Festival travel rush

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Passengers wait to board a train at Tengzhou East Railway Station in Zaozhuang City, east China’s Shandong Province, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed. The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Li Zongxian/Xinhua)
    The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    Driven by family reunions and leisure travel for the Chinese New Year, the country saw railways, highways, waterways and airlines operating at full capacity during the period, which concluded on Saturday.
    About 8.39 billion trips were made by road, the busiest mode of transportation. Passenger volume reached 513.63 million for railways, 90.19 million for air travel, and 31.15 million for waterways.
    The travel rush, often referred to as the world’s largest annual human migration, highlights China’s vast mobility and economic activity. With a steadily recovering economy and rising demand for travel, this year’s chunyun saw a robust transportation network handling unprecedented passenger volumes.
    The Spring Festival, an occasion for family reunions, fell on Jan. 29 this year.

    Passengers check in to take a train in Zaozhuang Railway Station in Zaozhuang, east China’s Shandong Province, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Sun Zhongzhe/Xinhua)

    An aerial drone photo shows a bullet train running on China-Laos Railway in Jinghong City, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Li Yunsheng/Xinhua)

    A bullet train runs on the Lijiang-Shangri-la railway with the Yulong Snow Mountain in the background, in Lijiang, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Zhao Qingzu/Xinhua)

    Passengers wait to board a train at Luoyang Longmen Railway Station in Luoyang, central China’s Henan Province, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Zhang Yixi/Xinhua)

    A passenger takes a bus at a bus station in Luocheng Mulao Autonomous County, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Wu Yaorong/Xinhua)

    Passengers arrive at Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing, east China’s Jiangsu Province, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Yang Suping/Xinhua)

    A drone photo shows a bullet train running at Changzhou North Railway Station in Changzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province, Feb. 22, 2025. The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.
    The travel rush concluded on Saturday. (Photo by Chen Wei/Xinhua)

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China sees robust growth in loans to small, micro firms

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Official data showed that China saw robust growth in the outstanding sum of loans to small and micro companies by the end of 2024 amid government efforts to encourage inclusive financing.

    By the end of the fourth quarter (Q4) of last year, the balance of loans issued by banking financial institutions to small and micro firms totaled 81.4 trillion yuan (about 11.4 trillion U.S. dollars), according to the National Financial Regulatory Administration.

    The outstanding loan to small and micro companies with a credit limit of 10 million yuan or less reached 33.3 trillion yuan, surging 14.7 percent year on year, data from the administration showed.

    The quality of commercial banks’ credit assets has remained generally stable. By the end of Q4, the non-performing loan ratio for commercial lenders stood at 1.5 percent, edging down 0.05 percentage points from the previous quarter.

    China has been stepping up financial support for the country’s small businesses, with reserve requirement ratio cuts and policy interest rate reductions to lower borrowing costs and boost the vitality of the small market players.

    In 2024, the number of registered enterprises in China reached 61.226 million, most of which were middle, small and micro-sized businesses.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Going for Growth: Overseas investment changes to drive higher wages

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced the Government’s plan to reform the Overseas Investment Act and make it easier for New Zealand businesses to receive new investment, grow and pay higher wages. 

    “New Zealand is one of the hardest countries in the developed world for overseas people to invest in businesses, and our productivity growth is woeful. Those two facts are closely linked. 

    “We are introducing reforms to improve New Zealand’s overseas investment laws. The package will speed up decisions and provide more confidence to investors, while protecting our national interests. 

    “Overseas investment can support economic growth because when workers work with better tools and technologies, they are more productive and get paid more. 

    “I’ve seen the difference that overseas investment can make. I once visited two businesses in the same industry on the same afternoon. Both had skilled and passionate people with good ideas. One had overseas investment, though, and benefited in two ways. They had more money for machinery, and they had more know-how for manufacturing and marketing their product by receiving knowledge from their partners offshore. 

    “New Zealand’s productivity growth has closely tracked the amount of capital workers have had to work with. Our capital-to-labour ratio has seen very little growth in the last 10 years, averaging approximately 0.7 per cent annually. That’s compared to growth of around 2 percent a year in the previous 10 to 15 years. Unsurprisingly, productivity growth averaged 1.4 percent a year between 1993 and 2013, but only 0.2 percent between 2013 and 2023. 

    “The Government has agreed on a reform package which includes: 

    • better acknowledging the benefits investment can provide to New Zealand’s economy, 
    • for all investments aside from residential land, farmland and fishing quota, making decisions in just 15 days, unless the application could be contrary to New Zealand’s national interest, 
    • strengthening the Government’s ability to intervene on the rare occasion that a transaction is not in the national interest, 
    • giving LINZ more powers to grant consent without involving Ministers. 

    “High-value investments, such as significant business assets, existing forestry and non-farmland, account for around $14 billion of gross investment each year. Cabinet has agreed to remove the barriers for these investments, while retaining existing protections for residential land, farmland and fishing quota. 

    “Nearly every other developed country has less obstructive laws than New Zealand. They benefit from the flow of money and the ideas that come with overseas investment. If we are going to raise wages, we can’t afford to ignore the simple fact that our competitors gain money and know-how from outside their borders.” 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SUIT FILED: In New Challenge, Retirees, Unions Seek to Block DOGE’s Unprecedented, Unlawful Social Security Data, Power Grab

    Source: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union

    AFSCME, Alliance for Retired Americans, AFT Challenge DOGE’s Access, Executed by Unconfirmed, Acting Official, to Confidential, Private Data of Hundreds of Millions of Americans  
     
    Suit filed on heels of SSA Acting Head’s Departure Amid Concerns about DOGE Access to Data

    Baltimore, MD —  In a new lawsuit filed on Friday night, retirees and unions sued to halt DOGE’s unprecedented, unlawful seizure of personal, confidential, private and sensitive data from the Social Security Administration, without any express authority. Such access has been granted by an unlawful acting official, installed at SSA with disregard for the rules governing such appointments.

    The Social Security Administration maintains the financial data, employment information, medical data, and personal addresses of millions of Americans. The lawsuit alleges that such seizure by DOGE is prohibited by and in violation of the many protections Congress and the Executive Branch have in place to protect against such data mining and misuse. These include the Internal Revenue Code, the Privacy Act, the Federal Information Systems Modernization Act, the E-Government Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act.

    “The Social Security Administration holds the financial future of millions of Americans within its doors,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “Elon Musk is an unelected billionaire who has no right to access the benefits working people have paid into. We won’t allow him to undermine the promise that we can all retire with dignity one day; that if we ever get hurt on the job and are unable to work, we won’t go hungry. Social Security insurance belongs to taxpayers, not Musk — no matter how rich he is. We must stop him from gaining unfettered access to our future.”

    “Social Security is a sacred trust between the American people and the government.,” said Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, a national grassroots advocacy organization. “Seniors must be able to trust that the Social Security Administration will protect and safeguard their most personal financial and health data. We urge the court to act and ensure the American people’s data is not misused. We cannot risk the catastrophic consequences should this very personal data fall into the wrong hands.”

    “Social Security is based on the promise that if you work hard and play by the rules you can retire with dignity and grace,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “Everyone who receives Social Security has contributed to it, and they expect the government to uphold its end of the bargain. Elon Musk is breaking that basic bond of trust by illegally raiding people’s private data for his own ends. The financial future of hundreds of millions of Americans has essentially been hijacked by an addled and unelected billionaire intent on laying waste to the accounts working people have spent their lives building up. We’re suing to stop him in his tracks.”

    “Americans across the country should be able to have confidence that the government safeguards their data.  Yet, over the course of the last month, we have seen a group of unappointed and unvetted individuals disregard the privacy of hundreds of millions of Americans,” said Democracy Forward President & CEO Skye Perryman. “We are honored to represent retirees and worker representatives to protect the privacy and security of such critical data.”

    Read the complaint here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Continues Support of CFPB: Destruction of CFPB is the Destruction of Backbone of Federal Consumer Protections

    Source: US State of California Department of Justice

    Saturday, February 22, 2025

    Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

    Files second amicus brief in support of the agency

    OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced joining a coalition of 23 attorneys general in submitting an amicus brief in National Treasury Employees Union v. Vought, a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Earlier this week, Attorney General Bonta submitted an amicus brief in another case, Mayor and City Council of Baltimore v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In both briefs, the attorneys general argue that the shuttering of the CFPB would cause catastrophic harm to consumer protections nationwide, leaving state agencies with the sole responsibility to protect consumers from conduct regulated by the CFPB.
     
    “The Trump Administration’s takeover of the CFPB is an effort to destroy the federal agency responsible for protecting American families from being exploited by big banks and payday lenders. Eliminating the only federal agency with oversight over big banks puts everyday consumers at higher risk for financial losses, and places higher demands on states like California,” said Attorney General Bonta. “From bank overdraft fees and credit card late fees to medical debt on credit reports, the CFPB has actively worked to make the lives of everyday people better — its loss will have devastating and deep implications for California, and the financial well-being of households across the nation.”
     
    Background
     
    After examining the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis, Congress concluded the crisis resulted in part from the failure of federal banking and other regulators to address significant consumer protection issues detrimental to both consumers and the safety and soundness of the banking system. In direct response to these events, Congress established the CFPB and tasked it with enforcing numerous federal consumer protection statutes and enacting regulations to further these efforts. For over a decade, the CFPB has served as an invaluable partner to state attorneys general and state banking regulators, both by working to protect consumers against fraudulent and abusive practices and by advancing a fair and level playing field in consumer financial markets by issuing regulations under federal law. 
     
    In the last month, the Trump Administration has taken a series of actions intended to debilitate the CFPB, including issuing a suspension of work across the agency, terminating probationary employees, and announcing a decision not to draw additional funding from the Federal Reserve. These actions appear to be part of a unilateral effort to permanently shut down the agency, including programs and operations mandated by federal law. 
     
    In the brief, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the attorneys general argue the dismantling of the CFPB will cause irreparable harm to consumers and the states’ own consumer protection enforcement efforts, leave no oversight over large national banks, and will rapidly and substantially increase the burden on state agencies to protect consumers from conduct regulated by the CFPB. The loss of the CFPB’s partnership has concrete and widespread implications: from the sharing of complaints and trend data, to providing training, to partnering on joint investigations and litigations, the CFPB has been a force multiplier for California’s consumer protection efforts.
     
    In filing the brief, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of New York, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. 

    A copy of the brief can be found here. 

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s new visa-free policy for ASEAN tour groups boosts tourism, cultural bonds

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

    China’s new visa-free policy for ASEAN tour groups boosts tourism, cultural bonds

    KUNMING, Feb. 22 — On Friday, a group of 15 tourists from Thailand and Laos wrapped up their four-day trip to southwest China’s Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, boarding the China-Laos Railway for their return journey.

    It is the first tour group from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states to travel to the prefecture since China introduced its new visa relaxation policy. Since Feb. 10, tour groups from ASEAN countries have been allowed to visit Xishuangbanna, a popular tourist destination in Yunnan Province, without a visa for up to six days.

    China and ASEAN have long been key tourist markets for each other. Official data showed that in 2024, Xishuangbanna received 319,500 overseas visitors, a year-on-year increase of 264.67 percent. Laos, Thailand and Myanmar were the top contributors.

    This visa exemption policy marks the start of a new chapter in cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and ASEAN, said Qi Xiaobo from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, adding that it signals China’s dedication to strengthening ties with the regional bloc.

    GROWING TOURISM INDUSTRY

    “Still want more,” Somnham Sithone, a Lao tourist in the group, said after visiting Xishuangbanna Virgin Forest Park. He also experienced a 7D movie featuring the Mekong River. “It is a perfect blend of nature and technology. I hope to explore more places in China.”

    Guided by a local travel agency, the tour group was immersed in natural scenery, sampled local cuisine and experienced Dai ethnic culture, including a traditional Dai dance and a water blessing ceremony.

    “Even though they are the first group with visa-free access, coordination between the border inspection bureau, public security bureau and travel agency has been smooth and efficient,” said Yu Hanla, the group’s tour guide.

    According to Jiang Jie, deputy director of the culture and tourism bureau of Xishuangbanna, the prefecture has launched 18 tourist routes, offering the opportunity to explore the area’s heritage and experience its culture.

    “We are designing more diverse routes tailored to ASEAN tourists, including tropical rainforest adventures and ethnic cultural activities,” said Liu Jun, general manager of a local travel agency.

    The influx of tourists is also a boon for hospitality, travel agencies and other sectors, and promotes the development of infrastructure, Qi said. He also emphasized the importance of enhancing services for international visitors, such as multilingual guides and signage, and financial services.

    Yu, who has nearly 10 years of experience as a tour guide and speaks both Thai and Lao in addition to her native tongue, returned to her hometown of Xishuangbanna from Beijing after the launch of the China-Laos Railway. “It is fulfilling to work in my hometown, and it provides a good income,” she said.

    DEEPENING CULTURAL TIES

    Cultural exchanges between China and ASEAN are expanding beyond tourism. As Chinese culture gains influence across the region, an increasing number of people from ASEAN countries are eager to learn the Chinese language.

    Fluent in Mandarin, Le Anh Lien, a 24-year-old from Vietnam, introduces Vietnamese specialties to customers in a cross-border food shop at Tianbao Port in Malipo County. Her language proficiency helped her secure her first job in Yunnan.

    According to a report from VietnamWorks, a job platform in Vietnam, students proficient in Chinese have an almost 100 percent chance of securing employment after graduation.

    The number of Lao students learning Chinese is also on the rise, with many pursuing vocational training in fields like logistics, e-commerce, tourism management and sports, said Zhou Bo, head of a vocational school in Mengla County in Xishuangbanna, adding that the school expects to welcome more than 500 new Lao students on Sunday.

    Data shows that the number of exchange students between China and ASEAN countries has surpassed 175,000, and collaborative projects between schools continue to grow, expanding the talent pool for both sides.

    “People-to-people exchanges between China and ASEAN are entering a new stage, with deeper cooperation in tourism, culture and other fields,” said Jia Chaozhishan with the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Albanese pledge: nine in ten GP visits bulk billed by 2030, in $8.5 billion Medicare injection

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    The Albanese government on Sunday will pledge $8.5 billion for Medicare, declaring this would enable all Australians to have access to bulk billing by 2030.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will announce the policy at a rally in Tasmania, where the Labor seat of Lyons and the Liberal seat of Bass are in play.

    Under the plan, Labor would extend the bulk billing incentive to all Australians, and also create an extra incentive payment for practices that bulk billed all their patients.

    The changes would mean an extra 18 million bulk billed GP visits annually, the government says. Nine out of ten GP visits would be bulk billed by 2030. On the government’s figures, this would increase the number of fully bulk billing practices to about 4,800, triple the present figure.

    The government says its plan would produce patient savings of up to $859 million a year by 2030.

    It says this is the single largest investment in Medicare since it was created more than 40 years ago.

    The promised big health spend is designed both to focus the election campaign on an area of traditional strength for Labor, and to address the serious erosion of bulk billing rates in recent years. The rate is currently down to about 78%.

    The health package also promises to boost the number of nurses and doctors in the system. Four hundred nursing scholarships would be provided. By 2028 2,000 new GP trainee places would be funded each year in federally-funded GP training programs. The number funded in 2025 is 1600.

    The government has peviously tripled the bulk billing incentive for pensioners, concession card holders and families with children. From November 1, that would be widened to all Australians.

    Also from November 1, in addition to the bulk billing incentive, practices that fully bulk billed would receive an extra 12.5% loading on their Medicare rebates.

    “The combined investment means around 4,800 practices will be in a better financial position if they adopt full bulk billing,” Albanese and Health Minister Mark Butler said in a statement.

    Albanese said the plan “will make Medicare even stronger, help with cost of living pressures and ensure every Australian receives the best health care that they deserve”.

    Butler said people would be worse off if Peter Dutton became PM. “Peter Dutton tried to end bulk billing with a GP tax and then started a six-year freeze to Medicare rebates that froze GP incomes and stripped billions out of Medicare.”

    Proposed New Bulk Billing Arrangments

    The table below shows how total Medicare payments for common visits would increase from November 1, with the expansion of the bulk billing incentive to all Australians and the new incentive payment for practices that bulk billed every patient.

    The bulk billing incentive is scaled according to how far a general practice is from a major city or metropolitan area, with larger Medicare payments as communities get more remote.

    The total cost of the bulk billing initiatives over the forward estimates is nearly $7.9 billion.

    The costs year-by -year are: 2025-26, nearly $1.2 billion; 2026-27, nearly $2 billion; 2027-28, $2.3 billion, and 2028-29, $2.4 billion.

    The government said most of the cost of the Medicare package is accounted for the the December budget update and the rest would be in the next budget.

    The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners this month called for the extension of bulk billing incentives to those under 35. It said this would boost the national rate to 85%.

    The Greens have called for tripling the bulk billing incentive for everyone with a Medicare card.

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

    – ref. Albanese pledge: nine in ten GP visits bulk billed by 2030, in $8.5 billion Medicare injection – https://theconversation.com/albanese-pledge-nine-in-ten-gp-visits-bulk-billed-by-2030-in-8-5-billion-medicare-injection-249948

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The government has increased the planned amount of funding for infrastructure development in the regions of the Far East

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The work is being carried out on the instructions of the President.

    The planned amount of funding for the implementation of long-term projects for the social development of economic growth centers in the Far Eastern regions has been increased from 41.4 billion to 73.3 billion rubles. The decree on this was signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The decision will guarantee federal co-financing of projects implemented within the framework of the Far Eastern concession.

    The funds will be allocated from the federal budget in 2027–2039 and will be used to co-finance the regions’ expenses when implementing concession agreements, the term of which exceeds the period of validity of budget commitment limits.

    The activities planned using the increased funding include the construction of an embankment in Khabarovsk Krai, the creation of the Mine Town Park in Vladivostok, as well as an innovative scientific and technological center on Russky Island, the construction of a bridge across the Bira River in Birobidzhan, the reconstruction of the Birobidzhan-Ungun-Leninskoye highway, and the modernization of outdoor lighting in the city of Svobodny in Amur Oblast and in the city of Chita in Zabaikalsky Krai.

    “By the Government’s decision, we will secure funding obligations for five Far Eastern regions in the amount of almost 32 billion rubles for 12 years, starting in 2027. We will take them into account when forming the federal budget for the corresponding periods,” Mikhail Mishustin noted atGovernment meeting on February 20.

    The Far Eastern concession mechanism is one of the main instruments for implementing plans for social development of economic growth centers in the Far East regions. With the help of such a mechanism, the state guarantees companies a return on investment and minimizes risks. The Government is conducting this work on the instructions of the President.

    The document will be published.

    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 China: New helicopter passenger flight route links Nantong, Shanghai

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

    A new helicopter passenger route between Nantong, Jiangsu Province, and Shanghai was launched on February 20, cutting travel time from two hours by ground to just 40 minutes. Operating twice daily at peak times, the 123-kilometer route offers commuters both speed and aerial views of the Yangtze River’s urban landscapes. This launch is part of China’s expanding low-altitude economy, a sector expected to reach 1.5 trillion yuan (over $200 billion) this year, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Peters Applauds USPS Decision to Maintain Robust Operations at Iron Mountain Mail Processing Center

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters

    Announcement Comes After Peters Pushed Back on Proposed Changes by USPS that Would Impact UP Mail Service

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the following statement today after the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) announced the Iron Mountain Processing and Distribution Center will continue its local mail processing operations. Today’s announcement comes after Senator Peters repeatedly pushed back on proposed consolidation of the USPS delivery network, including for the Iron Mountain facility, that would have significantly impacted mail service for Upper Peninsula residents:

    “Postmaster General DeJoy informed me today that the United States Postal Service’s Iron Mountain Processing and Distribution Center will remain fully operational into the future, continuing to provide robust mail processing service for communities across the Upper Peninsula. This is great news for rural Michiganders who depend on USPS for delivery of essential items including financial documents, lab tests, prescriptions for veterans, and more, that are critical to the health and safety of residents.

    “I was proud to push back against changes previously proposed by USPS at its Iron Mountain facility and highlighted the importance of mail service in our rural communities to USPS leadership. Today’s announcement means that UP residents can continue to depend on USPS for reliable service. 

    “For 250 years, the Postal Service has been required to provide delivery service to every United States address. I’ll continue working to ensure every American in every community can count on USPS to deliver for years to come.” 

    Peters has previously led efforts to protect mail service for Upper Peninsula communities, especially following the USPS proposal to consolidate mail service, which would have moved some mail processing services out of Iron Mountain to larger facilities in Wisconsin. Last May, Peters secured a pause on proposed changes at the Iron Mountain Mail Processing and Distribution Center until USPS leadership could ensure the changes would not impact local mail service. The pause was announced after Peters convened a hearing with key USPS officials to examine proposed changes to its delivery network. Prior to the hearing, Peters wrote a letter to Postmaster General DeJoy in February 2024 requesting further details into changes at the Iron Mountain Processing Center. 

    In 2022, Peters authored and led passage of a historic, bipartisan law to set the Postal Service on a more sustainable financial footing and support the goal of providing long-term reliable service across the country. The law made the first major reforms to the Postal Service in more than 15 years, including requiring six-day delivery.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese FM calls for G20 cooperation to build just world of common development

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attends the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, Feb. 20, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday called on the Group of 20 (G20) countries to work together to build a just world of common development.

    Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during his speech on the second day of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Johannesburg, the largest city and economic hub of South Africa.

    In his speech, Wang noted that China stands ready to work with all parties to implement South Africa’s G20 presidency theme of “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability,” open a new chapter of G20 cooperation, and join hands to build a just world of common development.

    The foreign minister presented China’s suggestions for the future objectives of G20 cooperation. “First, we need to strengthen the foundation of G20 cooperation through solidarity,” Wang said. “We should seek common ground while shelving differences, refrain from division and confrontation, and oppose bloc confrontation.”

    He underlined that major countries should play an exemplary role, promote the reform of the global economic governance system, and increase the representation and voice of the Global South. Therefore, the G20 countries should work together to build an open world economy and jointly oppose unilateralism and protectionism so as to advance universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

    According to Wang, the second suggestion is to empower the G20 on the basis of equality, calling on the G20 countries to pursue extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, treat each other as partners rather than rivals, and see each other’s development as opportunities rather than challenges.

    “China supports South Africa in setting up the task force on artificial intelligence and in hosting the global summit on artificial intelligence in Africa,” he said.

    “Third, we need to open up new prospects for the G20 through sustainable development,” Wang said, noting that the G20 countries should continue to prioritize development on the G20 agenda and translate the spirit of multilateralism into concrete actions for sustainable development.

    He said that China, which supports cooperation in priority areas such as disaster reduction, debt sustainability, just energy transition, and critical minerals, is ready to explore ways to reduce financing costs for developing countries and help them reduce their debt burden in accordance with the principle of “joint action and fair burden.”

    Wang further noted that Africa is experiencing a new awakening, during which the G20 should mobilize more development resources, support the synergy of global development actions, cooperate with Africa in such areas as industrialization, infrastructure, and green minerals, and accelerate the path to modernization.

    China, while working with its African partners to comprehensively advance 10 partnership actions for modernization, is also ready to collaborate with all parties to empower Africa’s development and achieve common prosperity and progress through G20 cooperation, he added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese company hands over 2nd phase of deep seaport to Cameroon

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Aerial photo taken on Feb. 21, 2025 shows a view of the second phase of the Kribi Deep Seaport in Kribi, southern Cameroon. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) on Friday handed over the second phase of the Kribi Deep Seaport to authorities in southern Cameroon.

    Speaking at the handover ceremony, Patrice Melom, general manager of the Port Authority of Kribi (PAK), said the completion of the second phase will significantly improve the efficiency of the port.

    “PAK has grown. In the first phase, we had only 615 meters. Now, we have grown to 715 meters. That will permit us to handle more traffic on our port,” Melom said while commending CHEC for “good collaboration and flexibility” during the construction.

    Chen Ze, general manager of CHEC Central Africa Division, said the handover ceremony marked a major milestone that will enable the Kribi Deep Seaport to play a crucial role in driving regional economic development.

    “The completion of its second phase is an important step toward meeting the growing demands of trade and enhancing the port’s handling capacity. Today’s handover is not an endpoint but rather a new beginning. Moving forward, we will continue to support the government in optimizing port facilities and enhancing service quality to provide customers with more efficient and convenient logistics solutions,” Chen said.

    In 2018, CHEC completed the port’s first phase, which stimulated the country’s economy. The construction of the port’s second phase started in 2019.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese, South African FMs meet on bilateral ties

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    This photo taken on Feb. 20, 2025 shows a view outside the venue for the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed China-South Africa relations with his South African counterpart Ronald Lamola on Friday, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, congratulated South Africa on successfully hosting the meeting. By assuming the G20 presidency, South Africa represents Africa in making a strong voice on the global stage, which demonstrates the historic shifts in international political and economic landscapes and holds great significance, Wang noted.

    As multilateralism faces growing threats amid the rise of unilateral bullying and protectionism, the foreign ministers’ meeting under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability” has reflected the common aspirations of most countries, especially those from the Global South, Wang said, also conveying China’s firm support for South Africa in fulfilling the G20 presidency.

    Noting that South Africa is a major African country with substantial influence and immense development potential, Wang said that China is willing to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with South Africa, accelerate respective development and revitalization, and join hands to raise the voice and representation of countries from the Global South, especially African countries, in international agenda.

    Lamola, for his part, thanked China for supporting South Africa’s G20 presidency. In the face of a volatile international situation, South Africa remains committed to strengthening close coordination and cooperation with China to safeguard the common interests of the Global South countries, Lamola said.

    Lamola expressed delight over the fruitful outcomes of mutually beneficial cooperation between South Africa and China, looking forward to deepening practical cooperation in various areas such as economy and trade, infrastructure, energy, and emerging industries.

    He welcomed China to increase investment in South Africa to facilitate its efforts in accelerating industrialization and achieving diversified development.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese, Angolan FMs meet on bilateral ties

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with his Angolan counterpart Tete Antonio on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, Feb. 21, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed China-Angola relations with his Angolan counterpart Tete Antonio on Friday, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China and Angola fought side by side in the struggle against imperialism and colonialism and then joined hands in the pursuit of development and revitalization.

    Noting that the friendly cooperation between the two countries facilitated Angola’s national reconstruction and economic recovery, bringing tangible benefits to the Angolan people, Wang said the two sides should cherish the time-honored friendship and enhance mutual understanding and trust.

    Wang congratulated Angola on assuming the rotating presidency of the African Union, saying that China has never sought selfish gains in Africa or interfered in African country’s internal affairs and China has firmly supported African integration and is committed to maintaining sound relations with African countries, Wang said.

    Comprehensive cooperation between China and Africa has not only helped accelerate Africa’s development but also encouraged more attention and input from the international community to the continent. China will remain Africa’s most sincere and reliable partner in its future development journey, Wang noted.

    For his part, Antonio noted that Angolan President Joao Lourenco paid a state visit to China last year and held a successful meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, promoting new achievements in bilateral practical cooperation and bringing tangible benefits to both peoples. He thanked China for supporting Angola’s economic and social development and Chinese enterprises for their contributions to Angola’s national construction.

    Antonio said that Angola is willing to expand cooperation with China in various fields such as economy and trade, investment, finance, and energy, and stand firmly with China on issues concerning the latter’s core interests.

    Angola stands ready to take the presidency of the African Union as an opportunity to strengthen communication and coordination with China, deepen Africa-China cooperation, and enhance African solidarity, said Antonio.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Jobseekers leverage digital economy boom

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    A growing number of jobseekers are extending their career boundaries to more cutting-edge areas thanks to the development of digital economy, and embracing flexible jobs breaking the stereotyped notion of labeling them as low-income or with lower working skills. The new trend makes experts to call for the working rights protection of these flexibly employed and secure the sustainable and healthy development of the thriving job sector.
    Lin Qin, 28, is among the nation’s growing population of seeking or taking new types of flexible jobs, with these jobs incubated by information technology and digital economy development.
    Li, who offers online consultancy services on AI technology to some small-sized companies after quitting his job as a cloud-computing engineer in August, said that it’s no longer a shame taking flexible jobs.
    “I get more free time to arrange my working plans, and the income is no less than my previous job, roughly 20,000 yuan ($2,800) per month,” he said.
    A recent report by the recruitment portal Zhaopin and Jinan University in the southern province of Guangdong shows that the proportion of job hunters for new types of flexible jobs bounced back to a high point of 36.4 percent last year at Zhaopin’s platform, with the number seeing a continuous drop from 2019 to 2021 due to people’s concerns of the economy amid the COVID-19 epidemic.
    The report classifies the current new types of flexible jobs into two categories: one is location-based, with registered flexible workers taking online orders but serving in a specific real-world location, such as ride-hailing drivers and food delivery workers; while the other is cloud-based, with all services fulfilled online by workers ranging from online lecturer to livestreamer and online salesperson.
    The report observed that cloud-based flexible jobs are more lucrative to young people, females and those with higher education backgrounds.
    According to the report, youths aged between 21 and 25 take the largest proportion of jobseekers competing for cloud-based flexible job openings at Zhaopin’s platform, which is about 45.2 percent.
    Female job hunters show higher preference, accounting for 56.1 percent of the total seeking flexible jobs. The number is 12.2 percentage points higher than males, as cloud-based flexible jobs have lower requirements of physical strength but better ability of communicating and teamwork, the report said.
    Tian Xiaomin, 31, working as an accountant at a pressing house in Shanghai, is a part-time online lecturer of English language. She said that the job earns her extra income of 3,000 to 5,000 yuan per month with the payment fluctuating based on her class hours.
    “I’ve taken the part-time flexible job since 2023 out of my interest. It’s very common to see a ‘slashie’ nowadays who won’t confine to one single job but take flexible work in spare time. One of my friends is a fitness trainer at weekends while a financial analyst at workdays,” she said.
    Feng Shuaizhang, dean of the Institute for Economic and Social Research of Jinan University, said that the recovering economy and flourishing digital economy, platform economy and sharing economy have created more flexible job opportunities.
    More jobseekers recognize the benefits of working as new types of flexible workers, which offer them personal fulfillment and quality life.
    Li Qiang, vice-president of Zhaopin, noticed that flexible job openings are not limited to labor-intensive ones, but require higher working skills or professionalism of workers with the combination of digital technology and traditional industries.
    “For example, the development of AI technology gives birth to some new flexible jobs requiring people to have AI knowledge or digital skills,” he said, adding that employers have also digitalized their recruitment channels with big data or AI tools to help them match flexible workers with the job openings.
    However, Feng, the dean, called for more sound working rights protection to people taking new types of flexible jobs by perfecting the law or regulations on labor relations, using smart tools like algorithm and big data to balance the benefits between employers and flexible workers.
    He also suggested improving flexible workers’ awareness of getting social security and enhancing the working skills training or services to the flexibly employed.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Rosen Demand Transparency Regarding Termination of NNSA Personnel

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) sent a letter to President Trump’s Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) regarding recent terminations of NNSA personnel. Given the NNSA’s role maintaining and modernizing the American nuclear stockpile, largely done at the Nevada National Security Sites (NNSS), the senators expressed grave concern that the chaotic terminations could harm American national security.

    “NNSA personnel possess highly specialized expertise that is not easily replaceable, and any disruption to their work could have far-reaching consequences for U.S. national security and global nuclear stability,” wrote the senators in the letter. “Reductions in staff, particularly among senior leadership and technical experts, could compromise the continuity of critical programs, modernization, and weaken the ability of the U.S. to respond to emerging nuclear threats.”

    “Adding to these concerns, there are reports the NNSA is now attempting to rehire the terminated employees but has been unable to contact some of them,” they continued. “The fact that the agency is struggling to restore essential personnel suggests these firings were premature, mismanaged, or not conducted with full consideration of the potential impacts on national security operations.”

    The senators asked that the following information about the terminations be made public:

    • The total number of National Nuclear Security Administration employees who were terminated, including those in Nevada.
    • Any planned future rounds of firings, including those in Nevada.
    • The specific positions and responsibilities of these employees.
    • How many employees, if any, have been successfully rehired.
    • A detailed explanation of the rationale behind these terminations, including any financial, policy, or strategic considerations that led to these decisions.
    • How the hiring freeze, put in place by the current administration, impacts the mission at NNSA.
    • A detailed assessment on how these firings and then rehirings impact any future recruitment at the NNSA.

    The full text of the letter can be found here.

    Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen are champions for strengthening American national security, especially at sites like the NNSS. They have consistently voted to deliver critical funding to the NNSS. They also have a strong history of opposing nuclear waste disposal at Yucca Mountain and have introduced legislation to ensure the Secretary of Energy obtains written consent from state, local, and tribal leaders before allowing construction of a nuclear waste repository. Cortez Masto also pressed DOE Secretary Wright in his confirmation hearing on whether he would stand up to any Trump administration attempts to cut funding to the NNSS.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Continues Delivering for Main Street

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, led by Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), advanced a pair of bipartisan bills to reform the Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan process, a key bill to fix the broken federal workforce, and the committee rules.
    “I am proud to see the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee continue to work in a productive and bipartisan manner to make life better for Main Street,” said Chair Ernst. “The burdensome and bloated bureaucracy is costly to taxpayers and hurts small businesses. We are enacting long-overdue reforms to ensure Washington better serves the American people, especially in their time of need.”
    The three bills that passed out of committee were:
    Chair Ernst’s Returning SBA to Main Street Act, which relocates 30% of SBA D.C. headquarters employees across the country to be closer to the Americans they serve.
    The bipartisan Disaster Loan Accountability and Reform Act, led by Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.),which strengthens oversight, financial safeguards, and transparency within the SBA’s disaster loan account.
    The bipartisan SBA Disaster Transparency Act, led by Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), which reforms SBA disaster loan programs by requiring public reports.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Hong Kong improves stock settlement fee structure

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) announced Friday that it would enhance the securities market stock settlement fee structure to boost market efficiency.

    The improved rules removed the current minimum and maximum fee components, and adjusted the ad valorem rate to 0.42 bps for each trade. The new fee structure is expected to take effect in June this year.

    Based on HKEX data, about 77 percent of all securities trades conducted between 2019 and 2024 would benefit from lower fees under the new structure.

    HKEX Chief Operating Officer Vanessa Lau said that the change was part of the company’s ongoing initiatives to elevate the breadth and depth of the securities market, reinforcing Hong Kong’s position as a premier financial center.

    Hong Kong’s stock market saw widespread gains on Friday, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index surging some 4 percent to hit a new high in almost three years. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s securities regulator reaffirms zero-tolerance towards illegal market operations

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the country’s top securities regulator, on Friday reaffirmed its zero-tolerance towards illegal operations in the capital market, and pledged to continue strengthening law enforcement to promote the healthy development of the sector.

    In 2024, the CSRC handled 739 cases and handed down a total of 592 punishment decisions, with aggregate penalties reaching 15.3 billion yuan (about 2.13 billion U.S. dollars), which was more than double the total reported the previous year, Li Ming, vice chairman of the SCRC, told a press conference.

    The regulator has also doubled its efforts to crack down on what it calls the “most intolerable” illegal operations, which include fraudulent issuance, financial fraud, the illegal reduction of holdings, and market manipulation, according to Li.

    Last year, the CSRC investigated and handled a total of 135 violations of information disclosure rules, an increase of 17 percent year on year and the highest number among all case types, he said.

    He Yanchun, an official with the CSRC, noted that listed firms are excellent representatives of Chinese enterprises, and only a very small number are involved in fraudulent activity.

    It is expected that a certain number of financial fraud cases will be uncovered in the coming period, but this will not affect the trend of the high-quality development of China’s capital market, He said. “We firmly believe that the overall quality and investment value of Chinese listed companies will continue to improve.”

    In the future, the CSRC will continue to severely punish fraudulent issuance, financial fraud, and market manipulation, and further enhance law enforcement in the capital market, according to Li. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed Statement on Republicans Advancing a ‘Billionaires-First’ Budget

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC — Today, after an overnight vote-a-rama ended with Senate Republicans advancing their reconciliation budget bill that lays the groundwork to give massive tax windfalls to billionaires at the expense of everyday Americans, U.S. Senator Jack Reed issued the following statement:

    “The Republican ‘billionaires-first’ budget would raise costs for working- and middle-class families in order to grant bigger tax windfalls to the wealthiest Americans.  These tax cuts aren’t free, they’re paid for by regular American families and they should be targeted in a fair and balanced way that benefits every American. 

    “If Trump and the Republicans want to pass a tax cut for families struggling with high prices for food and housing, I’m all in.  But this plot is the exact opposite when it comes to families and prices.”

    “As working families are struggling with higher prices for groceries, housing, and health care, this budget would shift a greater cost burden onto those who can least afford it.  And to add insult to injury, the Trump plan tilts overwhelmingly towards the very richest at the expense of everyday Americans.  It could kick a struggling senior out of their nursing home so people like Donald Trump can add more gold to his fancy Mar-a-Lago ballroom.

    “It is telling that neither President Trump nor Congressional Republicans are doing anything here to bring down prices, tackle inflation, or make housing and health care more affordable for working families.  They aren’t prioritizing infrastructure investments or building bridges.  Instead, this Republican budget would do just the opposite: cut vital public programs like Medicare and Medicaid, make college less affordable, and roll back food assistance in order to fund a massive tax giveaway to the wealthy and well-heeled at the expense of workers, families, and older Americans.

    “Time and again during the debate, Republicans had the chance to go on record to support programs like Medicaid and Medicare, which provide essential healthcare coverage to tens of millions of Americans, and to repudiate tax cuts for billionaires.  The record clearly shows who they are standing with.

    “I will continue to oppose this reckless, fiscally irresponsible budget and work to get our nation on the right economic track.  Republicans need to kick the tax cuts for the rich habit and join Democrats to help lower prices, increase paychecks, expand opportunity, and strengthen the economy in ways that benefit all Americans, not just those at the very top.”

    The last Trump tax cut fueled a record $1 trillion explosion in stock buybacks in 2018, but it failed to deliver promised benefits to middle- and moderate-income families.  While Republicans claimed it would be revenue-neutral, it ended up adding trillions to the national debt.  According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), extending the Trump tax cuts for the next 10 years — as Republicans have proposed — would add $4.6 trillion to the deficit.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: America First Investment Policy

    Source: The White House

    class=”has-text-align-left”>MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
             THE SECRETARY OF STATE
             THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
             THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
             THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
             THE SECRETARY OF LABOR
             THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY
             THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
             THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
             THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
             THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE
             THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
             THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS
             THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
             THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS
             THE DIRECTOR OF THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

    SUBJECT:       America First Investment Policy
     
     
    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby direct the following:
     
             Section 1.  Principles and Objectives.  America’s investment policy is critical to our national and economic security.  Welcoming foreign investment and strengthening the United States’ world-leading private and public capital markets will be a key part of America’s Golden Age.  The United States has the world’s most attractive assets, in technology and across our economy, and we will make it easier for our overseas allies to support United States jobs, United States innovators, and United States economic growth with their capital.
     
             Investment by United States allies and partners can create hundreds of thousands of jobs and significant wealth for the United States.  Our Nation is committed to maintaining the strong, open investment environment that benefits our economy and our people, while enhancing our ability to protect the United States from new and evolving threats that can accompany foreign investment.
     
             Investment at all costs is not always in the national interest, however.  Certain foreign adversaries, including the People’s Republic of China (PRC), systematically direct and facilitate investment in United States companies and assets to obtain cutting-edge technologies, intellectual property, and leverage in strategic industries.  The PRC pursues these strategies in diverse ways, both visible and concealed, and often through partner companies or investment funds in third countries. 
     
             Economic security is national security.  The PRC does not allow United States companies to take over their critical infrastructure, and the United States should not allow the PRC to take over United States critical infrastructure.  PRC-affiliated investors are targeting the crown jewels of United States technology, food supplies, farmland, minerals, natural resources, ports, and shipping terminals.
     
             The PRC is also increasingly exploiting United States capital to develop and modernize its military, intelligence, and other security apparatuses, which poses significant risk to the United States homeland and Armed Forces of the United States around the world.  Related actions include the development and deployment of dual-use technologies, weapons of mass destruction, advanced conventional weapons, and malicious cyber‑enabled actions against the United States and its people.  Through its national Military-Civil Fusion strategy, the PRC increases the size of its military-industrial complex by compelling civilian Chinese companies and research institutions to support its military and intelligence activities.
     
             Those Chinese companies also raise capital by:  selling to American investors securities that trade on American and foreign public exchanges; lobbying United States index providers and funds to include these securities in market offerings; and engaging in other acts to ensure access to United States capital and accompanying intangible benefits.  In this way, the PRC exploits United States investors to finance and advance the development and modernization of its military.
     
             Sec. 2.  Policy.  (a)  It is the policy of the United States to preserve an open investment environment to help ensure that artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies of the future are built, created, and grown right here in the United States.  Investment in our economy from our allies and partners, some of whom have tremendous sovereign wealth funds, supports the national interest.  My Administration will make the United States the world’s greatest destination for investment dollars, to the benefit of all of us. 
     
             (b)  Yet for investment in United States businesses involved in critical technology, critical infrastructure, personal data, and other sensitive areas, restrictions on foreign investors’ access to United States assets will ease in proportion to their verifiable distance and independence from the predatory investment and technology-acquisition practices of the PRC and other foreign adversaries or threat actors.
     
             (c)  The United States will create an expedited “fast-track” process, based on objective standards, to facilitate greater investment from specified allied and partner sources in United States businesses involved with United States advanced technology and other important areas.  This process will allow for increased foreign investment subject to appropriate security provisions, including requirements that the specified foreign investors avoid partnering with United States foreign adversaries.  
     
             (d)  My Administration will also expedite environmental reviews for any investment over $1 billion in the United States.
     
             (e)  The United States will reduce the exploitation of public and private sector capital, technology, and technical knowledge by foreign adversaries such as the PRC.  The United States will establish new rules to stop United States companies and investors from investing in industries that advance the PRC’s national Military-Civil Fusion strategy and stop PRC-affiliated persons from buying up critical American businesses and assets, allowing only those investments that serve American interests.
     
             (f)  The United States will use all necessary legal instruments, including the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), to restrict PRC-affiliated persons from investing in United States technology, critical infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, energy, raw materials, or other strategic sectors.  My Administration will protect United States farmland and real estate near sensitive facilities.  It will also seek, including in consultation with the Congress, to strengthen CFIUS authority over “greenfield” investments, to restrict foreign adversary access to United States talent and operations in sensitive technologies (especially artificial intelligence), and to expand the remit of “emerging and foundational” technologies addressable by CFIUS.
     
             (g)  To reduce uncertainty for investors, reduce administrative burden, and increase Government efficiency, my Administration will cease the use of overly bureaucratic, complex, and open-ended “mitigation” agreements for United States investments from foreign adversary countries.  In general, mitigation agreements should consist of concrete actions that companies can complete within a specific time, rather than perpetual and expensive compliance obligations.  More administrative resources, in turn, will be directed toward facilitating investments from key partner countries.
     
             (h)  The United States will continue to welcome and encourage passive investments from all foreign persons.  These include non-controlling stakes and shares with no voting, board, or other governance rights and that do not confer any managerial influence, substantive decisionmaking, or non-public access to technologies or technical information, products, or services.  This will allow our cutting-edge businesses to continue to benefit from foreign investment capital, while ensuring protection of our national security.
     
             (i)  The United States will also use all necessary legal instruments to further deter United States persons from investing in the PRC’s military-industrial sector.  These may include the imposition of sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) through the blocking of assets or through other actions, including actions pursuant to Executive Order 13959 of November 12, 2020 (Addressing the Threat From Securities Investments That Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies), as amended by Executive Order 13974 of January 13, 2021 (Amending Executive Order 13959 — Addressing the Threat From Securities Investments That Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies) and Executive Order 14032 of June 3, 2021 (Addressing the Threat From Securities Investments That Finance Certain Companies of the People’s Republic of China), and actions pursuant to Executive Order 14105 of August 9, 2023 (Addressing United States Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products in Countries of Concern).  Executive Order 14105 is under review by my Administration, pursuant to the Presidential Memorandum of January 20, 2025 (America First Trade Policy), to examine whether it includes sufficient controls to address national security threats.
     
             (j)  This review will build on measures taken under my authority in 2020 and 2021 and consider new or expanded restrictions on United States outbound investment in the PRC in sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology, hypersonics, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, directed energy, and other areas implicated by the PRC’s national Military-Civil Fusion strategy.  Covered sectors should be reviewed and updated regularly, including by the Office of Science and Technology Policy.  As part of the review, my Administration will consider applying restrictions on investment types including private equity, venture capital, greenfield investments, corporate expansions, and investments in publicly traded securities, from sources including pension funds, university endowments, and other limited-partner investors.  It is past time for American universities to stop supporting foreign adversaries with their investment decisions, much as they should stop granting university access to supporters of terrorism.
     
             (k)  To further reduce incentives for United States persons to invest in our foreign adversaries, we will review whether to suspend or terminate the 1984 United States-The People’s Republic of China Income Tax Convention.  That tax treaty, along with the PRC’s admission to the World Trade Organization and the related undertaking by the United States to accord unconditional Most Favored Nation treatment to goods and services of the PRC, led to the deindustrialization of the United States and the technological modernization of the PRC military.  We will seek to reverse both those trends.  United States investors will invest in the future of America, not the future of the PRC.
     
             (l)  To protect the savings of United States investors and channel them into American growth and prosperity, my Administration will also:
     
             (i)    determine if adequate financial auditing standards are upheld for companies covered by the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act;
     
             (ii)   review the variable interest entity and subsidiary structures used by foreign-adversary companies to trade on United States exchanges, which limit the ownership rights and protections for United States investors, as well as allegations of fraudulent behavior by these companies; and
     
             (iii)  restore the highest fiduciary standards as required by the Employee Retirement Security Act of 1974, seeking to ensure that foreign adversary companies are ineligible for pension plan contributions.
     
             Sec. 3.  Implementation.  The policy set forth in section 2 of this memorandum shall be implemented, to the extent permitted by law and available appropriations, and subject to internal programmatic and budgetary processes, as follows:
     
             (a)  With respect to sections 2(a) through 2(k) of this memorandum, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Commerce, the United States Trade Representative, and the heads of other executive departments and agencies (agencies) as deemed appropriate by the Secretary of the Treasury, and with respect to the authorities of CFIUS in coordination with the members thereof, shall take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, to support all powers granted to the President by IEEPA, section 721 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended, and other statutes to carry out the purposes of this memorandum.
     
             (b)  With respect to section 2(d) of this memorandum, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in consultation with the heads of other agencies as appropriate, shall carry out the purposes of this memorandum.
     
             (c)  With respect to section 2(l)(i) of this memorandum, the Secretary of the Treasury shall engage as appropriate with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; with respect to section 2(l)(ii) of this memorandum, the Attorney General, in coordination with the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall provide a written recommendation on the risk posed to United States investors based on the auditability, corporate oversight, and evidence of criminal or civil fraudulent behavior for all foreign adversary companies currently listed on domestic exchanges; and with respect to section 2(l)(iii) of this memorandum, the Secretary of Labor shall publish updated fiduciary standards under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 for investments in public market securities of foreign adversary companies.
     
             Sec. 4.  Definition.  For purposes of this memorandum, the term “foreign adversaries” includes the PRC, including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macau Special Administrative Region; the Republic of Cuba; the Islamic Republic of Iran; the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; the Russian Federation; and the regime of Venezuelan politician Nicolás Maduro.
     
             Sec. 5.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

                      (i.) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

                      (ii.) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

             (b)  This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
     
             (c)  This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Encourages Foreign Investment While Protecting National Security

    Source: The White House

    MAKING AMERICA THE WORLD’S GREATEST DESTINATION FOR INVESTMENT: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) aimed at promoting foreign investment while protecting America’s national security interests, particularly from threats posed by foreign adversaries like the People’s Republic of China.

    • The NSPM establishes that welcoming foreign investment is crucial for economic growth, job creation, and innovation, ensuring that the United States leverages its world-leading financial markets to support American jobs and innovators.
    • The United States will create a “fast-track” process to facilitate greater investment from specified allies and partners, with conditions that prevent investors from partnering with our foreign adversaries in corresponding areas. The United States will also expedite environmental reviews for any investment over $1 billion.
    • The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) will be used to restrict Chinese investments in strategic U.S. sectors like technology, critical infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, energy, raw materials, and others.
    • The United States will protect our farmland and real estate near sensitive facilities, strengthen CFIUS authority over “greenfield” investments, and restrict foreign adversary access to U.S. talent and operations in sensitive technologies.
    • Rather than use overly bureaucratic, complex, and open-ended “mitigation” agreements for U.S. investments from foreign adversaries, more administrative resources will be directed toward facilitating investments from key partner countries.
    • The United States will establish new rules to curb the exploitation of its capital, technology, and knowledge by foreign adversaries such as China to ensure that only those investments that serve American interests are allowed.
    • The Trump Administration will consider new or expanded restrictions on U.S. outbound investment to China in sensitive technologies, including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology, aerospace, and more, to stop American funds from supporting China’s Military-Civil Fusion (MCF) strategy.
    • The United States will continue to encourage passive investments from all foreign persons – this will allow our cutting-edge businesses to continue to benefit from foreign capital while safeguarding our national security.
    • The Trump Administration will protect U.S. investors’ savings and boost American prosperity by auditing foreign companies on U.S. exchanges, reviewing their ownership structures and any alleged fraud, and ensuring foreign adversary companies are ineligible for pension plan contributions.

    ENSURING AMERICA’S PROSPERITY AND SECURITY: President Trump is committed to making the United States a premier destination for investment while balancing national security interests.

    • The United States is the leading innovator of next-generation technologies, and this action makes it easier for our friends to support U.S. innovators and economic growth.
    • Certain foreign countries, including China, systematically direct investment in American companies to gain access to cutting-edge technology, intellectual property, and leverage in strategic industries, which must be countered.
      • Foreign entities and individuals hold roughly 43 million acres of U.S. agricultural land, which is nearly 2% of all land in the U.S.
      • China owns more than 350,000 acres of farmland across 27 states.
    • China is exploiting our capital and ingenuity to fund and modernize their military, intelligence, and security operations, posing direct threats to United States security with weapons of mass destruction, cyber warfare, and more.
    • Chinese hackers have repeatedly targeted U.S. entities, including recently breaching the Treasury Department’s CFIUS office, the entity responsible for reviewing foreign investments for national security risks.

    SAFEGUARDING AMERICAN INNOVATION: President Trump is keeping his promise to prevent foreign adversaries from taking advantage of the United States.

    • President Trump: “We will also adopt new rules to stop U.S. companies from pouring investments into China, and to stop China from buying up America, allowing all of those investments that clearly serve American interests.”
      • President Trump also promised to “stop Chinese-owned” firms from “stealing our intellectual property, our workers’ knowledge and then sending it back to Communist China. We’re not going to let that happen.”
      • President Trump: “We have powers that haven’t really been used in terms of environmental. If you invest over $1 billion in the United States, we’re going to give expedited reviews.”
    • This NSPM builds on numerous actions President Trump took in his first term to protect American innovation, including:
      • Initiating a Section 301 investigation into China’s practices related to forced technology transfer, unfair licensing, and intellectual property policies.
      • Announcing a Department of Justice China Initiative to identify and prosecute trade secrets theft, hacking, and economic espionage – a program which the Biden Administration ended.
      • Prioritizing research and development of America’s artificial intelligence capabilities.
      • Taking action to prevent foreign malign actors from gaining access to United States information networks.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Purpose Investments Inc. Announces February 2025 Distributions for the Seven New Yield Shares ETFs

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, Feb. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Purpose Investments Inc. (“Purpose”) is pleased to announce the distributions for the month of February 2025 for its newest set of Yield Shares ETFs.

    The ex-distribution date for all seven Yield Shares ETFs listed in the table below is February 28, 2025.

    ETF Name Ticker Distribution
    per Unit    		 Record
    Date    		 Payable
    Date    		 Distribution
    Frequency
    Costco (COST) Yield Shares
    Purpose ETF – ETF Series    		 YCST $0.1000 02/28/2025 03/06/2025 Monthly
    Palantir (PLTR) Yield Shares
    Purpose ETF – ETF Series    		 YPLT $0.2500 02/28/2025 03/06/2025 Monthly
    UnitedHealth Group (UHN)
    Yield Shares Purpose ETF –
    ETF Series    		 YUNH $0.1100 02/28/2025 03/06/2025 Monthly
    Coinbase (COIN) Yield
    Shares Purpose ETF – ETF
    Series    		 YCON $0.3000 02/28/2025 03/06/2025 Monthly
    Netflix (NFLX) Yield Shares
    Purpose ETF – ETF Series    		 YNET $0.1100 02/28/2025 03/06/2025 Monthly
    Broadcom (AVGO) Yield
    Shares Purpose ETF – ETF
    Series    		 YAVG $0.1500 02/28/2025 03/06/2025 Monthly
    Tech Innovators Yield
    Shares Purpose ETF – ETF
    Series    		 YMAG $0.2000 02/28/2025 03/06/2025 Monthly


    About Purpose Investments Inc.

    Purpose Investments is an asset management company with more than $23 billion in assets under management. Purpose Investments has an unrelenting focus on client-centric innovation and offers a range of managed and quantitative investment products. Purpose Investments is led by well-known entrepreneur Som Seif and is a division of Purpose Unlimited, an independent technology-driven financial services company.

    For further information, please contact: info@purposeinvest.com

    For media inquiries, please contact:
    Keera Hart
    Keera.Hart@kaiserpartners.com
    905-580-1257

    Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investment fund investments. Please read the prospectus and other disclosure documents before investing. Investment funds are not covered by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government deposit insurer. There can be no assurance that the full amount of your investment in a fund will be returned to you. If the securities are purchased or sold on a stock exchange, you may pay more or receive less than the current net asset value. Investment funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Woman Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Burning Down Local Business

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Carey Alice Hernandez was sentenced in federal court today to 70 months in prison for intentionally setting fire to Off Road Warehouse to cover up the disappearance of more than $700,000 while she was in charge of company finances.

    In April 2024, after a four-day trial, jurors found Hernandez guilty of malicious destruction of a building by means of fire, witness tampering and making false statements.

    In late 2018, the owner of Off Road Warehouse, also known as ORW, which sold and installed automotive parts and gear for off-roading, decided to sell the business located at 7915 Balboa Avenue. The prospective purchaser conducted an audit of ORW, which revealed that between January 2015 and March 2019, while Hernandez was serving as bookkeeper and controller in charge of the company books and records, $744,621 had gone missing from the company.

    The jury found that in the early morning hours of March 28, 2019, Hernandez started the fire at Off Road Warehouse, causing the building to burn to the ground.

    “This defendant intentionally set a dangerous inferno in what appears to have been an attempt to conceal a massive theft. And then she leaned on her minor daughter to try and cover up her crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. “Fortunately, no one was physically hurt, but this devastating loss for ORW, and the extraordinary danger of intentionally setting a fire, demanded accountability. And today, justice was served.”

    At today’s hearing, U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta described the defendant’s actions as “wanton, deliberate and destructive” and “a very dangerous crime” that put firefighters at risk. She noted the crime was made even worse when she asked her daughter to lie for her.

    According to evidence presented at trial, surveillance footage showed the defendant driving an SUV with dark rims near her home and the fire scene. The following day, she lied to federal agents and ORW employees, claiming her SUV had light rims. Video footage from the area contradicted her claims about the vehicles rims, leading to convictions for witness tampering and false statements.

    ATF’s National Response Team (NRT) investigated this case in conjunction with San Diego’s Metro Arson Strike Team (MAST). The NRT is ATF’s mobile, rapid response team which investigates the cause and origin of large fires, explosions and bombings at the request of local public safety agencies.

    “Arson crimes are not victimless,” said Acting ATF Los Angeles Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jose Medina. “These criminal acts destroy lives, property, and businesses.  In this case, the motive was greed—fire was used as a cover-up for criminal activity. ATF remains steadfast in its mission to bring arsonists to justice and ensure safer communities. We will relentlessly pursue and remove these offenders from society. I want to acknowledge the dedication of our National Response Team and San Diego’s Metro Arson Strike Team (MAST) for their work in determining the fire’s origin and cause.”

    A hearing to determine the restitution that Hernandez owes the victims of her crimes is scheduled for March 14, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. before Judge Ohta.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Brehm and Carl Brooker.

    DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 22cr145-JO                                         

    Carey Alice Hernandez                                  Age: 46                                   Rathdrum, Idaho

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Malicious Destruction of Building by Means of Fire – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 844(i)

    Maximum penalty: No less than five years in prison and no more than 20 years and $250,000 fine

    Witness Tampering – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1512(b)(3)

    Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine

    False Statements – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1001(a)(2)

    Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine

    INVESTIGATING AGENCY

    Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden, Colleagues Reintroduce Bill to Combat Intensifying Wildfires and Drought Across the American West

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

    February 21, 2025

    Protect the West Act would invest $60 Billion to reduce wildfire risk, restore watersheds, protect communities, and reduce wildfire suppression costs.

    Washington D.C.—U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to reintroduce legislation that would  make a $60 billion investment in forests in Oregon and across the West to lessen wildfire risk, restore watersheds, protect communities, and reduce wildfire suppression costs.

    “With summers getting drier and hotter, the treasured lands in Oregon and the West are a tinderbox waiting to light ablaze,” said Wyden. “In my town halls, I’ve heard countless Oregonians fearing for their health and safety while struggling to maintain their economic livelihood as severe drought and wildfires wreak more havoc on their communities every year. More investments are needed to protect our forests and watersheds so local communities across the West are healthy and can have the opportunity to explore its beautiful natural treasures for generations.”

    America’s forests and public lands are essential infrastructure – supporting a $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation economy and $222 billion agricultural economy. 

    Despite the importance of our forests to our economy, watersheds, and way of life, Washington DC  has failed to adequately invest in them. The federal government spends $2.9 billion to put out wildfires every year, with costs expected to rise to $3.9 billion by 2050. Preventing wildfires before they start saves taxpayers money by reducing response and recovery costs. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that, over the last five years, the U.S. spent nearly $48 billion on wildfires. Barely three months into 2025, annual wildfire costs are already estimated to exceed $250 billion in damages due to the Los Angeles wildfires.

    Specifically, the Protect the West Act would do the following:

    1. Establish an Outdoor Restoration & Watershed Fund to increase support for local efforts to restore forests and watersheds, reduce wildfire risk, clean up public lands, enhance wildlife habitat, remove invasive species, and expand outdoor access;
    1. Establish an advisory council of local, industry, conservation, Tribal, and national experts to advise funding priorities, coordinate with existing regional efforts, and provide oversight;
    1. Empower local leaders by making $20 billion directly available to state and local governments, Tribes, special districts, and nonprofits to support restoration, drought resilience, and fire mitigation projects. These funds would empower local leaders to bring diverse voices to the table to develop solutions;
    1. Partner with states and Tribes to invest $40 billion to tackle the backlog of restoration, fire mitigation, and resilience projects across public, private, and Tribal lands;
    1. Create or sustain more than two million good-paying jobs, primarily in rural areas, to support existing industries like forest product, agriculture, and outdoor recreation; and
    1. Save landowners and local governments money by investing in wildfire prevention and natural hazard mitigation on the front end, which is thirty times more cost-effective than recovering forests and watersheds after natural disasters have struck.

    In addition to Wyden, the legislation was reintroduced by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet, D-Colo., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Ruben Gallego, D-Ari., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and U.S. Representative Jason Crow, D-Colo.

    The bill is supported by The National Wildlife Federation, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, National Association of State Foresters, The Freshwater Trust, American Forests, National Wild Turkey Federation, National Audubon Society, Family Farm Alliance, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Western Landowners Alliance, Western Resource Advocates, Trout Unlimited, and Conservation Legacy.

    The full text of the bill is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy champions bill to protect investor privacy by prohibiting vulnerable SEC database

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

    MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, introduced the Protecting Investors’ Personally Identifiable Information Act. The bill would protect information that could reveal the identity of American investors by prohibiting the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from requiring brokers to submit investors’ personally identifiable information to its Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT).

    Earlier this month, the Trump administration’s SEC issued an order that exempts certain personally identifiable information consisting of investors’ names, addresses and years of birth from CAT reporting. Kennedy’s bill would permanently remove reporting requirements on investors’ personally identifiable information.

    “Americans assume their private information is secure when they invest money in the U.S. stock market. However, the SEC’s unlawful Consolidated Audit Trail could put their data in jeopardy. My bill would protect American investors from foreign enemies and bad actors by preventing the SEC from collecting personal information it doesn’t need and storing it on a dangerous database,” said Kennedy.

    Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) introduced the bill in the House of Representatives.

    “The SEC’s collection of personal financial information through the Consolidated Audit Trail is unconstitutional and entirely unnecessary; and it exposes American investors to serious cybersecurity risks from foreign adversaries and criminal hackers. This is why I developed the Protecting Investors’ Personally Identifiable Information Act in the House. The bill would effectively eliminate the potential for both accidental and intentional breaches by restricting the SEC’s automatic collection of investors’ PII. Among its provisions, the SEC will only be permitted to request this data in cases directly tied to investigating or enforcing violations of federal securities law. I want to thank Senator John Kennedy for introducing the Senate companion to this important bill,” said Loudermilk.

    Sens. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) cosponsored the bill.

    “Investors rely on the SEC to safeguard sensitive financial information. Requiring brokers to submit investors’ private, identifiable information, including social security numbers, into a central database will invite even more attempts to compromise Americans’ data privacy. I am pleased to join my colleagues to reject this ill-advised scheme and protect personal information,” said Boozman.

    “The SEC’s Consolidated Audit Trail database holds millions of Americans’ sensitive financial information. Since taking office, I’ve pushed back against the profound risks the CAT poses to Americans’ individual liberty and personal privacy. The Protecting Investors’ Personally Identifiable Information Act would permanently prohibit the requirement of submitting personal information to the CAT, protecting American investors,” said Britt.

    “Investors put their faith in the U.S. when they choose to invest in our stock market, and they should not have to worry about their personal information being stolen. This bill will increase our cybersecurity and stop the over-collection of unnecessary personal information for the millions of people who trust our stock market system with their savings and their privacy,” said Daines.

    “Protecting the information of American investors helps build trust and security that encourages investments in our markets. As adversaries target Americans’ personal data through cyberattacks, it is important that the SEC only keeps the data it needs instead of housing additional, personal information that could place investors at greater risk,” said Moran.

     “The Protecting Investors’ Personally Identifiable Information Act is a necessary step in protecting the information and identities of American investors. The American people should feel confident that their participation in the stock market does not mean the leaking of their private information,” said Ricketts. 

    The American Securities Association (ASA) supports the Protecting Investors’ Personally Identifiable Information Act.

    “Senator Kennedy is a true champion for the American people and we applaud his bill to stop the federal government from collecting individual investors’ personal and financial information in a national registry, which is a sitting duck for hackers. The SEC can conduct responsible oversight of our equity markets without collecting the most sensitive personal information of working families, retirees, and savers,” said Chris Iacovella, CEO of the ASA.

    The SEC’s CAT became operational on May 31, 2024, making it the largest government database of its kind. The CAT will collect all customer and order information for equity securities and listed options, including data that might be considered personally identifiable information. 

    The SEC is implementing the CAT despite concerns from investor protection groups and the securities industry and in the wake of vulnerabilities that recent cyber-attacks have revealed at federal agencies. 

    Kennedy’s bill would prohibit the SEC from requiring market participants to submit investors’ personally identifiable information to the CAT. Under this legislation, the SEC can obtain personally identifiable information related to investors only by requesting it on a case-by-case basis. Companies and investors trading on the U.S. stock exchanges would need to fulfill the SEC’s request for this information within 24 hours, though additional time may be requested. 

    The bill would also require the SEC to delete personally identifiable information once the agency resolves the investigation or issue that required that information. 

    Text of the Protecting Investors’ Personally Identifiable Information Act is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Hampton Debentures Redeemed and Reinvested

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

    TORONTO, Feb. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hampton Financial Corporation (“Hampton” or the “Company”, TSXV: HFC) announces that Hampton debentures in the aggregate principal amount of $2,175,000 have been redeemed and that the holders of the debentures have reinvested the redemption proceeds into new non-convertible debentures of Hampton in the aggregate principal amount of $2,000,000, bearing interest at 10% per annum and maturing on December 29, 2025, and separately in the case of debentures held by its CEO, Peter Deeb, in the issuance of 255,050 subordinate voting shares of Hampton at $0.70 per share.

    The Company received conditional approval from the TSX Venture Exchange for the issuance of the subordinate voting shares, which are subject to a four month hold period expiring on June 21, 2025.

    About Hampton Financial Corporation

    Hampton is a unique private equity firm that seeks to build shareholder value through long-term strategic investments.

    Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Hampton Securities Limited (“HSL”), Hampton is actively engaged in family office, wealth management, institutional services and capital markets activities. HSL is a full-service investment dealer, regulated by CIRO and registered in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Ontario, and Quebec. In addition, the Company, through HSL, provides investment banking services, which include assisting companies with raising capital, advising on mergers and acquisitions, and aiding issuers in obtaining a listing on recognized securities exchanges in Canada and abroad and HSL’s Corporate Finance Group provides early stage, growing companies the capital they need to create value for investors. HSL continues to develop its Wealth Management, Advisory Team and Principal-Agent programs which offers to the industry’s most experienced wealth managers a unique and flexible operating platform that provides additional freedom, financial support, and tax effectiveness as they build and manage their professional practice.

    Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Oxygen Working Capital (“OWC”) the company offers factoring and other commercial financing services to clients across Canada.

    The Company is exploring opportunities to diversify its sources of revenue by way of strategic investments in both complimentary business and non-core sectors that can leverage the expertise of its Board and the diverse experience of its management team.

    For more information, please contact:

    Olga Juravlev
    Chief Financial Officer
    Hampton Financial Corporation
    (416) 862-8701

    Or

    Peter M. Deeb
    Executive Chairman & CEO
    Hampton Financial Corporation
    (416) 862-8651

    The TSXV has in no way approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

    No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release. This press release does not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction outside of Canada. The securities being offered have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), or the securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to a U.S. person absent registration or pursuant to an available exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. There will be no public offering of securities in the United States.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively referred to herein as “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which may include, but are not limited to, information and statements regarding or inferring the future business, operations, financial performance, prospects, and other plans, intentions, expectations, estimates, and beliefs of the Company. All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as “should”, “hopeful”, “recovery”, “anticipate”, “achieve”, “could”, “believe”, “plan”, “intend”, “objective”, “continuous”, “ongoing”, “estimate”, “outlook”, “expect”, “may”, “will”, “project” or similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes.

    Forward-looking statements involve and are subject to assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors beyond the Company’s ability to predict or control which may cause actual events, results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future events, results, performance, and achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements herein. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance. Although the Company believes that any forward-looking statements herein are reasonable, in light of the use of assumptions and the significant risks and uncertainties inherent in such statements, there can be no assurance that any such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results may vary, and vary materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements herein. Accordingly, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of the risks and uncertainties inherent in forward-looking statements herein and should not place undue reliance upon such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements herein are qualified by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking statements herein are made only as of the date hereof, and except as required by applicable laws, the Company assumes no obligation and disclaims any intention to update or revise any forward-looking statements herein or to update the reasons that actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: 2025 Action Plan for Stabilizing Foreign Investment

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

    2025 Action Plan for Stabilizing Foreign Investment

    Ministry of Commerce and

    National Development and Reform Commission

    Foreign investment is crucial for promoting high-level opening-up. It plays an important role in fostering new quality productive forces and advancing Chinese modernization. We have thus formulated this action plan to intensify efforts to attract and stabilize foreign investment in 2025.

    I. Expanding self-initiated opening-up in an orderly manner

    1. Expanding pilot programs to open up the telecommunications, healthcare, and education sectors. We will support efforts of the pilot regions to publicize and implement the opening-up policies for value-added telecommunications, biotechnology, and wholly foreign-owned hospitals, and assemble special teams to follow foreign-invested projects under discussion and help solve problems timely, and push for early implementation of these projects. We will expand pilot programs to open up the telecommunications and healthcare sectors at an appropriate time. We will study and formulate plans to expand self-initiated opening-up of the education and cultural sectors in an orderly manner, publish them at an appropriate time and implement them with steady steps.

    2. Ensuring the lift of restrictions on foreign investment in the manufacturing sector is well-implemented. For areas not on the negative lists for foreign investment access, we will administer foreign investment access in the principle of equal treatment for domestic and foreign investment alike. We will revise the negative lists and further reduce the listed items to expand opening-up to all types of market operators.

    3. Improving the national comprehensive demonstration zones for expanding opening-up in the services sector. We will support the leading role of the Beijing demonstration zone in expanding services liberalization to accelerate and intensify the pilot efforts. We will further expand the scope of the pilot to include new elements and tasks, and experiment with the opening-up measures in key areas in the demonstration zones first. We will conduct in-depth studies on policy measures to open up the services sector further, closely follow the progress of the pilot, and timely replicate pilot experience. We will support the standardization in the national comprehensive demonstration zones for expanding opening-up in the services sector.

    4. Advancing opening-up of the biomedicine sector in an orderly manner. We will support the participation of qualified foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) in the segmented production of biological products on a pilot basis, speed up the review of pilot programs and quality monitoring programs at the provincial level, promote the optimization of resource allocation in the biomedicine industry, and coordinate for the timely resolution of difficulties facing enterprises in the pilot process. We will study and improve the opening-up policies for the pharmaceutical sector, facilitate more rapid launch of new drugs, optimize volume-based drug procurement, and make medical device procurement more predictable.

    5. Encouraging foreign equity investment in China. We will earnestly implement the Measures for the Administration of Strategic Investment in Listed Companies by Foreign Investors, formulate and release guidelines for making strategic investment, and intensify publicity efforts targeting listed companies, overseas funds, investment institutions, etc., to encourage more high-quality long-term foreign investment in listed Chinese companies.

    II. Improving the level of investment promotion

    6. Building continuously the brand of “Invest in China”. We will deepen the institutional reform of the foreign investment promotion system as required, devise an annual implementation plan for building the brand of “Invest in China”, and meticulously design and implement a series of “Invest in China” events. Central and local governments will make coordinated efforts in organizing overseas investment promotion events to fill in the gaps in and strengthen industrial and supply chains in the manufacturing sector with foreign investment. In light of the different characteristics of China’s major sources of foreign investment, we will research and formulate differentiated investment attraction targets and strategies, work closely with bilateral joint (mixed) economic and trade committees, and fully activate bilateral investment promotion working groups to boost project matchmaking.

    7. Strengthening support for FIEs’ reinvestment in China. We will keep optimizing the business environment and ensure full national treatment for FIEs. We will research and formulate policy measures to encourage FIEs to reinvest in China and use more of their profits made in China for reinvestment. We will pilot an information report program for FIEs’ investment in China.

    8. Encouraging foreign investment in a wider range of industries. We will revise and expand the catalogue of industries where foreign investment is encouraged, optimize foreign investment mix, promote the high-quality development of China’s manufacturing sector with foreign investment, steer foreign investment to the modern services sector, and support more foreign investment flows into China’s central, western and northeastern regions.

    9. Removing restrictions on foreign-invested investment companies’ access to domestic loans. Foreign-invested investment companies will be allowed to access domestic loans for equity investment. We will make greater efforts to communicate relevant policies and provide facilitation for multinational companies to invest in and establish headquarters and similar institutions in China.

    10. Encouraging multinational companies to invest in and establish investment companies. We will refine the rules for setting up foreign-invested investment companies and provide facilitation for multinational companies to invest in and establish investment companies in China in terms of foreign exchange administration, cross-border movement of personnel and cross border data flows. Companies invested in and established in China by foreign-invested investment companies will be eligible for FIE treatment in accordance with law and regulation.

    11. Facilitating merger & acquisition (M&A) investment in China by foreign investors. The Provisions on the Merger and Acquisition of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors will be amended under the framework of the Foreign Investment Law, with refined M&A rules and transaction procedures, better defined scope of administration and lower threshold for cross-border share swaps.

    12. Intensifying investment attraction in key sectors. We will encourage and ensure national treatment for foreign investment in animal husbandry-related sectors such as breeding, production of rearing equipment and production of animal feed and veterinary medicine. To create more business opportunities and cooperation space for FIEs, we will support their participation in China’s new industrialization process, with a focus on high-tech sectors. Foreign investment utilization will be encouraged in services sectors including elderly care, culture and tourism, sports, healthcare, vocational education and finance to meet consumer demand for multi-tiered services.

    13. Promoting communications on economic policies and the business environment. Press releases and briefings, interviews and expert comments will be fully utilized to showcase and explain China’s new policies, measures and highlights for expanding high-standard opening up.

    III. Strengthening the functions of opening-up platforms

    14. Deepening institutional reforms in economic and technological development zones. We will improve policy support systems and develop policy papers on deepening reforms and innovations in national economic and technological development zones, roll out new measures in guaranteeing production factors, opening up key sectors, carrying out pilot reform tasks and delegating economic management power, so as to improve the standards of export-oriented economy in national economic and technological development zones. For national high-tech industrial development zones, special customs supervision areas and various provincial development zones, we will tap into their role as opening-up platforms for stabilizing foreign investment.

    15. Implementing the strategy to upgrade pilot free trade zones. We will improve the quality and efficiency of pilot free trade zones, expand the authorization of reform tasks, accelerate the implementation of core policies for the Hainan Free Trade Port and create a highland for attracting foreign investment. We support pilot free trade zones in stepping up stress tests in sectors accessible to foreign investment and continuing to expand institutional opening up in rules, regulation, management and standards.

    IV. Redoubling efforts to enhance services

    16. Promoting the implementation of major and key foreign-invested projects. We will encourage the inclusion of more foreign-invested projects in the lists of major and key foreign-invested projects and enhance policy support and services to accelerate the implementation of projects.

    17. Establishing a system of standards for domestic products in government procurement. We will speed up developing and issuing relevant documents to specify the standards of domestic products in government procurement and ensure that products produced by enterprises of different ownerships within China participate equally in government procurement activities. We will enhance policy communication in the field of government procurement and improve the handling of complaints from FIEs.

    18. Broadening financing channels for FIEs. We will encourage financial institutions to provide financing services for FIEs, research the borrowing needs, investment and operation of key FIEs, and organize targeted bank-enterprise matchmaking events. Various types of funds will be guided to carry out equity investment cooperation with FIEs, and FIEs supported in expanding their investment and business and deepening their footprint in China.

    19. Facilitating personnel exchange. We will accelerate negotiations on mutual visa exemption agreements, and continue to expand the coverage of China’s unilateral visa-free policy in a prudent manner. Policies for port visa, visa-free transit and regional visa-free entry will be optimized to promote cross-border movements of people. A Guide to Working and Living in China as Business Expatriates will be upgraded.

    20. Improving the level of trade facilitation for FIEs. We will work earnestly on issuing Certificates of Origin under preferential trade agreements to help FIEs enjoy tariff concessions from agreement partners. The inspection and regulation of complete sets of equipment imported for key foreign-invested projects will be optimized. More efforts will be made to support FIEs in obtaining the “Authorized Economic Operator” (AEO) certificate, and random inspections will be further optimized and reduced for AEOs. We will promote the adoption of inspection results of imports in an active and prudent manner, and include more qualified Chinese and foreign inspection institutions on the list of institutions whose inspection results are adopted. FIEs will be encouraged to apply for recordation of their intellectual property rights, and any infringement in the process of import and export will be resolutely combated.

    Under the centralized and unified leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, all regions and relevant departments should unswervingly deepen reform and opening up, refine specific implementation measures, and innovate working methods and strengthen policy and factor support in areas including investment promotion, rights and interests protection and services guarantee, to ensure that the measures can be put in place and take effect in 2025, so as to effectively boost the confidence of foreign investors. Relevant departments should be organized to visit key regions and major FIEs to better understand the requests of FIEs and effectively respond to their concerns. The Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and Reform Commission will work with relevant departments and agencies to enhance guidance and coordination for effective policy communication and implementation. Significant matters should be reported in a timely manner.

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