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Category: Economy

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom cuts red tape to accelerate Fresno clean energy project

    Source: US State of California 2

    Mar 19, 2025

    What you need to know: Governor Newsom streamlined a solar and battery storage project in the Fresno area that would provide clean energy to power up to 300,000 homes.

    SACRAMENTO –  Governor Gavin Newsom today announced he is taking action to streamline a clean energy project in Fresno that would power up to 300,000 homes.

    The Governor certified the Cornucopia Hybrid Project in Fresno County utilizing a law to build more, faster that was extended in the historic infrastructure package passed in 2023 with the support of the Legislature. The certification means a streamlined process for legal challenges that can otherwise cause long delays.

    “In California, we’re in the ‘how’ business – we’re moving fast to achieve our world-leading clean energy goals. By fast-tracking critical projects like this one in Fresno, we’re creating good-paying jobs, cutting pollution, and building a cleaner, more reliable energy grid to serve Californians for generations.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Why it matters

    • Cleaner, more reliable energy. The Cornucopia Hybrid Project is poised to deliver 300 megawatts (MW) of renewable solar energy and 300 MW of battery storage. This combination will enable the facility to dispatch carbon-free electricity to the grid during peak demand times, including evening and nighttime hours when renewable generation is limited. 
    • Advancing clean energy goals. The project would help California achieve its world-leading climate and clean energy goals, including powering the state with 90% clean electricity by 2035 and 100% by 2045.
    • Spurring economic growth and creating jobs. The project will generate essential tax revenues for local schools, infrastructure, and emergency services, while boosting the economy with construction and long-term operational jobs.
    • Prioritizing safety. The project aligns with California efforts focused on proactively addressing safety for battery storage systems through comprehensive state-level collaborations and regulatory updates. Governor Newsom recently convened a state-level collaborative to find opportunities to improve safety as the technology continues to evolve. Key initiatives include an update to the California Fire Code happening this year, expected to include enhanced BESS safety standards. 

    A swift path to clean energy

    • SB 7 (2021) allows the Governor to certify eligible clean energy and green housing projects for judicial streamlining under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This key tool to cut red tape was extended in 2023’s SB 149.
    • Courts must decide CEQA challenges to certified projects within 270 days to the extent feasible – saving months or even years of litigation delays after a project has already passed environmental review, while still allowing legal challenges to be heard.

    How we got here

    • Governor Newsom signed into law a package of bills to accelerate critical infrastructure projects across California that will help build our 100% clean electric grid, ensure safe drinking water and boost the state’s water supply, and modernize our transportation system.
    • By streamlining permitting, cutting red tape, and allowing state agencies to use new project delivery methods, these new laws will maximize taxpayer dollars and accelerate timelines of projects throughout the state, while ensuring appropriate environmental review and community engagement.
    • Over the next ten years, the package will take full advantage of an unprecedented $180 billion in state, local, and federal infrastructure funds and create an estimated 400,000 good-paying jobs. Already, California has put $109 billion to work, creating over 200,000 jobs.
    • Find projects building your community at build.ca.gov. 

    Press Releases, Recent News

    Recent news

    Mar 18, 2025

    News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring March 17, 2025 through March 23, 2025, as Women’s Military History Week. The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below: PROCLAMATION From the Revolutionary War to…

    Mar 18, 2025

    News What you need to know: California will provide a total of $2.4 billion in utility bill credits this year thanks to the state’s Cap-and-Trade program that funds critical climate action. SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced millions of Californians…

    Mar 18, 2025

    News What you need to know: Governor Newsom and Los Angeles community-based organizations (CBOs) today announced $25 million to advance educational outreach to workers and businesses about vital health, safety, and workplace protections. LOS ANGELES — As rebuilding in…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Cornyn Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and John Cornyn, along with Mark Warner, Todd Young, Angus King, and James Lankford, introduced the bipartisan Critical Minerals Security Act to help secure U.S. critical mineral supply chains and counter China’s dominance in the industry.
    “The U.S. can’t lead the world in AI, quantum computing, and clean energy with China holding all the cards,” said Hickenlooper. “We can secure our future by working hand in glove with our allies to build a stable supply of critical minerals.”
    “Despite the important role critical minerals play in everything from consumer electronics to military defense, we need more information to secure a reliable, long-term supply of these minerals,” said Cornyn. “This legislation would ensure the U.S. and our allies understand how critical minerals are controlled around the world so we can counter foreign countries of concern.”
    Specifically, it would direct the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to evaluate the global supply and ownership of critical minerals, establish a process to help U.S. companies divest critical minerals operations in foreign countries, and develop a method for sharing intellectual property for clean mining and processing technologies with U.S. allies and partners.
    In the 119th Congress, Hickenlooper has led and co-sponsored multiple other critical minerals related legislation, including:
    The bipartisan STRATEGIC Minerals Act to foster critical minerals trade with our international allies, led by Senator Young.
    His bipartisan Unearth Innovation Act to establish a DOE program for sustainable critical mineral research innovation and recycling.
    His bipartisan Critical Materials Future Act to establish a pilot program for the Department of Energy to financially support domestic critical material processing projects.
    Full text is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: TWFG Announces Fourth Quarter 2024 and Full Year Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    – Total Revenues increased 30.8% for the quarter over the prior year period to $51.7 million –
    – Total Written Premium increased 20.0% for the quarter over the prior year period to $361.4 million –
    – Organic Revenue Growth Rate* of 20.5% for the quarter –
    – Diluted Earnings Per Share and Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share* of $0.11 and $0.19 for the quarter, respectively –
    – Adjusted EBITDA* increased 91.7% for the quarter over the prior year period to $13.8 million –

    THE WOODLANDS, Texas, March 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TWFG, Inc. (“TWFG”, the “Company” or “we”) (NASDAQ: TWFG), a high-growth insurance distribution company, today announced results for the fourth quarter and the full year ended December 31, 2024.

    Fourth Quarter 2024 Highlights

    • Total revenues for the quarter increased 30.8% to $51.7 million, compared to $39.6 million in the prior year period
    • Net income for the quarter was $8.2 million, compared to $5.2 million in the prior year period
    • Commission income for the quarter increased 20.7% to $43.7 million, compared to $36.2 million in the prior year period
    • Contingent income for the quarter increased 371.4% to $5.0 million, compared to $1.1 million in the prior year period
    • Total Written Premium for the quarter increased 20.0% to $361.4 million, compared to $301.4 million in the prior year period
    • Organic Revenue Growth Rate* for the quarter was 20.5%
    • Adjusted Net Income* for the quarter increased 57.0% from the prior year period to $10.5 million, and Adjusted Net Income Margin* for the quarter was 20.3%
    • Adjusted EBITDA* for the quarter increased 91.7% over the prior year period to $13.8 million, and Adjusted EBITDA Margin* for the quarter was to 26.8% compared to 18.3% in the prior year period
    • Cash flow from operating activities for the quarter was $11.6 million, compared to $6.1 million in the prior year period
    • Adjusted Free Cash Flow* for the quarter was $5.7 million, compared to $6.0 million in the same prior year period

    Full Year 2024 Highlights

    • Total revenues for the year increased 18.4% to $203.8 million, compared to $172.0 million in the prior year period
    • Net income for the year was $28.6 million, compared to $26.1 million in the prior year period
    • Commission income for the year increased 15.4% to $183.2 million, compared to $158.7 million in the prior year period
    • Contingent income for the year increased 113.5% to $8.7 million, compared to $4.1 million in the prior year period
    • Total Written Premium for the year increased 18.3% to $1.5 billion, compared to $1.2 billion in the prior year period
    • Organic Revenue Growth Rate* for the year was 14.5%
    • Adjusted Net Income* for the year increased 9.8% from the prior year period to $33.0 million, and Adjusted Net Income Margin* for the year was 16.2%
    • Adjusted EBITDA* for the year increased 44.7% over the prior year period to $45.3 million, and Adjusted EBITDA Margin* for the year was 22.3% compared to 18.2% in the prior year period
    • Cash flow from operating activities for the year was $40.5 million, compared to $30.2 million in the prior year period
    • Adjusted Free Cash Flow* for the year was $28.2 million, compared to $19.7 million in the prior year period

    *Organic Revenue Growth Rate, Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Net Income Margin, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, Adjusted Free Cash Flow and Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share are non-GAAP measures. Reconciliations of Organic Revenue Growth Rate to total revenue growth rate, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA to net income, Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share to diluted earnings per share, and Adjusted Free Cash Flow to cash flow from operating activities, the most directly comparable financial measures presented in accordance with GAAP, are outlined in the reconciliation table accompanying this release.

    Gordy Bunch, Founder, Chairman, and CEO said “Our fourth quarter results demonstrate the continued success of our agents, carriers, employees, and business model with total revenues increasing by 30.8% over the prior year period and Adjusted EBITDA increasing by 91.7%. We generated 20.5% of organic growth and increased our Adjusted EBITDA Margin to 26.8%.

    In addition, our fourth quarter recruiting efforts continued to outpace our historical growth trends. Our continued expansion throughout the US was fueled by both recruitment of start-up agencies and strategic acquisitions in the following states Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.

    Finally, I want to remind our fellow stockholders that experienced agents typically take between two to three years to become productive. We do not expect the 100-plus new branches we launched in 2024 to have a significant impact on revenues this year or next, but over the long term we expect the agents onboarded in 2024 to contribute meaningfully to our longer-term organic growth.”

    Fourth Quarter 2024 Results

    For the fourth quarter of 2024, Total Written Premium was $361.4 million, a 20.0% increase compared to the same period in the prior year. Revenues were $51.7 million, an increase of 30.8% compared to the same period in the prior year. Organic Revenues, a non-GAAP measure that excludes contingent income, fee income, and other income, for the fourth quarter of 2024 were $43.6 million compared to $34.8 million in the same period in the prior year. Organic Revenue Growth Rate in the fourth quarter was 20.5%, driven by strong new business growth, moderating retention levels, rate increases and an uptick in new business growth with one of our MGA programs.

    Total commission expense for the fourth quarter of 2024 was $28.9 million, a 11.2% increase from $26.0 million in the same period in the prior year. Commission expenses increased primarily due to the growth in the business, partially offset by the conversion of nine branches to corporate branches, which transitioned our non-employee commission-based colleagues to employees. Upon conversion, these corporate branch employees received salaries, employee benefits, and bonuses for services rendered instead of commissions. Salaries and employee benefits for the fourth quarter of 2024 were $7.7 million, up 97.8% from $3.9 million in the same period in the prior year. Approximately $1.0 million of the increase was due to equity compensation expense, while $3.0 million of the increase was due to the branch conversions and 2023 corporate branch acquisitions, along with the growth in the business. Other administrative expenses for the fourth quarter of 2024 were $5.0 million, a 69.9% increase compared to the same period in the prior year. The increase was due to growth in the business, increase in corporate branches and the absorption of public company costs.

    For the fourth quarter of 2024, net income was $8.2 million, and net income margin was 15.8%, compared to net income of $5.2 million and net income margin of 13.2%, in the same period in the prior year. Adjusted Net Income for the fourth quarter of 2024 was $10.5 million, compared to $6.7 million in the same period in the prior year. Adjusted Net Income Margin for the fourth quarter was 20.3%, compared to 16.9% in the same period in the prior year.

    Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter was $13.8 million, an increase of 91.7% over the same period in the prior year. Our Adjusted EBITDA Margin was 26.8% in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to 18.3% in the same period in the prior year.

    Cash flow from operating activities for the fourth quarter was $11.6 million, compared to $6.1 million in the same period in the prior year.

    Adjusted Free Cash Flow for the fourth quarter of 2024 was $5.7 million, compared to $6.0 million in the same period in the prior year.

    Liquidity and Capital Resources

    As of December 31, 2024, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $195.8 million. We had $50.0 million unused capacity on our revolving credit facility of $50.0 million as of December 31, 2024. The total outstanding term notes payable balance was $5.9 million as of December 31, 2024.

    2025 Outlook

    Our guidance for the full year 2025 is as follows:

    • Organic Revenue Growth rate* for the full year 2025 is expected to be in the range of 11% to 16%
    • Adjusted EBITDA Margin* for the full year 2025 is expected to be in the range of 19% to 21%
    • Total revenues are expected to be between $235 million and $250 million

    The Company is unable to provide a reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP measures without unreasonable efforts due to the inherent difficulty in forecasting the timing of items that have not yet occurred, as well as quantifying certain amounts that are necessary for such reconciliation.

    *For a definition of Organic Revenue Growth rate and Adjusted EBITDA Margin, see “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

    2025 Acquisitions

    We began 2025 acquiring two new corporate locations in Ohio and Texas. The new locations are in line with our acquisition expectations for revenue and EBITDA. Our robust pipeline provides us many quality acquisition targets to achieve the remainder of our 2025 M&A goals. Our M&A models included beginning 2025 with acquiring $3 million of revenues and $0.7 million of EBITDA with an additional $20 million of revenue and $5 million of EBITDA being acquired with a mid-year convention.

    Conference Call Information

    TWFG will host a conference call and webcast tomorrow at 10:00 AM ET to discuss these results.

    To access the call by phone, participants should register at this link, where they will be provided with the dial in details. A live webcast of the conference call will also be available on TWFG’s investor relations website at investors.twfg.com. A webcast replay of the call will be available at investors.twfg.com for one year following the call.

    About TWFG

    TWFG (NASDAQ: TWFG) is a high-growth, independent distribution platform for personal and commercial insurance in the United States and represents hundreds of insurance carriers that underwrite personal lines and commercial lines risks. For more information, please visit twfg.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this release, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements give our current expectations relating to our financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance, and business. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “outlook,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue,” the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, may include projections of our future financial performance, our anticipated growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those factors discussed under the captions entitled “Risk factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our prospectus (the “IPO Prospectus”) relating to our Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended (Registration No. 333-280439), filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and in our other filings with the SEC. You should specifically consider the numerous risks outlined under “Risk factors” in the IPO Prospectus.

    Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Key Performance Indicators

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    Organic Revenue, Organic Revenue Growth, Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Net Income Margin, Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin and Adjusted Free Cash Flow included in this release are not measures of financial performance in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and should not be considered substitutes for GAAP measures, including revenues (for Organic Revenue and Organic Revenue Growth), net income (for Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Net Income Margin, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin) diluted earnings per share (Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share), and cash flow from operating activities (for Adjusted Free Cash Flow) which we consider to be the most directly comparable GAAP measures. These non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools, and when assessing our operating performance, you should not consider these non-GAAP financial measures in isolation or as substitutes for revenues, net income, operating cash flow or other consolidated financial statement data prepared in accordance with GAAP. Other companies may calculate any or all of these non-GAAP financial measures differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures.

    Organic Revenue. Organic Revenue is total revenue (the most directly comparable GAAP measure) for the relevant period, excluding contingent income, fee income, other income and those revenues generated from acquired businesses with over $0.5 million in annualized revenue that have not reached the twelve-month owned milestone.

    Organic Revenue Growth. Organic Revenue Growth is the change in Organic Revenue period-to-period, with prior period results adjusted to include revenues that were excluded in the prior period because the relevant acquired businesses had not reached the twelve-month-owned milestone but have reached the twelve-month owned milestone in the current period. We believe Organic Revenue Growth is an appropriate measure of operating performance because it eliminates the impact of acquisitions, which affects the comparability of results from period to period.

    Adjusted Net Income. Adjusted Net Income is a supplemental measure of our performance and is defined as net income (the most directly comparable GAAP measure) before amortization, non-recurring or non-operating income and expenses, including equity-based compensation, adjusted to assume a single class of stock (Class A) and assuming noncontrolling interests do not exist. We believe Adjusted Net Income is a useful measure because it adjusts for the after-tax impact of significant one-time, non-recurring items and eliminates the impact of any transactions that do not directly affect what management considers to be our ongoing operating performance in the period. These adjustments generally eliminate the effects of certain items that may vary from company to company for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance.

    We are subject to U.S. federal income taxes, in addition to state, and local taxes, with respect to our allocable share of any net taxable income of TWFG Holding Company, LLC. Adjusted Net Income pre-IPO did not reflect adjustments for income taxes since TWFG Holding Company, LLC is a limited liability company and is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Post-IPO, the calculation incorporates the impact of federal and state statutory tax rates on 100% of our adjusted pre-tax income as if the Company owned 100% of TWFG Holding Company, LLC.

    Adjusted Net Income Margin. Adjusted Net Income Margin is Adjusted Net Income divided by total revenues. We believe that Adjusted Net Income Margin is a useful measurement of operating profitability for the same reasons we find Adjusted Net Income useful and also because it provides a period-to-period comparison of our after-tax operating performance.

    Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share. Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share is Adjusted Net Income divided by diluted shares outstanding after adjusting for the effect of (i) the exchange of 100% of the outstanding Class B common stock of the Company (the “Class B Common Stock”) and Class C common stock of the Company (the “Class C Common Stock”) (together with the related limited liability units in TWFG Holding Company, LLC (the “LLC Units”)) into shares of Class A common stock of the Company (“Class A Common Stock”) and (ii) the vesting of 100% of the unvested equity awards and exchange into shares of Class A Common Stock. This measure does not deduct earnings related to the noncontrolling interests in TWFG Holding Company, LLC for the period prior to July 19, 2024, when we did not own 100% of the business. The most directly comparable GAAP financial metric is diluted earnings per share. We believe Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share may be useful to an investor in evaluating our operating performance and efficiency because this measure is widely used by investors to measure a company’s operating performance without regard to items excluded from the calculation of such measure, which can vary substantially from company to company depending upon acquisition activity and capital structure. This measure also eliminates the impact of expenses that do not relate to core business performance, among other factors.

    Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA is a supplemental measure of our performance and is defined as EBITDA adjusted to reflect items such as equity-based compensation, interest income, other non-operating and certain nonrecurring items. EBITDA is defined as net income (the most directly comparable GAAP measure) before interest, income taxes, depreciation, and amortization. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is an appropriate measure of operating performance because it adjusts for significant one-time, non-recurring items and eliminates the ongoing accounting effects of certain capital spending and acquisitions, such as depreciation and amortization, that do not directly affect what management considers to be our ongoing operating performance in the period. These adjustments eliminate the effects of certain items that may vary from company to company for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance. Our measure of Adjusted EBITDA is not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to potential inconsistencies in the methods of calculation.

    Adjusted EBITDA Margin. Adjusted EBITDA Margin is Adjusted EBITDA divided by total revenue. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA Margin is a useful measurement of operating profitability for the same reasons we find Adjusted EBITDA useful and also because it provides a period-to-period comparison of our operating performance.

    Adjusted Free Cash Flow. Adjusted Free Cash Flow is a supplemental measure of our performance. We define Adjusted Free Cash Flow as cash flow from operating activities (the most directly comparable GAAP measure) less cash payments for tax distributions, purchases of property, plant, and equipment and acquisition-related costs. We believe Adjusted Free Cash Flow is a useful measure of operating performance because it represents the cash flow from the business that is within our discretion to direct to activities including investments, debt repayment, and returning capital to stockholders.

    The reconciliation of the above non-GAAP measures to their most comparable GAAP financial measure is outlined in the reconciliation table accompanying this release.

    Key Performance Indicators

    Total Written Premium. Total Written Premium represents, for any reported period, the total amount of current premium (net of cancellation) placed with insurance carriers. We utilize Total Written Premium as a key performance indicator when planning, monitoring, and evaluating our performance. We believe Total Written Premium is a useful metric because it is the underlying driver of the majority of our revenue.

    Contacts
    Investor Contact:
    Gene Padgett, CAO for TWFG
    Email: gene.padgett@twfg.com

    PR Contact:
    Alex Bunch, CMO for TWFG
    Email: alex@twfg.com

    Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)
    (Amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Twelve Months Ended
    December 31,
      2024   2023   2024   2023
    Revenues              
    Commission income(1) $ 43,711   $ 36,228     $ 183,158   $ 158,679  
    Contingent income   5,005     1,062       8,722     4,085  
    Fee income(2)   2,751     1,968       10,562     8,311  
    Other income   276     313       1,318     968  
    Total revenues   51,743     39,571       203,760     172,043  
    Expenses              
    Commission expense   28,915     25,994       118,086     116,847  
    Salaries and employee benefits   7,663     3,874       29,064     13,970  
    Other administrative expenses(3)   4,978     2,930       16,665     10,973  
    Depreciation and amortization   3,054     1,522       12,020     4,862  
    Total operating expenses   44,610     34,320       175,835     146,652  
    Operating income   7,133     5,251       27,925     25,391  
    Interest expense   98     450       2,223     1,003  
    Interest income   2,174     421       4,376     891  
    Other non-operating income (expense), net   1     (7 )     9     (17 )
    Income before tax   9,210     5,215       30,087     25,262  
    Income tax expense   1,057     —       1,495     —  
    Net income from continuing operations   8,153     5,215       28,592     25,262  
    Net income from discontinued operation, net of tax   —     —       —     834  
    Net income   8,153     5,215       28,592     26,096  
    Less: net income attributable to noncontrolling interests   6,561     5,215       25,847     26,096  
    Net income attributable to TWFG, Inc. $ 1,592   $ —     $ 2,745   $ —  
                   
    Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding:              
    Basic   14,811,874         14,772,115    
    Diluted   15,056,430         14,982,409    
    Earnings per share:              
    Basic $ 0.11       $ 0.19    
    Diluted $ 0.11       $ 0.19    
     

    (1) Commission income – related party of $3,562 and $1,139 for the three months ended and $9,609 and $4,203 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively
    (2) Fee income – related party of $905 and $335 for the three months ended and $2,704 and $1,593 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively
    (3) Other administrative expenses – related party of $326 and $145 for the three months ended and $1,478 and $415 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively

    Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)
    (Amounts in thousands, except share/unit data)

      December 31, 2024   December 31, 2023
    Assets
    		      
    Current assets
    		      
    Cash and cash equivalents $ 195,772   $ 39,297
    Restricted cash   9,551     7,171
    Commissions receivable, net   27,067     19,082
    Accounts receivable   7,839     5,982
    Deferred offering costs   —     2,025
    Other current assets   1,619     1,551
    Total current assets   241,848     75,108
    Non-current assets
    		      
    Intangible assets, net   72,978     36,436
    Property and equipment, net   3,499     597
    Lease right-of-use assets, net   4,493     2,459
    Other non-current assets   610     837
    Total assets $ 323,428   $ 115,437
           
    Liabilities and Equity
    		      
    Current liabilities
    		      
    Commissions payable $ 13,848   $ 12,487
    Carrier liabilities   12,392     8,731
    Operating lease liabilities, current   1,013     882
    Short-term bank debt   1,912     2,437
    Deferred acquisition payable, current   601     5,369
    Other current liabilities   9,851     5,006
    Total current liabilities   39,617     34,912
    Non-current liabilities
    		      
    Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion   3,372     1,518
    Long-term bank debt   4,007     46,919
    Deferred acquisition payable, non-current   1,122     1,037
    Other non-current liabilities   24     —
    Total liabilities   48,142     84,386
    Commitment and contingencies      
    Stockholders’/Members’ Equity
    		      
    Members’ Equity (631,750 common units issued and outstanding at December 31, 2023)   —     632
    Class A common stock ($0.01 par value per share – 300,000,000 authorized, 14,811,874 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024)   148     —
    Class B common stock ($0.00001 par value per share – 100,000,000 authorized, 7,277,651 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024)   —     —
    Class C common stock ($0.00001 par value per share – 100,000,000 authorized, 33,893,810 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024)   —     —
    Additional paid-in capital   58,365     25,114
    Retained earnings   15,288     4,805
    Accumulated other comprehensive income   83     500
    Total stockholders’ equity attributable to TWFG, Inc. /members’ equity   73,884     31,051
    Noncontrolling interests   201,402     —
    Total stockholders’/members’ equity   275,286     31,051
      Total liabilities and equity $ 323,428   $ 115,437
             
     

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    A reconciliation of Organic Revenue and Organic Revenue Growth Rate to Total Revenue and Total Revenue Growth Rate, the most directly comparable GAAP measures, is as follows (in thousands):

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Twelve Months Ended
    December 31,
        2024       2023       2024       2023  
    Total revenues $ 51,743     $ 39,571     $ 203,760     $ 172,043  
    Acquisition adjustments(1)   (105 )     (1,405 )     (3,687 )     (4,052 )
    Contingent income   (5,005 )     (1,062 )     (8,722 )     (4,085 )
    Fee income   (2,751 )     (1,968 )     (10,562 )     (8,311 )
    Other income   (276 )     (313 )     (1,318 )     (968 )
    Organic Revenue $ 43,606     $ 34,823     $ 179,471     $ 154,627  
    Organic Revenue Growth(2) $ 7,429     $ 2,527     $ 22,746     $ 15,514  
    Total Revenue Growth Rate(3)   30.8 %     7.3 %     18.4 %     11.8 %
    Organic Revenue Growth Rate(2)   20.5 %     7.8 %     14.5 %     11.2 %
                   
     

    (1) Represents revenues generated from the acquired businesses during the first 12 months following an acquisition.
    (2) Organic Revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, and for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, used to calculate Organic Revenue Growth for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, and for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, was $36.2 million, $32.3 million, $156.7 million and $139.1 million, respectively, which is adjusted to reflect revenues from acquired businesses with over $0.5 million in annualized revenue that reached the twelve-month owned mark during the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Organic Revenue Growth Rate represents the period-to-period change in Organic Revenue divided by the total adjusted Organic Revenue in the prior period.
    (3) Represents the period-to-period change in total revenues divided by the total revenues in the prior period.

    Applying the use of enhanced data consistently throughout the prior periods, revenue growth rate for the three months ended and twelve months ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 would have been 9.9% and 14.9%, respectively, and Organic Revenue Growth Rate for the three months ended and twelve months ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 would have been 10.7% and 14.5%, respectively.

    A reconciliation of Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Net Income Margin to Net Income and Net Income Margin, the most directly comparable GAAP measures, for each of the periods indicated is as follows (in thousands):

    Revised Calculation Methodology Applied to Current Period
      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Twelve Months Ended
    December 31,
        2024       2023       2024       2023  
    Total revenues $ 51,743     $ 39,571     $ 203,760     $ 172,043  
    Net income $ 8,153     $ 5,215     $ 28,592     $ 26,096  
    Income tax expense   1,057       —       1,495       —  
    Acquisition-related expenses   20       36       20       204  
    Restructuring and related expenses   —       —       —       17  
    Discontinued operation income   —       —       —       (834 )
    Equity-based compensation   1,207       —       2,219       —  
    Other non-recurring items(1)   257       —       (1,220 )     —  
    Amortization expense   2,950       1,451       11,721       4,594  
    Adjusted income before income taxes   13,644       6,702       42,827       30,077  
    Adjusted income tax expense(2)   (3,123 )     —       (9,802 )     —  
    Adjusted Net Income $ 10,521     $ 6,702     $ 33,025     $ 30,077  
    Net Income Margin   15.8 %     13.2 %     14.0 %     15.2 %
    Adjusted Net Income Margin   20.3 %     16.9 %     16.2 %     17.5 %
                   
     
    Legacy Calculation Methodology Applied to Current Period
      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Twelve Months Ended
    December 31,
        2024       2023       2024       2023  
    Total revenues $ 51,743     $ 39,571     $ 203,760     $ 172,043  
    Net income $ 8,153     $ 5,215     $ 28,592     $ 26,096  
    Income tax expense   1,057       —       1,495       —  
    Acquisition-related expenses   20       36       20       204  
    Restructuring and related expenses   —       —       —       17  
    Discontinued operation income   —       —       —       (834 )
    Equity-based compensation   1,207       —       2,219       —  
    Other non-recurring items(1)   257       —       (1,220 )     —  
    Adjusted income before income taxes   10,694       5,251       31,106       25,483  
    Adjusted income tax expense(2)   (2,447 )     —       (7,119 )     —  
    Adjusted Net Income $ 8,247     $ 5,251     $ 23,987     $ 25,483  
    Net Income Margin   15.8 %     13.2 %     14.0 %     15.2 %
    Adjusted Net Income Margin   15.9 %     13.3 %     11.8 %     14.8 %
                   
     

    (1) Represents a one-time adjustment reducing commission expense, which resulted from the branch conversions. In January 2024, nine of our Branches converted to Corporate Branches. Upon conversion, agents of the newly converted Corporate Branches became employees and received salaries, employee benefits, and bonuses for services rendered instead of commissions. As a result, we released a portion of the unpaid commissions related to the converted branches that we no longer are required to settle.
    (2) Post-IPO, we are subject to United States federal income taxes, in addition to state, local, and foreign taxes, with respect to our allocable share of any net taxable income of TWFG Holding Company, LLC. For the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024, the calculation of adjusted income tax expense is based on a federal statutory rate of 21% and a blended state income tax rate of 1.88% on 100% of our adjusted income before income taxes as if we owned 100% of the TWFG Holding Company, LLC.

    A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin to Net Income and Net Income Margin, the most directly comparable GAAP measures, for each of the periods indicated is as follows (in thousands):

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Twelve Months Ended
    December 31,
        2024       2023       2024       2023  
    Total revenues $ 51,743     $ 39,571     $ 203,760     $ 172,043  
    Net income $ 8,153     $ 5,215     $ 28,592     $ 26,096  
    Interest expense   98       450       2,223       1,003  
    Interest income(2)   2,174       421       4,376       891  
    Depreciation and amortization   3,054       1,522       12,020       4,862  
    Income tax expense   1,057       —       1,495       —  
    EBITDA   10,188       6,766       39,954       31,070  
    Acquisition-related expenses   20       36       20       204  
    Restructuring and related expenses   —       —       —       17  
    Equity-based compensation   1,207       —       2,219       —  
    Interest income(2)   2,174       421       4,376       891  
    Discontinued operation income   —       —       —       (834 )
    Other non-recurring items(1)   257       —       (1,220 )     —  
    Adjusted EBITDA $ 13,846     $ 7,223     $ 45,349     $ 31,348  
    Net Income Margin   15.8 %     13.2 %     14.0 %     15.2 %
    Adjusted EBITDA Margin   26.8 %     18.3 %     22.3 %     18.2 %
                   
     

    (1) Represents a one-time adjustment reducing commission expense, which resulted from the branch conversions. In January 2024, nine of our Branches converted to Corporate Branches. Upon conversion, agents of the newly converted Corporate Branches became employees and received salaries, employee benefits, and bonuses for services rendered instead of commissions. As a result, we released a portion of the unpaid commissions related to the converted branches that we no longer are required to settle.
    (2) Interest income reflects interest and other earnings on cash balances held by the Company. This income is included in Adjusted EBITDA as we view our total interest and investment income as an integral part of our business model and earnings stream until deployed. 

    A reconciliation of Adjusted Free Cash Flow to Cash Flow from Operating Activities, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, for each of the periods indicated is as follows (in thousands):

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Twelve Months Ended
    December 31,
        2024       2023       2024       2023  
    Cash Flow from Operating Activities $ 11,600     $ 6,051     $ 40,479     $ 30,154  
    Purchase of property and equipment   (2,921 )     (43 )     (3,201 )     (260 )
    Tax distribution to members(1)   (3,002 )     —       (9,106 )     (9,526 )
    Acquisition-related expenses   —       36       20       204  
    Net cash flow provided by operating activities from discontinued operation   —       —       —       (839 )
    Adjusted Free Cash Flow $ 5,677     $ 6,044     $ 28,192     $ 19,733  
                   
     

    (1) Tax distributions to members represents the amount distributed to the members of TWFG Holding Company, LLC in respect of their income tax liability related to the net income of TWFG Holding Company, LLC allocated to its members.

    A reconciliation of Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share to diluted earnings per share, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, is as follows:

      Three Months Ended
    December 31,    		   Twelve Months Ended
    December 31,
      2024   2024
    Earnings per share of common stock – diluted $ 0.11   $ 0.19
    Plus: Impact of all LLC Units exchanged for Class A Common Stock(1)   0.04     0.32
    Plus: Adjustments to Adjusted net income(2)   0.04     0.08
    Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share $ 0.19   $ 0.59
           
    Weighted average common stock outstanding – diluted   15,056,430     14,982,409
    Plus: Impact of all LLC Units exchanged for Class A Common Stock(1)   41,171,461     41,171,461
    Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share diluted share count   56,227,891     56,153,870
           
     

    (1) For comparability purposes, this calculation incorporates the net income that would be distributable if all shares of Class B Common Stock and Class C Common Stock, together with the related LLC Units, were exchanged for shares of Class A Common Stock. For the three months ended and twelve months ended December 31, 2024, this includes $6.6 million and $25.8 million of net income, respectively, on 56,227,891 and 56,153,870 weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding – diluted, for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024, respectively. For both the three months ended and twelve months ended December 31, 2024, 41,171,461 weighted average outstanding Class B Common Stock and Class C Common Stock were considered dilutive and included in the 56,227,891 and 56,153,870 weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding – diluted within diluted earnings per share calculation.

    (2) Adjustments to Adjusted Net Income are described in the footnotes of the reconciliation of Adjusted Net Income to Net Income in “Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Net Income Margin”, which represent the difference between Net Income of $8.2 million and $28.6 million and Adjusted Net Income of $10.5 million and $33.0 million for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024, respectively. For the three and twelve months ended months ended December 31, 2024, Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share include adjustments of $2.3 million and $4.4 million to Adjusted Net Income, respectively, on 56,227,891 and 56,153,870 weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding – diluted for both periods presented, respectively.

    Key Performance Indicators

    The following presents the disaggregation of Total Written Premium by offerings, business mix and line of business (in thousands):

      Three Months Ended December 31,   Twelve Months Ended December 31,
        2024       2023       2024       2023  
      Amount   % of Total   Amount   % of Total   Amount   % of Total   Amount   % of Total
    Offerings:
    		                              
    Insurance Services                              
    Agency-in-a-Box $ 246,116   68 %   $ 237,678   79 %   $ 982,815   66 %   $ 998,938   80 %
    Corporate Branches   61,642   17       18,806   6       275,331   19       53,963   4  
    Total Insurance Services   307,758   85       256,484   85       1,258,146   85       1,052,901   84  
    TWFG MGA   53,602   15       44,961   15       218,214   15       195,194   16  
    Total written premium $ 361,360   100 %   $ 301,445   100 %   $ 1,476,360   100 %   $ 1,248,095   100 %
                                   
    Business Mix:
    		                              
    Insurance Services                              
    Renewal business $ 236,033   65 %   $ 203,338   67 %   $ 975,657   66 %   $ 827,112   66 %
    New business   71,725   20       53,146   18       282,489   19       225,789   18  
    Total Insurance Services   307,758   85       256,484   85       1,258,146   85       1,052,901   84  
    TWFG MGA                              
    Renewal business   37,741   10       37,797   13       163,105   11       165,348   13  
    New business   15,861   5       7,164   2       55,109   4       29,846   3  
    Total TWFG MGA   53,602   15       44,961   15       218,214   15       195,194   16  
      Total written premium $ 361,360   100 %   $ 301,445   100 %   $ 1,476,360   100 %   $ 1,248,095   100 %
                                   
    Written Premium Retention:
    		                              
    Insurance Services     92 %       92 %       93 %       95 %
    TWFG MGA     84         88         84         89  
    Consolidated     91         91         91         94  
                                   
    Line of Business:
    		                              
    Personal lines $ 292,750   81 %   $ 239,134   79 %   $ 1,197,122   81 %   $ 997,431   80 %
    Commercial lines   68,610   19       62,311   21       279,238   19       250,664   20  
    Total written premium $ 361,360   100 %   $ 301,445   100 %   $ 1,476,360   100 %   $ 1,248,095   100 %
                                     
     

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Viper Energy, Inc., a Subsidiary of Diamondback Energy, Inc., Schedules First Quarter 2025 Conference Call for May 6, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MIDLAND, Texas, March 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: VNOM) (“Viper”), a subsidiary of Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FANG) (“Diamondback”), today announced that it plans to release first quarter 2025 financial results on May 5, 2025 after the market closes.

    In connection with the earnings release, Viper will host a conference call and webcast for investors and analysts to discuss its results for the first quarter of 2025 on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. CT. Access to the live webcast, and replay which will be available following the call, may be found here. The live webcast of the earnings conference call will also be available via Viper’s website at www.viperenergy.com under the “Investor Relations” section of the site.

    About Viper Energy, Inc.

    Viper is an oil and gas company formed by Diamondback to own, acquire and exploit oil and natural gas properties in North America, with a focus on oil-weighted basins, primarily the Permian Basin in West Texas. For more information, please visit www.viperenergy.com.

    About Diamondback Energy, Inc.

    Diamondback is an independent oil and natural gas company headquartered in Midland, Texas focused on the acquisition, development, exploration and exploitation of unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves in the Permian Basin in West Texas.  For more information, please visit www.diamondbackenergy.com.

    Investor Contact: 
    Chip Seale
    +1 432.247.6218
    cseale@viperenergy.com 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Diamondback Energy, Inc. Schedules First Quarter 2025 Conference Call for May 6, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MIDLAND, Texas, March 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FANG) (“Diamondback”), today announced that it plans to release first quarter 2025 financial results on May 5, 2025 after the market closes.

    In connection with the earnings release, Diamondback will host a conference call and webcast for investors and analysts to discuss its results for the first quarter of 2025 on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. CT. Access to the live webcast, and replay which will be available following the call, may be found here. The live webcast of the earnings conference call will also be available via Diamondback’s website at www.diamondbackenergy.com under the “Investor Relations” section of the site.

    About Diamondback Energy, Inc.

    Diamondback is an independent oil and natural gas company headquartered in Midland, Texas focused on the acquisition, development, exploration and exploitation of unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves in the Permian Basin in West Texas. For more information, please visit www.diamondbackenergy.com.        

    Investor Contact:
    Adam Lawlis
    +1 432.221.7467
    alawlis@diamondbackenergy.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine, Chesapeake Bay State Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Help Farmers Cut Costs, Enhance Bay Health

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), alongside Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Mark Warner (D-VA), announced the introduction of the Chesapeake Bay Conservation Acceleration Act. This legislation would incentivize agricultural conservation practices by providing federal resources to help cut costs for the region’s farmers while improving the health of the Chesapeake Bay. As approximately one-third of the Chesapeake Bay’s 64,000-square-mile watershed is agricultural land, enabling more farmers to implement conservation and environmental resilience measures will help reduce nutrient runoff into the Bay and its tributaries – a significant cause of harm to the health of the Bay’s fisheries and ecosystem. Companion legislation was introduced in the House on a bipartisan basis by U.S. Representatives Rob Wittman (R-VA-01), Sarah Elfreth (D-MD-03), Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02), and Bobby Scott (D-VA-03).

    “Responsible stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay’s ecosystem is crucial to protecting tourism jobs, farmers, and our local seafood industries,” said Kaine. “This legislation will help give Virginia’s agricultural producers—who are especially vulnerable to a changing climate—the support they need to implement smart conservation measures that will reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay and ensure the watershed is healthy for generations to come.”

    “The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure and a regional economic engine – it puts food on our tables, supports the livelihoods of thousands of Marylanders, and serves as a critical habitat for wildlife. This bipartisan legislation will help us both support our farmers and agricultural communities, while providing greater resources to protect the Bay and reducing harmful runoff,” said Van Hollen.

    “The Chesapeake Bay is the heart of Maryland – our state treasure,” said Alsobrooks. “We must do all we can to conserve it. The Bay is one of Maryland’s key economic drivers – supporting the tourism industry, our watermen, and farmers all across the state. And this legislation won’t just support Maryland – it will help Americans across our region access clean drinking water. Let’s get this done.”

    “The Chesapeake Bay is synonymous with Virginia, and it’s crucial that we take meaningful steps to help protect it. I’m proud to introduce this legislation that will boost conservation efforts by providing direct support to the farmers on the ground who are vital to the health and safety of the bay,” said Warner.

    The full text of the bill is available here.

    The Chesapeake Bay Conservation Acceleration Act is endorsed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Choose Clean Water Coalition, and Chesapeake Bay Commission.

    Background on Chesapeake Bay Conservation Acceleration Act

    As extreme weather events and flooding occur with increasing frequency, the Chesapeake Bay region’s farmers are contending with crop damage and runoff of soil and fertilizers, which also carries pollution into waterways. Agricultural conservation practices are one of the most cost-effective solutions to address these urgent problems and they provide multiple benefits. Practices that focus on building healthy soils and maintaining permanent vegetation such as forest buffers can reduce runoff, remove carbon from the atmosphere, and improve the land’s ability to withstand floods, drought, and other extreme conditions. In addition, many practices help producers cut costs and make their farms more resilient to economic shocks by increasing yields.

    The Chesapeake Bay Conservation Acceleration Act focuses federal resources on the approximately 83,000 farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to boost voluntary conservation efforts that help achieve water quality goals, increase soil health, and provide economic benefits. Additionally, the legislation provides solutions for developing a more robust agriculture workforce to get more technical assistance on the ground, and it would simplify harvesting invasive blue catfish from the Bay.

    Specifically, this legislation: 

    • Authorizes the Chesapeake Bay States’ Partnership Initiative (CPSI). In May 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an additional $22.5 million in conservation assistance in fiscal year 2022 to help farmers boost water quality improvements and conservation in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This administrative action was a significant step toward closing the estimated $737 million investment gap needed to meet agriculture sector nutrient reduction goals. USDA also announced a new task force, jointly with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to better quantify the voluntary conservation efforts of farmers in the Bay watershed. This legislation codifies these administrative actions, empowering USDA to provide targeted support to Chesapeake Bay watershed farmers.
    • Reforms the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to boost participation. CREP was once the dominant source of financial and technical assistance for riparian forest buffers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. However, enrollment has slowed in recent years, despite the cost effectiveness of buffers to address water quality concerns. This bill removes administrative barriers to implementation and allows states to more easily take advantage of legislative improvements to the program.
    • Creates a Chesapeake Bay Watershed Turnkey Pilot Program. This legislation establishes a pilot “turnkey” program for the installation, management, and maintenance of riparian forest buffers (RFB) to be implemented by a third party, where the landowner assigns the cost-share and practice incentive payments to the third party but continues to receive the annual rental payment. This program offers a simple process for landowners who wish to install RFB buffers to apply.
    • Strengthens Chesapeake Bay Watershed Workforce Development. This bill expands the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Higher Education Challenge Grant Program to include community college and post-secondary vocational programs, as well as paid work-based learning opportunities. Additional capacity is needed to support the implementation of conservation technical assistance. This legislation will increase the workforce pipeline for trained professionals that work with producers to inform, design, engineer, and install agricultural best management practices in a way that maximizes the benefits for both the producer and the environment. Promoting agricultural conservation courses at institutions that offer one- and two-year programs will help bring students to the workforce more quickly and with a lower student loan debt burden, making these jobs more attractive.
    • Provides Invasive Blue Catfish Inspection Relief. This legislation transfers primary regulatory oversight of domestic wild-caught catfish invasive to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem from the Department of Agriculture to the Food and Drug Administration. In 2017, all catfish were placed under the regulatory jurisdiction of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, including wild-caught, domestic blue catfish. The establishment of this inspection program has placed constraints on catfish processing in the Bay region.

    “Across the Chesapeake Bay watershed, producers are doing their part to protect the health of their soils and local streams by installing conservation practices. To keep faith with our farmers, we need a strong Farm Bill that enhances the technical and financial support producers need for success,” said Anna Killius, Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. “We applaud Senator Van Hollen and all of the original cosponsors of the Chesapeake Bay Conservation Acceleration Act for their forward-thinking approach for the Farm Bill, for our region’s farmers, and for the Chesapeake Bay. “

    “Farmers are essential to restoring the Bay and its waterways. The Chesapeake Bay Conservation Acceleration Act would encourage more farmers to adopt conservation practices that reduce fertilizer and sediment runoff, the largest source of water pollution to the Bay. The bill would also enable more watermen to improve their bottom line by harvesting invasive blue catfish. This would help protect native Bay species and the seafood industry from this voracious predator while supporting the region’s economy. With the staffing turmoil at USDA, the proposals for increasing the number of trained professionals on the ground helping farmers improve water and soil quality are more important than ever,” said Keisha Sedlacek, Federal Director at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “The Chesapeake Bay Foundation thanks Reps. Wittman, Scott, Elfreth, and Kiggans and Sens. Van Hollen, Alsobrooks, Fetterman, Kaine, and Warner for reintroducing this bipartisan legislation. We urge Congress to quickly pass a new, more Bay-friendly Farm Bill that includes the smart policy changes outlined in this bill.”

    “With farmers as the original conservationists, we applaud the Chesapeake Bay Conservation Acceleration Act, which will help farmers implement more conservation projects on their land. These projects will not only help local waterways, but also support local economies,” said Kristin Reilly, Director of the Choose Clean Water Coalition. “We thank Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) for their leadership in this effort.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: US Department of Labor awards $793K to continue unemployment assistance for Tennessee residents affected by Tropical Storm Helene

    Source: US Department of Labor

    WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a supplemental award of $793,000 to Tennessee to continue providing disaster unemployment assistance for people in communities whose livelihoods were harmed when Tropical Storm Helene swept through the area in September 2024. 

    “Many workers had their lives completely upended when Tropical Storm Helene swept across Tennessee. As communities continue working to rebuild, I’m pleased to approve additional unemployment assistance for hardworking Tennesseans who were impacted by this disaster,” Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said. 

    The department’s Employment and Training Administration awarded a grant to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development to enable them to deliver benefit payments to the state’s eligible Disaster Unemployment Assistance claimants and to cover program administrative costs. The funding announced today allows the state to continue providing financial assistance to people who lost their jobs, or had their employment or self-employment interrupted, as a direct result of the disaster and who are not eligible for regular unemployment benefits. 

    On Oct. 2, 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the major disaster declaration enabling the state to request federal assistance. Later in October 2024, FEMA authorized an initial obligation of $938,400 to implement disaster unemployment assistance in response to Tropical Storm Helene. 

    Supported by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Disaster Unemployment Assistance program provides funds to state unemployment insurance agencies to pay benefits and state administration costs under agreements with the Secretary of Labor.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AMERICA/HAITI – A network of paths for human and economic development in Pourcine Pic Makaya

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Wednesday, 19 March 2025

    MM

    Pourcine (Agenzia Fides) – In Pourcine Pic Makaya, the sowing season is coming to an end. The next two months will be difficult for the people awaiting the harvest. They have “put everything they have in the form of money into the ground,” that is, they have used it to prepare the land and sow.”In the coming weeks, agricultural work will decrease significantly; the Community will be able to work on repairing some roads and paths that connect the village plateau with other towns,” writes Father Massimo Miraglio, a Camillian missionary in Haiti, to Fides.“With a salary for the people, organized into work teams, we can help several families in a very difficult economic time. The results we seek are twofold,” continues the Camillian parish priest of Notre Dame du Perpétuel Secours in Pourcine: “to improve the usability of some roads (also to make them safer for children going to school) and to financially assist more than 200 families with a small financial contribution from their work.”The village of Pourcine Pic Makaya is located on a plateau at an altitude of approximately 1,000 meters and surrounded by rugged mountains, where numerous hamlets are connected by difficult and steep paths. Just under 300 families live in Pourcine, with a total of almost 1,500 people; the hamlets, about 15 in number, are home to around 2,000 people. The village is the center of all the area’s inhabitants, and a market is held every Wednesday, the center of the area’s economic activity. In Pourcine, there are two schools, one public and one parish, and a small (informal) parish clinic. Paths lead from the plateau to all the other villages (some several hours’ walk away) and to the three main tracks that connect Pourcine to the rest of the region: the first to the town of Beaumont, the second to the adjacent Castillon valley, and the third to the valley floor and Jérémie.“This entire network of mountain roads plays a fundamental role,” explains Fr. Miraglio, “allowing people to travel from the center to the villages, to the land they cultivate, to the markets for local produce, and to the neighboring towns in the region. Unfortunately, due to the terrain, heavy rainfall, and poor maintenance, this network of roads is in poor condition and, especially during the rainiest periods, is often impassable. Rural roads in particular, which are especially valuable because they allow the transport of products on mule and ensure connections to neighboring areas, are in poor condition. On rare occasions, the local community organizes, with the limited resources at its disposal, to clear the roads and improve their viability.”To help the population, Father Máximo is working on a project to “rehabilitate and maintain the roads and mule tracks that connect the villages of the Pourcine-Pic Makaya mountain community.” This project will enable the population to travel more safely and quickly, using the mules available to transport more local products and essential goods for the community’s life. The project also aims to foster the economic and social development of the area, counteracting depopulation and promoting a participatory and sustainable work model.“The direct beneficiaries of the project will be 268 people,” reports the Camillian, “who will be directly involved in the cleaning and maintenance of the trails, while the indirect beneficiaries will be the entire population of Poucine Pic Makaya, who will be able to benefit from the improvements to the trail network. In particular, the children who daily walk the trails leading from the various villages to the plateau where the school is located will be able to travel more safely and quickly. The direct beneficiaries, men and women (coordinators, team leaders and laborers), will be chosen from among the residents of the most remote areas who most need these income-generating activities at a particularly difficult time for the farmers in the area.” (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 19/3/2025)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Possible challenges in the multiannual financial framework and resources for agriculture and cohesion – E-001031/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001031/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Mario Mantovani (ECR), Carlo Fidanza (ECR), Sergio Berlato (ECR), Denis Nesci (ECR), Ruggero Razza (ECR), Francesco Ventola (ECR)

    A rumour is circulating that the Commission would like to reduce the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) to only four budget chapters, down from the current seven. The current 531 national programmes for territorial cohesion and agriculture would be cut to only 27, with a potential decrease in available resources. The potential challenges of the next MFF come on top of the need to repay NextGenerationEU debt, as well as the need to find fiscal space for investment in defence, competitiveness and the automotive sector, along with the recent Clean Industrial Deal, which commits to providing green policies with EUR 100 billion from the Innovation Fund, although that fund amounts to only EUR 40 billion, much of which has already been committed.

    The lack of clear, structured communication concerning the next MFF makes it difficult to start an institutional discussion on the Commission’s new policy actions.

    In view of the above, can the Commission answer the following:

    • 1.Does it not agree that, when the EU’s finances are facing difficulties, providing such significant support for green policies that have thus far been rejected by markets and consumers may amount to extremely imprudent financial management?
    • 2.Can it deny that agriculture and cohesion will face cuts in the next MFF?
    • 3.Does it not think that the scale of green investments should be reduced, to the benefit of agriculture and cohesion?

    Submitted: 10.3.2025

    Last updated: 19 March 2025

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – The EU’s digital transformation programmes and the European funds that have been disbursed to achieve it – E-001032/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001032/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Francesco Torselli (ECR), Carlo Fidanza (ECR), Denis Nesci (ECR), Mariateresa Vivaldini (ECR), Chiara Gemma (ECR), Alberico Gambino (ECR), Sergio Berlato (ECR), Giovanni Crosetto (ECR), Francesco Ventola (ECR), Marco Squarta (ECR), Elena Donazzan (ECR), Michele Picaro (ECR), Lara Magoni (ECR), Antonella Sberna (ECR), Daniele Polato (ECR), Alessandro Ciriani (ECR), Pietro Fiocchi (ECR), Giuseppe Milazzo (ECR)

    Digital technology and infrastructure are an integral part of our daily lives, as they determine how we work and communicate and are also vital to advancing scientific progress and responding to current environmental challenges.

    The COVID-19 pandemic showed just how important it is for Europe to avoid depending on non-EU systems and solutions. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has further highlighted the vulnerabilities of our digital supply chains and the importance of investing in cybersecurity and drastically improving Europe’s digital capabilities.

    The EU has set up a number of programmes to support the digital transformation of industries, SMEs and public administrations. One of them is Digital Europe (DIGITAL), which enables the EU to respond to these challenges by funding projects in key areas such as supercomputing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and advanced digital skills as well as initiatives which aim to ensure the widespread use of digital technologies across the economy and society.

    In view of President von der Leyen’s announcement of the launching of InvestAI (an initiative that will mobilise a further EUR 200 billion in funds, of which EUR 20 billion will be set aside for a European fund for AI gigafactories), could the Commission clarify how much has been spent so far to achieve the digital transition for European citizens and businesses?

    Supporter[1]

    Submitted: 10.3.2025

    • [1] This question is supported by a Member other than the authors: Stefano Cavedagna (ECR)

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Massive brain drain from EU universities is an existential threat to Europe’s future – E-001033/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001033/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Nikos Pappas (The Left)

    The European Union is facing a growing brain drain crisis, with the best young scientists, researchers and academics leaving Europe for countries such as the USA, Canada and China. This exodus undermines the EU’s strategic autonomy and its ability to innovate and compete globally.

    Despite investments through Horizon Europe and Erasmus+, the reality is that funding is not enough to make European universities competitive alongside the world’s top institutions. Low salaries, a lack of cutting-edge research opportunities and cumbersome bureaucratic procedures discourage young scientists from staying or returning to Europe.

    Given that this trend poses a serious threat to the EU’s knowledge economy and its leadership in key areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology and climate innovation:

    • 1.Does the Commission recognise brain drain from EU universities as a critical issue for the future of the Union?
    • 2.How does the Commission intend to incorporate into the upcoming review of Horizon Europe mechanisms that will enhance the attraction and retention of scientific talent in Europe, preventing the brain drain of young researchers to third countries?
    • 3.Is the Commission considering the creation of specific funds or targeted programmes to support the European academic community?

    Submitted: 10.3.2025

    Last updated: 19 March 2025

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Impact of tariffs and quota systems on downstream steel manufacturing in the EU – E-001037/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001037/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Paulo Cunha (PPE), Lídia Pereira (PPE), Sérgio Humberto (PPE), Susana Solís Pérez (PPE), Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez (PPE), Dennis Radtke (PPE)

    The downstream steel manufacturing sector in the EU is facing critical challenges, exacerbated by the existing tariffs and quota systems on raw material imports. While intended to protect local industries, these measures are inadvertently placing enormous financial burdens on European manufacturers who rely on competitively priced raw materials.

    Domestic downstream steel manufacturers frequently grapple with rising costs due to tariffs ranging from 25 % to 35 % on essential materials such as hot rolled and alloy steels, making it increasingly difficult to maintain their market position. Alongside this constraint, imported steel products and derivative steel articles, often produced with subsidised steel, circumvent anti-dumping tariffs and countervailing duties through origin misrepresentation and exports routed via warehouses based in non-EU countries. This situation allows these products to enter the EU market at lower prices, thereby avoiding the application of tariffs.

    In the light of these circumstances:

    • 1.What measures does the Commission intend to implement to safeguard downstream industries from unfair competition posed by imported products, particularly those made from subsidised steel coils?
    • 2.Will the Commission consider revising the current tariff structures to impose them on finished goods in proportion to the raw materials used in production, thereby levelling the playing field for EU manufacturers?

    Submitted: 11.3.2025

    Last updated: 19 March 2025

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Northern Adriatic as a strategic European interest: Commission security and financial support for Italian, Slovenian and Croatian ports – E-001036/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001036/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Elena Donazzan (ECR), Carlo Fidanza (ECR), Nicola Procaccini (ECR), Carlo Ciccioli (ECR), Alessandro Ciriani (ECR), Giovanni Crosetto (ECR), Pietro Fiocchi (ECR), Daniele Polato (ECR), Mariateresa Vivaldini (ECR)

    Since the brutal attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea, navigation in the Suez Canal has been less secure. In the first five months of 2024, the average daily number of vessels transiting through the Mediterranean Sea was half that of the same period in 2023, as companies redirected vessels towards the Cape of Good Hope.

    Use of that African route lead to exponential growth of sea freight via the Mediterranean – from USD 2 000 to USD 7 000 per container – and an estimated 42 % increase in pollutant emissions per ship. The impact on the Italian ports of Ravenna, Trieste and Venice, the Slovenian port Koper and the Croatian port Rijeka is enormous.

    This state of affairs is damaging for the automotive, chemical, construction and energy supply chains on the Asia-Europe route.

    Taking into account the strategic importance of the Adriatic for Italy, Slovenia and Croatia and given that, should the dangerous conditions in the Suez Canal continue, transport for goods for Asia will be forcibly shifted from the Adriatic to the Atlantic Ocean, with a dramatic impact on European supply chains and jobs:

    • 1.How will the Commission protect the interests of the northern Adriatic ports and jobs there?
    • 2.What financial support measures could be taken to help the ports of Ravenna, Trieste, Venice, Koper and Rijeka to withstand the huge losses of economic activity to date?

    Submitted: 11.3.2025

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Briefing – The role of the European Council in negotiations on the multiannual financial framework: Frequently asked questions – 19-03-2025

    Source: European Parliament

    EU Heads of State or Government will hold their first discussion on the post-2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF) at the European Council meeting on 20-21 March 2025. Since 1988, when an interinstitutional agreement introduced the first binding MFF, the European Council has played a central role in the process leading to its adoption. In 1992, the Lisbon Treaty established a new procedure whereby the MFF would come into being through the adoption of a regulation. The European Council was not assigned a formal legal role in this procedure. Due to national contributions to the EU budget and the allocation of funding being highly sensitive issues, MFF negotiations have largely been considered as Chefsache, with a strong de facto involvement of the European Council, especially during the past two rounds. This briefing, presented in the form of answers to frequently asked questions, outlines the trends that can be identified regarding the European Council’s involvement in decision-making on the EU’s long-term budget.

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Measures to allow young couples and young people to become homeowners – E-002949/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The Commission shares the Honourable Member’s concerns about the housing situation in Greece and in the whole EU. The Commission has thus appointed a Commissioner for Energy and Housing and established a Task Force for Housing to coordinate the different work strands

    Although the responsibility for housing rests mainly with Member States, regions and local authorities, the Commission will assess how it can continue to contribute to mitigating the housing crisis at the European level, including for youth.

    The Commission will consult stakeholders in 2025 to better understand all the issues on housing and put forward a European Affordable Housing Plan.

    Various EU funds are already available for Member States and local authorities to support social and affordable housing[1]. In addition, the Greek Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) foresees two financial instruments[2] that aim addressing pertinent challenges in Greece’s housing market.

    They constitute parts of a more comprehensive housing strategy that is also included in the Plan and will be implemented in Greece in the coming period.

    Complementary actions under RRP, the cohesion policy also co-finance energy efficiency in housing in Greece.[3] In addition, the Plan contains measures that aim to renovate more than 100 000 residences to significantly save primary energy[4].

    Furthermore, in respect of funding and financing, the Commission will continue working closely with international financial institutions, national promotional banks and other relevant stakeholders[5] to make sure that housing is more affordable, in particular for young people and families.

    Procedures for buying a house are governed by national civil law. Hence, simplification thereof falls within the remit of Member States.

    • [1] To assist Member States, the Commission has published a toolkit that provides an overview of available EU funding opportunities in housing: Social Housing and beyond. https://european-social-fund-plus.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-launches-toolkit-support-social-housing-member-states The Recovery and Resilience Facility; the European Regional Development Fund; the European Social Fund Plus; the InvestEU; the Horizon Europe; the Technical Support Instrument; the Single Market Programme; the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund; the Social Climate Fund. Details on each EU support in the toolkit. In addition, the Cohesion Fund and the Just Transition Fund also support the investments in the energy efficiency of housing stock. Details are available in story ‘how cohesion policy supports housing’ at the Cohesion open data platform.
    • [2] Loans finance for: (i) the acquisition of primary residence for targeted population groups — program “My Home II” (EUR 1 billion); (ii) energy efficiency renovations of existing properties — program “Upgrade My Home” (EUR 300 million).
    • [3] Under the 2021-27 programming period, cohesion policy co-finances with some EUR 751 million interventions for energy efficiency in housing.
    • [4] To date, and according to the most recent updated by the Greek authorities, more than 44,000 renovations have been completed.
    • [5] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_671
    Last updated: 19 March 2025

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Compensation to support farmers – E-000212/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    1. The Union recognises the livestock sector’s significant challenges and is supporting farmers through various instruments. To mitigate economic impacts and increase farmers resilience, income support through direct payments is a central feature of the common agricultural policy (CAP). A specific type of income support[1] is also available, 70% of which is dedicated to livestock. Payments for Areas with Natural Constraints also help the livestock sector. Some Member States programme interventions in their CAP Strategic Plans to help livestock farmers in managing production and income risks, such as support for insurance schemes, mutual funds, preventive investments, cooperation, knowledge transfer, and advisory services.

    2. The CAP Strategic Plan regulation[2] gives Member States flexibility in designing their risk management schemes to be able to quickly respond to crisis and provide swift support to affected farmers. Moreover, at the initiative of the Commission, a new measure (M23)[3] was introduced under the ongoing Rural Development Programmes, to compensate farmers severely affected by natural disasters, including animal diseases. Finally, pursuant to Art. 221 of the common market Organisation Regulation[4], the Commission has adopted exceptional measures to support farmers negatively affected by extremely adverse weather events and natural disasters[5].

    As announced in the Vision for Agriculture and Food[6], the Commission is working for the EU livestock sector to have a long-term vision that respects the diversity and sustainability of livestock production across the EU and launching a work stream to develop policy pathways for an attractive, competitive, future-proof and inclusive livestock sector in the EU.

    • [1] Coupled income support.
    • [2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2115/oj/eng
    • [3] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/3242/oj/eng
    • [4] http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1308/oj
    • [5] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202500441 — Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/441 of 6 March 2025 providing for emergency financial support for the agricultural sectors affected by adverse climatic events and natural disasters in Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia and Hungary, in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
    • [6] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0075
    Last updated: 19 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Fashion-sector companies unable to the EU ‘Fit for 55’ plan’s carbon footprint targets – E-002513/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The Commission acknowledges the importance of the textile sector, including the fashion industry, for the European economy, culture and creativity.

    At the same time, textile production and consumption have major effects on the environment and on climate change, as underlined in the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles[1] and the European Environment Agency report[2]. The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles proposed an agenda to support the sector’s shift towards the green transition.

    Reducing environmental and climate impacts from textiles is essential to achieve a sustainable transition and to meet the climate targets set under the EU ‘Fit for 55’ legislative package.

    The Commission recognises the importance of mobilising investments and supporting operators in adopting circular business models and processes .

    In this respect, the Commission has put forward a proposal for a co-programmed European Partnership ‘Textiles of the Future’[3] under Horizon Europe[4] under the second Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2025- 2027[5].

    In the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework and NextGenerationEU, EUR 658 billion is allocated to spending for climate-relevant objectives.

    In most of the EU funding programmes (including Recovery and Resilience Facility[6], the InvestEU programme[7], Cohesion Funds[8], or Horizon Europe[9]) investments on decarbonisation are eligible for all sectors including fashion.

    In addition, textile companies, and in particular small and medium-sized enterprises[10], can be supported through the Enterprise Europe Network[11], the Eurocluster initiative[12], the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform[13], and through the Transition Pathway for the Textiles Ecosystem[14].

    • [1]  COM(2022) 141 final, https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/textiles-strategy_en
    • [2] EEA (2022), https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/textiles-and-the-environment-the
    • [3] Innovative actions such as small scale demonstration, piloting of new technologies and innovative business models for competitive manufacturing of sustainable textile products may be funded under the partnership.
    • [4] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en
    • [5] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe/strategic-plan_en
    • [6] https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/economic-recovery/recovery-and-resilience-facility_en
    • [7] https://investeu.europa.eu/investeu-programme_en
    • [8] https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/funding/cohesion-fund_en
    • [9] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en
    • [10] Small and medium-sized enterprises represent more than 99% of the companies active in the EU textile sector (Eurostat).
    • [11] https://een.ec.europa.eu/
    • [12] https://www.clustercollaboration.eu/euroclusters
    • [13]  https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/en
    • [14] https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/textiles-ecosystem/textiles-transition-pathway_en

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement – E-000276/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    For more than a decade the EU has worked side-by-side with the United States (US) to design and implement the Paris Agreement, the crucial multilateral agreement in the fight against global warming.

    The Commission therefore regrets the announcement of the President of the US to once again withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement .

    The Commission will stay the course on the Green Deal as the EU’s growth strategy. The Commission will deploy its climate diplomacy to ensure that other major polluters also show ambition in reducing greenhouse gas emissions when presenting their Nationally Determined Contributions ahead of COP 30 in Brazil.

    The Commission’s focus will be on supporting and creating the right conditions for reaching its common goals. This means investing and ensuring access to cheap, sustainable and secure energy supplies and raw materials, including through the Clean Industrial Deal.

    The Clean Industrial Deal, announced in the Political Guidelines for 2024-2029, positions decarbonisation as a powerful driver of growth and prosperity for Europeans.

    Building on the Green Deal Industrial Plan[1], the Net Zero Industrial[2] and Critical Raw Materials Acts[3], it will have a particular focus on energy-intensive industries and the net-zero sector.

    Some of the measures will aim at lowering energy prices, developing lead markets for EU-made decarbonised products, and leveraging circularity for the availability of raw materials.

    All of these measures will support the EU economy, foster the green transition and contribute to the prosperity of EU citizens by creating new jobs.

    • [1] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal/green-deal-industrial-plan_en
    • [2] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal/green-deal-industrial-plan/net-zero-industry-act_en
    • [3] https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/raw-materials/areas-specific-interest/critical-raw-materials/critical-raw-materials-act_en
    Last updated: 19 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Press release – Labour migration: an EU Talent Pool to facilitate international recruitment

    Source: European Parliament

    The EU Talent Pool should be open to workers of all qualification levels and ensure fair treatments of jobseekers, the Civil Liberties Committee agreed on Wednesday.

    Today, MEPs in the Civil Liberties Committee backed the creation of an EU Talent Pool, designed to make it easier to recruit non-EU nationals to jobs in sectors where there are shortages, through a dedicated digital platform that matches EU vacancies with jobseekers living abroad. Application of the new legislation would be optional for EU countries and would not affect their right to decide how many third-country workers to admit to their territory.

    A fair recruitment process

    MEPs adopted amendments to the proposal to ensure the application of fair recruitment standards, as set out in the International Labour Organization’s general principles, and that the platform is open to jobseekers “of all skills and qualification levels”. MEPs also want to make sure that the new tool does not lead to discriminatory practices and is free of charge for registered jobseekers.

    Improved information on employers and jobseekers

    Participating employers should provide details including: the person responsible for recruitment, the company registration number, and a brief description of their operations, argue MEPs. Vacancies should meanwhile include a job description, the place of work, working hours, remuneration and paid leave. MEPs also want to see more information in the profiles of jobseekers, such as their preferred EU country and when they are available, offering the possibility for them to certify their skills within the EU Talent Partnerships or via bilateral or national agreements.

    Targeted communication campaigns

    The Commission should promote the EU Talent Pool through awareness raising campaigns, both on and off-line, targeting SMEs in particular, recommend MEPs. They also suggest that EU delegations in third countries should to do the same for potential jobseekers.

    Quote

    Rapporteur Abir Al-Sahlani (Renew, Sweden) said: “The EU is falling behind its competitors, partly because of labour shortages across our economy. Labour migration is one way to address these shortages and strengthen our competitiveness. The EU Talent Pool is a step in the right direction, by connecting the needs of our employers with workers from outside the EU. This is also a tool to create more safe and legal pathways to the EU. The result will be a Talent Pool platform that is user-friendly for all, with necessary checks on jobseekers and measures to ensure minimum safeguards against exploitation. There is also a strong link to the Talent Partnerships, reinforcing the connection between internal and external migration governance”.

    Next steps

    The draft rules were approved by 46 votes in favour, 25 against, and 2 abstentions. Once the report has been endorsed by Parliament as a whole during the April plenary session, talks with member states on the final shape of the bill can start.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Developing oil and gas resources can boost economy

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe says developing the country’s gas and oil potential could be a game changer for economic growth.

    “The South African government wants accelerated oil exploration in the country’s waters, we believe developing the country’s oil and gas resources could boost the country’s economic growth rate to 5% and possibly 8%. 

    “Government took a decision to rationalise some of our State-owned Entities [SOEs] to form the South African National Petroleum Company [SANPC]. The SANPC is a strategic intervention by government to create a State-owned national company to actively pursue oil and gas projects,” the Minister said in his speaking notes at the 4th Annual Southern Africa Oil and Gas (SAOG) Conference in Cape Town on Wednesday.

    Exploration has found that South Africa’s coastal and adjoining waters hold approximately nine billion barrels of oil and a further 11 billion barrels oil equivalent of natural gas, although there remains uncertainty about the extent.

    Mantashe noted that considering increasing demand for natural gas, “government has moved with speed to finalise the Gas Master Plan to achieve a stable and growing economy”. 

    “The Gas Master Plan is designed to complement existing energy policies and contribute to an integrated energy planning approach for the country as outlined in the updated Integrated Resources Plan. It provides a framework for the role of natural gas in the energy mix and gives policy direction to industry. 

    “Its objective is to ensure that government is able to diversify supply options from local and international markets. Furthermore, to facilitate the development an efficient, competitive and responsive energy infrastructure network, such as gas storage facilities, liquefied natural gas import facilities, pipeline networks and regasification plants.

    “Through this, the Plan would also enhance localisation, create jobs and enable inclusive economic growth,” Mantashe said.

    He noted that the European bloc of nations is looking to Africa to “diversify its gas supplies”. 

    “While this presents an opportunity to earn foreign revenue, we should ensure that we do not export our gas at the expense of domestic and regional markets. It is imperative for SADC [Southern African Development Community] countries to be resolute in their efforts to unlock oil and gas exploration and development. 

    “This further presents SADC countries with an opportunity to determine conditions that will alleviate global oil and gas prices by developing their own resources.

    “There must be a concerted effort among African nations to ensure that the oil and gas sector grows and thrives through investments in the upstream development for the economic prosperity of our nations,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Launches Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced the launch of the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail. Officially opened today, the South Shore Trail runs from Bay Shore to Montauk and is intended to drive business and tourism to locations proudly serving and selling locally raised and wild-caught, sustainably harvested fish and shellfish while promoting Long Island’s seafood industry. The Trail is a part of the State’s Blue Food Transformation initiative, first announced in the Governor’s 2024 State of the State proposal, which was created to reinvigorate New York’s aquaculture and wild-caught seafood industries and strengthen local food systems.

    “Long Island’s aquaculture and seafood industries are vital to New York’s agricultural economy – they create jobs, support a healthy environment, and provide New Yorkers with fresh, nutritious seafood,” Governor Hochul said. “The Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trails highlight the amazing fish and shellfish harvested locally, showcase our outstanding small businesses, and attract more visitors to this incredible region.”

    Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trails

    Today’s announcement was made at a special ribbon cutting ceremony at The Snapper Inn in Oakdale where State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball joined representatives from Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Suffolk County, state and local elected officials, local business owners, and other partners to unveil the first of two planned Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trails. The Snapper Inn is on the western end of the South Shore Trail, which will include 20 official locations and other points of interest to spotlight New York’s seafood industry, and drive visitors to businesses that serve and sell locally wild-caught, sustainably harvested fish and shellfish. The North Shore Trail, which will run from Oyster Bay to Greenport, is under development and slated to launch in the coming months.

    The event also featured a sneak peek of the forthcoming Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail digital app, which will make it even easier for customers to discover Long Island establishments serving seafood-centric dishes. Currently under development, the app will guide customers to Long Island establishments where they can enjoy a fine local seafood meal, pick up a variety of oysters for a local oyster tasting, take-out a quick seafood lunch, or fillets from a local seafood shop to prepare a fish dinner at home. An online version of the app is available on the Long Island Seafood Trail website, and the mobile app is expected to be available on the Apple App Store and Google Play in the coming weeks.

    Visitors are encouraged to follow the trail for locations that are known to appreciate and celebrate the bounty of Long Island’s waters while boosting business and supporting local fishing communities. Regional points of interest and local events are also integrated into the app to support a full tourism experience. Visit the Seafood Trail page on the Local Fish website for more information.

    The Trail was created by CCE of Suffolk County’s Marine Program, in collaboration with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM). AGM additionally worked closely with the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) on the designation of the trails. A list of trail stops is available on the AGM website.

    New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “Long Island’s waters are abundant with fresh, delicious fish and shellfish, and our seafood industry works tirelessly in harvesting and raising these local delicacies. I encourage New Yorkers to visit any number of the many stops on the new Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail to discover some delicious foods and help support our local aquaculture community.”

    Cornell Cooperative Extension Suffolk Executive Director Vanessa Lockel said, “The CCE Suffolk Marine Program plays a key role in preserving Long Island’s waterways through science, restoration, and education. We are proud to have partnered on the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail, a project that aligns with our mission by highlighting the region’s aquaculture and seafood industries—industries that are critical to both our economy and the health of our environment.”

    Seafood Processing Feasibility Study

    Also funded through the Governor’s Blue Food Transformation initiative, CCE of Suffolk County has engaged industry stakeholders and conducted research to define and mitigate challenges necessary to expand capacity for seafood processing on Long Island. The project examines operating models, locations, basic facility design, and capital budget as a baseline for standalone seafood processing facilities. A final draft report will be presented for industry feedback at the Long Island Seafood Summit this month.

    Inter-Agency Task Force

    In addition to the cuisine trails and feasibility study, the Governor also announced that AGM, the Department of Environmental Conservation, Empire State Development, Department of Health, New York Sea Grant, and other agencies involved in the production and marketing of seafood formed the New York State Seafood Interagency Workgroup. The group was tasked with evaluating and coordinating state policies and programs that impact aquaculture licensing, food safety, and economic development measures, and considering pathways for industry growth. The Workgroup’s final report is available online at the AGM website.

    New York State has a diverse sustainable wild-caught seafood industry and growing aquaculture industry that harvest a variety of products including finfish, kelp, and shellfish. Commercial fishermen on Long Island sustainably harvested over 16 million pounds of finfish in 2023, worth over $28 million dollars. Montauk, the state’s largest commercial fishing port, is 51st in the nation for wild-caught seafood based on poundage, and 53rd in the nation based on dollar value.

    From Long Island to the Finger Lakes, both small-scale and commercial-scale aquaculture operations grow fresh, safe, and sustainable seafood, and harvest wild-caught, sustainable fish. According to the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture, the aquaculture industry accounts for over 25 percent of farms on Long Island, with 155 operations in Suffolk County and 15 in Nassau County.​ Combined, the two counties generated over $14.5 million in sales in 2022.

    Department of Environmental Conservation Acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “Thanks to Governor Hochul’s sustained support and protection of the South Shore’s irreplaceable marine habitat and resources, the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trails initiative is gearing up to launch its first segment and celebrate the fantastic seafood associated with Long Island’s vibrant coastal culture and maritime traditions. DEC appreciates the work of our partners at the Department of Agriculture and Markets and their work to support local hatcheries, boosting the Long Island’s shellfish farming economy and complementing the State’s ongoing efforts to ensure the success of New York’s commercial fishing industry while protecting seafood for consumers.”

    New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “Long Island is one of the epicenters of New York’s internationally recognized food and beverage industry, with its world-renowned vineyards, rich farmlands and storied fishing history. The Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail, which New York State DOT proudly supports, will enhance sustainable and healthy aquaculture and is a perfect way for South Shore residents and visitors to take in Long Island’s pristine beaches and native wildlife, while enjoying some of the most nutritious and delicious seafood anywhere in the world. See you on the Trail!”

    Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “The new Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail will showcase the world class culinary offerings available to residents and visitors alike across the South Shore. This will highlight the importance of the region’s aquaculture industry and introduce more people to the unique small businesses that are vital to local economies.”

    Long Island Farm Bureau Director Rob Carpenter said, “Commercial fishing and aquaculture are very important legacy industries on Long Island. Our fishermen, baymen, and oyster growers provide residents with some of the highest quality and most flavorful seafood found anywhere in the world. This seafood trail will help to promote the incredible restaurants, shops, and seafood products available right in our own backyard for residents to experience and enjoy.”

    Long Island Oyster Growers Association President Eric Koepele said, “If Dorothy hailed from Long Island, every oyster shell trail would skip Oz for a seafood paradise like The Snapper Inn—where local oysters are shining gems behind the curtain. I encourage visitors to check out more beautiful locations over the rainbow on the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail to sample the best of Long Island’s delicious, fresh, local oysters.”

    Long Island Commercial Fishing Association Executive Director Bonnie Brady said, “For far too long, consumers and visitors to Long Island had to be “in the know,” to find the local specials of the day from restaurants, seafood shops, and boat-to-table small businesses. Now with the app, anyone can find the freshest Long Island seafood meal, north or south, no matter which Fork they live on or are visiting!”

    Discover Long Island President and CEO Kristen Reynolds said, “Long Island’s rich maritime heritage and world-class seafood industry are key drivers of tourism and economic vitality for our region. As Long Island’s only accredited destination marketing organization with an audience of more than 10 million global viewers, we look forward to sharing this exciting new product, encouraging both locals and visitors to explore and support the small businesses, restaurants, and coastal communities that make our destination truly unique.”

    New York State Restaurant Association President and CEO Melissa Fleischut said, “With its vibrant culinary scene, Long Island is renowned for its outstanding restaurants, and we’re delighted to see Governor Hochul and other state leaders continue their support for local businesses across the state. The summer months are a peak time for tourism, making the launch of the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trails especially timely. We are eager to see the positive impact this initiative will have on the region’s restaurant industry, driving both awareness and visitors to these local establishments.”

    State Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “Cuisine trails are roadmaps to some of the best local food New York has to offer, guiding people to delicious meals and products while supporting the small businesses that serve them. The launch of the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trails adds a new layer to New York’s expanding food trail system and we were proud to move this initiative forward in last year’s budget. It’s exciting to see the trail come to fruition, knowing it will give locals and visitors the chance to try the freshest catches, explore new communities, and discover hidden gems along the way.”

    Assemblymember Donna Lupardo said, “I’m very pleased that the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail is up and running. We included the Blue Food Transformation Initiative in last year’s state budget to support New York’s aquaculture industry and initiatives like this. Cuisine Trails have proven to be very popular as they promote local food and farm businesses through agri-tourism. This new Trail and digital app will shine a spotlight on the locally raised and harvested fish and shellfish that Long Island is known for.”

    Assemblymember Jarett Gandolfo said, “Long Island’s seafood industry isn’t just a key part of our local economy, it’s part of who we are. From family-owned restaurants to hardworking fishermen, so many livelihoods depend on a thriving aquaculture industry. The launch of the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail is a great way to highlight and support these businesses while also giving residents and visitors the chance to experience the incredible seafood our waters provide. Investing in our local seafood industry means protecting jobs, strengthening Long Island’s tourism, and preserving a tradition that has been passed down for generations. I’m genuinely excited to see this take off and be able to see the positive impact it will have on our community.”

    Town of Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter said, “Long Island’s waterways are one of our greatest natural resources, and initiatives like the Seafood Cuisine Trail not only celebrate our long-standing maritime heritage but also support the hardworking individuals who sustain our local seafood industry. Through our Town’s Shellfish Hatchery initiative, we are committed to protecting water quality, replenishing shellfish populations, and ensuring that locally harvested seafood remains a cornerstone of our economy and culture. I’m proud to stand alongside so many dedicated partners today as we continue working toward a thriving, sustainable future for Long Island.”

    The Blue Food Transformation Initiative was announced in the Governor’s 2024 State of the State proposal to increase consumer demand for local food and strengthen the local food system. The effort will include $5 million in infrastructure funding to bolster marine agriculture, promote a healthy natural environment, and provide New Yorkers with a nutritious source of locally grown seafood. These investments build on the Governor’s commitment to boost demand for New York agricultural products, bolster New York’s food supply chain, and ensure all New Yorkers can access fresh, local foods. This includes the Governor’s Executive Order 32 directing State agencies to increase the percentage of food sourced from New York farmers and producers to 30 percent of their total purchases within five years.

    New York State continues to prioritize increasing access to food for all New Yorkers and providing new markets for farmers through a number of programs and initiatives, including the enhanced FreshConnect Fresh2You initiative, the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs, the Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grants Programs, and more. The Department also administers the Nourish New York program, which is slated for an additional $5 million investment in the Governor’s proposed Executive Budget this year.

    The NYS 30 percent Initiative for schools, the State’s Farm-to-School program, and child nutrition programs administered by the State Education Department are focused on buying more local products from New York farmers and increasing healthy and nutritious local foods for New York school lunches.

    Additionally, the Governor is dedicating $50 million over five years to support regional cooking facilities that will facilitate the use of fresh New York State farm products in meal preparation for K-12 school children and a $10 million grant program to support the establishment of farm markets, supermarkets, food cooperatives, and other similar retail food stores, along with supporting infrastructure in underserved communities and regions of the State.

    Learn about the AGM’s programs and initiatives focused on providing new markets for farmers, increasing food access to underserved communities, and building healthier communities on the AGM website at the “Healthy Communities” page.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Canadian small businesses can expand into Asian markets and reduce their dependence on the U.S.

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Michael Joseph Dominic Roberts, Associate Dean & Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Communications Studies, Mount Royal University

    The recent escalation of trade tensions under United States President Donald Trump has significantly increased uncertainty for Canadian SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises), particularly in the high-value service sector.

    Examples of this sector include financial technology and investment services, aerospace and advanced manufacturing, and clean technology sectors focused on renewable energy and sustainable resource management.

    For decades, Canadian businesses have relied on a stable trade relationship with the U.S. But under Trump’s “America First” protectionist policies, that stability has crumbled.

    With tariffs, trade barriers and shifting political dynamics making North American markets increasingly unpredictable, many Canadian businesses are searching for ways to reduce their dependence on the U.S. and expand elsewhere.

    Expanding into Asia

    Asia has emerged as an attractive alternative for businesses due to its rapidly expanding middle class, growing investments in infrastructure and technology, and rising demand for specialized expertise.

    This trend is particularly evident in the energy sector. The Asia-Pacific region — though currently accounting for only eight per cent of the global market — is expected to grow significantly as countries expand energy infrastructure and seek advanced technologies to improve resource extraction for environmental sustainability.



    Read more:
    Trump’s tariff threat is a sign that Canada should be diversifying beyond the U.S.

    This presents promising growth opportunities for Canadian businesses in sectors like engineering consulting, technology, energy and environmental services, where they already have a competitive edge.

    However, entering Asian markets presents unique challenges, requiring businesses to rethink their strategies.

    Breaking into Asian markets

    Expanding into Asian markets is no easy task for SMEs. These businesses face substantial barriers, including significant differences in regulatory environments, business practices and customer expectations.

    For service-based businesses, the challenge is even greater. Unlike physical products, which can be easily displayed and tested, services are harder to quantify and prove to new clients. This makes it more difficult for SMEs to build credibility and demonstrate their value in unfamiliar markets.

    Our recent study explored how Canadian SMEs in the service sector can successfully overcome these barriers when entering Asian markets like China, India and South Korea.

    We brought together industry experts, government officials and senior executives from SMEs already operating successfully in Asia for a two-day workshop. We analyzed their firsthand experiences, challenges and recommendations to develop a clear and actionable framework called the 4P strategy (potential, proposition, presence and policy).

    These four steps offer SMEs a structured approach to understanding local conditions, differentiating offerings, establishing trusted partnerships and gaining government support.

    1. Potential: Understand the local market

    SMEs must understand Asian market regulations, business culture and market structures. Unlike North America’s relatively stable environment, Asian markets often feature rapidly evolving regulations and unpredictable policy changes.

    Businesses should balance these regulatory uncertainties against economic opportunities and be prepared to swiftly adapt when necessary. For example, policy changes in Asian markets, such as shifting foreign investment regulations or evolving environmental standards, can create uncertainty for SMEs operating abroad.

    Companies must remain agile to navigate regulatory shifts while leveraging the relative economic stability of the region.

    Patience and flexibility are also critical. In many Asian markets, business deals take longer to close due to hierarchical, relationship-driven decision-making. SMEs should anticipate these extended timelines and factor them into their planning.

    Our study found that deals that might be finalized quickly in North America can take years to develop in Asia, requiring firms to exercise patience before realizing significant profits. Successful market entry depends on a long-term approach and the ability to adapt to extended gestation periods.

    2. Proposition: Adapt services to fit local needs

    SMEs need to localize their offerings beyond language translation, adapting their branding, marketing and customer-engagement strategies to fit local contexts.

    A clearly defined and differentiated service offering is critical. Businesses must clearly define what sets them apart from local competitors and ensure their services address specific market needs.

    Pricing strategies should also align with local market expectations. Many Asian markets, especially in business-to-business services, are highly price-sensitive. SMEs must balance competitive pricing with value.

    In some cases, businesses may need to use performance-based pricing models — where clients pay based on results rather than a fixed fee — to remain competitive while protecting profit margins.

    3. Presence: Build a local network and partnerships

    A strong local presence is vital for success in Asia. SMEs should invest in trusted local partnerships or regional offices to build credibility, facilitate smoother operations and better understand local customer needs.

    Relationships play a central role in doing business in Asia. Unlike in North America, where successful transactions often lead to partnerships, in Asia, relationships must be built first.

    This relationship-first approach is deeply embedded in business culture, requiring firms to prioritize long-term engagement over immediate gains. Research has shown that trust-building is essential for long-term success in Asian markets, as strong relationships ultimately lead to transactions.

    Canadian SMEs entering these markets should be prepared to shift their approach, recognizing that sustained commitment and relationship-building are key to unlocking business opportunities.

    4. Policy: Take advantage of government support

    Many Canadian SMEs underestimate the extent of available government support and miss out on resources that reduce risks and make it easier to establish a foothold abroad.

    Our study found that SMEs expanding to Asia can access valuable support from government departments and trade commissioners at Canadian embassies. In energy services subsectors, government and non-governmental organizations can assist SMEs in forming partnerships with Asian firms.

    Additionally, agencies like Export Development Canada offer training, financial support and market-entry resources that many SMEs overlook. Taking advantage of these programs can help businesses navigate regulatory challenges and accelerate their international expansion.

    Government-backed programs also support research, development and technology adaptation to help businesses tailor their services to local markets. Our study found that making use of these resources reduces barriers, lowers entry risks and significantly enhances businesses’ likelihood of success in Asia.

    Seizing the opportunity

    Rather than merely serving as an alternative to the increasingly restrictive U.S. market, Asia presents significant growth opportunities for Canadian SMEs but demands strategic patience, adaptability and sustained commitment.

    However, success in Asia won’t come overnight. Unlike the relatively familiar North American market, expanding into Asia requires a patience, adaptability and a willingness to learn a different business culture.

    By adopting the 4P strategies, Canadian businesses can effectively navigate market-entry barriers and position themselves for success in an era of shifting global trade dynamics.

    Etayankara Muralidharan receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

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

    – ref. How Canadian small businesses can expand into Asian markets and reduce their dependence on the U.S. – https://theconversation.com/how-canadian-small-businesses-can-expand-into-asian-markets-and-reduce-their-dependence-on-the-u-s-251991

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Provincial secondary-suite pilot program update

    Due to uncertain financial times, and with the federal government committing to implement a similar program, the Province’s pilot secondary-suite incentive program will no longer be accepting applications after March 30, 2025.

    Funds allocated from this program will go toward other existing and future BC Housing programs and services aimed at delivering more affordable homes for people, including BC Builds.

    “As we face uncertain economic conditions and an unpredictable tariff situation with the United States, we’re making sure we deliver the best value for people,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs. “With the federal government committing to deliver a national secondary-suite program, we are ensuring that we are not duplicating programs so we can use those funds for other programs that give people more housing options.”

    Announced in 2023, the three-year pilot program was designed to provide assistance in the form of a forgivable loan to eligible homeowners who build a secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on their property.

    In 2024, the federal government announced the intention to launch a similar program, the Canada secondary-suite loan program, enabling homeowners to access low-interest loans of up to $80,000 to add a secondary suite. Homeowners in B.C. who are interested in developing a secondary suite may have the opportunity to apply for loans through the federal program when it is launched.  Applicants who have started the process with the provincial secondary-suite incentive program and who have received all necessary permits and cost estimates will be able to submit their application until March 30, 2025.

    BC Housing will continue to work with approved applicants to process committed funds, register forgivable mortgages and carry out loan forgiveness over the coming years.

    The Province is continuing to focus on creating affordable housing and initiatives that address the housing needs of British Columbians. Since 2017, the Province has nearly 92,000 homes delivered or underway, with actions underway to help deliver thousands more.

    Learn More:

    To learn more about the ending of the secondary suite program, visit: https://www.bchousing.org/housing-assistance/secondary-suite

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Offers Relief to North Dakota Private Nonprofits Affected by October Wildfires

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low interest federal disaster loans to North Dakota private nonprofit (PNP) organizations who sustained physical damages and economic losses from the wildfires and straight-line winds occurring Oct. 5–6, 2024.

    The disaster declaration covers McKenzie and Williams counties.

    Under this disaster declaration, PNPs providing services of a governmental nature are eligible to apply for physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

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

    The SBA also offers  Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs, such as ongoing operating expenses for PNPs.  EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the organization suffered any physical property damage. 

    Interest rates are as low 3.25% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA determines eligibility and sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    The SBA encourages applicants to submit their loan applications promptly. Applications will be prioritized in the order they are received, and the SBA remains committed to processing them as efficiently as possible.

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

    The deadline to return economic injury applications is Sept. 24.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The Australian economy has changed dramatically since 2000 – the way we work now is radically different

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland

    The most striking feature of the Australian economy in the 21st century has been the exceptionally long period of fairly steady, though not rapid, economic growth.

    The deep recession of 1989–91, and the painfully slow recovery that followed, led most observers to assume another recession was inevitable sooner or later.

    And nearly everywhere in the developed world, the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–08 did lead to recessions comparable in length and severity to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

    Through a combination of good luck and good management, Australia avoided recession, at least as measured by the commonly used criterion of two successive quarters of negative GDP growth.

    Recessions cause unemployment to rise in the short run. Even after recessions end, the economy often remains on a permanently lower growth path.

    Good management – and good luck

    The crucial example of good management was the use of expansionary fiscal policy in response to both the financial crisis and the COVID pandemic. Governments supported households with cash payments as well as increasing their own spending.

    The most important piece of good luck was the rise of China and its appetite for Australian mineral exports, most notably iron ore.

    This demand removed the concerns about trade deficits that had driven policy in the 1990s, and has continued to provide an important source of export income. Mining is also an important source of government revenue, though this is often overstated.

    Still more fortunately, the Chinese response to the Global Financial Crisis, like that in Australia, was one of massive fiscal stimulus. The result was that both domestic demand and export demand were sustained through the crisis.

    The shift to an information economy

    The other big change, shared with other developed countries, has been the replacement of the 20th century industrial economy with an economy dominated by information and information-intensive services.

    The change in the industrial makeup of the economy can be seen in occupational data.

    In the 20th century, professional and managerial workers were a rarefied elite. Now they are the largest single occupational group at nearly 40% of all workers. Clerical, sales and other service workers account for 33% and manual workers (trades, labourers, drivers and so on) for only 28%.

    The results are evident in the labour market. First, the decline in the relative share of the male-dominated manual occupations has been reflected in a gradual convergence in the labour force participation rates of men (declining) and women (increasing).

    Suddenly, work from home was possible

    Much more striking than this gradual trend was the (literally) overnight shift to remote work that took place with the arrival of COVID lockdowns.

    Despite the absence of any preparation, it turned out the great majority of information work could be done anywhere workers could find a desk and an internet connection.

    The result was a massive benefit to workers. They were freed from their daily commute, which has been estimated as equivalent to an 8–10% increase in wages, and better able to juggle work and family commitments.

    Despite strenuous efforts by managers, remote or hybrid work has remained common among information workers.

    CEOs regularly demand a return to full-time office work. But few if any have been prepared to pay the wage premium that would be required to retain their most valuable (and mobile) employees without the flexibility of hybrid or remote work.

    The employment miracle

    The confluence of all these trends has produced an outcome that seemed unimaginable in the year 2000: a sustained period of near-full employment. That is defined by a situation in which almost anyone who wants a job can get one.

    The unemployment rate has dropped from 6.8% in 2000 to around 4%. While this is higher than in the post-war boom of the 1950s and 1960s, this is probably inevitable given the greater diversity of both the workforce and the range of jobs available.

    Matching workers to jobs was relatively easy in an industrial economy where large factories employed thousands of workers. It’s much harder in an information economy where job categories include “Instagram influencer” and “search engine optimiser”.

    As we progress through 2025, it is possible all this may change rapidly, for better or for worse.

    The chaos injected into the global economy by the Trump Administration will radically reshape patterns of trade.

    Meanwhile the rise of artificial intelligence holds out the promise of greatly increased productivity – but also the threat of massive job destruction. Economists, at least, will be busy for quite a while to come.

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

    – ref. The Australian economy has changed dramatically since 2000 – the way we work now is radically different – https://theconversation.com/the-australian-economy-has-changed-dramatically-since-2000-the-way-we-work-now-is-radically-different-249942

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: In 2000, Australia was defined by the Olympics, border politics and reconciliation. So what really has changed?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Visitor, School of History, Australian National University

    The world had its eyes on Sydney in 2000. A million people lined the harbour to ring in the new millennium (though some said it was actually the final year of the old one) on January 1.

    US television reporters called it “the biggest party in Australian history”. Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, whose corporation seemed to represent the coming age, was among those watching on.

    Sydney offered not only a world-leading party, but also a litmus test for the much-feared Y2K bug, which threatened to knock planes out of the sky and bring the global economy to a halt. Australia and New Zealand were said to be the “tripwire for the world’s computer systems”.

    It was fine in the end, although plenty of work had in fact been undertaken behind the scenes to make Australia’s systems more millennium-proof than they might have been.

    This was arguably the defining feature of Australia in the year 2000: a confident display for the world concealing a lot of angst and uncertainty. Australia was the “oldest continent on Earth”, the US broadcasters told their viewers, but it was “much more of an Asian nation”, and much closer to the rest of the world “thanks to technology”.

    Those confident claims would probably have surprised many Australians. Theirs was an old country trying to keep up with a new, interconnected world, and also a relatively young one trying to reconcile itself with the ancient cultures that its settler forebears had dispossessed.

    A curated Australia

    In September, the world’s sporting and political elite, followed by a train of journalists, arrived in Sydney for the 2000 Olympic Games. It had been years in the making, and every level of government was involved. There were no fewer than 47,000 volunteers.

    There was something for everyone in the well-curated opening ceremony. The event opened with the crack of a stockman’s whip and a fleet of flag-waving bushmen on horseback. There were highly sanitised displays of European arrival, pastoral settlement and a tribute to an armour-clad colonial Victorian bushranger that must have baffled those viewers watching from abroad who had not seen a Sidney Nolan painting before.

    Ancient stories and new cultural sensibilities were on display too. There were stylised performances of the Dreaming, striking First Nations dances and the distinctive sounds of the didgeridoo. A section entitled “Arrivals” recognised the importance of migration in the nation’s story.

    A young Aboriginal sprinter, Cathy Freeman, lit the cauldron in what became one of the iconic images of the year. The cauldron’s hydraulics unfortunately got stuck as it ascended, and the flame was mere seconds from snuffing out in what could have been a global embarrassment. But big ambitions incur big risks.

    This global performance of Australian-ness was arrestingly simple: that of a nation confident in its own diversity and capable of catering to everyone’s tastes.

    Even the musical selections seemed to reconcile the needs of the youth (with performances from a young Vanessa Amorosi and even younger Nikki Webster), and the more mature (represented by John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John).

    Australia’s athletes had their best ever showing with 58 medals, including Freeman’s own gold.

    Not quite comfortable, not quite relaxed

    The Olympics masked as much as they revealed.

    In 2000, many white Australians still weren’t sure if theirs was, or should be, a multicultural society.

    The reactionary Pauline Hanson was out of parliament for the time being, but her One Nation Party had won 7.5% of the vote in New South Wales in the March 1999 state election, and nearly 23% of the vote in Queensland the year before.

    Eight weeks before millennium day, Australians had roundly rejected two referendum proposals, one to become a republic, and for a Constitutional preamble that, among other things, recognised Indigenous Australians as “the nation’s first people”.

    But whether Hanson liked it or not, her lifetime had coincided with great demographic and social change.

    In 1976, roughly 1.8% of the population said they were born in Asia or the Middle East. In the 2001 census, 1.6% of the population were born in China or Vietnam alone, and many more were the descendants of migrants from these places.

    The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population had more than doubled over the same period, while those identifying as Christian decreased from nearly 79% in 1976 to 56% in 2001.

    This increasingly diverse Australia claimed to be on a journey to “reconciliation”. That process had been sorely tested during the nasty debates about land rights and the Stolen Generations.

    Corroboree 2000, held on May 27 in Sydney, saw the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and the nation’s political leaders present their visions for the next phase of national healing. The leaders symbolically left their handprints on a “reconciliation canvas”.

    The following day, 250,000 Australians walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in a moving display of togetherness. John Howard, the prime minister, declined to participate.

    But his treasurer, Peter Costello, made a point of showing up for a similar event in Melbourne that December, leading Victorian Liberals and another 200,000 or so Australians.

    Their different approaches showed that the past was still a troubling present. Howard rebuffed suggestions of a treaty between Indigenous and settler Australians and maintained his refusal to apologise on behalf of the Commonwealth to the Stolen Generations, though all the states had done so by this time.

    The idea of such an apology was not as popular then as it seemed later on. The prime minister was sensitive to the fact that his was “an unpopular view with a lot of people”, but an opinion poll in The Australian newspaper showed a majority of voters were opposed to a national apology.

    Two survivors of the Stolen Generations, Peter Gunner and Lorna Cubillo, sued the Commonwealth for damages in 2000, giving their opponents the chance to challenge the legitimacy of their experiences. None of this looked like a nation that was as “comfortable and relaxed” as Howard had hoped it would be under his watch.

    Border politics

    Australian collective memory often gravitates toward 2001, the year of the Tampa affair and the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York.

    But Australia’s border was already highly politicised in 2000.

    In January, a boat arrived from Indonesia carrying 54 Christians fleeing religious conflict. They spent ten weeks at Port Hedland Immigration Detention facility, from which 39 went back to Indonesia and only 15 moved on to Adelaide to build new lives.

    Port Hedland and other detention centres made the news for all the wrong reasons. There were riots, hunger strikes and multiple breakouts. Authorities responded with upgraded security perimeters, character checks, and strip searches without warrants.

    Frustrated refugees set fire to South Australia’s Woomera facility, which former prime minister Malcolm Fraser publicly condemned as a “hell-hole”.

    In an end-of-year reflection for The Age newspaper, Gary Tippet said there had been a “touch of mean-spiritedness” about the handling of it all. Chris Wallace rightly suggests 2000 was a crucial moment in the “march towards an absolute offshore, extraterritorial approach” to refugees in Australia.

    In the intervening quarter-century, Australian officials have made mean-spiritedness an art form at the border and on the seas.

    First-rate democracy, third-rate economy

    Compared to the many legal challenges that came out of the US presidential contest in November 2000, Australia’s elections looked pretty smooth and sensible. The US seemed to have a backward democracy grafted onto its world-leading, information-age economy.

    Australia looked the opposite: a first-rate democracy with what looked increasingly like a “branch-office economy”.

    Reformers had tried for 20 years to make Australia efficient and competitive, but as one editorial in The Australian Financial Review explained, the country still suffered from its “old economy image”.

    The tech boom would soon become the tech wreck.
    Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

    Certainly, Australia still sold its minerals and farm products to the world in exchange for quality cars and cutting-edge computers.

    With global capitalists still enthralled by the global tech boom (though it was soon to become the “tech wreck”), they had little need for the Aussie dollar.

    The currency’s value declined through the year to just 50 US cents, and it would fall further in the following months. On its own, this mattered little, but a quarter of negative growth at the end of the year meant, as Paul Kelly later wrote, an “election-year recession” seemed a “real threat”.

    In the meantime, the much-debated Goods and Services Tax took effect around midnight on June 30 (a few hours later for businesses trading through the night).

    The 10% consumption tax was a big deal. Costello said in his memoir the “prices of three billion products were to change all at the same time”.

    The measure was politically brave, but soon became unpopular, helping raise petrol prices and alienate small business owners.

    The punters were pretty confident the Howard government was heading for defeat in 2001. They were wrong.

    Between the old and new

    The pace of social change accelerated from 2000.

    In the 2021 census, 2.6% of the population said they were born in India, and a further 3.2% in China and Vietnam. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians had more than doubled over two decades, such that they made up 3.2% of the total population in 2021.

    People increasingly related to their economy differently, too. Half of the workforce had been unionised in the 1980s, but coverage fell to roughly a quarter in 2000 and just 12.5% in 2022.

    These and other changes make our politics look different from that of 25 years ago. Nailbiter elections are now more common than thumping majorities and attitudes toward the once-feared “minority government” have softened.

    For all that, many of the challenges of 2000 are still with us.

    Many Australians are less tolerant of overt racism than they once were, but the 2023 Voice referendum and our offshore detention regime remind us that race still matters in this country.

    Kevin Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generations in 2008, but Treaty and Truth-Telling are left unresolved.

    And for all our talk about human capital and the digital economy, resources make up a much higher share of our total export mix today than in 2000.

    A quarter-century on, Australia is still caught between the old and the new.

    Dr Joshua Black is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Australia Institute.

    – ref. In 2000, Australia was defined by the Olympics, border politics and reconciliation. So what really has changed? – https://theconversation.com/in-2000-australia-was-defined-by-the-olympics-border-politics-and-reconciliation-so-what-really-has-changed-250791

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: We found the only kangaroo that doesn’t hop – and it can teach us how roos evolved their quirky gait

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron Camens, Lecturer in Palaeontology, Flinders University

    Musky rat-kangaroo. Amy Tschirn

    In the remnant rainforests of coastal far-north Queensland, bushwalkers may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a diminutive marsupial that’s the last living representative of its family.

    The musky rat-kangaroo (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus) weighs only 500 grams and looks a bit like a potoroo. It’s part of a lineage that extends back to before kangaroos evolved their distinctive hopping gait.

    Unlike their bigger relatives, muskies can be seen out and about during the day, foraging in the forest litter for fruits, fungi and invertebrates.

    As the only living macropodoid (the group that includes kangaroos, wallabies, potoroos and bettongs) that doesn’t hop, they can provide a crucial insight into how and when this iconic form of locomotion evolved in Australia.

    Our study, published in Australian Mammalogy today, aimed to observe muskies in their native habitat in order to better understand how they move.

    Muskies can shed light on the evolution of kangaroo hops, but they haven’t been studied in detail.
    Amy Tschirn

    Why kangaroos are special

    If we look around the world, hopping animals are quite rare. Hopping evolved once in macropodoids, four times in rodents, and probably once in an extinct group of South American marsupials known as argyrolagids.

    In animals heavier than five kilograms, hopping is an incredibly efficient form of locomotion, in large part thanks to energy being stored in the Achilles tendon at the back of the heel.

    However, the vast majority of animals that hop are really small. The only hopping animals with body masses over 500 grams are kangaroos. And Australia used to have a lot more kangaroo species, many of them quite large.

    Despite the abundance of fossil kangaroos, we still don’t really know why they evolved their hopping gait, especially given it only really becomes more efficient at body masses over five kilograms. Hypotheses range from predator escape, to energy preservation, to the opening of vegetation as Australia shifted to a drier climate.

    Researchers looking at limb proportions have suggested that fossil kangaroos also hopped. But it’s likely the ways that extinct roos moved were much more diverse than has previously been suggested.

    Muskies can sometimes be seen foraging for fallen fruit in the leaf litter in the dense rainforests of far northern Queensland.
    Aaron Camens

    Why muskies are key in roo evolution

    Muskies are the last living member of the Hypsiprymnodontidae, a macropodoid family that branched off early in kangaroo evolution. For this reason, it is thought muskies may move in a similar way to early kangaroo ancestors.

    Studies on kangaroo evolution will often mention locomotion in muskies, but only in passing. And only a single, brief, first-hand description of locomotor behaviour in muskies has actually been published, in 1982. The authors observed that muskies moved their hindlimbs together in a bound and that all four limbs were used, even at fast speeds.

    So, we set out to answer the question: can H. moschatus hop? And if not, what form of locomotion does it use?

    Using high-speed video recordings, we studied the sequence in which muskies place their four feet on the ground, and the relative timing and duration of each footfall.

    The musky rat-kangaroo (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus) is the only macropodoid not to hop; instead, it bounds over obstacles on the forest floor.
    Amy Tschirn

    Through this gait analysis, we determined that muskies predominantly use what is called a “bound” or “half-bound” gait. Bounding gaits are characterised by the hindfeet moving together in synchrony – just like when bipedal kangaroos hop. In the case of muskies, the forefeet (or “hands”) also generally move together in close synchrony.

    No other marsupial that moves on all fours is known to use this distinctive style of movement to the same extent as muskies. Rather, other species tend to use a combination of the half-bound and some form of galloping (the gait that horses, cats and dogs use) or hopping.

    From all fours to hopping

    We were also able to confirm that tantalisingly brief observation from the 1980s: even when travelling at high speeds, muskies always use quadrupedal gaits, never rearing up on just their back legs.

    They are, therefore, the only living kangaroo that doesn’t hop.

    Combined with further investigation of their anatomy, these observations help us get closer to understanding how and why kangaroos adopted their distinctive bipedal hopping behaviours.

    These results also signal a potential pathway to how bipedal hopping evolved in kangaroos. Perhaps it started with an ancestor that moved about on all fours like other marsupials, such as brush-tail possums, then an animal that bounded like the muskies, and finally evolved into the iconic hopping kangaroos we see in Australia today.

    However, we are no clearer on how the remarkable energy economy of kangaroo movement evolved, or why hopping kangaroos got so much bigger than hopping rodents.

    The next part of the research needs to focus on that and will be informed by key fossil discoveries from early periods in kangaroo evolution.

    There’s more research to be done, but understanding musky gait in detail is a great first step.
    Amy Tschirn

    Amy Tschirn received funding from an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant (to G.J.P) during this project.

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

    – ref. We found the only kangaroo that doesn’t hop – and it can teach us how roos evolved their quirky gait – https://theconversation.com/we-found-the-only-kangaroo-that-doesnt-hop-and-it-can-teach-us-how-roos-evolved-their-quirky-gait-251373

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Cooperation between SA and Japan to continue 

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    South Africa and Japan continue to enjoy well-established diplomatic relations, which are particularly strong in the fields of trade and investment, science and technology and education, skills transfer and capacity building through development assistance. 

    This is according to Deputy President Paul Mashatile, who was speaking during an interview with the Foreign Correspondence Club of Japan as part of a working visit to the East Asian nation. 

    Full diplomatic relations with Japan were established in 1992, while in 2010, relations between the two countries were upgraded to a Strategic Cooperation Partnership. 

    This year marks 115 years of relations between the two nations. 

    READ | South Africa strengthens ties with Japan  

    Mashatile told the attendees that South Africa and Japan cooperate within the framework of the Partnership Forum held at a ministerial level, which covers the entire spectrum of sectoral cooperation. 

    The 13th Partnership Forum was held in 2022 in Tokyo and South Africa is expected to host the next session. 

    “Over the years, we have witnessed enhanced cooperation to foster closer relations through high-level engagements between our two countries. Japan is one of South Africa’s major economic partners with a sizeable investment in the South African economy, and the potential for increased investment exists,“ Mashatile said. 

    He stated that Japan is the fourth largest economy in the world and total bilateral trade between the two countries in 2024 was at R132 billion, with South Africa recording a trade surplus of R52 billion. 

    Development cooperation between South Africa and Japan involves technical assistance, research partnerships, financial loans, supplementary budget support through international organisations, and grassroots projects in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). 

    In terms of multilateral cooperation, the Deputy President said Japan cooperates with Africa on the promotion of Africa’s developmental agenda, in line with Agenda 2063, through the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) framework. 

    In addition, he said the two countries cooperate in the Group of 20 (G20) framework to strengthen efforts towards advancing international economic cooperation for the achievement of sustainable development. 

    The Deputy President reiterated the South African government’s key objectives, which include reducing poverty and the cost of living, driving economic growth and job creation, and building a capable and ethical State. 

    “We are committed to making sure that our country prospers, not only for us to attract investments, but also to ensure that South Africans, have an improved quality of life.” 

    Meanwhile, the Deputy President said South Africa continues to pursue strong bilateral relations with the United States, despite the recent withdrawal of South Africa’s ambassador to the United States of America (USA). 

    “Acknowledging the recent withdrawal of our Ambassador from the USA, as a country we maintain the position that South Africa should maintain strong bilateral relations with the USA. As a country, we are committed to improving mutually beneficial trade, political, and diplomatic relations with the USA,” the Deputy President said on Wednesday. 

    At the weekend, the Presidency stated that it remains committed to building a relationship with the USA, despite the “regrettable“ expulsion of the Ambassador. 

    Additionally, the Deputy President expressed gratitude to all Ministers, Deputy Ministers, senior government officials, the South African embassy, and all counterparts for contributing to the success of his brief visit. 

    In the past three days, the team has met with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Chief Cabinet Secretary, members of business, academia, research and numerous other stakeholders. 

    The Deputy President’s visit which began on Sunday, will conclude on Wednesday, 19 March. –SAnews.gov.za 

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Edinburgh to host Tour De France Grand Départ 2027

    Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

    Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Robert Aldridge and Culture and Communities Convener Val Walker welcome announcement.

    Lord Provost Robert Aldridge, said:

    We are thrilled to welcome the Tour de France Grand Départ to Edinburgh. With our winding cobbled streets and iconic backdrop, the city provides a dramatic, challenging, and undeniably picturesque start to this legendary race. It’s sure to be a sight to remember.

    This will be an exhilarating event for the city and a major highlight of 2027. Edinburgh’s residents are renowned for offering a warm and unforgettable welcome to millions of visitors each year, and we look forward to extending that same hospitality to the Tour de France.

    Culture and Communities Convener, Val Walker, said:

    As the world’s largest annual sporting event, the Tour de France will bring elite cyclists from across the globe to Edinburgh, showcasing exactly why our city is celebrated worldwide as a premier events destination. Edinburgh is no stranger to cycling events, and has proudly hosted stages of the Tour of Britian and the UCI Championships in 2023. Beyond the significant benefits to the local economy, the global media coverage will place Edinburgh at the heart of the world’s stage, strengthening our city’s international reputation.

    These events not only allow Edinburgh’s residents to see some of the world’s leading cyclists in action but also showcase the very best of the city to travelling tourists and athletes. Cycling in the Capital continues to grow in popularity, so hosting another major event is fantastic news. I’m confident the people of Edinburgh will come out in full support of the riders, and a successful Grand Départ will surely ignite even more passion for the sport.
     

    Published: March 19th 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to study of most popular ADHD TikTok content and associated perceptions of ADHD

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    A study published in PLOS One looks at ADHD TikTok content and its association with ADHD perception. 

    (From our colleagues at SMC Germany) Prof Kathrin Karsay, Assistant Professor for Entertainment Research, Department of Communication, University of Vienna, Austria, said:

    Evaluation of the study methodology

    “Pre-registration is to be positively mentioned in the sense of Open Science, as it makes the planning and execution of the study transparent in advance. The selection of the videos, on the other hand, is not representative, as it was not drawn from the population of available Tiktok videos. The chosen method of selecting the 100 most popular videos at a specific point in time with a newly created account is therefore not ideal. Under the circumstances, it is a pragmatic, but nevertheless legitimate, approach. Overall, the number of videos analyzed remains relatively low, especially considering that Tiktok users often consume many videos. Another critical point is that no information is available on coder training (training of the evaluators; editor’s note) and that an evaluation of inter-coder reliability is missing for all selected variables. This does not meet the typical standard for communication science studies, but it is not uncommon in studies outside the field.”

    Contextualization of the results

    “It is particularly noteworthy that the majority of the videos (93.9 percent) only address symptoms, while only a small minority of the videos discuss treatment options. Especially when it comes to health topics, social media is a central source of information and a place for exchange. At the same time, the algorithms favor those posts that generate a lot of interaction because they are particularly entertaining or emotional. It is therefore not surprising that the symptoms are not presented correctly or are exaggerated – similar findings already exist for other conditions, such as Tourette’s syndrome, epicondylitis (tendonitis at the elbow; editor’s note) or prostate cancer. On Tiktok, people with ADHD are often portrayed as lively, lovable and almost entertaining – a ‘cute disorder’ that is staged in short, humorous clips. Much of the content shows everyday situations and relies on self-irony and entertaining narratives. This creates a positive, sometimes trivializing, romanticized image of the disorder. It is also particularly interesting that the experts classified around two-thirds of the ADHD-related statements as normal human experiences. In other words, everyday situations are shown with which many people can identify, which can encourage self-diagnosis.”

    “This presentation can be explained, among other things, by the fact that content creators usually pursue monetary interests, as the study also shows. Half of all content creators advertise products on their profiles or ask for financial donations. This does not include sponsorships or marketing collaborations. Of course, influencers have an interest in their videos being seen by many and being considered personally relevant.”

    When asked how the results on the correlation between self-diagnosed ADHD, the extent of ADHD video consumption and the perception of the prevalence of ADHD can be explained: “Frequently consuming ADHD-related content attracts increased attention and draws focus to corresponding symptoms. Priming (improved processing of a stimulus due to it or a similar one having been presented previously; editor’s note) activates cognitive schemata that can lead people to identify more readily with these symptoms. In the long term, repeated exposure reinforces the impression that ADHD is particularly widespread, even if the actual prevalence is lower. Since the videos often stage common experiences as pathological symptoms, those affected are more likely to identify with the clinical picture. This results in a so-called ‘confirmation bias’: people tend to interpret, seek out, and remember information in a way that confirms their existing beliefs or hypotheses. This also fits with the study’s finding that participants with self-diagnosis significantly overestimate the prevalence of ADHD in the general population – far more than those with a formal ADHD diagnosis and those without ADHD. They also tend to rate videos with the lowest psychological ratings as more recommendable.”

     

    Practical implications

    “Those who already suspect they have ADHD perceive more matching symptoms in the videos and interpret them as confirmation. This can reinforce the belief in one’s own diagnosis without professional clarification. Constant consumption of such content can lead to overidentification: everyday difficulties are then possibly interpreted too quickly as symptoms. I would therefore recommend taking a critical look at the source of the information and considering professional diagnosis.”

    Dr Blandine French, Senior Research Fellow, School of Psychology and Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, said:

    “Due to the recent nature of social media engagement on platforms such as TikTok, very few studies have been able to evaluate the impact it has. As mentioned by the authors, the huge rise of TikTok ADHD content has only been observed in the last 5 years and little has been published on this. In fact, ADHD fell within the 10 most -viewed health related hashtags on TikTok so we really need to understand more about its impact on those viewing this content.

    “It is therefore great to see a study starting to address this. This study is very well conducted, with a thorough analysis and robust findings. The rational for the way the study was conducted is sound, well designed and well explained.

    “One limitation of the study is that the majority of participants in the second study were females (669/843) which does not represent the ADHD general population (ratios of male to female vary from 1:4 male to 1:2) so we must be cautious in generalising the findings.

    “It would also have been useful to see more detail on what they defined as misinformation. The experts rated according to DSM-V diagnosis (attention, hyperactivity, impulsivity) which is a robust and scientific way of approaching content. However, we know that many things are linked with ADHD but not part of diagnostic symptoms (emotion dysregulation, sleep, social difficulties etc). Therefore, content that would have been rated as misinformation can be relevant (and authors acknowledge this) but would not be scored as such as they are not technically linked with ADHD in terms of strict diagnosis criteria. This nuance would have been good to include and reflect a more holistic approach and understanding of ADHD that is not solely based on criteria but still has significant evidence-based studies behind.

    “Overall, this paper has some important implications and offers a balanced view of the impact on social media. On one hand it supports how much young people rely on social media, the breadth of reach of this kind of content (over 500 million views) and that there are positives from viewing such videos (sense of community, greater understanding etc). But it also raises concern about viewers relying on this content as educational and support sources. The lack of nuance, evidence-base and reliability of these video is very high. Now this doesn’t mean that it is always bad, but it is to be taken with extreme caution.

    “The findings also show that the group more prone to highly rate or engage with these videos is the group that is self-diagnosed which is interesting but potentially worrying. The diagnosed group seemed better able to tell the difference between quality of information, while self-diagnosed were not as able to do so.

    “Therefore, if any person has seen this type of content on TikTok and thinks they may have ADHD, I would say that I am glad they might have found an answer to ongoing difficulties. But I would advise to do some further research from more reliable sources and evidence-based criteria. Social media can be a great source of support but shouldn’t be a place for diagnosis as it is not made for this. It should be used alongside other more reliable methods, sources, and information.”

    Prof Philip Asherson, Emeritus Professor of Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, said:

    “The methodology is fair as an initial investigation of the association of Tik Tok use and content related to ADHD; and is well conducted. The first study investigates the content of the top 100 Tik Tok watched videos related to #ADHD. This is a reasonable approach to understand how specific the content is to ADHD, rather than mental health more broadly. The second study is limited primarily by the sole participation of psychology students, which suggests that the findings cannot be generalised to a general (unselected) population. Further research is therefore needed. The sample sizes are reasonable for an initial investigation. It is to be commended that the study design was lodged within the Open Science Framework, increasing the robustness of the study findings.  Agreement between psychologist ratings was good.

    “The findings on symptoms in the video are not entirely ‘incorrect’; but fit with my expectations. First it is important to recognise that the TikTok videos reflect personal experience and not that of professional trained mental health specialists. Also, that not all the symptoms commonly experienced by adults with ADHD are specified as specific criteria in DSM-5. Given that, around 49% of the videos were a good reflection of specific (DSM-5) symptoms. However, non-specific symptoms are also commonly seen in people with ADHD and are an independent source of impairment. The prime example of this is emotional dysregulation which is cited as an example of 42% reflecting transdiagnostic symptoms. The paper does not list all of the other transdiagnostic symptoms but other common symptoms include sleep problems (delayed sleep onset), and low self-esteem related to the impairments of ADHD are common as part of ADHD. Without a more detailed evaluation it is not clear that these ‘non-ADHD’ symptoms may also reflect other common aspects of ADHD which are not among the 18 specific DSM symptoms of ADHD. Note that emotional dysregulation is not specific to ADHD, but it is cited in DSM-5 as a common symptom that supports the diagnosis; and is a common part of the lived experience of most adults with ADHD. 

    “So, the other symptoms may not all be ‘incorrect’ but just not specific to ADHD. However, it is possible that this could lead some people to think they might have ADHD unless they also consider the full diagnostic criteria for ADHD (which is not included as an aim in these studies).

    “It is of interest that those with a formal diagnosis access Tik Tok most, followed by those with self-diagnosis. This suggests that the main driver of looking at Tik Tok videos of ADHD is to learn more about ADHD, rather than the videos leading to excess self-diagnosis.

    “A more subtle but essential point is that many ADHD symptoms are a continuous trait/dimension in the general population. So there is no clear boundary between those with clinically significant levels of ADHD symptoms and impairments, and those with higher than average levels of ADHD symptoms. Many people who do not meet full ADHD criteria may nevertheless struggle with some ADHD symptoms at times and seek information on better to manage this aspect of their lives. The videos are therefore of more general relevance than only adults meeting full ADHD criteria. Many self-diagnosed people may fall in this category.

    “It is also true that some people with other mental health problems may conclude they have ADHD, as the videos do not detail the full diagnostic criteria. This indicates the importance of an assessment that considers ADHD alongside other mental health disorders for those that seek help. Similarly, people with ADHD might consider they have an anxiety or mood disorder or personality disorder, when ADHD is the main problem. In general the non-expert Tik Tok videos are not generally specific to ADHD. However, they usually reflect common symptoms experienced by adults with ADHD.

    “The relationship between ADHD self-diagnosis, video consumption and perception of prevalence only indicates an association but there is no information on the causal relationship. It seems likely that having ADHD or symptoms of ADHD leads to increased TikTok use as one form of information, since those without ADHD consume the less (as expected). While a causal role of watching TikTok on self-diagnosis could be implied or play a role in some cases, this publication provides no information on the causal direction – so should not be interpreted in that way without further research.

    “Watching these videos may be helpful to people with ADHD to understand the experiences of ADHD they are having. However, it would be important to discuss this with other people with ADHD (ADHD user/support groups could be helpful here) and to seek professional advice.   

    “The conflict of interests and Tik Tok algorithms are a concern and might lead to over diagnosis in some cases – but overall the greater awareness of ADHD is a benefit.”  

    ‘A double-edged hashtag: Evaluation of #ADHD-related TikTok content and its associations with perceptions of ADHD’ by Vasileia Karasavva et al. was published in PLOS One at 18:00 UK time on Wednesday 19th March.

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0319335

    Declared interests

    Prof Kathrin Karsay: “There are no conflicts of interest.”

    Dr Blandine French: Dr. BF reports personal fees and nonfinancial support from Takeda and Medice.

    Prof Philip Asherson: In the last 4 years, Asherson received payments for consultancy and/or educational talks from Takeda, Jannsen, Flynn Pharma, Medice and AGB Pharma, and royalties from PATOSS and Cambridge University. He is Honorary President of the UK Adult ADHD Network (UKAAN).

    For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –