NewzIntel.com

Category: housing

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Updated fiscal statutes benefit Albertans

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

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    If passed, the Financial Statues Amendment Act would provide alternative financing options to help expand mortgage financing options for all Albertans. The bill also includes amendments to provide more support for parents who have lost a child, and standardizes indexing across government to help Albertans with the cost of living by creating a consistent and stable system. In addition, a new annual adjustment system would enable a more consistent and flexible approach to determining the amount that benefits and taxes will be impacted. The legislation would also introduce a new tax on electric vehicles, as was announced in Budget 2024.

    “This bill proposes a number of important changes. I’m particularly pleased that if passed, Alberta would be the first jurisdiction in Canada to make legislative changes that would permit provincial financial institutions to offer alternative financing options.”

    Nate Horner, President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance

    Alternative financing options would provide homebuyers with more options for mortgage financing. All Albertans who want to buy a home can apply for this financing option.

    Additional changes being proposed in the Financial Statutes Amendment Act include continuing Alberta Child and Family Benefit payments to parents of deceased children for six months after their child passes away. These amendments would align with similar federal changes under the Canada Child Benefit program.

    “Families experiencing the unimaginable loss of a child face enough challenges. The proposed changes to the Alberta Child and Family Benefit will not only help lighten the financial burden, but offer a measure of comfort during their darkest moments.”

    Searle Turton, Minister of Children and Family Services

    Other changes in the proposed bill include:

    • Standardizing indexation rates across government. Government is also introducing a system to enable a more consistent and flexible approach for these annual enhancements. This change ensures Albertans continue to receive annual cost-of-living increases to personal income taxes and important support programs.
    • Amendments to the Fuel Tax Act to implement an electric vehicle tax of $200 annually. This is in line with what drivers of a typical internal combustion engine vehicle pay in fuel tax and is a fair way for all drivers to contribute to public services, such as keeping our roads and highways safe and smooth.
    • Technical changes to align Alberta’s taxation of multi-jurisdictional tax filers who have a split income with that of other provinces in order to meet the requirements of the federal-provincial Tax Collection Agreement.

    Related information

    • Updating financial laws
    • Bill 32: Financial Statutes Amendment Act, 2024

    Multimedia

    • Watch the news conference
    • Listen to the news conference

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Monitoring update: November 2024

    Source: Tertiary Education Commission

    This update includes information about:

    Fees Free from 2025
    Final-year Fees Free online content updated
    The final-year Fees Free eligibility criteria and settings are now available on the TEC and Fees Free websites.  

    Fees Free website – the home page of the Fees Free website directs learners to either the final-year or first-year information depending on when they are starting their study or training.
    TEC website –information on first-year Fees Free and final-year Fees Free is now available on the following pages:

    Updating your website
    Please review and update the Fees Free copy on your website, using the following information. This clarifies to learners starting study or training for the first time in 2025 that Fees Free will cover final-year fees, for eligible learners.
    Content for TEO websites – final-year Fees Free
    We will keep you informed as this important mahi progresses. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please email customerservice@tec.govt.nz with the subject line [EDUMIS #] – final-year Fees Free policy or call 0800 601 301.
    Student services fees: 2024 reports due
    Since 1 January 2023, student services fees (SSFs) are regulated through funding conditions determined by the Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills and administered by the TEC. Funding conditions outline the rules that TEOs must follow when receiving TEC funding, including that TEOs that charge an SSF must report on it annually.

    Tertiary education institutions (TEIs) must report on their SSF in their annual reports.
    Registered private training establishments (PTEs) must provide a written report to their learners. They must then forward this report to the TEC.

    Thank you to those who have already submitted their 2024 report. For TEOs that charge an SSF but have not yet submitted their report, please send your current SSF report to ssf@tec.govt.nz. 
    For more information about how to report on SSFs, including what to include in your report, see the guidance:
    Student services fees: Guidance for tertiary education providers (PDF 1.1 MB).
    If you have any questions, please contact ssf@tec.govt.nz.
    Annual Maximum Fee Movement (AMFM)
    The Government regulates how much tertiary providers can increase their fees for domestic students each year through the AMFM. This caps the percentage increase on fees for existing courses at level 3 and above on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF).
    Following consultation, the Minister has confirmed that the AMFM rate will be set at 6.0% for the 2025 calendar year. This permits an increase of up to a 6.0% on the fees (GST exclusive) charged to domestic students in 2024. The increase aims to strike a balance between supporting providers to manage cost pressures and supporting affordable tertiary education for students and their whānau.
    The micro-credential fee cap
    The micro-credential fee cap sets a per-credit cap on the fees that providers can charge domestic students enrolled in micro-credentials. Following consultation, the Minister has confirmed a $64 (GST inclusive) per credit fee cap will be maintained for the 2025 calendar year.
    2025 AMFM exceptions
    TEOs may apply for an AMFM exception to increase your fee by up to an additional 6% above the permitted AMFM.
    We may only grant an exception to the AMFM policy under exceptional circumstances. The exception criteria are published in the funding mechanisms.
    How to apply for an exception to the AMFM
    The application process for 2025 is now open. TEOs must submit applications for any courses that start between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025 by 5.00pm on 29 November 2024.
    Please read the exceptions information:
    AMFM exceptions – Application guidelines and assessment information (PDF 501 KB).
    Submit applications and all supporting information with the subject line [EDUMIS] – Exception to the AMFM to our Customer Contact Group at customerservice@tec.govt.nz.
    For more information, see Annual Maximum Fee Movement (AMFM).
    Monitoring the AMFM
    During TEC audits we monitor compliance with the AMFM and associated conditions. Recent audits have identified some issues, including:

    TEOs increasing fees for some courses above the AMFM rate. Audits will look at increases in fees in each course to ensure they stay within the cap.
    Discrepancies between the fees being charged to learners and the fees that are recorded in Services for Tertiary Education Organisations (STEO). It is a condition of your funding that you must report in STEO accurate information regarding the fee you are charging learners.

    If you have any questions about fees, including how to update fees in STEO or how to calculate your fee increases, please contact your relationship manager or customerservice@tec.govt.nz.  
    Correctly reporting course results and end dates
    We have recently identified a number of inconsistencies in some TEOs’ reporting of courses where a result has not yet been determined. Please continue reporting courses in the Single Data Return (SDR) until a result is available, after the course end date has elapsed. This may mean manually adding a course enrolment record to the SDR if the course end date was in a previous calendar year.
    Note that you should not change the end date of extended or un-resulted courses. Although this may be a workaround to keep the record active in your student management system (SMS), it will result in funding anomalies (including over-funding) when you change end dates from one December SDR to subsequent SDR.

    For courses at Levels 1–8, you must report a result within 11 months of the course end date. A result means a completion code that is not code 0, 6 or 7.
    Courses at Levels 9 or 10 can continue to be reported in the SDR with a non-completion code of 6 or 7 indefinitely. You can do this until a completion result is available (code 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5).

    Please do not change course start or end dates once returned in a previous December SDR. The preferred approach is to continue reporting extended Level 9 and 10 courses with a completion code of 6 or 7. You can do this each year without changing the course end date, until a result of code 1,2,3,4 or 5 is available and reported in the SDR.
    More information can be found on page 135 of the SDR Manual:
    SDR Manual (PDF 1.73 MB).
    If you have any questions, please contact your relationship manager or customerservice@tec.govt.nz.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Reverend Warnock, Colleagues Urge Federal Agencies Expand Outreach on Discharging Student Loan Debt in Bankruptcy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Senator Reverend Warnock, Colleagues Urge Federal Agencies Expand Outreach on Discharging Student Loan Debt in Bankruptcy

    New data shows vast majority of borrowers using the new guidance received recommendations for either full or partial debt discharge
    ICYMI from Business Insider: More student-loan borrowers are taking advantage of an updated route to get rid of their debt in bankruptcy court, top Democratic senators say
    Senator Reverend Warnock, lawmakers: “We encourage your agencies to continue to expand awareness of the guidance so that the 43 million borrowers in the United States… may be able to access relief if they need to file for bankruptcy”
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Education (ED) to continue expanding awareness to student loan borrowers who are struggling financially about available resources to discharge their student loans in bankruptcy.
    In November 2022, the DOJ and ED issued guidance to DOJ attorneys that sought to streamline the process of discharging student loans in bankruptcy. Prior to this change, borrowers had to undergo a confusing, invasive, and time-consuming process in bankruptcy court to prove repayment would constitute an “undue hardship.”
    “The ‘undue hardship’ standard historically set an unnecessarily high bar that essentially required borrowers to demonstrate a certainty of hopelessness to obtain relief,” wrote the senators.
    99.9% of borrowers who filed bankruptcy from 2011 to 2019 did not have their student loans discharged — borrowers came to believe that there was no way out of the crushing weight of student loans, even through bankruptcy. Since DOJ and ED’s new process was announced, more and more borrowers have received relief. New data obtained by Senator Warren’s office show that, under the Biden administration’s new guidance, 85% of borrowers who sought relief received recommendations for either full or partial debt discharge.
    The high rates of total or partial discharge for those who have applied through the new guidance suggest that many other borrowers could also qualify if they applied. The senators are pushing to expand awareness on the more transparent, fair, and accessible process.
    “We thank you for your agencies’ ongoing commitment to helping borrowers struggling with student debt and urge continued outreach to expand awareness of the streamlined process for qualified borrowers,” concluded the senators.
    Senator Reverend Warnock has long advocated for comprehensive action to address the student loan crisis and has continued pushing the Administration to deliver meaningful student debt relief. Most recently, Senator Warnock led the first Senate Banking committee hearing in over a decade to focus on private student loans and explored the lack of data and transparency in that market and loan servicing concerns while highlighting the potential legislative and regulatory recommendations and measures to stop these abusive practices and to better protect students and taxpayers. Additionally, in August of 2023, the Senator pushed President Biden to swiftly fulfill his promise to deliver targeted student debt cancellation to working and middle-class families following the misguided SCOTUS decision overturning the President’s student debt cancellation.
    The letter can be found HERE and text of the letter is below:
    Dear Attorney General Garland and Secretary Cardona:
    We are writing today to highlight and support your agencies’ progress in making it easier for borrowers struggling financially to discharge their student loans in bankruptcy. In November 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Education (ED) released guidance to DOJ attorneys that sought to streamline the process of discharging student loans in bankruptcy. In the time since, more and more borrowers have taken advantage of this guidance and received relief.
    The 1978 Bankruptcy Code allowed borrowers to discharge their federal student loans by demonstrating that repayment would impose an “undue hardship” on the borrower or by showing that the loan became due at least five years before the borrower’s bankruptcy filing. Subsequent amendments benefitting lenders, however, removed the second option. Further, the “undue hardship” standard historically set an unnecessarily high bar that essentially required borrowers to demonstrate a certainty of hopelessness to obtain relief. The federal government’s aggressive challenges in bankruptcy court against students who pursued undue hardship claims only exacerbated the issue. The lack of clarity resulted in a situation where 99.9% of borrowers who filed bankruptcy from 2011 to 2019 did not have their student loans discharged and remained burdened by student loans even after exiting the bankruptcy process.
    In November 2022, after we advocated for a more simplified and transparent process, DOJ and ED published new guidance to make it easier for borrowers to discharge student loans through bankruptcy. The guidance outlined a more transparent, fair, and accessible process designed to empower borrowers burdened with crippling student loan debt who previously had no clear pathway for relief.
    Previously unpublished data obtained by our offices show the impressive growth of the program thus far. For example, while only roughly 200 borrowers attempted to discharge student debt in each of Fiscal Years (FY) 2021 and 2022, that number rose to 648 in FY 2023. In less than eight months in FY 2024, nearly 900 borrowers sought to discharge their student loans in bankruptcy, adding up to 1,520 borrowers since the guidance was implemented.
    Equally important, both unpublished and publicly available data show that the overwhelming majority of those who sought discharge using the new guidance were provided debt relief through full or partial discharge. The Biden Administration recommended approximately seven in 10 borrowers who filed using the updated guidance for full student loan debt discharge. The Administration recommended another 15% of borrowers receive partial debt discharge, meaning 85% of borrowers using the new guidance received recommendations for either full or partial debt discharge. Critically, courts accepted those recommendations in 98% of cases, meaning borrowers received real relief at the end of this process.
    ED and DOJ deserve praise for the complete turnaround of student loan bankruptcy outcomes and you should continue to build on the successes of the streamlined guidance so that more borrowers with crushing student loan debt can find relief. We encourage your agencies to continue to expand awareness of the guidance so that the 43 million borrowers in the United States, who carry a total of $1.6 trillion dollars in student loan debt, may be able to access relief if they need to file for bankruptcy. The high rates of total or partial discharge for those who have applied through the new guidance suggest that many other borrowers would also qualify if they have applied. For years, borrowers came to correctly believe that there was essentially no way out of the crushing weight of student loans, even through bankruptcy. ED and DOJ have changed this narrative and you should continue to educate potentially qualifying borrowers, their attorneys, and other individuals and organizations who work to help borrowers. 
    We thank you for your agencies’ ongoing commitment to helping borrowers struggling with student debt and urge continued outreach to expand awareness of the streamlined process for qualified borrowers. Further, for Congress and the public to better assess your agencies’ plans to increase borrowers’ access to relief through bankruptcy, please provide responses to the following questions by November 12, 2024:
    What types of education and outreach have your agencies already used to reach borrowers regarding the new guidance?
    What are your agencies’ plans for continued and improved education and outreach about the streamlined process to borrowers who may benefit from it? 
    What specific goals do your agencies have for measuring the success of increased education and outreach to borrowers who may benefit from the streamlined process? How will these goals change over time if at all? 
    Do your agencies have systems in place so that borrowers who have filed for bankruptcy can track their filing? If a system does not yet exist, what resources do your agencies need to create one? 
    How much time elapses, on average, between a borrower’s bankruptcy filing and a discharge determination entered by a court under the new process? Please provide a timeline of the different phases of the process (e.g., filing of an adversary proceeding, review by the assigned DOJ attorney, review by ED, recommendation filed by DOJ and ED) and how long each phase typically takes.
    Do your agencies track or record the reasons for denial of discharge based on the factors considered under the guidance? If so, please describe the 3-5 most common reasons you have identified.
    Do your agencies track or record student loan discharge outcomes by region? If so, please describe any regional trends you have observed.
    How can Congress support your agencies as you increase your education and outreach efforts to borrowers?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Labrador Letter – Voting Integrity Victory in Virginia

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Dear Friends,
    Last week, I joined 26 other states in filing a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, urging it to allow Virginia to continue removing non-citizens from its voter rolls. The Biden-Harris Department of Justice sued Virginia to halt this process, insisting that non-citizens remain on the rolls through the upcoming presidential election. Unfortunately, a lower court initially sided with the Administration, temporarily stopping Virginia’s efforts to maintain accurate voter lists.
    I’m pleased to share that, just 24 hours after our brief was filed, the Supreme Court rejected the Administration’s attempts to interfere. This decision allows Virginia to immediately resume its work to ensure that only eligible citizens are listed on its voter rolls. This is a critical win for election integrity.
    This victory reinforces our commitment to fair and transparent elections, safeguarding the voice of each eligible voter. Allowing non-citizens on voter rolls undermines confidence in our election process, and it’s alarming that the Biden-Harris Administration would legally challenge the removal of ineligible voters. Coupled with their lack of action at the southern border—where over 13 million people have crossed illegally—their resistance to basic election integrity raises serious questions.
    When the government fails to protect the integrity of our elections, it erodes public confidence in the entire system. Voting is one of our most fundamental rights in a democratic republic—a powerful act of self-determination. Ensuring that elections are fair, transparent, and free of outside interference is essential to maintaining that right.
    In Idaho, I have consistently fought to keep non-citizens off our voter rolls and to hold organizations accountable when they misrepresent themselves or their issues to voters. While this victory in Virginia is significant, the fight to protect our Republic and ensure election integrity continues across every city and state in our nation.
    As your Attorney General, I remain committed to preserving the integrity of our elections and the trust in our democratic processes. The foundation of our Republic deserves nothing less.
    Best regards,
    Not yet subscribed to the Labrador Letter?  Click HERE to get our weekly newsletter and updates.  Miss an issue?  Labrador Letters are archived on the Attorney General website.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Virginia Company and Two Senior Executives Charged with Illegally Exporting Millions of Dollars of U.S. Technology to Russia

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    Eleview International Inc., Oleg Nayandin, 54, of Fairfax, Virginia, and Vitaliy Borisenko, 39, of Vienna, Virginia, made their initial appearance today in the Eastern District of Virginia pursuant to a now unsealed complaint charging them with conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act.

    “As alleged, the defendants — a Virginia company and two of its senior executives — conspired through three evasion schemes to circumvent the export restrictions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “U.S. companies are responsible for complying with laws that protect our national security. The National Security Division is committed to holding accountable individuals and companies who violate these laws and place financial profit over our collective security.”

    “This company allegedly used not one, not two, but three different schemes to illegally transship sensitive American technology to Russia,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). “Today’s charges, against both the company and two top executives, are a prime example of our work to bring to justice both the companies and the corporate executives alleged to have circumvented our rules in search of a fatter bottom line.”

    “We must not allow critical systems and technologies to be transferred to anyone who may use them against America and our global partners,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Guarding against these transfers is imperative, and violations of the laws that protect our national security will be met with ardent prosecution.”

    “Export control evasion schemes put the American public at risk by concealing the true recipient,” said Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C. “In this instance, HSI, working in partnership with our colleagues at Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement, uncovered this scheme was supporting a sanctioned country, thus threatening our national security and the safety of other countries. HSI is dedicated to preventing technology with military applications from falling into the wrong hands.”

    According to the complaint, between approximately March 2022 and June 2023, Eleview International Inc. (Eleview), allegedly a Virginia-based company that operated a freight consolidation and forwarding business; Nayandin, the owner, president, and CEO of Eleview; and Borisenko, who oversaw the day-to-day operations of Eleview’s freight forwarding business, conspired to illegally export goods and technology from the United States to Russia by transshipping them through three countries bordering or near Russia.

    As alleged, the defendants operated an e-commerce website that allowed Russian customers to order U.S. goods and technology directly from U.S. retailers, who shipped the items to Eleview’s warehouse in Chantilly, Virginia. The defendants then consolidated the packages before shipping them to the Russian customers, often using other freight forwarders as intermediaries, in exchange for a fee. After the Department of Commerce imposed stricter export controls in response to Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the defendants began shipping items to purported end users in Turkey, Finland, and Kazakhstan, knowing that the items were ultimately destined for end users in Russia. To facilitate these illegal exports, the defendants made numerous false statements to the Department of Commerce and other freight forwarders about the end users and ultimate consignees of the items in these shipments.

    As part of the conspiracy, the defendants engaged in three export-control evasion schemes, each specific to a different intermediary country. In the Turkey scheme, the defendants exported about $1.48 million worth of telecommunications equipment to a false end user in Turkey, knowing that the equipment was intended for a Russian telecommunications company that supplied the Russian government, including the Federal Security Service, or FSB. The telecommunications equipment that the defendants illegally exported as part of the Turkey scheme had military applications, including use by the Russian military to create and expand communication networks in its war effort against Ukraine.

    In the Finland scheme, the defendants exported about $3.45 million worth of goods purchased to Russia through Eleview’s e-commerce website to a false end user in Finland that neither purchased nor sold goods. Before consolidating the packages into larger pallets for shipment to Finland, the defendants affixed to each package a label with a Russian postal service tracking number so that the Russian postal service could easily ship the package to the customer in Russia. The goods that the defendants illegally exported as part of the Finland scheme included “high priority” items that the Department of Commerce has identified as particularly significant to Russian weaponry, including the same type of electronic component found on Russian “suicide” drones used to destroy Ukrainian tanks and jets.

    In the Kazakhstan scheme, the defendants exported about $1.47 million worth of goods to Russia through an entity in Kazakhstan that advertises its ability to deliver goods to Russia. The goods that the defendants illegally exported as part of the Kazakhstan scheme included controlled dual-use items.

    If convicted, Nayandin and Borisenko each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The BIS and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gavin R. Tisdale and Amanda St. Cyr for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Garrett Coyle of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case with past assistance provided by then-First Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh.

    The case is being coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force and the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Justice and Commerce Departments designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation states. Task Force KleptoCapture is an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed, along with its allies and partners, in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Georgia Poll Worker Arrested for Making Bomb Threat to Election Workers

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    A Georgia poll worker was arrested today for mailing a letter to the Jones County Elections Superintendent threatening poll workers.

    According to the criminal complaint, Nicholas Wimbish, 25, of Milledgeville, Georgia, was serving as a poll worker at the Jones County Elections Office on Oct. 16 when he allegedly had a verbal altercation with a voter. Later that evening, Wimbish conducted online research to determine what information about himself would be publicly available. The following day, Wimbish mailed a letter addressed to the Jones County Elections Superintendent, purportedly from a “Jones County Voter.”

    The letter was allegedly drafted to make it appear as if it came from the voter, such as by stating that Wimbish had “give[n] me hell” and that Wimbish was “conspiring votes” and “distracting voters from concentrating.” The letter threatened that Wimbish and others “should look over their shoulder,” that “I know where they go,” that “I know where they all live because I found home voting addresses for all them,” and that the “young men will get beatdown if they fight me” and “will get the treason punishment by firing squad if they fight back.” Further, the letter threatened to “rage rape” the “ladies” and warned them to “watch every move they make and look over their shoulder.” The letter concluded with a handwritten note, “PS boom toy in early vote place, cigar burning, be safe.”

    Wimbish is charged with mailing a bomb threat, conveying false information about a bomb threat, mailing a threatening letter, and making false statements to the FBI. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

    Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary for the Middle District of Georgia made the announcement.

    The FBI Atlanta Field Office is investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney Jacob R. Steiner of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Will R. Keyes for the Middle District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in June 2021, the task force has led the department’s efforts to address threats of violence against election workers, and to ensure that all election workers — whether elected, appointed, or volunteer — are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation. The task force engages with the election community and state and local law enforcement to assess allegations and reports of threats against election workers, and has investigated and prosecuted these matters where appropriate, in partnership with FBI Field Offices and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Three years after its formation, the task force is continuing this work and supporting the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and FBI Field Offices nationwide as they carry on the critical work that the task force has begun.

    Under the leadership of Deputy Attorney General Monaco, the task force is led by PIN and includes several other entities within the Justice Department, including the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Civil Rights Division, National Security Division, and FBI, as well as key interagency partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat threats against election workers, read the Deputy Attorney General’s memo.

    To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact your local FBI office and request to speak with the Election Crimes Coordinator. Contact information for every FBI field office may be found at www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/. You may also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at www.tips.fbi.gov. Complaints submitted will be reviewed by the task force and referred for investigation or response accordingly. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Northland News – Critically endangered Northland lake plant voted NZ’s favourite plant 2024

    Source: Northland Regional Council

    A tiny and very rare Northland lake plant, Trithuria inconspicua, has been voted ‘New Zealand’s Favourite Plant’ in a national poll.
    The online vote was run by the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network (NZPCN) to find the native plant best-loved by New Zealanders.
    Trithuria only grows in Te Taitokerau’s dune lakes and is found nowhere else in the world.
    Tiny in stature, Trithuria packs a mighty punch in age – the latest scientific research has revealed this little plant to be in the oldest flowering plant lineage.
    Trithuria is in a plant family that has been around for over a hundred million years, so it is a ‘living fossil’.
    The plant certainly lives up to its name of ‘inconspicua’. At only 55 millimetres tall, it grows partially buried in the sands of the lake floor, so you are more likely to feel it beneath your feet than see it. It has fans of fine, hair-like leaves in which it hides tiny flowers that look like miniature waterlilies.
    Northland Regional Council (NRC) works in partnership with mana whenua, landowners and the Department of Conservation (DOC) to protect dune lakes and is delighted to celebrate Trithuria’s success.
    “It’s so exciting that a Northland aquatic plant has won, and that people know and love this remarkable little plant,” the council’s Biodiversity Manager Lisa Forester says.
    Kaumātua Ric Pārore, speaking on behalf of Te Kuihi hapū, one of the mana whenua of Kai Iwi Lakes, says they’re thrilled to see Trithuria recognised, but also sad the plant has become so rare.
    “It’s important that everyone who visits or uses our lakes is careful to look after them so this plant can thrive.”
    Unfortunately, the future for Trithuria is uncertain.
    It is listed as ‘Threatened-Nationally Critical’, the highest threat category. Plant populations were previously found in 13 dune lakes north of Poutō, but since 1998 these have declined to viable populations in only five lakes.
    Trithuria needs clean sand and water to survive and is effectively a ‘canary in the coalmine’ as far as water quality is concerned. It is threatened by deteriorating water quality due to nutrient enrichment, pest weed and pest fish impacts and recreational pressures.
    Three of the lakes where Trithuria grows are public lakes where people like to swim or boat, which puts the plant at extra risk from being trampled or from accidental pest introductions.
    Northland Regional Council, in conjunction with mana whenua, DOC and landowners, is currently running eradication programmes for hornwort and oxygen weeds in several high value dune lakes.
    Councillor Jack Craw, who chairs the council’s Biosecurity and Biodiversity Working Party, says Te Taitokerau’s dune lakes are one of our outstanding ecosystems and are globally rare.
    “Trithuria is a wonderful example of why these lakes are so special and its recognition as plant of the year is a reminder to us all of the importance of caring for our dune lakes.”
    Councillor Craw says dune lakes and their biodiversity face many threats, including the risk of introduced pests like the invasive gold clam, which is now present in the Waikato River area.
    “If this got into our lakes it would be disastrous and would almost certainly lead to the extinction of Trithuria in those lakes.”
    He says Northlanders can help prevent the spread of aquatic pests by following ‘Check Clean Dry’ procedures when visiting the lakes.
    If you do see Trithuria, the NRC urges you not to pick it, dig it up or trample it…just leave it undisturbed. (It is very difficult to grow and will not survive in an aquarium or home pond.)
    For more information on this special plant visit: www.nrc.govt.nz/trithuria

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Joint Statement from CISA and EAC in Support of State and Local Election Officials

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    WASHINGTON – The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) issued the following statement today.

    “Tens of millions of Americans will cast their ballot tomorrow as we elect the next President and Vice President of the United States, as well as decide numerous congressional, state, and local races.  None of this would be possible without the hard work and dedication of state and local election officials in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories.  They have been working for years to get ready for tomorrow, and they will continue working long after the polls close in the evening.  They are the heroes of our democracy, and CISA and the EAC are proud to support them.

    “We appreciate the partnership of the National Association of Secretaries of State and National Association of State Election Directors.  These organizations represent election officials serving every American.  We echo the sentiment in the statement they issued today.”

    The full statement issued by NASS and NASED is as follows:

    “We are proud to represent state and territorial election officials in all 50 states, the District of Co­lumbia, and the five U.S. territories. Election officials make it possible for Americans to safely and securely participate in tomorrow’s general election. Planning for tomorrow’s election began four years ago, and the election community is prepared. Our members, along with their colleagues at the local level, have devoted extensive time, energy and resources to safeguard America’s elec­tions.

    “As with any Election Day, it is important to note operational issues may arise: for example, voting locations could open late, there could be lines during busy periods, or an area could lose power. These are inevitable challenges that will arise on Election Day, but election officials have contin­gency plans for these and other scenarios. Americans can have confidence the election is secure, and the results will be counted accurately.

    “Remember election night results are always unofficial. While the focus on election night is on who won and who lost, those races are called by the media, not election officials. In the days and weeks to come, election officials will count every eligible ballot, including ballots cast in-person on or before Election Day, mail ballots, provisional ballots, and ballots cast by military and overseas voters. Accurately counting millions of ballots takes time and it is important to be patient. Some races will be close and may require a recount or a recanvass. Many election officials will also con­duct audits to verify the accuracy of the results. We implore all Americans to understand these pro­cesses are normal and done in accordance with state and territorial law.

    “There are thousands of state and local races on the ballot across the country, in addition to the presidential race. We encourage eligible voters who have not already cast their ballots to do so tomorrow.”

    ###

    About CISA 

    As the nation’s cyber defense agency and national coordinator for critical infrastructure security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency leads the national effort to understand, manage, and reduce risk to the digital and physical infrastructure Americans rely on every hour of every day.

    Visit CISA.gov for more information and follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Canada and churches have moral obligations for the reparations of missing and disappeared Indigenous children: Final Report

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Frank Deer, Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba

    Independent Special Interlocutor Kimberly Murray has released her final report after two years of examining the issue of missing and disappeared Indigenous children and unmarked burials sites at residential schools in Canada.

    During the ceremony last week in Gatineau, Que., Murray said governments do not often implement recommendations given on such reports. So she opted to identify 42 “legal, moral and ethical obligations” for governments, churches and other institutions. These are proposals on how to make holistic reparations to Indigenous Peoples.

    Murray emphasized that the children were “victims of enforced disappearance.”

    Since the 1870s and continuing for more than 150 years, over 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were taken from their families and forced to attend church-run, government-funded residential schools. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has documented more than 4,100 deaths of children at the schools.

    After potential unmarked graves were identified at former residential school sites, the Canadian government appointed Murray to make recommendations on unmarked graves and burial sites.

    The report, “Sites of Truth, Sites of Conscience” focuses on aspects of the Indian Residential School experience: unaccounted missing children, unmarked grave sites, the roles of government and churches in the Indian Residential School genocide and failure to maintain records of the deaths and burials of deceased children.

    The report centres Indigenous strategies for research and advances a framework of reparations to “support the search for and recovery of the missing and disappeared children and unmarked burials.” It is an extension of the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) whose final report devoted an entire volume toward missing children and unmarked burials. The newest report is even more bold than the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

    The TRC report observed that “the most basic of questions about missing children — Who died? Why did they die? Where are they buried? — have never been addressed or comprehensively documented by the Canadian Government.”

    Since the TRC report was released in 2015, efforts to investigate this issue of missing children and unmarked graves has increased significantly.

    CBC News report: Special interlocutor on Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites issues final report.

    Reconciliation and reparations

    Murray explores the issue of genocide in the Indian Residential School system in ways that indict the Canadian government and other institutions of crimes.

    The report says Canada must refer to “the enforced disappearance of children,” as a “crime against humanity” and the issue needs to be taken to the International Criminal Court. It further states that the “federal government and other institutions have worked harder to protect perpetrators than they ever did to protect Indigenous children, families, and communities,” and that Canada has embraced a culture of “settler amnesia and willful forgetting.”

    In support of this indictment, Murray shows how the government and church were not only responsible for acts of omission in that somehow failed to protect Indigenous children in their care. Instead, they were acts of commission: deliberately created situations in which Indigenous children in their care were severely harmed.

    Murray refers to this as forced disappearances — when the liberty of Indigenous children is taken away and their fate was concealed.

    In addition, the Independent Special Interlocutor also focuses on, among other things, our moral and ethical obligations as foundational frames for reparations.

    A moral framework

    Murray put forth 42 obligations that reflect the morally and ethically centred responsibilities of governments, churches and other institutions.

    These moral and ethical responsibilities inform the reparations that Murray articulates in her report.

    These responsibilities and obligations include:

    • Calls for long-term financial support of investigations into missing and disappeared Indigenous children and Indian Residential School burial sites

    • Support for survivors

    • The recording of their stories

    Core values

    Underlining the report is a moral principal that efforts to find missing children and unmarked graves must be Indigenous-led.

    These moral principles, this foundation for action, articulated by Murray, can provide a compelling rationale that may help change attitudes and action.

    The recent report puts forth several moral and ethical principles which we need to consider.

    One of the report’s powerful statements is:

    “Children must be cared for in life and after death.”

    This might seem to some a simple point that is obvious and even unnecessary. However, the distance between such important declarations and the policies of Canadian governments and institutions has been vast.

    That this particular principle refers to the importance of care “after death” ought to be familiar to any of us who’ve lost loved ones. However, stating it clearly here strengthens the point that government and other institutions have obligations to children who died in their care.

    Another important principle from the report is that “search and recovery work is sacred.”

    The need to discover who died, the reasons why they died, and the location of their remains is one so connected to the emotional well-being of living descendants and fellow community members that it is a spiritual journey.

    This is why the search and recovery processes must be Indigenous-led.

    This report, like the TRC’s and the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, contains demands for action that should be accepted and acted upon by governments and institutions.

    The moral and ethical principles that inform those demands can be as important for informing change. It is in these principles that we may find moral guidance and direction toward righteousness.

    We may also find, if we’re paying attention, our humanity.

    Frank Deer receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. Canada and churches have moral obligations for the reparations of missing and disappeared Indigenous children: Final Report – https://theconversation.com/canada-and-churches-have-moral-obligations-for-the-reparations-of-missing-and-disappeared-indigenous-children-final-report-242560

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ABC Radio Breakfast with Ross Solly

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    ROSS SOLLY: The National Capital Authority recently released – or just in the last couple of weeks, released its annual report, and buried inside that report was the news that a couple of key infrastructure projects, including work it was doing on Scrivener Dam and on Commonwealth Bridge, have sort of become stuck in a bit of a quagmire. They’re going nowhere, and nobody can actually explain why. We have put in a request to the National Capital Authority on several occasions. I don’t think we’ve even got a reply to be honest. I don’t think they’ve even acknowledged our request, so it’s a bit difficult to get a response from the National Capital Authority though. Somebody who has managed to sit down and have a chat with them though is Kristy McBain, the Federal Minister for Regional Development and Member for Eden-Monaro. Good morning to you, Kristy McBain. 

    KRISTY MCBAIN: Good morning Ross. How are you going?

    SOLLY: Yeah, not too bad. I understand you had a meeting with the NCA yesterday. Did you raise with them the concerns about what’s happening with these infrastructure projects?

    MCBAIN: I meet with the NCA pretty regularly about a range of their work and their program in front of them. Obviously, we spoke about Scrivener Dam and the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Renewal projects. Both of those projects are finalising their tender stage at the moment, and I’m really looking forward to those successful tenderers being announced in the coming weeks.

    SOLLY: I understand there have been significant delays? Did they explain why we’re well behind schedule on those projects?

    MCBAIN: When we talk about the Scrivener Dam project, it holds back 33 million cubic metres of water. It’s a pretty big project. This will be the most significant strengthening works completed on the dam since it was built in 1963. What is happening is some work on the dissipator there, so that when water spills over the damn it doesn’t erode the banks down the river. There are 700 new anchor points going into the foundation rock, 10 to 20 metres deep. So a pretty complex engineering project. Whilst the procurement has taken longer than we would have liked, it’s in the process of being finalised now. We’re six months behind where we would have wanted to be, but work will commence before Christmas, which is the most important thing.

    SOLLY: Yeah, for sure. But can I also say this is taxpayers’ money that’s been spent here and there has been a delay. Why has there been a delay? Are you satisfied with the reasons that have been put forward to you for why everything has been put back, and that we are now running behind schedule?

    MCBAIN: As I said, we’re six months behind schedule, but the project will commence before Christmas. The project is still on budget which is the most important thing for taxpayers to understand. It’s a pretty complex engineering job that is required on the Scrivener Dam. We look forward to work starting, that’s what Canberrans want to see. Obviously, the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge is another significant piece of work. It’ll be the first time major works have happened on that bridge apart from maintenance, since it was built as well. It’s really important that we get that right as well.

    SOLLY: Is that still on budget or are we now over budget for that?

    MCBAIN: No, that’s still on budget. That includes works that will strengthen and widen the bridge, making sure that those passenger and bicycle lanes are also there. It’s probably one of the most utilised assets across Canberra for both passenger vehicles, trucks and pedestrians. It’s really important that project is done well, and there’s been a range of works that have had to take place to get to the tender stage, which is important.

    SOLLY: And of course, it is also integral, isn’t it, to the whole light rail plan?

    MCBAIN: That’s right. Before this one went to tender, there was obviously some quite detailed design work, statutory, environmental and heritage assessments. A pretty big public and stakeholder consultation. Obviously, it’s one of the most utilised assets across Canberra, but it is vital for light rail. Although, the works that are being done on Commonwealth Bridge themselves are not done for light rail. Lights rail’s project is separate to what we’re doing on the bridge.

    SOLLY: That’s true. Are you still confident in the capacity of the NCA to handle these big projects? I notice that there’s some critics suggesting that maybe this is all a bit much, and there needs to be a bigger authority come in and run big projects like this. Are you confident in the abilities of the NCA to do this work, Kristy McBain?

    MCBAIN: Absolutely. Again, this nationally significant project remains on budget, which is extraordinary in the current environment, particularly the current construction environment that we see. The NCA have been doing a fantastic job on this, and the work that they’ve been doing in the lead up to this tender process shows how prepared they are, by making sure that all of the design elements are sorted before they go to tender.

    SOLLY: All right. 7:27. While I’ve got you here. Kristy McBain, I have to ask you, are you still, are you a member of the Chairman’s Lounge?

    MCBAIN: I am, I’m a member of the Chairman’s Lounge.

    SOLLY: Are you going to retain your membership?

    MCBAIN: I pay for a Rex Lounge membership. Yes. One of the reasons it’s incredibly important is a lot of times when we are travelling you’re required to have some last-minute briefings or meetings that come up, and you need to do that in an environment that you can shut a door and have an office space. I’ve done a range of media interviews in those lounges. I’ve recorded a bunch of things in those lounges. There is a lot of travel required, although most of my travel is usually in the car around the electorate. But in my ministerial role when I am travelling, it’s important to have a space sometimes to be able to get some work done in between flights.

    SOLLY: Have you ever asked for an upgrade?

    MCBAIN: No.

    SOLLY: Why not? Everyone else does, seems to be anyway.

    MCBAIN: A lot of my flights are into regional areas, and I’m travelling with Rex or Qantas into regional areas. A lot of those planes don’t have a business class for obvious reasons. You’re on smaller planes and it’s just not something that has ever happened.

    SOLLY: Just quickly on the TAFE and the HECS changes in about a minute or so, do you think that’s going to have some significant bearing in the Canberra and surrounding districts?

    MCBAIN: It’s going to be incredibly important for communities right across the country. It’s a great announcement. We know that HECS debt has been piling up. It’s a way to make it fairer for people now and into the future. Fee-Free TAFE locks in those fee-free TAFE places in critical shortage areas like our trades. We know we need more houses built across this country and it’s incredibly important that we’ve got the plumbers, the chippies, the sparkies able to do that for us and this helps those people complete apprenticeships.

    SOLLY: Good to speak to you this morning, Kristy McBain. Appreciate your time, thank you.

    MCBAIN: Thanks, Ross.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI: Questor Announces Departure of Vice President of Operations and Engineering

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CALGARY, Alberta, Nov. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Questor Technology Inc. (“Questor”, the “Company”), (TSX Venture Exchange: QST) would like to announce Mr. Quentin Kyliuk is no longer with Questor Technology Inc., effective October 28, 2024.

    On behalf of the employees and Board of Directors, the Company thanks Quentin for his contribution to Questor and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.

    ABOUT QUESTOR TECHNOLOGY INC.

    Questor Technology Inc., incorporated in Canada under the Business Companies Act (Alberta) is an environmental emissions reduction technology company founded in 1994, with global operations. The Company is focused on clean air technologies that safely and cost effectively improve air quality, support energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reductions. The Company designs, manufactures and services high efficiency clean combustion systems that destroy harmful pollutants, including Methane, Hydrogen Sulfide gas, Volatile Organic Hydrocarbons, Hazardous Air Pollutants and BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene) gases within waste gas streams at 99.99 percent efficiency per its ISO 14034 Certification. This enables its clients to meet emission regulations, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, address community concerns and improve safety at industrial sites.

    The Company also has proprietary heat to power generation technology and is currently targeting new markets including landfill biogas, syngas, waste engine exhaust, geothermal and solar, cement plant waste heat in addition to a wide variety of oil and gas projects. The combination of Questor’s clean combustion and power generation technologies can help clients achieve net zero emission targets for minimal cost. The Company is also doing research and development on data solutions to deliver an integrated system that amalgamates all of the emission detection data available to demonstrate a clear picture of the site’s emission profile.

    The Company’s common shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol “QST”. The address of the Company’s corporate and registered office is 2240, 140 – 4 Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2P 3N3.

    QUESTOR TRADES ON THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE UNDER THE SYMBOL ‘QST’

    Investor Relations Contact

    Aly Sumar – Chief Financial Officer

    investor@questortech.com

    Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

    This document is not intended for dissemination or distribution in the United States.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorneys General stand in support for National Veterans and Military Families Month

    Source: Washington State News

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — As we celebrate National Veterans and Military Families Month this November, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) proudly supports the efforts of state and territory attorney general offices in their commitment to military families. The NAAG Veterans Affairs Committee is dedicated to protecting and assisting our nation’s veterans by actively pursuing those who exploit veterans, servicemembers, and their families, providing vital assistance on legal issues related to deployments and general military service, and ensuring that veteran health benefits are protected and accessible.

    Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Co-Chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee, stated: “Our military and veteran families deserve not only our appreciation but our commitment to help them access the resources they deserve. Too many of our veterans have significant legal needs but cannot afford counsel — which is why I created an Office of Military and Veteran Legal Assistance in Washington to connect veterans and military members with volunteers within the legal community. Helping veterans is a non-partisan calling, and I am grateful for the partnerships with attorneys general across the country to help those who have worn the uniform. As someone who comes from a family of veterans, this work is deeply personal to me. I am proud to partner with anyone willing to answer the call and help address the unmet legal needs of our nation’s heroes.”

    South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Co-Chair of NAAG’s Veterans Affairs Committee, added: “As a veteran myself, who’s been in the National Guard for more than 28 years and was deployed to Iraq, I understand the sacrifices that families and veterans go through in service to our country. They’re willing to give everything they have to protect us, so we’re happy to do whatever we can to support them.”

    This month recognizes the sacrifices and contributions of service members, veterans, and their families and highlights the resources available to them. We encourage everyone to join us in supporting military families by exploring available resources and finding ways to contribute to their well-being. The nation’s attorney general offices offer a range of services to support military families, including:

    • Preventing Fraud: Protecting military families and their hard-won benefits from scams and fraud through education and enforcement actions.
    • Providing Free Legal Clinics: Offering free legal clinics to help military families navigate legal issues, from housing disputes to family law matters.
    • Supporting Military Spouses and Dependent Children: Providing resources and assistance to address the unique needs of military spouses, children, and survivors of service members, including educational support and healthcare services.
    • Defending Voting Rights: Ensuring that service members and their families can exercise their right to vote, no matter where they are stationed. The Attorney General community remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting these families and ensuring they have access to the resources they need.

    For more information about services available to veterans and military families in Washington, visit the Attorney General’s Military and Veteran Resources page. Qualifying veterans and service members, and their families can apply for civil legal assistance with the Office of Military and Veteran Legal Assistance.

    More information on national efforts is available on NAAG’s Veterans and Military page.

    -30-

    Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more. 

    About the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG): The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is a nonpartisan organization of the attorneys general of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. NAAG provides a forum for the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and insights on legal and law enforcement issues, and fosters bipartisan collaboration among its members to address common challenges and advance the rule of law.

    Media Contact:

    Brionna Aho, Communications Director, (360) 753-2727; Brionna.aho@atg.wa.gov

    General contacts: Click here

    Media Resource Guide & Attorney General’s Office FAQ  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: $6.4 million for local community infrastructure projects

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: $6.4 million for local community infrastructure projects

    Published: 5 November 2024

    Released by: Minister for Gaming and Racing

    Communities from Inverell to Albury and Bathurst to the Northern Beaches will benefit from $6.4 million funding under the NSW Government’s latest round of Infrastructure Grants.

    A women and children’s refuge, musical society, marine rescue organisation and Aboriginal youth gym are among 46 recipients to share a total of $12.75 million this financial year.

    Infrastructure Grants are funded by ClubGRANTS Category 3, which directs profits from registered clubs’ gaming machines into community projects, while clubs receive a tax concession in return.

    The grants support local community projects across four categories: sport and recreation, disaster readiness, community infrastructure, and arts and culture.

    Key projects supported in this latest funding round include:

    • $200,000 to Tumbarumba Equine Club near the Snowy Mountains for roofing, power, lighting, water troughs and an additional disaster evacuation stock holding area for large animals
    • $270,100 to Ngarabal Aboriginal Corporation in Inverell to upgrade a gym facility to provide year-round boxing, martial arts and self defence programs for youth at risk
    • $51,600 to Wagga Wagga Art Gallery for new exhibition spaces, a print workshop, expanded storage and improved environmental and safety equipment
    • $55,300 to Western Suburbs Lawn Tennis Association in Ashfield to install new lighting to two synthetic tennis courts
    • $70,000 to Parkes Musical & Dramatic Society for an upgrade of digital microphones
    • $187,600 to Marine Rescue Cottage Point on Sydney’s Northern Beaches to replace engines and electronics on two rescue vessels
    • $50,000 to Margaret House Refuge in Young for refurbishment of a cottage that provides a safe and welcoming environment for women and children fleeing domestic violence and/or experiencing homelessness.

    See the complete list of Infrastructure Grants Program recipients.

    Applications for the next round of Infrastructure Grants are open until Monday 25 November. For more information visit Clubgrants Category 3 fund.

    The NSW Government’s review into the effectiveness of ClubGRANTS is ongoing amid continuing work across government to improve integrity and public trust in grants. This is the first formal review into the scheme since 2013.

    Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris said:

    “I’m pleased to see this round of Infrastructure Grants go to many worthy groups who work hard for their communities across the state.

    “I am impressed by the many and varied ways organisations are working to benefit their communities. 

    “Infrastructure Grants improve local facilities that bring people together, help them prepare for and recover from disasters, and promote participation in sport, recreation and the arts.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Avoid ‘All Out War’ in Lebanon, Stop ‘Tit-for-Tat Violence’ Engulfing Middle East, Secretary-General Tells Security Council

    Source: United Nations – Peacekeeping

    Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, in New York today:

    The raging fires in the Middle East are fast becoming an inferno.  Exactly one week ago, I briefed the Security Council about the alarming situation in Lebanon.  Since then, things have gone from bad to much, much worse.

    As I told the Council last week, the Blue Line has seen tensions for years.  But since October, exchanges of fire have expanded in scope, depth and intensity.

    I stated that the almost daily exchanges of fire by Hizbullah and other non-State armed groups in Lebanon and the Israel Defense Forces are in repeated violation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).

    I emphasized that the daily use of weapons by non-State armed groups is in violation of Security Council resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1701 (2006).

    And I stressed that Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected and the Lebanese State must have full control of weapons throughout Lebanon.

    In the few short days since then, we have seen a dramatic escalation — so dramatic that I wonder what remains of the framework this Council established with resolution 1701 (2006).

    Israeli forces have conducted relentless air strikes across Lebanon — including Beirut.

    The United States and France — with the support of several other countries — have proposed a temporary ceasefire, allowing for the restart of negotiations.

    Israel refused that proposal and stepped up its strikes, including bombing the Hizbullah headquarters where its leader was killed.

    Hizbullah has continued rocket and missile attacks on Israel.

    And yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces conducted what it stated were “limited incursions” into southern Lebanon.

    UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon] peacekeepers remain in position, and the UN flag continues to fly despite Israel’s request to relocate [it].

    I reiterate our deep appreciation to the military and civilian members of our UN peacekeeping force — UNIFIL — and to troop-contributing countries.  The safety and security of all UN personnel must be ensured.

    Civilians are paying a terrible price — which I utterly condemn.  Since last October, more than 1,700 people have been killed in Lebanon — including over 100 children and 194 women.

    Over 346,000 people are confirmed to have been displaced from their homes.   Government estimates put this number as high as 1 million.  Another 128,000 people — both Syrian and Lebanese — have crossed into Syria.

    The UN has mobilized all its capacities to provide urgent humanitarian aid in Lebanon and I ask the international community to fully fund our appeal.

    Since 8 October 2023, Hizbullah attacks on Israel have killed 49 people — with over 60,000 people displaced from their homes.

    It is absolutely essential to avoid an all out war in Lebanon which would have profound and devastating consequences.

    Yesterday, Iran launched approximately 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel.  It stated it was in response to the killings of Hassan Nasrallah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp commander, Abbas Nilforoushan, last week — as well as that of the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran in July.

    Millions of people across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory were forced to seek shelter.  One person was killed from the Iranian strikes — a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank.

    As I did in relation to the Iranian attack in April – and as should have been obvious yesterday in the context of the condemnation I expressed — I again strongly condemn yesterday’s massive missile attack by Iran on Israel.

    These attacks paradoxically do nothing to support the cause of the Palestinian people or reduce their suffering.

    Almost one year has passed since the atrocious 7 October 2023 acts of terror by Hamas and the taking of hostages.

    Since last October, Israel has conducted in Gaza the most deadly and destructive military campaign in my years as Secretary-General. The suffering endured by the Palestinian people in Gaza is beyond imagination.

    At the same time, the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continues to deteriorate with Israeli military operations, construction of settlements, evictions, land-grabs and intensification of settler attacks — progressively undermining any possibility of a two-State solution.

    And simultaneously, armed Palestinian groups have also used violence.  Hamas has continued to launch rockets, and just yesterday seven Israelis were killed in a terror attack in Jaffa.

    The events of the past week, the past month and indeed nearly the past year make it clear:

    It is high time for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, with the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, the effective delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza and irreversible progress to a two-State solution.

    It is high time for a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, real action towards full implementation of Security Council resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1701 (2006), paving the way for diplomatic efforts for sustainable peace.

    It is high time to stop the sickening cycle of escalation after escalation that is leading the people of the Middle East straight over the cliff.

    Each escalation has served as a pretext for the next.  We must never lose sight of the tremendous toll that this growing conflict is taking on civilians.

    We cannot look away from systematic violations of international humanitarian law.  This deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence must stop.  Time is running out.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Police appeal for information following suspicious fire, Stokes Valley

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Attributable to Detective Inspector Haley Ryan:

    Hutt Valley Police are investigating a fire at a previously targeted Stokes Valley residential address which left one person fighting for his life.

    Around 3:10am this morning emergency services responded to a block of flats in Hanson Grove, an 81 year old man was located in a critical condition and was transported to Wellington Hospital.

    The area was cordoned and a forensic scene examination is currently being conducted with the assistance of Fire and Emergency New Zealand and ESR.

    The fire is being treated as suspicious and is suspected to be linked to two other fires at the same block of flats on Thursday 10 and Monday 14 October 2024, both of which were also lit during the early hours of the morning.

    Police are appealing for information from people who have CCTV footage, witnessed the incident, or were in the area at the time of the fire to please get in contact.

    Even the smallest piece of information could prove vital in our investigation. 

    If you have any CCTV footage from dashcam, residential, or commercial premises in any areas of Stokes Valley, witnessed any three of the fires, or were in the area at the time of the fires, even if you didn’t witness the incidents please contact us.

    To report information please update us online now or call 105.

    Please use the reference number 241105/2249 and quote Operation SOVE.

    Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111. 

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sols 4352-4354: Halloween Fright Night on Mars

    Source: NASA

    3 min read

    Earth planning date: Friday, Nov. 1, 2024

    Yesterday evening (Thursday) was Halloween for many of us here on Earth. My neighborhood in eastern Canada was full of small (and not so small!) children, running around in the dark collecting sweets and candy but also getting scared by the ghostly decorations hung at each house. Little did we suspect that our poor rover on Mars was also getting spooked. Curiosity completed about a meter (about 3 feet) of the planned drive before becoming unsettled … scared, if you will! … when its left front wheel got hung up on a rock and stopped moving.

    Luckily, we understood this kind of frightened behavior and were able to resume planning today as per usual. That meter was enough to give us a whole new set of targets to choose from. As APXS Strategic Planner this week, I had chosen darker-looking targets in the workspace — “Ladder Lake” and “Reds Meadow” (shown in the accompanying MAHLI image) — earlier in the week. I was happy that bumping backwards by a meter allowed us to reach some of the more typical pale colored bedrock at “Eureka Valley” and a second APXS analysis on “Black Bear Lake,” which is a mixture of both pale bedrock and some darker layers. MAHLI added in a bonus set of images on “Stag Dome,” focusing on small, rougher patches on the pale bedrock.

    ChemCam is taking advantage of the short bump, too, adding a passive observation on the brushed Reds Meadow target, analyzed by APXS and MAHLI in Monday’s plan. A ChemCam LIBS target “Hoist Ridge” focuses on a small vertical face of dark material. Two long distance images planned for ChemCam’s Remote Micro Imager (RMI) look at the distribution of rocks along the Gediz Vallis ridge in the distance.

    Mastcam is taking several mosaics this weekend (must have gotten extra energy from the Halloween sugar!). Close to the rover, Mastcam will acquire single-frame images of the targets Hoist Ridge and Eureka Valley, and a small mosaic of some surficial troughs just a little further away. Moving further afield, a small 3×1 mosaic (three images in one row) will image the same area as the ChemCam RMI of the Gediz Vallis ridge, and a larger 9×2 mosaic will focus on the faraway yardang unit, where we hopefully will be in a few years.

    Then for the really big images: Mastcam will image the whole landscape in a special 360-degree view, so big it needs to be broken into two parts. The first will have 43×4 frames, the second 34×5 frames. These mosaics are huge, so we save them for when we are at a really good vantage point to allow us to capture as much detail as possible for science and engineering planning.

    As ever, we continue our environmental monitoring of conditions, with Mastcam and Navcam movies and images looking at dust in the atmosphere above and around us in Gale crater, and watching out for dust devils.

    Written by Catherine O’Connell-Cooper, Planetary Geologist at University of New Brunswick

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: ​Jackson Wang’s Halloween pop-up store opens in Shanghai

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The “Under the Castle” Halloween-themed pop-up store, designed by Jackson Wang and his team, will be open in Shanghai throughout November, following on from the pop star’s successful collaboration with Universal Studios Singapore last month, which brought the first Chinese intellectual property (IP) to the Singapore theme park.

    The interior of the “Under the Castle” pop-up store in Shanghai. [Photo courtesy of Team Wang Design]

    The store is open from now until Nov. 30 at No. 10 Yongyuan Road in central Shanghai. Hauntingly decorated both inside and outside, a wide range of merchandise specially designed by Wang and his team is on offer, with visitors even having the chance to obtain a free comic book. Preparations are also underway for an “Under the Castle”-themed carnival and exclusive market, although the date has yet to be announced.

    The exterior of the “Under the Castle” pop-up store in Shanghai. [Photo courtesy of Team Wang Design]

    “Under the Castle” was created by Team Wang Design, a luxury streetwear label founded by its creative director Jackson Wang and his friend and longtime partner Henry Cheung. The “Under the Castle” experience and merchandise originated from the “Sparkles – Knock Knock” series launched in October 2022, and an escape room created by the singer in Shanghai in 2023. 

    A display featuring the central characters Pumpkie and Spookie inside the “Under the Castle” pop-up store in Shanghai. [Photo courtesy of Team Wang Design]

    The franchise introduces the characters Pumpkie and Spookie, around whom Jackson Wang has also crafted a comic book. Pumpkie, a pumpkin brought to life on Halloween, and Spookie, a playful ghost, explore a cursed castle in their village, encountering the building’s former royal residents and uncovering its secrets.

    Ahead of the Shanghai store’s opening, Wang had already extended his star power and intriguing concept overseas. In late September, Team Wang Design announced its first partnership with Resorts World Sentosa when it opened the “Under the Castle” haunted house at Universal Studios Singapore’s 12th edition of “Halloween Horror Nights.”

    The “Under the Castle” attraction at Universal Studios Singapore. [Photo courtesy of Team Wang Design]

    Combining Team Wang Design’s bold aesthetics with a spooky narrative, the attraction featured a terrifying take on the characters Pumpkie and Spookie, integrating elements from Wang’s 2022 album “Magic Man” through props and scare actors. Open from Sept. 27 to Nov. 2, it was the largest haunted house at this year’s event, consistently drawing long lines of visitors and fans. The collaboration also marked the first time a Chinese IP had been featured in the Universal Studios theme park in Singapore.

    Henry Cheung, CEO and co-founder of Team Wang Design, revealed that he and Wang have loved Halloween since they were children. For “Under the Castle” to be part of the legendary celebration at Universal Studios Singapore was “truly an honor,” Cheung said in a statement, adding that the theme park’s Halloween event has been setting the gold standard for fear and fun for more than a decade.

    Jackson Wang interacts with fans at the launch of his “Under the Castle” comic book at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore, Oct. 13, 2024. [Photo courtesy of Team Wang Design]

    Wang, who is working on his next album set for release in 2025, has taken time out this year to refresh and recharge. After years of relentless touring and intense pressure, he aimed to live a more balanced life and spend more time with friends. However, his desire to keep creating led him to undertake high-profile projects, including a collaboration in June with auction platform Joopiter, owned by his friend, the American musician and fashion designer Pharrell Williams.

    Fans can look forward to more projects and surprises from the singer next year. At the Weibo Music Awards 2024, held in Beijing this September, Wang announced: “I’ve rested this year and will come back to the music scene next year. Check me out next year; wait and see.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: WIOTC 2024 focuses on interconnected digital future

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    The launch ceremony of the White Paper on the Intelligently Interconnected Digital Economy is held in Beijing, Nov. 3, 2024. [Photo courtesy of WIOTC]

    The ninth annual World Internet of Things Convention (WIOTC 2024) commenced on Nov. 3, in Beijing, bringing together leaders of government agencies, enterprises, industrial associations and standards organizations worldwide to discuss the future of the Internet of Things (IoT) under the theme, “Towards a New Future for Digital Economy: An Intelligently Interconnected New World.”

    The aim of the event was to support the U.N. sustainable development agenda, bridge the global digital divide, create an international model of an intelligently interconnected digital economy in China, and explore new pathways for digital economic collaboration.

    In his message to the convention, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the transformative impact of digital technology on business and economic growth. He emphasized that “real-time data sharing, IoT applications, information networking, and artificial intelligence are empowering the development of smart grids, smart homes and smart cities.”

    However, he noted the digital divide, saying: “Not all countries or communities are benefiting equally. For those without capacity or connectivity, the digital divide is also an opportunity divide.”

    “Digital technology is about bridging divides,” he added, calling for efforts to ensure evolving technologies benefit all people equally.

    During the convention, speakers noted China’s significant strides in IoT and digital economy innovation, underscoring the country’s investments in digital infrastructure and supportive government initiatives that have positioned it as a global leader in these fields.

    According to He Xuming, chairman of the WIOTC executive committee, the number of global IoT connections is expected to surpass 25 billion this year, with China playing a crucial role. The country’s digital infrastructure is expanding significantly. It is on track to build over 4.3 million 5G base stations to support IoT this year and surpass 3 billion IoT connections, he said.

    Yu Hongjun, former vice minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), added that in recent years, China has actively promoted the innovation and development of the internet and digital economy. He said, “The establishment of foundational communication networks, the widespread application of 5G, and the development of 6G have laid a solid foundation for digital economic transformation and upgrading.”

    The country’s strategic initiatives proposed during the 20th CPC National Congress, focusing on building a strong digital China and a smart society, were further reinforced by the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. The resolution emphasized “improving the commodity distribution system, and speeding up the development of the Internet of Things.”

    “China’s leadership in advancing digital innovation and IoT continues to serve as a powerful model, inspiring nations worldwide to embrace the possibilities of digital technologies,” said Sinisa Berjan, ambassador of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina to China.

    The ambassador also stressed the shared responsibility to ensure that the advantages of digital transformation are distributed equally, calling for a world where technology can support an inclusive digital landscape that benefits all.

    Berjan called IoT a “critical driver of digital development,” explaining it has the potential to revolutionize key sectors like health care, agriculture, energy and transportation. “IoT enhances productivity, optimizes resource use and empowers communities, ensuring that economic progress aligns with environmental stewardship,” he added.

    However, Berjan stressed the need for strong international cooperation to fully unlock these benefits. He called for the sharing of best practices, the development of unified standards, and mutual support among countries to help every nation tap into the potential of IoT.

    Platforms like the WIOTC provide invaluable opportunities for such exchanges, fostering a spirit of collaboration that fuels progress, innovation and economic development, he said, adding that “together, we can lay the foundation for a future where the benefits of digital transformation reach every community and individual.”

    Leaders from major standardization bodies also underscored the importance of collaboration. Jo Cops, president of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), emphasized that, given the current environmental challenges, “IoT supports the energy transition and the deployment of renewables through smart grid applications.” He added, “To meet our common challenges and goals, we need to collaborate.”

    Similarly, Sung Hwan Cho, president of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), advocated for an inclusive digital future, saying, “It is crucial that this progress actually supports the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and bridges the digital divide.”

    At the convention, the WIOTC released the White Paper on the Intelligently Interconnected Digital Economy. Zhang Hua, vice chairman of the WIOTC executive committee, explained that the white paper outlines the innovative development direction and theoretical foundation of the global IoT digital economy, including concepts, advanced digital economy models, global market structures, and sustainable development pathways. 

    The white paper provides expert guidance for global governments on internet development and digital economy upgrades, and serves as a reference for enterprises aiming to transform and enhance their data applications, Zhang said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA to Open Virtual Business Recovery Center to Assist Havasupai Tribe Businesses and Residents Affected by Flooding

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    “As communities across the Southeast continue to recover and rebuild after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the SBA remains focused on its mission to provide support to small businesses to help stabilize local economies, even in the face of diminished disaster funding,” said Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman. “If your business has sustained physical damage, or you’ve lost inventory, equipment or revenues, the SBA will help you navigate the resources available and work with you at our recovery centers or with our customer service specialists in person and online so you can fully submit your disaster loan application and be ready to receive financial relief as soon as funds are replenished.”

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Francisco Sánchez Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business Administration, today announced the opening of its virtual Business Recovery Center to meet the needs of Havasupai Tribe businesses and individuals who were affected by flooding that occurred Aug. 22–23.

    “When disasters strike, our virtual Business Recovery Centers are key to helping business owners and residents get back on their feet,” Sánchez said. “At these virtual centers, people can connect directly with our specialists to apply for disaster loans and learn about the full range of programs available to rebuild and move forward in their recovery journey.”

    SBA has established a virtual Business Recovery Center to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help each individual complete their electronic loan application.

    Virtual Business Recovery Center

    Mondays – Fridays
    8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time
    FOCWAssistance@sba.gov
    (916) 932-8956

    Opens at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5

    Closed Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in observance of Veterans Day

    Businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets.

    For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size, SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any property damage.

    “SBA’s disaster loan program offers an important advantage–the chance to incorporate measures that can reduce the risk of future damage,” Sánchez continued. “Work with contractors and mitigation professionals to strengthen your property and take advantage of the opportunity to request additional SBA disaster loan funds for these proactive improvements.”

    SBA disaster loans up to $500,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $100,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property, including personal vehicles.

    Interest rates can be as low as 4 percent for businesses, 3.25 percent for private nonprofit organizations and 2.813 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    Interest does not begin to accrue until 12 months from the date of the first disaster loan disbursement. SBA disaster loan repayment begins 12 months from the date of the first disbursement.

    On October 15, 2024, it was announced that funds for the Disaster Loan Program have been fully expended. While no new loans can be issued until Congress appropriates additional funding, we remain committed to supporting disaster survivors. Applications will continue to be accepted and processed to ensure individuals and businesses are prepared to receive assistance once funding becomes available.

    Applicants are encouraged to submit their loan applications promptly for review in anticipation of future funding.

    Applicants may apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at 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 apply for property damage is Dec. 24, 2024. The deadline to apply for economic injury is July 25, 2025.

    ###

    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-OSI USA: Tuberville Honors Patrick Jump of Robertsdale as November “Veteran of the Month”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville

    WASHINGTON – Today,U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) released a video honoring USMC Corporal Patrick Jump of Robertsdale as the November “Veteran of the Month.”

    Excerpts from Senator Tuberville’s remarks can be found below, and his complete remarks can be found here.

    “The son of a Vietnam veteran, Patrick knew what he was getting into when he signed up for the military.  He remembers watching the Twin Towers fall while sitting in government class on September 11, 2001. But Patrick’s desire to serve was unmoved.”

    “When the COVID pandemic hit, he realized how great the need was to help veterans struggling with mental health. What began as a weekly virtual check-in with fellow soldiers, started a fulltime mission to help fellow veterans and their families. Patrick purchased a RV, traveling across 43 states before deciding to settle down in Baldwin County. Although not originally from Alabama, when Patrick discovered the region’s patriotic spirit, he decided it was the perfect place to call home. He founded the Warrior Legacy Ranch to provide support to veterans struggling with their mental health. He has been a leader in fighting to prevent veteran suicides and expanding the sense of community for veterans—specifically those who served post 9/11. Patrick’s efforts have not only helped veterans in Alabama but all across the nation. Alabama is grateful to have him on the frontlines serving those who have honorably served us.”

    Senator Tuberville recognizes a different Alabama veteran each month for their service and contribution to their community. Constituents can nominate an Alabama veteran and submit their information to Senator Tuberville’s office for consideration by emailing press_office@tuberville.senate.gov. 

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: IP takes lead in western China’s innovation surge

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 8, 2024 shows a partial view of the Shichengzi photovoltaic power station in Hami City, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]
    The western regions of China have experienced remarkable economic strides in recent years, and one contributing factor to this success is the progress made in intellectual property (IP). Amidst the country’s green transformation and pursuit of high-quality growth, this once-impoverished hinterland has now taken an IP-driven development path.
    The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has recently reported rapid growth in two key IP types in the regions. By the end of September, the number of valid invention patents in the regions reached 493,000, up 16.7 percent year on year. Registered trademarks also rose by 10.5 percent compared to the previous year.
    Such growth has not been easy to achieve. Comprising 12 provincial-level regions, western China covers two-thirds of the country’s land area and is home to over a quarter of its population. A sparsely populated area with limited infrastructure, the western regions have lagged economically compared to the eastern provinces.
    However, in recent years, these regions have actively promoted emerging industries, such as smart manufacturing, new energy vehicles and low-altitude economy, which in China are considered as new quality productive forces with high-value invention patents. Local departments have provided IP guidance and financial support to enterprises within these industries, facilitating their rapid growth and narrowing the gap with the east.
    From innovation to invention
    Some have even taken the lead in the country, such as clean energy technology.
    In northwest China’s Qinghai Province, a vast photovoltaic power generation park has been constructed in the Talatan Gobi Desert, spanning 600 square kilometers. Amidst the solar panels, flocks of white sheep were spotted roaming around.
    A few years ago, Talatan was a barren land. The locals creatively planted grass to prevent sand erosion and installed a large area of photovoltaic panels. The water used for cleaning the panels infiltrated beneath the surface, nourishing the grass. However, the grass growth-induced shade problem caused the solar panels to malfunction.
    To manage grass without chemicals, the park integrated sheep farming — using the animals to control vegetation and contribute to ecological conservation.
    This “photovoltaic sheep” concept, patented in 2018, has boosted the efficiency of local photovoltaic power generation, with the park now generating up to 80 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.
    Another example is the China-Laos Railway, which links Kunming, the capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, and the Lao capital Vientiane.
    The construction of the cross-border railway was a challenging task due to the complex geological structures along the route. Chinese engineers drilled solid tunnels through delicate mountain terrain and constructed high-pier and large-span railway bridges in earthquake-prone areas. Nearly 30 patents were obtained during the construction process, which has not only greatly improved efficiency and safety but also provided technical references for other major projects in both countries. In October this year, the patent-rich railway has facilitated over 42 million passenger trips since its operation in December 2021.
    The innovative achievements from China’s western regions have also garnered global attention. According to the latest report by the World Intellectual Property Organization, four major cities in the area – Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Lanzhou – continue to lead the top 100 science and technology cluster ranking. These cities have further enhanced their industrial concentration, attracting high-quality enterprises and talent, and establishing themselves as significant regional hubs of innovation.
    “The market economy necessitates us to establish advanced technology as our competitive advantage and transform tech achievements into business resources. Therefore, we have chosen the path of IP,” said Wang Shechang, chairman of Xi’an-based China National Heavy Machinery Research Institute Co., Ltd.
    “Protecting IP is not only safeguarding innovation but also utilizing them as a means to enhance value exchange and facilitate the transformation of tech accomplishments,” Wang noted.
    From local to global
    Geographical indications (GI) are also a key element in the winning formula of development in Western China.
    GI is a type of IP that signifies a product’s specific origin and the qualities or reputation linked to that location. It serves as a mark of quality, setting the product apart from competitors.
    The latest data shows that the western region has recognized 931 GI products, accounting for 38.8 percent of the national total, with a direct annual output value of 429.8 billion yuan(60.36 billion U.S. dollars).
    “The brand value has been greatly enhanced as many products have obtained GI labels,” said Dolkun Awut, head of the Xinjiang IP department. “We leverage this advantage to drive the development of the GI industry and contribute to rural revitalization.”
    The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is a major GI contributor. It has 211 GIs, with a comprehensive output value of over 200 billion yuan and employment for over 5 million people.
    The promotion of GI has also strengthened cooperation between the western region and the world. According to the CNIPA, 36 GI products from the western regions have been included in the first China-EU GI list. In 2021, the two sides signed an agreement to enhance bilateral trade of agri-food products, with recognition and protection of 100 Chinese GIs and 96 EU GIs.
    Taking the wine at the eastern foot of Helan Mountain as an example, since it was included in the first China-EU GI list, the product from northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has been exported to over 40 countries and regions, and major wine-producing areas in European countries such as Britain and France have imported 228,000 liters of this Chinese wine.
    Western China also places great importance on IP exchanges with neighboring countries.
    In Xinjiang, the local IP department has been providing guidance to Chinese enterprises on marketing in Central Asian countries and helping them improve their ability to handle IP disputes.
    Guangxi and ASEAN countries have established forums and conferences on IP cooperation. They have also collaborated on patent technology transfer within the biomedicine and new energy vehicle industries. Moreover, universities in Guangxi conducted academic IP programs with those in Macao Special Administrative Region and Vietnam.
    China’s GDP saw a 5.2 percent year-on-year increase last year, with the western regions outperforming the national average at 5.5 percent. In this remote but robust area, more enterprises and innovators have valued IP, leveraging their innovations to bolster industries with competitive edges and stimulate better economic growth.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Gaming the news: How interactive journalism is changing how we tell stories to the next gen

    Source: University of South Australia

    05 November 2024

    The Ramping Rush game.

    Journalists have long used newspapers, radio, television, magazines and, more recently, the internet to entertain and inform the public on the stories that matter most. But what if there’s a richer, more compelling and interactive way to share and address real world issues?

    A University of South Australia academic is exploring how video games are being developed in journalism as a more interactive way to engage younger audiences and tell impactful stories.

    Dr Ben Stubbs, a senior lecturer in journalism and creative writing at UniSA, has created a news game – Ramping Rush: Ambulance Rescue – to explore one of South Australia’s most important health issues: ambulance ramping.  

    The game was led by UniSA’s Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments (IVE) and developed by computer science and media and literature students from around the world as part of a virtual internship.

    Ramping Rush: Ambulance Rescue is a free and online single-player game that aims to demonstrate the impact of ramping – an issue that has given rise to countless media reports in recent years as the state’s hospital system strains under pressure. Ramping occurs when ambulances are made to queue outside overcrowded hospital emergency departments, leaving patients with a prolonged wait upon arrival.

    In the game, the player steps into the shoes of a busy paramedic, racing against time to rescue patients while dealing with long hospital waits and ramping delays.

    The aim is for the player to make snap decisions and save as many lives as possible before getting stuck in traffic or being held up at clogged emergency departments. However, the player soon learns that it’s impossible to save the patients and ‘win’ the game as the ramping situation is too dire.

    By demonstrating the challenges of ramping through a gaming scenario, the team hopes to capture the attention of younger audiences, particularly school students, who are less likely to engage in traditional media.

    Dr Stubbs, an experienced journalist who has written for publications including The New York Times, The Guardian and Sydney Morning Herald, says the video game was created to engage younger audiences with important and current community issues.

    “Interactive news games are another way for people to think about real world issues in a fun and engaging way,” he says.

    “We know that people have been moving away from traditional news for a long time now and how people are consuming news is constantly changing.

    “Video games are just another way to think about the potential of alternative journalism when traditional forms might only reach certain audiences.”

    Last year saw the biggest increase in the number of Australians playing video games, from 67% (17 million) in 2021 to 81%  (21 million) in 2023. Nearly 95% of Australian households have a device for playing video games while 91% of parents play with their children to connect as a family.

    Meanwhile, the journalism landscape has experienced significant change in recent decades, with traditional reporting formats like newspapers in decline. In Australia only 18% of people still read newspapers, with online news now attracting the majority of audiences.

    “Shifting attitudes towards news consumption is driving demand for new outlets such as games,” Dr Stubbs says.

    “News video games are not entirely new to journalism. For example, after the September 11 terrorist attacks, a game was created to help people understand the complexities of modern warfare.

    “Similarly, ABC created The Amazon Race’ in 2019 to showcase the realities of working in a pressure-cooker environment such as Amazon’s Melbourne warehouse.”

    UniSA has recently added a module all about news games to the Innovations in Visual Journalism course which will be part of the online Bachelor of Journalism program in 2025.

    “I think there’s great potential with news games,” Dr Stubbs says. “In our research we found games on everything from the Syrian civil war, remembrance around the Madrid train bombings, identifying fake news, games on the realities of living with a low income, managing a sweatshop factory, pirate fishing, distracted driving and managing COVID misinformation.

    “Creating new and timely additions to the video news portfolio is an important step in remaining connected to the next generation.”

    Ambulance Rush: Ramping Rescue is available to play on itch.io.

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    Contact for interview: Dr Ben Stubbs, Senior Lecturer, UniSA E: Ben.Stubbs@unisa.edu.au
    Media contact: Melissa Keogh, UniSA Media M: +61 403 659 154 E: Melissa.Keogh@unisa.edu.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Summer tips to keep odours and pests away from food scraps

    Source: Auckland Council

    With summer fast approaching, warmer temperatures can bring an increase to pests and odours in the home.

    Separating food scraps to put out for kerbside collection or for home composting can seem a bit more challenging, but there are easy ways to beat the summer heat and keep pests and odours at bay.

    Prevent pests and odours at home in warmer weather by trying one or more of these tried-and-true tips:

    • Pour boiling water over banana skins in the kitchen sink straight after peeling them to kill fruit fly eggs that have hitched a ride.

    • Keep vegetable peelings dry. The less moisture the less likely they are to smell and attract flies.

    • Throw a handful of baking soda or bokashi zing/bran on top of food scraps.

    • Put food scraps in the fridge or freezer (an ice cream container with a lid is the perfect size for this).

    If using the kitchen caddy supplied by Auckland Council or another food scraps container for the kitchen, remember to:

    • Line the kitchen caddy with Auckland Council pink compostable bin liners – available from retailers and made entirely of cornstarch so safe for home compost.

    • Change the bin liners regularly to avoid spills and reduce food odours.

    • Empty the kitchen caddy more frequently into the food scraps bin and lock the lid in place.

    • Wipe tea tree oil around the lids of the kitchen caddy and food scraps bin to repel flies and other insects.

    • Clean the kitchen caddy and food scraps bin regularly – use anti-bacterial spray or dishwashing liquid with water and dry before use.

    • Place the food scraps bin in a shady spot – not in direct sunlight.

    • Food scraps can be put directly into the food scraps bin, but the liners will help keep pests away if tied up.

    Remember to put the food scraps bin out weekly and help continue transforming rukenga kai into renewable energy and fertiliser to grow more kai.

    Together, let’s help Auckland reach its goal of being zero waste by 2040.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What to expect on Election Day: history could be made, or we’re in for a long wait (and plenty of conspiracies)

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Shortis, Adjunct Senior Fellow, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University

    As Americans vote in one of the most important presidential elections in generations, the country teeters on a knife edge. In the battleground states that will likely decide the result, the polling margins between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump are razor thin.

    These tiny margins, and the general confusion around American politics today, make it impossible to predict the outcome.

    The polls might well be wrong: the electorate may have shifted dramatically since 2020 in ways that will only reveal themselves after the election. The reality is we do not know much of anything for sure, and we may never be able to untangle all of the threads that make up the knot of American politics.

    After two assassination attempts on Trump and incumbent President Joe Biden’s dramatic decision to leave the race in August, it is entirely possible this election will throw up more big surprises. But as things stand, there are three broad possibilities for what will happen on Election Day.

    All of them throw up their own challenges – for the United States, and for the world.

    Possibility 1: the return of Trump

    Trump may make history and win back the White House. Only Grover Cleveland has managed to get elected a second time as president (in 1892) after suffering a defeat four years earlier.

    If Trump does win, it could be via a similar path to the one he took in 2016 – by once again sundering the “blue wall” and winning the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

    This feat will likely mean his campaign tactic of mobilising men has worked.

    A Trump victory would represent the culmination of a generational project of the American right. A second Trump administration would be very different from the first – the movement behind Trump is more organised, focused and cognisant of the mistakes of the first Trump White House. It would also face considerably weakened democratic guardrails.

    The implementation of Trump’s radical agenda, alongside some or all of the broader far-right agenda detailed in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, would radically reshape American life and create political and economic chaos.

    The rest of the world would have to reorient itself, once again, around Trump.

    Possibility 2: Harris makes history

    It is entirely possible Harris makes history – not only by beating Trump, but by becoming the first woman and woman of colour to win the US presidency.

    Like Trump, if Harris does win, it will likely be through one or more of the battleground states – in particular, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

    For Harris, victory will likely come via high turnout by women and voters of colour, particularly African-Americans, or through a combination of turnout by this core Democratic base and swing voters in key states like Pennsylvania.

    How Harris wins – and by how much – will be crucial, both to the immediate aftermath of the election and to the shape of a future Harris administration.

    A big question: can she win by enough to head off resistance by Trump and the movement behind him? As Australian writer Don Watson has noted, a Harris victory would likely be taken as an existential defeat by the MAGA movement.

    How Trump’s supporters react to such a defeat – and how US institutions react to their reaction – will be a critical test for American democracy.

    Possibility 3: too close to call

    This brings us to the third possibility: the polls are correct, and it’s such a tight race that the margins in the battleground states are in the thousands of votes, or even less.

    If it is that close, counting could take days. And there could be recounts after that.

    While conspiracies abound, a delay in the result like this would be an entirely predictable and normal outcome. In the United States, there isn’t one system for counting the votes; elections are run by the states on a county-by-county basis, and each state does it differently.

    Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, for example, legally can’t start counting mail-in votes until the polls open on Election Day.

    Then there is the supposed “blue shift” or “red mirage” that sometimes occurs on election night.

    There are now many ways to vote in the US – in person on Election Day, early voting before Election Day or by mail-in ballot. And the time it takes to count these different ballots can vary. So, it may appear as if one candidate is winning early in the night (say, when in-person votes are counted) only for their opponent to slowly turn the tide (when mail-in ballots are counted).

    In the 2020 election, this meant early Trump (“red”) leads were gradually lost to the Biden (“blue”) votes. Researchers found that counties won by Biden counted more slowly, on average, than those won by Trump – hence the so-called “blue shift”.

    This is an entirely normal – and legal – phenomenon. In Nevada, for instance, state law permits mail-in ballots to be counted four days after Election Day, so long as they were postmarked by Election Day.

    Trump and his surrogates like Steve Bannon, however, have exploited the differing times it takes to count votes to peddle baseless conspiracy theories, undermining Americans’ faith in their own democracy, and to incite unrest.

    By baselessly declaring victory in 2020 on the early “red mirage” tallies in key states before all the votes were counted, Trump was able to create what Bannon described as a “firestorm” – one that eventually led to the insurrection of January 6 2021.

    This could very well happen again. Bannon, in fact, has just been released from prison after serving four months for contempt of Congress, and could once again be a driving force in any post-election challenges by the Trump campaign.

    Trump, meanwhile, lied again this week when he said “these elections have to be, they have to be decided by 9 o’clock, 10 o’clock, 11 o’clock on Tuesday night” – laying the groundwork for further election conspiracies.

    Delays are normal – but fraught

    Trump has made it very clear he will not accept another election loss. If he does lose, he or his surrogates will attempt to weaponise similar conspiracy theories again. They may also use legal challenges to vote counts as they did in 2020 – both to contest the result and to once again mobilise the MAGA movement.

    In the event of close margins, it’s also possible some states will go to a recount.

    There are different rules for this in different states. To take one example, if the margin is within 0.5% in Georgia, a candidate can request a recount.

    In the 2020 presidential election, Biden narrowly defeated Trump in Georgia by 0.25%, which triggered a full hand recount of the votes. The Associated Press declared Biden the winner of the state more than two weeks after Election Day. A second recount was later reconfirmed by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

    Again, this is a normal part of the process. It ensures all votes are counted accurately and the result reflects the democratic will of the American people as best as the (admittedly, deeply flawed) system allows.

    Such a delay, legitimate as it would be, would elevate the already very real risk of further political violence and instability in the United States.

    None of these outcomes is inevitable. 2024 is not 2020; nor is it 2016. What happens next in America depends on the movement and interplay of so many tangled threads, it is impossible to see where old ones end and new ones might begin.

    In all of this, only one thing is certain. Whatever the result – and however long it takes to come through – the divisions and conspiracy theories that have destabilised American politics for so long will not be easily or quickly resolved. That knot may well prove impossible to untangle.

    Emma Shortis is Director of the International and Security Affairs program at The Australia Institute, an independent think tank.

    – ref. What to expect on Election Day: history could be made, or we’re in for a long wait (and plenty of conspiracies) – https://theconversation.com/what-to-expect-on-election-day-history-could-be-made-or-were-in-for-a-long-wait-and-plenty-of-conspiracies-242598

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: SFST promotes Hong Kong’s status as international asset and wealth management and risk management centre in Switzerland (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, started his visit to Zurich, Switzerland, yesterday (November 4, Zurich time) to promote Hong Kong’s status as an international asset and wealth management and risk management centre.

         Mr Hui in the morning met with the Chief Executive Officer, Corporate Solutions, Swiss Re Group, Mr Ivan Gonzalez, and the Chairman of the Board of Zurich Insurance Group, Mr Michel M Liès, respectively. During the exchanges with these two world-leading insurance services and risk-solution providers, Mr Hui updated them on Hong Kong’s latest initiatives as announced in “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address (Policy Address)” to further strengthen Hong Kong’s position as a global risk management centre. The initiatives include reviewing the risk-based capital regime implemented in July 2024 and examining the capital requirements for infrastructure investment to enrich insurance companies’ asset allocations for risk diversification, and drive investment in infrastructure; as well as continuing to invite Mainland and overseas enterprises to establish captive insurers in Hong Kong. 

         Hong Kong is currently home to around 160 insurance companies. It has the largest concentration of insurance companies and the highest insurance density in Asia.    

         Mr Hui had a lunch meeting with the Swiss-Hong Kong Business Association (SHKBA), one of the members of the Federation of Hong Kong Business Associations. Mr Hui shared with SHKBA members the huge scale and diversified investment opportunities of Hong Kong’s asset and wealth management business, adding that the city welcomes investors and family offices around the world.      

         At another gathering with leaders of a multinational financial service provider, Mr Hui briefed them on the enhancements proposed in the Policy Address that further strengthen Hong Kong’s status as an asset and wealth management hub. Hong Kong will consult the industry on increasing the types of transactions eligible for tax concessions for funds and single family offices to cover emission derivatives/emission allowances, insurance-linked securities, loans and private credit investments, virtual assets, etc. He also updated participants that the Government’s issuance of green bonds has been attracting strong interest from local and international investors. So far a total of HK$220 billion in government green bonds have been successfully issued, including a diverse array of bonds – retail, institutional, and tokenised – across multiple currencies and tenors.

         On the same day, Mr Hui met with the Head of Bilateral Cooperation, Swiss National Bank, Ms Lena Lee Andresen, to discuss issues of mutual concern such as the global trend of monetary policies. 

         Mr Hui also visited the headquarters of Gategroup, and met with their Chief Financial Officer, Mr Urs Schwendinger. Gategroup is a market-leading inflight caterer with a global presence, including Hong Kong. Noting that Hong Kong is an international aviation hub with continuous development of the Airport City, Mr Hui welcomed Gategroup to further expand their business in the city.  
        
         Mr Hui will depart for Geneva in the morning of November 5 (Zurich time) to continue his visit in Switzerland.                     

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A new campaign rewards young gamers on Roblox for engaging with the US election. What does it mean for global politics?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanne Orlando, Researcher: Digital Literacy and Digital Wellbeing, Western Sydney University

    Alex Photo Stock/Shutterstock

    If historical trends are anything to go by, most young people in the United States will not vote at this week’s presidential election. For example, at the 2016 presidential election, less than half of Americans aged 18 to 29 cast their ballot.

    But a new campaign on the hugely popular online gaming platform Roblox aims to encourage young people in the US to get out and exercise their democratic right on Tuesday.

    The “Virtual Vote” initiative is a partnership between Roblox game developers and a national political non-profit organisation called HeadCount.

    It has already engaged thousands of Roblox users – and it may mark the beginning of an entirely new way young people worldwide learn about and engage with real-life politics.

    The ultimate virtual universe

    Roblox is an online gaming platform where people can create an avatar, play a library of user-created games and socialise. Its developers describe it as the “the ultimate virtual universe”.

    It has roughly 79.5 million reported daily users globally and is valued at US$38 billion.

    The online gaming platform is especially popular among young people. However, it also poses a number of safety risks, including grooming and cyberbullying.

    Because of this, some governments have cracked down on Roblox. For example, earlier this year, it was banned in Turkey.

    Now the 2024 US presidential election has also entered the Roblox virtual gaming universe.

    From games to politics

    Virtual Vote is billed as the “first immersive civic engagement campaign”.

    Justin Hochberg, CEO of Virtual Brand Group (which develops games for Roblox) and the founder of Virtual Vote stated that his goal was simple:

    With 57% of gamers discovering global fashion, sports and entertainment brands while playing, this initiative meets Gen Z where they are to make a difference for the world’s biggest brand — #America.

    Virtual Vote was launched just four weeks ago in partnership with Headcount, a long-standing, not-for-profit youth voter engagement platform in the US. Other organisations – many of which are prominent in the online brand and content space – have also come on board.

    Players engage with Virtual Vote via popular games on Roblox, such as Livetopia, which has 4.7 billion user visits, and Karlie Kloss’s Fashion Klossette, which has 33.1 million total visits.

    Upon entering Virtual Vote, players meet Sam the Eagle, a guide who encourages them to check their voter registration status. Through Sam, players explore interactive maps showing state-specific voting rules and timelines.

    Virtual Vote is also a form of gaming and entertainment with big rewards and prizes for players who engage with it. Up for grabs is a trip to Hollywood to meet television presenter Jimmy Kimmel, VIP tickets to see musician Sabrina Carpenter, a snowboarding trip with champion American snowboarder Jamie Anderson, as well as limited-edition merchandise and content to play within Roblox.

    In the four weeks since its launch, Virtual Vote has had a strong response from Roblox users. More than 500,000 people have played the mini game so far – almost 4,000 of whom subsequently checked their voter registration status.

    Shaping political viewpoints online

    Platforms like Roblox, with their massive global youth audiences, are becoming increasingly important for shaping political views and real-world political engagement.

    Children and young adults immersed in these virtual worlds may be unknowingly absorbing information and perspectives that could influence their future voting decisions.

    Right now, the focus is on voter registration. However, given the huge impact it’s having, there is clear potential for such campaigns to become much more persuasive and biased.

    In future, we could see kids vying for rewards within online games or social media that may subtly shape their political viewpoints, which they then carry into how they vote as adults.

    This phenomenon has flown under the radar for the current US election. But its impact could be significant. Even more so since young people currently get so much of their news from social platforms.

    For example, the current trend on TikTok of women “cancelling out” the pro-Trump votes of their partners reinforces a gender binary for voting habits. These trending videos are fun, comedic, give minimal factual information. But some of them are getting up to two million views each.

    Similarly, election-themed videos – many of which have been identified as misinformation – on the popular online video platform YouTube have racked up millions of views in recent weeks.

    Exacerbating this situation is that young people often use social media, watch YouTube and play games on Roblox in combination. This can mean triple the impact of how these platforms can shape their political views.

    Online games and platforms are constantly shape-shifting and looking for new ways to engage with ever bigger global audiences.

    So wherever we live in the world, a campaign like Virtual Vote – seeking to achieve real-world political influence through an online video game platform – are important to pay attention to.

    Given the impact of Virtual Vote on so many young people, in such a short period of time, we can expect to see more political influence in their play. Shaping elections in the online space has just taken a new step.

    Joanne Orlando has received funding from the Office of the eSafety Commissioner.

    – ref. A new campaign rewards young gamers on Roblox for engaging with the US election. What does it mean for global politics? – https://theconversation.com/a-new-campaign-rewards-young-gamers-on-roblox-for-engaging-with-the-us-election-what-does-it-mean-for-global-politics-242901

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Inslee statement on Boeing Machinists contract vote

    Source: Washington State News

    Story Body

    Gov. Jay Inslee released the following statement in response to the approval of a new contract by Boeing Machinists.

    “Tonight’s vote by the Machinists puts Boeing’s future back on more solid footing. Washington is home to the world’s most skilled aerospace workers and they understandably took a stand for the respect and compensation they deserve. Congratulations to IAM District 751 and Boeing on reaching an agreement.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: New virtual project introduces a bee’s perspective

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    X Virtual Gathering: Honey, a new project of X Museum’s digital art platform X Virtual, was launched on Thursday in Beijing with an exhibition and a video game featuring commissions of multiple creatives from home and abroad.

    Upon entering the exhibition, visitors are first grabbed by the electronic music laced with a buzzing noise playing in the game, the interface of which is projected on the wall. They are invited to pick up the controller to start the game, becoming a bee busy gathering honey.

    As the worker bee, depicted in a futuristic, robotic and metallic style, flies through various apocalyptic landscapes, including a mysterious jungle and an erupting volcano, eight music pieces, which each represents a specific event, are triggered as it moves through different levels within the game, immersing the player in an adventure with a bee’s perspective.

    On view is also an installation by London-based artist Zhang Ling, better known as 00 Zhang, who designed the video game and its visual art. The audience can also enjoy the eight music works, individually displayed and each paired with a music video. Ranging from experimental electronic and dance music to free jazz and ambient, the intentionally diverse music tracks were composed by eight musicians, including 33EMYBW, Gooooose, Jana Rush, and Hyph11E.

    “As an abstract medium, music alters and challenges the participant’s senses, urging them to rethink ecological justice and species justice,” said Wu Dongxue, X Museum’s chief curator, who co-curated the show with 33EMYBW, a Shanghai-based producer and artist.

    According to the curators, this project explores the vast, interconnected world of bees and how it influences ideas around ecology, human civilization, and capitalism. It is an urgent response to crises such as resource depletion and a net loss of biodiversity that we humans are faced with, as well as the slowly widening division between civilization and nature through technological revolutions.

    “Once viewed with reverence, nature is now often exploited, stripped of its mystery and spirituality. Inorganic structures replace organic ones, pushing a capitalist narrative that centers on consumption and production,” Wu said.

    The game Honey will be available for download through X Museum’s online platform. At the end of 2024, the project will also release an eponymous vinyl record, which will be distributed globally.

    Launched by X Museum in 2019, X Virtual fosters new artistic 3D spaces within virtual worlds by commissioning artists to create new digital works and organizing online and offline exhibitions, workshops, and talks. X Virtual aims to promote new thoughts, discussions, and interdisciplinary practices in relation to emerging Web3-centered technologies, including XR, AI, and game engines.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: International Petroleum Corporation Announces Third Quarter 2024 Financial and Operational Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, Nov. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — International Petroleum Corporation (IPC or the Corporation) (TSX, Nasdaq Stockholm: IPCO) today released its financial and operational results and related management’s discussion and analysis (MD&A) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024.

    William Lundin, IPC’s President and Chief Executive Officer, comments: “We are pleased to announce another positive quarter of operational performance. IPC achieved average net daily production during the third quarter of 45,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), following planned maintenance shutdowns during the quarter. We also continue to purchase IPC common shares under the normal course issuer bid (NCIB). We have now almost completed the 2023/2024 NCIB, reducing the outstanding number of common shares by over 6% since the beginning of December 2023. We intend to seek Toronto Stock Exchange approval to renew the NCIB in December 2024. We are also pleased to report on the progress achieved at the Blackrod Phase 1 development in Canada, which remains on schedule and on budget.”

    Q3 2024 Business Highlights

    • Average net production of approximately 45,000 boepd for Q3 2024, in line with guidance (49% heavy crude oil, 17% light and medium crude oil and 34% natural gas).(1)
    • Successful completion of planned maintenance shutdowns at Onion Lake Thermal (OLT) in Canada and the Bertam field in Malaysia.
    • Drilling activity at the Suffield area in Canada continued with four wells drilled in Q3 2024 and completed by October 2024.
    • Development activities on Phase 1 of the Blackrod project continue to progress on schedule and on budget, with forecast first oil in late 2026.
    • 2.6 million IPC common shares purchased and cancelled during Q3 2024 under IPC’s normal course issuer bid (NCIB), on track to complete the 2023/2024 NCIB during November 2024.
    • IPC plans to seek Toronto Stock Exchange approval for the renewal of the NCIB in December 2024.

    Q3 2024 Financial Highlights

    • Operating costs per boe of USD 17.9 for Q3 2024, below guidance.(3)
    • Operating cash flow (OCF) and Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) of MUSD 73 and MUSD 68 respectively in line with guidance for Q3 2024.(3)
    • Capital and decommissioning expenditures of MUSD 102 for Q3 2024, in line with guidance.
    • Free cash flow (FCF) for Q3 2024 amounted to MUSD -38 (MUSD 44 pre-Blackrod Phase 1 project funding).(3)
    • Gross cash of MUSD 299 and net debt of MUSD 157 as at September 30, 2024.(3)
    • Net result of MUSD 23 for Q3 2024.

    Reserves and Resources

    • Total 2P reserves as at December 31, 2023 of 468 MMboe, with a reserves life index (RLI) of 27 years.(1)(2)
    • Contingent resources (best estimate, unrisked) as at December 31, 2023 of 1,145 MMboe.(1)(2)

    2024 Annual Guidance

    • Full year 2024 average net production guidance range maintained at 46,000 to 48,000 boepd.(1)
    • Full year 2024 operating costs guidance revised to below USD 18 per boe.(3)
    • Full year 2024 OCF guidance estimated at between MUSD 335 and 342, assuming Brent USD 70 to 80 per barrel for the remainder of 2024.(3)
    • Full year 2024 capital and decommissioning expenditures guidance forecast maintained at MUSD 437.
    • Full year 2024 FCF guidance estimated at between MUSD -140 and -133 (between MUSD 222 and 229 pre-Blackrod Phase 1 project funding), assuming Brent USD 70 to 80 per barrel for the remainder of 2024.(3)
      Three months ended
    September 30    		   Nine months ended
    September 30
    USD Thousands 2024   2023     2024   2023  
    Revenue 173,200   257,366     598,659   655,446  
    Gross profit 39,505   93,429     167,397   210,559  
    Net result 22,875   71,681     101,804   143,269  
    Operating cash flow (3) 72,589   119,142     263,831   279,414  
    Free cash flow (3) (38,269 ) 34,703     (74,021 ) 67,379  
    EBITDA (3) 68,313   123,054     259,304   284,334  
    Net cash/(debt) (3) (157,228 ) 83,097     (157,228 ) 83,097  
                       

    Oil prices softened in the third quarter with Brent prices averaging USD 80 per barrel compared with USD 85 per barrel in the second quarter. Volatility during the quarter was high with Brent prices ranging from USD 89 per barrel in July to USD 70 per barrel in September. Notwithstanding the volatility in prices, the crude market was in a deficit through the third quarter, aided by the proactive supply management by the OPEC+ group. The continued conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine led to increased oil prices, though these were partially offset by concerns over global oil demand growth, in particular consumer and industrial demand in China. Despite some of these negative factors, the physical market remains tight with OECD crude stock levels below the five-year average, with oil demand expected to be at an all-time high in 2024 and continue to grow in 2025. Approximately 50% of IPC’s forecast 2024 oil production is hedged at USD 80 per barrel WTI or USD 85 per barrel Dated Brent through to the end of 2024.

    The third quarter 2024 WTI to Western Canadian Select (WCS) price differentials averaged just under USD 14 per barrel, in line with the second quarter and approximately USD 5 per barrel lower than the first quarter differential average of USD 19 per barrel. The Trans Mountain expansion (TMX) pipeline continues to support tighter differentials with the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) now having excess spare pipeline capacity for the first time in more than a decade. Crude exports from the new TMX pipeline are flowing off the coast of British Columbia, with deliveries to the US West Coast and Asia creating new end destinations for Canadian heavy oil. Around 70% of our forecast 2024 Canadian WCS production volumes are hedged at a WTI/WCS differential of USD 15 per barrel.

    Natural gas prices in Canada remained suppressed in the third quarter, with AECO pricing averaging CAD 0.67 per Mcf during the period, compared to CAD 1.17 per Mcf average for the second quarter. This has led to some Canadian natural gas producers curtailing production as western Canada gas storage levels continue to sit above the five-year range. IPC implemented hedges during the third quarter for approximately 14,500 Mcf per day at CAD 1.57 per Mcf from August to year end 2024.

    Third Quarter 2024 Highlights and Full Year 2024 Guidance

    IPC delivered average daily production rates of 45,000 boepd for the third quarter. The average daily production for the first nine months of 2024 was 47,400 boepd and the full year Capital Markets Day (CMD) production guidance of 46,000 to 48,000 boepd is maintained. During the third quarter, planned maintenance shutdowns at the Onion Lake Thermal (OLT) asset in Canada and at the Bertam field in Malaysia were successfully completed. High uptimes were achieved across all major producing assets in our portfolio during the quarter and the business benefited from the oil wells drilled within our Southern Alberta assets and the new wells brought on stream from sustaining Pad L at the OLT asset.(1)

    Operating costs in the third quarter of 2024 were below forecast at USD 17.9 per boe. The lower costs were largely driven by lower energy input costs within our Canadian asset base. Full year 2024 operating costs guidance is revised to less than USD 18 per boe, below the CMD guidance range of USD 18 to 19 per boe.(3)

    Operating cash flow (OCF) for the third quarter of 2024 was USD 73 million in line with forecast. Full year 2024 OCF guidance is revised to USD 335 to 342 million (assuming Brent USD 70 to 80 per barrel for the remainder of 2024).(3)

    Capital and decommissioning expenditure for the third quarter was in line with plan at USD 102 million. Our full year 2024 capital and decommissioning expenditure guidance is unchanged at USD 437 million.

    Free cash flow (FCF) was USD -38 million (or USD 44 million pre-Blackrod Phase 1 development funding) during the third quarter of 2024. Full year 2024 FCF guidance is revised to USD -140 to -133 million (or USD 222 to 229 million pre-Blackrod Phase 1 development funding) assuming Brent USD 70 to 80 per barrel for the remainder of 2024.(3)

    Net debt was increased during the third quarter of 2024 by approximately USD 69 million to USD 157 million.(3) This is due to the growth capital expenditure at the Blackrod Phase 1 project and continued funding of the normal course issuer bid (NCIB) share repurchase program. The gross cash position as at September 30, 2024 was USD 299 million. In the third quarter, IPC enhanced its financing position by entering into a letter of credit facility in Canada to cover all of its existing operational letters of credit, giving full availability under IPC’s undrawn CAD 180 million Revolving Credit Facility.

    With a robust balance sheet and strong cashflow generation from the producing assets, IPC is strongly positioned to deliver on our three strategic pillars of organic growth, shareholder returns and pursue value-adding M&A.

    Blackrod Phase 1 Project

    The Blackrod asset is 100% owned by IPC and hosts the largest booked reserves and contingent resources within the IPC portfolio. After more than a decade of pilot operations, subsurface delineation and commercial engineering studies, IPC sanctioned the Phase 1 development in the first quarter of 2023. The Phase 1 development targets 218 MMboe of 2P reserves, with a multi-year forecast capital expenditure of USD 850 million to first oil planned in late 2026. The Phase 1 development is planned for plateau production of 30,000 bopd which is expected by early 2028.(1)(2)

    2024 marks a peak investment year at the Blackrod Phase 1 project for IPC, with USD 362 million planned to be spent in the year. Project progress has advanced according to plan, with approximately USD 245 million spent through the first nine months of 2024. All major third-party contracts have been executed, including but not limited to, the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreements for the central processing facility (CPF) and well pad facilities, midstream agreements for the input fuel gas, diluent and oil blend pipelines, and drilling rig and stakeholder agreements. All major long lead items have been procured and pre-operations onboarding continues as the asset undergoes rapid change from a pilot steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) operation to a commercial SAGD operation. IPC’s core operational philosophy is to responsibly develop and commission projects with the staff that are going to manage and operate the asset to ensure the seamless transition from development to operations.

    As at the end of the third quarter of 2024, over half of the Blackrod Phase 1 development capital had been spent since the project sanction in early 2023. All major work streams are progressing as planned and the focus continues to be on executing the detailed sequencing of events as facility modules are safely delivered and installed at site. The total Phase 1 project guidance of USD 850 million capital expenditure to first oil in late 2026 is unchanged. IPC intends to fund the remaining Blackrod Phase 1 development costs with forecast cash flow generated by its operations and cash on hand.

    Stakeholder Returns: Normal Course Issuer Bid

    Under the current 2023/2024 NCIB, IPC has the ability to repurchase up to approximately 8.3 million common shares over the period of December 5, 2023 to December 4, 2024. IPC repurchased and cancelled approximately 7.5 million common shares up to the end of September 2024. The average price of common shares purchased under the 2023/2024 NCIB was SEK 132 / CAD 17 per share. IPC expects to complete the 2023/2024 NCIB during November 2024, resulting in the cancellation of 6.5% of the total number of common shares outstanding as at the beginning of December 2023.

    As at September 30, 2024, IPC had a total of 120,751,038 common shares issued and outstanding and IPC held 30,000 common shares in treasury. As at October 31, 2024, IPC had a total of 120,244,638 common shares issued and outstanding and IPC held 44,400 common shares in treasury.

    The IPC Board of Directors has approved, subject to acceptance by the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), the renewal of IPC’s NCIB for a further twelve months from December 2024 to December 2025. We expect that the 2024/2025 NCIB will permit IPC to purchase on the TSX and/or Nasdaq Stockholm, and cancel, up to a further approximately 7.5 million common shares, representing approximately 6.2% of the total outstanding common shares (or 10% of IPC’s “public float” under applicable TSX rules) following completion of the current 2023/2024 NCIB. IPC continues to believe that reducing the number of common shares outstanding while in parallel investing in material production growth at the Blackrod project will prove to be a winning formula for our stakeholders.

    Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Performance

    As part of IPC’s commitment to operational excellence and responsible development, its objective is to reduce risk and eliminate hazards to prevent occurrence of accidents, ill health, and environmental damage, as these are essential to the success of our business operations. During the third quarter of 2024, IPC recorded no material safety or environmental incidents.

    As previously announced, IPC targets a reduction of our net GHG emissions intensity by the end of 2025 to 50% of IPC’s 2019 baseline and IPC remains on track to achieve this reduction. During the first quarter of 2024, IPC announced the commitment to remain at end 2025 levels of 20 kg CO2/boe through to the end of 2028.(4)

    Notes:

    (1) See “Supplemental Information regarding Product Types” in “Reserves and Resources Advisory” below. See also the annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2023 (AIF) available on IPC’s website at www.international-petroleum.com and under IPC’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.
    (2) See “Reserves and Resources Advisory“ below. Further information with respect to IPC’s reserves, contingent resources and estimates of future net revenue, including assumptions relating to the calculation of NPV, are described in the AIF.
    (3) Non-IFRS measures, see “Non-IFRS Measures” below and in the MD&A.
    (4) Emissions intensity is the ratio between oil and gas production and the associated carbon emissions, and net emissions intensity reflects gross emissions less operational emission reductions and carbon offsets.

    International Petroleum Corp. (IPC) is an international oil and gas exploration and production company with a high quality portfolio of assets located in Canada, Malaysia and France, providing a solid foundation for organic and inorganic growth. IPC is a member of the Lundin Group of Companies. IPC is incorporated in Canada and IPC’s shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange under the symbol “IPCO”.

    For further information, please contact:

    Rebecca Gordon
    SVP Corporate Planning and Investor Relations
    rebecca.gordon@international-petroleum.com
    Tel: +41 22 595 10 50    		       Or       Robert Eriksson
    Media Manager
    reriksson@rive6.ch
    Tel: +46 701 11 26 15
             

    This information is information that International Petroleum Corporation is required to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication, through the contact persons set out above, at 07:30 CET on November 5, 2024. The Corporation’s unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements (Financial Statements) and management’s discussion and analysis (MD&A) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 have been filed on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and are also available on the Corporation’s website (www.international-petroleum.com).

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release contains statements and information which constitute “forward-looking statements” or “forward-looking information” (within the meaning of applicable securities legislation). Such statements and information (together, “forward-looking statements”) relate to future events, including the Corporation’s future performance, business prospects or opportunities. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, unless otherwise indicated. IPC does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

    All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, forecasts, guidance, budgets, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as “seek”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “continue”, “estimate”, “expect”, “may”, “will”, “project”, “forecast”, “predict”, “potential”, “targeting”, “intend”, “could”, “might”, “should”, “believe”, “budget” and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be “forward-looking statements”.

    Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to:

    • 2024 production ranges (including total daily average production), production composition, cash flows, operating costs and capital and decommissioning expenditure estimates;
    • Estimates of future production, cash flows, operating costs and capital expenditures that are based on IPC’s current business plans and assumptions regarding the business environment, which are subject to change;
    • IPC’s financial and operational flexibility to continue to react to recent events and navigate the Corporation through periods of volatile commodity prices;
    • The ability to fully fund future expenditures from cash flows and current borrowing capacity;
    • IPC’s intention and ability to continue to implement strategies to build long-term shareholder value;
    • The ability of IPC’s portfolio of assets to provide a solid foundation for organic and inorganic growth;
    • The continued facility uptime and reservoir performance in IPC’s areas of operation;
    • Development of the Blackrod project in Canada, including estimates of resource volumes, future production, timing, regulatory approvals, third party commercial arrangements, breakeven prices and net present value;
    • Current and future production performance, operations and development potential of the Onion Lake Thermal, Suffield, Brooks, Ferguson and Mooney operations, including the timing and success of future oil and gas drilling and optimization programs;
    • The potential improvement in the Canadian oil egress situation and IPC’s ability to benefit from any such improvements;
    • The ability to maintain current and forecast production in France and Malaysia;
    • The intention and ability of IPC to acquire further common shares under the NCIB, including the timing of any such purchases;
    • The ability of IPC to renew the NCIB and the number of common shares which may be purchased under a renewed NCIB;
    • The return of value to IPC’s shareholders as a result of the NCIB;
    • The ability of IPC to implement further shareholder distributions in addition to the NCIB;
    • IPC’s ability to implement its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity and climate strategies and to achieve its net GHG emissions intensity reduction targets;
    • IPC’s ability to implement projects to reduce net emissions intensity, including potential carbon capture and storage;
    • Estimates of reserves and contingent resources;
    • The ability to generate free cash flows and use that cash to repay debt;
    • IPC’s continued access to its existing credit facilities, including current financial headroom, on terms acceptable to the Corporation;
    • IPC’s ability to maintain operations, production and business in light of any future pandemics and the restrictions and disruptions related thereto, including risks related to production delays and interruptions, changes in laws and regulations and reliance on third-party operators and infrastructure;
    • IPC’s ability to identify and complete future acquisitions;
    • Expectations regarding the oil and gas industry in Canada, Malaysia and France, including assumptions regarding future royalty rates, regulatory approvals, legislative changes, and ongoing projects and their expected completion; and
    • Future drilling and other exploration and development activities.

    Statements relating to “reserves” and “contingent resources” are also deemed to be forward-looking statements, as they involve the implied assessment, based on certain estimates and assumptions, that the reserves and resources described exist in the quantities predicted or estimated and that the reserves and resources can be profitably produced in the future. Ultimate recovery of reserves or resources is based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management.

    Although IPC believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because IPC can give no assurances that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks.

    These include, but are not limited to general global economic, market and business conditions; the risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general such as operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to reserves, resources, production, revenues, costs and expenses; health, safety and environmental risks; commodity price fluctuations; interest rate and exchange rate fluctuations; marketing and transportation; loss of markets; environmental and climate-related risks; competition; innovation and cybersecurity risks related to our systems, including our costs of addressing or mitigating such risks; the ability to attract, engage and retain skilled employees; incorrect assessment of the value of acquisitions; failure to complete or realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions or dispositions; the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources; failure to obtain required regulatory and other approvals; geopolitical conflicts, including the war between Ukraine and Russia and the conflict in the Middle East, and their potential impact on, among other things, global market conditions; and changes in legislation, including but not limited to tax laws, royalties, environmental and abandonment regulations.

    Additional information on these and other factors that could affect IPC, or its operations or financial results, are included in the MD&A (See “Risk Factors”, “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information” and “Reserves and Resources Advisory” therein), the Corporation’s Annual Information Form (AIF) for the year ended December 31, 2023, (See “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information”, “Reserves and Resources Advisory” and “Risk Factors”) and other reports on file with applicable securities regulatory authorities, including previous financial reports, management’s discussion and analysis and material change reports, which may be accessed through the SEDAR+ website (www.sedarplus.ca) or IPC’s website (www.international-petroleum.com).

    Management of IPC approved the production, operating costs, operating cash flow, capital and decommissioning expenditures and free cash flow guidance and estimates contained herein as of the date of this press release. The purpose of these guidance and estimates is to assist readers in understanding IPC’s expected and targeted financial results, and this information may not be appropriate for other purposes.

    Non-IFRS Measures
    References are made in this press release to “operating cash flow” (OCF), “free cash flow” (FCF), “Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization” (EBITDA), “operating costs” and “net debt”/”net cash”, which are not generally accepted accounting measures under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and, therefore, may not be comparable with similar measures presented by other public companies. Non-IFRS measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures prepared in accordance with IFRS.

    The definition of each non-IFRS measure is presented in IPC’s MD&A (See “Non-IFRS Measures” therein).

    Operating cash flow
    The following table sets out how operating cash flow is calculated from figures shown in the Financial Statements:

      Three months ended September 30   Nine months ended September 30
    USD Thousands 2024   2023     2024   2023  
    Revenue 173,200   257,366     598,659   655,446  
    Production costs (100,984 ) (130,765 )   (328,110 ) (364,889 )
    Current tax 373   (7,459 )   (6,718 ) (16,045 )
    Operating cash flow 72,589   119,142     263,831   274,512  
                       

    The operating cash flow for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 including the operating cash flow contribution of the Brooks assets acquisition from the effective date of January 1, 2023 to the completion date of March 3, 2023 amounted to USD 279,414 thousand.

    Free cash flow
    The following table sets out how free cash flow is calculated from figures shown in the Financial Statements:

      Three months ended September 30   Nine months ended September 30
    USD Thousands 2024   2023     2024   2023  
    Operating cash flow – see above 72,589   119,142     263,831   274,512  
    Capital expenditures (99,100 ) (76,844 )   (308,457 ) (183,904 )
    Abandonment and farm-in expenditures1 (2,575 ) (2,755 )   (4,938 ) (7,683 )
    General, administration and depreciation expenses before depreciation2 (3,903 ) (3,547 )   (11,245 ) (11,124 )
    Cash financial items3 (5,280 ) (1,293 )   (13,212 ) (3,593 )
    Free cash flow (38,269 ) 34,703     (74,021 ) 68,208  

    1 See note 16 to the Financial Statements
    2 Depreciation is not specifically disclosed in the Financial Statements
    3 See notes 4 and 5 to the Financial Statements

    The free cash flow for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 including the free cash flow contribution of the Brooks assets acquisition from the effective date of January 1, 2023 to the completion date of March 3, 2023 amounted to USD 67,379 thousand.

    EBITDA
    The following table sets out the reconciliation from net result from the consolidated statement of operations to EBITDA:

      Three months ended September 30   Nine months ended September 30
    USD Thousands 2024   2023     2024   2023  
    Net result 22,875   71,681     101,804   143,269  
    Net financial items 4,124   4,257     23,942   16,227  
    Income tax 8,257   25,451     29,473   50,671  
    Depletion and decommissioning costs 30,491   31,687     96,305   71,488  
    Depreciation of other tangible fixed assets 2,023   1,509     6,503   6,503  
    Exploration and business development costs 197   (24 )   344   2,007  
    Depreciation included in general, administration and depreciation expenses 1 346   405     933   1,180  
    Sale of Assets –   (11,912 )   –   (11,912 )
    EBITDA 68,313   123,054     259,304   279,433  

    1 Item is not shown in the Financial Statements

    The EBITDA for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 including the EBITDA contribution of the Brooks assets acquisition from the effective date of January 1, 2023 to the completion date of March 3, 2023 amounted to USD 284,334 thousand.

    Operating costs
    The following table sets out how operating costs is calculated:

      Three months ended September 30   Nine months ended September 30
    USD Thousands 2024   2023     2024   2023  
    Production costs 100,984   130,765     328,110   364,889  
    Cost of blending (29,818 ) (39,836 )   (116,699 ) (128,523 )
    Change in inventory position 2,755   (8,067 )   3,160   2,228  
    Operating costs 73,921   82,862     214,571   238,594  

    The operating costs for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 including the operating costs contribution of the Brooks assets acquisition from the effective date of January 1, 2023 to the completion date of March 3, 2023 amounted to USD 245,395 thousand.

    Net cash/(debt)
    The following table sets out how net cash/(debt) is calculated:

    USD Thousands September 30, 2024   December 31, 2023  
    Bank loans (6,431 ) (9,031 )
    Bonds1 (450,000 ) (450,000 )
    Cash and cash equivalents 299,203   517,074  
    Net cash/(debt) (157,228 ) 58,043  

    1 The bond amount represents the redeemable value at maturity (February 2027).

    Reserves and Resources Advisory
    This press release contains references to estimates of gross and net reserves and resources attributed to the Corporation’s oil and gas assets. For additional information with respect to such reserves and resources, refer to “Reserves and Resources Advisory” in the MD&A. Light, medium and heavy crude oil reserves/resources disclosed in this press release include solution gas and other by-products. Also see “Supplemental Information regarding Product Types” below.

    Reserve estimates, contingent resource estimates and estimates of future net revenue in respect of IPC’s oil and gas assets in Canada are effective as of December 31, 2023, and are included in the reports prepared by Sproule Associates Limited (Sproule), an independent qualified reserves evaluator, in accordance with National Instrument 51-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities (NI 51-101) and the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook (the COGE Handbook) and using Sproule’s December 31, 2023 price forecasts.

    Reserve estimates, contingent resource estimates and estimates of future net revenue in respect of IPC’s oil and gas assets in France and Malaysia are effective as of December 31, 2023, and are included in the report prepared by ERC Equipoise Ltd. (ERCE), an independent qualified reserves auditor, in accordance with NI 51-101 and the COGE Handbook, and using Sproule’s December 31, 2023 price forecasts.

    The price forecasts used in the Sproule and ERCE reports are available on the website of Sproule (sproule.com) and are contained in the AIF. These price forecasts are as at December 31, 2023 and may not be reflective of current and future forecast commodity prices.

    The reserve life index (RLI) is calculated by dividing the 2P reserves of 468 MMboe as at December 31, 2023 by the mid-point of the 2024 CMD production guidance of 46,000 to 48,000 boepd.

    IPC uses the industry-accepted standard conversion of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one barrel of oil (6 Mcf = 1 bbl). A BOE conversion ratio of 6:1 is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. As the value ratio between natural gas and crude oil based on the current prices of natural gas and crude oil is significantly different from the energy equivalency of 6:1, utilizing a 6:1 conversion basis may be misleading as an indication of value.

    Supplemental Information regarding Product Types

    The following table is intended to provide supplemental information about the product type composition of IPC’s net average daily production figures provided in this press release:

      Heavy Crude Oil
    (Mbopd)    		 Light and Medium Crude Oil (Mbopd) Conventional Natural Gas (per day) Total
    (Mboepd)
    Three months ended        
    September 30, 2024 21.9 7.8 91.9 MMcf
    (15.3 Mboe)    		 45.0
    September 30, 2023 25.8 7.1 103.4 MMcf
    (17.3 Mboe)    		 50.2
    Nine months ended        
    September 30, 2024 23.7 7.9 94.8 MMcf
    (15.8 Mboe)    		 47.4
    September 30, 2023 25.9 8.6 102.4 MMcf
    (17.1 Mboe)    		 51.6
    Year ended        
    December 31, 2023 25.8 8.1 102.8 MMcf
    (17.1 Mboe)    		 51.1
             

    This press release also makes reference to IPC’s forecast total average daily production of 46,000 to 48,000 boepd for 2024. IPC estimates that approximately 50% of that production will be comprised of heavy oil, approximately 16% will be comprised of light and medium crude oil and approximately 34% will be comprised of conventional natural gas.

    Currency
    All dollar amounts in this press release are expressed in United States dollars, except where otherwise noted. References herein to USD mean United States dollars and to MUSD mean millions of United States dollars. References herein to CAD mean Canadian dollars.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: US election day voting begins with first ballots cast in New Hampshire

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Voters in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, went to the polls early Tuesday morning, marking the official start of Election Day voting for the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

    Six registered voters of the tiny town in northeastern United States cast their ballots at midnight, following a tradition that dates back decades ago.

    Amid heightened security for fears of violence and chaos, the vast majority of polling stations across the country open on Tuesday morning and will remain open until the evening.

    Prior to this, tens of millions of voters across the country have already cast their ballots early, either by voting in person at polling stations or by mail. According to data from the University of Florida’s Election Lab, as of Monday night, more than 82 million voters had already cast their ballots.

    This election is widely regarded as one of the most divisive in American history. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump have repeatedly warned against potentially catastrophic consequences inflicted on the country if the other is elected. Voters hold vastly different views on key issues such as the economy, immigration, and abortion rights.

    According to an annual survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, 77 percent of U.S. adults said the future of the nation was a significant source of stress in their lives. Additionally, 74 percent said they were worried that the election results could lead to violence.

    “I would hope that whoever wins the presidential election will handle it gracefully, and whoever doesn’t win, likewise, will handle it gracefully,” Annmarie Pintal, one of the just six voters registered to vote in Dixville Notch, told Xinhua.

    “We need unity. We need to come together on the common ground, and, be willing to set aside our differences,” said Scott Maxwell, another voter in the small town. 

    MIL OSI China News –