NewzIntel.com

Category: housing

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Call for information – Aggravated burglary – Palmerston

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force is calling for information after an aggravated burglary occurred in Palmerston this morning.

    Around 7am, police received reports of an unlawful entry at an address on Star Court, Woodroffe.

    A neighbour at a nearby residence was alerted by the sound of items smashing and later attended the home, where they located a 71-year-old male on the ground injured.

    It is alleged that two offenders assaulted the victim with an edged weapon, before stealing his grey Ford Territory station wagon.

    Police and St John Ambulance attended, and the victim was conveyed to Royal Darwin Hospital in a serious but stable condition where he remains for treatment.

    A crime scene has been established, and investigations are ongoing.

    Police urge anyone with information about the incident to make contact on 131 444. Please quote reference number P25089324. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Myanmar: Urgent Humanitarian Needs Mount After Major Earthquakes – Press Conference | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Melissa Lee Hein, World Food Program (WFP) Head of Communications in Myanmar said that the needs in the country are “huge, and support is needed. That support includes an end to the conflict, free and unimpeded humanitarian access, and also the resources to meet the needs.”

    Addressing the press virtually today (01 Apr), Hein said “What we know is as of today, almost 3000 are dead and thousands more injured and missing, and the devastation is really alarming. Colleagues are reporting buildings turned to rubble, homes destroyed and significant and significant damage to road and bridges and other infrastructures. Electricity supplies are still down in many places and phone communication is patchy at best. And added to this the destruction of hospitals and a lack of clean water.”

    She highlighted, “Before the earthquake, the humanitarian needs in Myanmar were already huge. We know that 20 million people were in need of humanitarian support, 15 million facing food insecurity, and more than three and a half million people displaced by the conflict over the past four years. So, the earthquake on Friday has made a bad situation really so much worse. And while people are resilient, after years of conflict and successive disasters, many have little or nothing to fall back on.”

    She continued, “After the earthquake, a state of emergency was declared across six states and regions. Among the worst affected are Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Shan and Sagaing. And what we’re seeing is that the effect of the earthquake is largely concentrated in the northwest dry zone. And this is an area that was already suffering with chronic poverty, ongoing conflict and frequent displacement.”

    She said, “Just 48 hours after the earthquake hit, the World Food Program was delivering emergency food supplies to people in Nay Pyi Taw. That was on Sunday. On Monday, teams started to provide food and cash assistance in Shan and Sagaing. And today, distributions of emergency food from WFP started in Mandalay.”

    She also said, “People are sleeping outside. If they’re lucky they have maybe a sheet or a tarp for cover and some have nothing. In one of the worst parts of the city, WFP team said that almost every house had been destroyed either by the earthquake or a major fire that followed in that area. So, people are anxious and afraid even if buildings are standing many don’t want to return home for fear of collapse, aftershocks are still a regular occurrence.”

    Responding to the immediate health needs of the thousands of people injured in the strong earthquakes that rocked Myanmar, WFP has provided nearly 3 tons of medical supplies to hospitals in the worst hit Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay.

    The supplies comprising of trauma kits and multipurpose tents have reached a 1000 bedded hospital in Nay Pyi Taw and is soon reaching the Mandalay General Hospital, the two main hospitals treating the injured in these areas.

    These supplies were rushed from the emergency stockpile in Yangon to the earthquake affected areas within 24 hours of two strong earthquakes of 7.7 magnitude and 6.4 magnitude hitting central Myanmar on Friday.

    Rescue operations are ongoing. Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Shan South and East and Sagaing are among the worst hit.

    According to WFP, Hospitals are overwhelmed with thousands of injured in need of medical care.

    The supplies that reached the hospitals today comprised of multipurpose tents to also create space for the increasing number of injured; and trauma kits to treat severe wounds and fractures.

    WHO is preparing the second dispatch comprising of Inter-Agency Emergency Health Kits tomorrow morning, with each kit having supplies to treat 10 000 people for three months.

    WHO is providing operational support to the rapid response teams deployed in the hospitals of the affected areas.

    Preparations are on for WHO and partners to roll out a rapid needs assessment to better understand needs and gaps in the affected areas for a tailored response.

    The scale of deaths, injuries and damage to health facilities are not yet fully understood.

    The casualties are likely to be highest in urban areas of Mandalay, Sagaing and Nay Pyi Taw where the earthquakes caused largescale destruction of structures and building.

    As per initial reports, in Nay Pyi Taw some public and private health facilities including a large polyclinic have been damaged.

    Information from Sagaing is limited as electricity and communication is largely disrupted.

    WHO has reached out to the global Emergency Medical Teams Network to identify teams willing to be deployed with field hospitals in Myanmar. So far 26 EMTs have expressed interest.

    The situation in Myanmar is concerning in view of the huge demand on the already fragile healthcare in conflict-hit areas.

    Prior to these earthquake, 12.9 million people were estimated to be in need of humanitarian health interventions in Myanmar in 2025.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZLsDeaiE74

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI China: Taiwan’s government and civil society ready to join international efforts to assist Myanmar in postdisaster reconstruction

    Source: Republic of Taiwan – Ministry of Foreign Affairs

    Taiwan’s government and civil society ready to join international efforts to assist Myanmar in postdisaster reconstruction

    • Date：2025-03-30
    • Data Source：Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs

    March 30, 2025
    No. 084

    A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on March 28, causing significant casualties and vast property damage. In response, Taiwan’s government and nongovernmental organizations quickly mobilized needed resources. Through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Myanmar, the Taiwan government expressed concern to the government of Myanmar and conveyed Taiwan’s readiness to assist in rescue operations.

    While Myanmar was formulating a coordinated response, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung instructed TECO in Myanmar to establish a single contact window (email: mmr@mofa.gov.tw; phone: +95-9-427355550) to ensure that Taiwan’s assistance efforts could proceed smoothly. It would be responsible for coordinating and tallying the forms of assistance that related Taiwan agencies and groups could provide and then contacting the Myanmar government, affected areas, and related institutions, as appropriate.

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) stresses that the government of Taiwan is both able and willing to provide assistance. It also appreciates that Taiwanese NGOs have shown initiative and are working together to extend care and support to people in affected areas, highlighting Taiwan’s humanitarian concern. MOFA hopes that the concerted efforts by the Taiwan government and civil society can help speed up postdisaster reconstruction in Myanmar so that people there can rebuild their homes and resume a normal life. (E) 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Press release – Parliament endorses new fisheries protocol with Guinea-Bissau

    Source: European Parliament

    MEPs gave their consent on Wednesday to the updated fisheries agreement with Guinea Bissau, granting 41 EU vessels access to the country’s waters for the next five years.

    Under the new protocol, a total of 28 freezer tuna seiners and surface longliners and 13 pole-and-line tuna vessels, from Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Portugal, are allowed to fish in Guinea-Bissau’s waters. Altogether, European fishers are authorised to catch up to 3,500 gross registered tonnage (GRT) of cephalopods and 3,700 GRT of shrimp annually until 2029. Small pelagic species are off limits owing to the state of the stocks and low uptake.

    In exchange, the EU will provide €85 million in funding over the five years. This consists of €17 million per year, with €4.5 million set aside annually to promote Guinea-Bissau’s sustainable fisheries management and to support local fishing communities. This is an increase of €1.4 million per year, compared with the previous agreement.

    In addition to the EU’s contribution, ship-owners will pay licence and capture fees to the country’s administration. The global EU contribution to Guinea-Bissau will therefore surpass €100 million for the five-year period.

    Provisionally applied since 18 September 2024, the new protocol was approved in plenary by 518 votes in favour, 104 against and 61 abstentions.

    Better support for local fisheries

    With 605 votes in favour, 68 against and 10 abstentions, MEPs also approved a set of recommendations for the Commission and Guinea-Bissau’s authorities to consider during future negotiations and when applying the current protocol.

    Parliament wants to ensure that the deal really does support the development of local fisheries. Guinea-Bissau’s infrastructure must be improved to secure market access for local fish. Cooperation is meanwhile needed to enable Guinea-Bissau to export its fishery products.

    MEPs are concerned that “Guinea-Bissau is fast emerging as a flag-of-convenience country”. They note that the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU fishing) is being held back by a lack of transparency regarding vessel ownership. Parliamentarians therefore call on the EU to mobilise technical and financial assistance to strengthen, monitor, and control fishing activities, prevent IUU fishing and combat reflagging strategies.

    Quote

    Rapporteur Eric Sargiacomo (S&D, FR) said: “the Commission should improve monitoring and ensure that sectoral cooperation is geared more towards local food security needs, social conditions on board vessels, and recognition of the participation of women in coastal communities”.

    Background

    In terms of the funds involved, the agreement with Guinea-Bissau is the EU’s second most important fisheries partnership deal with a third country , second only to the agreement with Mauritania.

    Although fishing represents 15% of Guinea-Bissau’s government revenue, the country cannot export seafood to the EU because it does not meet EU health and sanitary requirements. It is estimated that only 3% of catches made by foreign vessels in Guinea Bissau’s fishing zone are landed in the country.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Highlights – NEW TIMING: ICM “Affordable Housing for All” – Wednesday 9 April 2025, 15:00-18:00 – Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

    Source: European Parliament

    The European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) will host an Interparliamentary Committee Meeting (ICM) titled “Affordable Housing for All – Policy Approaches and Best Practice Cases in the Member States.” The event will take place at the European Parliament in Brussels (Antall 6Q2) on Wednesday, 9 April 2025, from 15:00 to 18:00.

    Organised in cooperation with the Special Committee on the Housing Crisis (HOUS), the meeting will address the escalating housing crisis across Europe and explore policy solutions at both the EU and Member State levels. Discussions will focus on the social and economic impacts of rising housing costs, mass tourism, and short-term rentals, which have limited access to affordable housing and affected employment and social welfare. The event will bring together representatives from the European Parliament, national parliaments, EU institutions, and key NGOs to assess these challenges and align efforts with the European Affordable Housing Plan. Participants will also exchange successful strategies and best practices to identify effective, adaptable housing policies across the EU.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Social Climate Fund (SCF) and limited liability housing companies in Finland – E-001228/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001228/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Maria Ohisalo (Verts/ALE)

    A limited liability housing company[1] is a home ownership model in Finland. It is the most common way to own an apartment in Finland and does not exist elsewhere in the EU. More than one third of homes owned in Finland are apartments in these housing companies.

    The Emissions Trading System (ETS2) will cover and address the CO2 emissions from fuel combustion in buildings. In the spirit of the just transition, it is important that the most vulnerable households, including the homeowners in housing companies, receive support for changing from fossil fuel-based heating systems to more climate-friendly alternatives.

    The ETS2 specifies that Member States should determine the use of revenues from the auctioning of allowances to decarbonise the heating of buildings and to provide financial support for low-income households in the worst-performing buildings. The economic support is distributed via the SCF.

    As renovations are carried out by the limited liability housing company – not an individual – a question arises as to whether these companies qualify to receive economic support from the ETS2. This is a question of equal treatment of homeowners in Finland.

    Will the Commission ensure that Finnish limited liability housing companies are able to receive support from the SCF, thereby ensuring the equal treatment of homeowners, and what measures does it intend to take to do so?

    Submitted: 24.3.2025

    • [1] https://stat.fi/meta/kas/asunto_osakeyht_en.html.
    Last updated: 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Ecodesign – local space heaters – E-001230/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001230/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Asger Christensen (Renew)

    In recent years, the Commission has been rolling out its ecodesign requirements for various products, including local space heaters.

    The European Committee of Manufacturers of Domestic Heating and Cooking Appliances has warned that the draft proposal for ecodesign for solid fuel local space heaters, published on 24 January 2025, then redacted, would see nearly 100 % of their members’ products removed from the market.

    In the light of the above, can the Commission clarify:

    • 1.Solid fuel local space heaters are essential for many rural households to heat homes in an affordable way. Has the Commission considered the energy poverty implications of limiting access to these cost-effective heating options?
    • 2.Given manufacturers’ concerns that the proposed changes are unachievable within the given time limits, how does the Commission intend to ensure that standards are both ecologically ambitious and realistically attainable?
    • 3.What guarantees can the Commission give businesses that any future process for ecodesign will ensure transparency and adequate stakeholder engagement to address the concerns of affected industries and consumers?

    Submitted: 24.3.2025

    Last updated: 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Spain: EIB Group and BBVA provide €185 million for sustainable housing projects promoted by small businesses and mid-caps

    Source: European Investment Bank

    • The EIB Group has invested more than €90 million in a BBVA asset-backed securitisation operation.
    • This EIB investment will allow BBVA to mobilise some €185 million in financing for sustainable housing projects in Spain.
    • The operation is backed by InvestEU, an EU programme that aims to unlock over €372 billion in investment by 2027.

    The EIB Group – made up of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) – has signed a new €93 million synthetic securitisation operation with BBVA for 100% green projects. This investment will allow BBVA to mobilise around €185 million to finance the construction of residential buildings with near-zero emissions by small and medium firms (SMEs) and mid-caps in Spain’s real estate sector.

    The operation is guaranteed by InvestEU, the EU programme to mobilise public and private investment. It will give SMEs and mid-caps that promote sustainable housing easier access to financing on favourable terms that would not otherwise be available for such projects.

    The projects financed by this operation will improve energy efficiency, reduce CO2 emissions and help mitigate climate change. A significant number of these projects are expected to be implemented in cohesion regions where the income per capita is below the EU average.

    This operation is one more demonstration of the EIB Group’s role of promoting new financial instruments like securitisation that help unlock capital for green projects, reduce the risk borne by sponsoring financial institutions and strengthen the EU capital markets union.

    The agreement with BBVA supports the strategic priorities of the EIB Group, which include climate action, access to affordable and sustainable housing, cohesion and the capital markets union.

    The securitisation is on a portfolio of over €1.4 billion in loans to SMEs in which BBVA will retain the senior and junior tranches, and the EIB Group will guarantee the mezzanine tranche of €93 million. It has been structured to meet the STS criteria (simple, transparent and standardised), and includes a synthetic excess spread mechanism and uses pro rata amortisation (which may be changed to sequential).

    Background information  

    EIB 

    The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, high-impact investments outside the European Union, and the capital markets union.  

    The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.  

    All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment.  

    Fostering market integration and mobilising investment, the Group supported a record of over €100 billion in new investment for Europe’s energy security in 2024 and mobilised €110 billion in growth capital for startups, scale-ups and European pioneers. Approximately half of the EIB’s financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower than the EU average.

    High-quality, up-to-date photos of our headquarters for media use are available here.

    About InvestEU

    The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps mobilise private investment for EU policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. InvestEU brings together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments available to support investment in the European Union, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners that invest in projects, leveraging on the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increasing their risk-bearing capacity and mobilising at least €372 billion in additional investment.

    About BBVA

    BBVA is a global financial services group founded in 1857. The bank is present in more than 25 countries, has a strong leadership position in the Spanish market, is the largest financial institution in Mexico and it has leading franchises in South America and Turkey.

    BBVA contributes with its activity to the progress and welfare of all its stakeholders: shareholders, clients, employees, providers and society in general. In this regard, BBVA supports families, entrepreneurs and companies in their plans, and helps them to take advantage of the opportunities provided by innovation and technology.  Likewise, BBVA offers its customers a unique value proposition, leveraged on technology and data, helping them improve their financial health with personalized information on financial decision-making.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF UNION TERRITORIES

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 02 APR 2025 4:20PM by PIB Delhi

    The Government has taken various steps for the economic development of Union Territories (UTs) through strategic interventions across various sectors including tourism, digital/telecom connectivity, road/air/sea connectivity, governance reforms, industry, employment, etc. This has led to sustainable economic growth, attracted investments and improved living standards.

    Tourism has been identified as a key sector due to its multiplier effect. The Government is actively promoting various kinds of traditional and experimental forms of tourism like eco-tourism, wildlife tourism, adventure tourism, spiritual and wellness tourism, heritage tourism, tourist circuits, astro-tourism, cruise tourism, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism etc. For example, the first-ever dark sky reserve of the country has been set up in Hanle in the UT of Ladakh; the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (DNH&DD) has developed world-class sea fronts and premier river fronts; eco-tourism resorts are being developed in the island UTs. All these initiatives have resulted in a boost to tourism and other allied economic activities in the UTs.

    Internet/broadband and mobile/digital connectivity in all the UTs, including the Island UTs, have been considerably enhanced. Connectivity has been revolutionised in the island UTs through the commissioning of the Chennai Andaman Nicobar Islands (CANI) Optical Fiber Cable Project at a cost of about ₹ 1,224 crore in A&NI and the Kochi Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Project (KLI Project), with a cost of about

    ₹1,072 crore in Lakshadweep. In the UT of A&NI, bandwidth utilization (including inter-island) has increased from 4.1 Gbps to 233 Gbps, internet speed has increased from 100 kbps to up to 300 Mbps, total mobile connections have increased to about 7.5 lakh and Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH)

    services have increased to more than 37,365. 5G services were also launched in the UT. Similarly, with the commissioning of the KLI Project, bandwidth utilization (including inter-island) has increased to 149 Gbps, internet speed availability is up to 1 Gbps, total mobile connections have increased to about 87,000 and FTTH services have increased to 7,500. These projects have benefitted the public significantly through enhanced online access in the fields of education, tele-medicine, e-commerce, digital governance, tourism etc.

    The various initiatives of the Government have led to reduced cost of data, increased mobile and internet/broadband penetration, increase in internet teledensity, and higher internet/broadband speeds directly to home and offices across the UTs.

    The Government has also been focusing on development of air, road and sea connectivity in the UTs. Strategic infrastructure like roads, expressways, construction of new tunnels/bridges, development of ports, expansion of airports, development of helipads etc. has been created in the recent years. A new terminal building of Veer Savarkar International Airport at Sri Vijaya Puram has come up with a capacity to handle 50 lakh passengers per year; ‘Azad Hind Fauj Setu’ on Humphrey Strait has significantly improved the road connectivity in the island UT of A&NI. 

    Several infrastructure projects to boost road connectivity have also been completed/underway in other UTs, like the construction of the Z-Morh tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir and the construction of the Zojila tunnel in the UT of Ladakh.

    Several steps have been taken to bring in governance reforms in the UTs and to promote ease of doing business. To promote industry and business activities, steps have been taken to significantly reduce compliance burden. Single window clearance systems have been put in place to enable faster clearance of proposals. UTs have implemented suitable policies to promote businesses and entrepreneurship including industrial policy, land allotment policy, start-up policy, logistics policy, policies to promote handicrafts, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through suitable incentivisation etc. Investment promotion schemes have been formulated which provide for capital and interest subsidy. The thrust sectors identified are tourism, manufacturing, production, IT and ITes, shipping, agriculture, fisheries etc.

    The Government is also focused on employment generation and skill development. The Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme, PM Vishwakarma, Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme, PM SVANidhi etc. are being effectively 

    implemented in the UTs with an aim to generate employment, and to provide financial and skill development support. UTs have also identified certain priority economic sectors for accelerated economic growth of UTs, based on their unique strengths and resources, such as developing a Blue Economy, transforming into regional knowledge/IT/medical hubs, promoting tourism etc.

    The Government’s policy of zero tolerance towards corruption and introduction of IT enabled initiatives have brought greater accountability, transparency and financial transformation resulting in a big push to businesses in the UTs and also promoting them as new drivers of economic prosperity (Aatmanirbhar Arthavyavastha) and Viksit Bharat.

    Initiatives under Aatmanirbhar Bharat have been taken to provide better services to consumers and improvement in operational and financial efficiency in electricity distribution in certain UTs.

    Further, a robust monitoring mechanism has been put in place to monitor the implementation of various flagship/development schemes and programmes of Government of India in the UTs.

    It is the endeavour of Government of India to make UTs role models of good governance and development. Moreover, it is envisioned to holistically 

    develop the island UTs as global hubs of tourism, raise the standard and quality of living of residents in UTs, create better infrastructure including social infrastructure, achieve saturation of health and educational indicators, enhance health infrastructure to ensure universal access to quality healthcare, promote green energy etc. This is a continuous process.

    The Government has taken various positive initiatives to promote renewable and green energy in Union Territories through various schemes i.e. National Solar Mission, PM-KUSUM, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, the National Green Hydrogen Mission etc.

    Under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, the UTs are providing additional subsidy in addition to the central subsidy for installation of rooftop solar in residential and government buildings. Grid-connected Rooftop Solar Plants are being promoted and installed in the UTs. The UT of Jammu & Kashmir has installed a 100kW solar power project in Dal Lake. Further, Pilot Green Hydrogen Plant are also being set up in UT of Ladakh. In addition, initiatives for waste-to-energy have been undertaken for the promotion of clean and green energy.

    To promote green energy generation and consumption, the Government of India has notified the Electricity (Promoting Renewable Energy through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2022. In line with the 

    above, the UTs of Puducherry and Delhi have implemented Green Energy Open Access (GEOA). In the UT of Puducherry, Green Energy Tariff has been notified. The UTs have notified various policies, including renewable energy policy, solar policy, EV policy etc. Further, in some of the UTs, generation- based incentive is given to the consumers for generation of solar energy.

    These initiatives have resulted in reduced carbon emissions and reduced the electricity cost for the consumers.

    This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Shri Nityanand Rai in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

     ****

    RK/VV/ASH/RR/PR/PS

    (Release ID: 2117799) Visitor Counter : 66

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Funds released during 2023-2024 for the state of Jharkhand under EMRS is Rs 23,915.13: Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Shri Durga Das Uikey

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 02 APR 2025 4:04PM by PIB Delhi

    The Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Shri Durga Das Uikey informed in Rajya Sabha today that as per Census 2011 the literacy rate among tribals states of Jharkhand is below:

    Male

    Female

    All

    68.2

    46.2

    57.1

    The specific measures taken by the government to increase literacy and education among STs and thereby diminishing gaps are covered by the following schemes/abhiyans especially for the state of Jharkhand is given below. As per information given by Jharkhand State Government, the seats in 81 Scheduled Tribe Residential School have been increased from 12520 to 31420 to increase enrollment of Scheduled Tribe vide resolution no.2429 dated 04.09.2024.

    Further the Students are being provided scholarship and cycle by the government. As per department resolution 697 date 14.03.2024 20 Ashram residential School are being operated/run by non-governmental organizations. The distribution of Post Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Tribe is being done by E-Kalyan portal. For the academic year 2023-24 13976 beneficiaries were covered and Rs.23490.470 lakhs were given.

    Other major steps taken by Ministry of Tribal Affairs is given below: –

    EMRS: – The Central Sector Scheme of Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) was revamped in the year 2018-19 to provide quality education at par with Navodaya Vidyalaya to the tribal children in their own environment. Under the new scheme, Government decided to establish 440 EMRSs, one EMRS in every block having more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons (as per census 2011). 90 EMRS has been sanctioned in Jharkhand of which 51 are functional.

    The funds released for the state of Jharkhand in EMRS is given below in Rs. lakh: –

    State

    2021-22

    2022-23

    2023-24

    Jharkhand

    11,309.20

    23,562.27

    23,915.13

     

    Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) catering to students from Class VI to XII of Jharkhand is given below: –

    State

    2021-22

    2022-23

    2023-24

    Jharkhand

    3051

    3201

    3202

     

    The following scholarship schemes are also implemented by MoTA

     

    a)   Pre-Matric Scholarship for ST students (Class IX and X)

    b) Post Matric Scholarship for ST students (Class XI and above)

    c) National Fellowship for Higher Education for ST students.

    d) National Scholarship for Higher Education for ST students (Top Class)

    e) National Overseas Scholarship for ST students

     

      Fund released for Scholarship for the year 2021-22 to 2023-24 is given below in Rs. Lakh: –

    State

    2021-22

    2022-23

    2023-24

    Jharkhand

    17048.94

    527.11

    11815.56

     

    PM JANMAN: -Under Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) launched on 15th November 2023 targeted at the socio-economic development of 75 PVTG communities residing in 18 states and one UT. One of the interventions is construction of 500 hostels under Samagra Shiksha which is being implemented by the Ministry of Education. As of now schemes 10 hostels have been sanctioned in Jharkhand and funds allotted are Rs.27.5cr.

    DAJGUA: – Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan was launched on 2nd October, 2024. The Abhiyan comprises of 25 interventions implemented by 17-line Ministries and aims to saturate infrastructural gaps in 63,843 villages, improve access to health, education, Anganwadi facilities and providing livelihood opportunities benefiting more than 5 crore tribals in 549 districts and 2,911 blocks in 30 States/UTs in 5 years. Each Ministry has been allocated budget and targets under Abhiyan and responsible for implementing the intervention assigned to it. The Abhiyan aims at Saturation through convergence and outreach.

    Under Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, one of the interventions is construction of 1000 hostels under Samagra Shiksha which is being implemented by Ministry of Education. Further, upgradation & improving infrastructure of Ashram Schools, Hostels, Govt./State Tribal Residential schools is also covered under the Abhiyan which is to be considered by Ministry of Tribal Affairs based on the proposals from State Governments.

    Development Action Plan for the Scheduled Tribes (DAPST) Serves as a comprehensive financial framework to ensure the allocation and utilization of funds across various ministries for the development and welfare of Scheduled Tribes (STs). It encompasses a wide range of schemes and interventions targeting the overall socio-economic development of STs.

    The Budgetary Allocation Significantly increased from ₹21525.36 crore (actual) in 2013-14 annually to ₹1,27,434.20 crore in the year 2025-26, involving 41 Ministries, including the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. 41 Ministries including Mota are mandated to set aside specific percentage schemes budget annually under DAPST for e g. MoRD is to side 17.5% of its budget of schemes for STs.

    Department of School Education and Literacy have taken a range of initiatives to ensure that all children are enrolled in schools and complete their school education. Some of the key initiatives like Samagra Shiksha Scheme which reaches out to girls, and children belonging to SC, ST, Minority communities and transgender. It focuses as on special focus Districts on the basis of adverse performance.

    Special residential school have also been run for girls from class vi to xii. This is for all states including Jharkhand and Tribals girls are also beneficiaries. Presently a total of 183440 ST girls are beneficiaries at all India level. National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS), Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) and ULLAS: Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society/NILP primally aimed at literacy is also being done which is benefiting tribals.

    *******

    RN/PIB

     

    (Release ID: 2117791) Visitor Counter : 76

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: COMPENSATION FOR MARTYRED PERSONNEL FROM CAPFs

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 02 APR 2025 4:21PM by PIB Delhi

    The details of the compensation, ex-gratia payments, and other benefits provided to the families of deceased Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles (AR) personnel are annexed.

    The Government has increased financial assistance for the families of deceased CAPFs personnel time to time. The details of major last enhancement are as under: –

    S.N.

    Particular

    Details      of     enhancement    of

    financial assistance.

    From

    To

    1.

    Central Ex-gratia.

     

     

     

    (i)                 Death         due         to accidents in bonafide

    Government duty.

    Rs. 10 Lakhs

    Rs. 25 Lakhs

     

    (ii)  Death occurring in border skirmishes and action against militants, terrorists, extremists,                                             sea pirates and specified high                                            altitude, inaccessible  border

    posts,

     

    Rs. 15 Lakhs

    Rs. 35 Lakhs

    2.

    Death-cum-retirement       gratuity

    (DCRG) (Maximum limit)

    Rs. 20 Lakhs

    Rs. 25 Lakhs

    3.

    Financial assistance from Bharat

    ke Veer Trust.

    Rs. 15 Lakhs

    Rs. 25 Lakhs

    4.

    Risk Fund.

    Rs. 20 Lakhs

    Rs. 30 Lakhs

    5.

    Central Armed Police Salary Package (CAPSP)- Accidental death insurance.

    Rs. 60 Lakhs

    Rs. 1.10 Cr.

    6.

    Medical Allowance.

    Rs.       500/-      Per

    month.

    Rs.        1000/-

    Per month.

    7.

    Extraordinary family pension

    Rs.      7,000/-    per

    month

    Rs.     18,000/-

    per month

     

    Year/Force wise details of CAPFs & AR personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty during last five years are as under:-

     

    Year/ Force

    2020

    2021

    2022

    2023

    2024

    Grand Total

    CRPF

    26

    12

    10

    6

    12

    66

    BSF

    9

    14

    19

    16

    21

    79

    ITBP

    4

    6

    13

    9

    6

    38

    SSB

    1

    0

    1

    0

    0

    2

    CISF

    0

    0

    1

    0

    0

    1

    AR

    5

    6

    1

    1

    0

    13

    Total

    45

    38

    45

    32

    39

    199

     

    The following employment, education and health care benefits are also available for the dependents of deceased CAPFs & AR personnel:-

     

    1. Appointment on compassionate ground: – 5% vacancies are reserved in Group-C for appointment for the Next of Kins (NoKs)/ dependents of the deceased CAPFs & AR personnel.

     

    1. Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme (PMSS): Launched to encourage

     

    higher technical and professional education among the wards and widows of CAPF and Assam Rifles personnel, the scheme offers 2,000 scholarships annually (1,000 for boys and 1,000 for girls). The scholarship amounts are

    ₹3,000 per month for girls and ₹2,500 per month for boys, disbursed annually as ₹36,000 and ₹30,000, respectively.

     

    1. Quota for wards of CAPF:- 26 seats in MBBS & 03 seats in BDS have been reserved for the wards of serving/deceased CAPFs & AR personnel.

     

    1. Medical   Facilities:    Retired    personnel/NoKs   of    deceased   CAPF

     

    personnel are entitled to receive medical facilities from CGHS/CPMF Hospitals or a medical allowance of ₹1000 per month.

    *****

    The Government of India has taken several welfare initiatives for the personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and their families. These initiatives encompass financial assistance, educational support, housing, and rehabilitation services.

    • Ayushman CAPF: It is an initiative launched by the Government of India under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) specifically for personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and their families. It provides cashless and paperless medical treatment at empanelled private and government hospitals across India
    • Ex-Gratia Payments: In the unfortunate event of death due to accidents during duty, CAPF personnel’s next of kin receives ₹25 lakh. For deaths resulting from acts of violence by terrorists or during enemy action, the compensation is ₹35 lakh.
    • Accidental death insurance coverage under CAPF salary package scheme: This policy offers financial support to the families of personnel who lose their lives in the line of duty.
    • Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme (PMSS): Launched to encourage higher technical and professional education among the wards and widows of CAPF and Assam Rifles personnel, the scheme offers 2,000 scholarships annually (1,000 for boys and 1,000 for girls). The scholarship amounts are ₹3,000 per month for girls and ₹2,500 per month for boys, disbursed annually as ₹36,000 and ₹30,000, respectively.
    • Contributory Welfare Fund:- Necessary guidelines issued to bring uniformity in payout to the Next of Kins (NoKs) of deceased CAPF personnel from Contributory Welfare Fund.
    • Quota for wards of CAPF:- 26 seats in MBBS & 03 seats in BDS have been reserved for the wards of serving/deceased CAPFs & AR personnel.
    • CAPF e-Awas Portal: A dedicated online platform facilitates the registration and allotment of residential quarters to CAPF personnel. The portal also provides services such as retention and regularization of accommodations.
    • Welfare and Rehabilitation Board (WARB): Established to oversee the welfare and rehabilitation of retired CAPF personnel and their families, including the next of kin of deceased or disabled personnel, WARB operates through State and District Welfare Officers across the country.
    • “CAPF Punarvaas” scheme: – A “CAPF Punarvaas” scheme was launched by linking Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act (PSARA) website with WARB website where the data of retired and willing Ex- CAPF/AR personnel is made available to Private Security Agencies on PSARA website for re-employment in Private Security Agencies.
    • Medical Facilities: Retired personnel and their spouses receive medical facilities from CGHS/CPMF Hospitals or a medical allowance of ₹1000 per month.
    • Risk and Hardship Allowances: Enhancements have been made to the existing risk and hardship allowances for CAPF personnel deployed in Jammu and Kashmir and Left-Wing Extremism affected districts.
    • Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandar (KPKB): Formerly known as the Central Police Canteen, KPKB provides quality products to CAPF personnel at discounted rates through direct negotiations with suppliers.
    • Liberalized Pension Awards (LPA) and Extraordinary Family Pension (EFP): There are special pension schemes designed for the families of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel who suffer death or disability due to operational hazards, ensuring financial security for their dependents.
    • Bharat Ke Veer: It is an initiative launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to support the families of deceased Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel. It enables citizens to contribute financially to the families of soldiers who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.

    This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Shri Nityanand Rai in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

    *****

    RK/VV/ASH/RR/PR/PS

    (Release ID: 2117803) Visitor Counter : 52

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – European collaboration to protect cultural heritage – Commission measures to recover priceless Dacian artefacts following the heist at the Drents Museum – P-000330/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    In line with the EU action plan against trafficking in cultural goods[1] the Commissions supports Member States in tackling cultural goods theft.

    1. The EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation[2] supports the setup of joint investigation teams for cross-border investigations into cultural goods trafficking. Romania and the Netherlands have set up a joint investigation team regarding the theft from the Drents Museum[3]. The EU Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation[4] has a special point of contact for cultural goods trafficking. U nder the EU-funded European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats[5], there are dedicated operational actions against cultural goods trafficking.

    2. Beyond these operational actions, the Commission continues implementing the EU action plan. The EU is funding projects[6] that address the challenging issue of cultural goods trafficking. Measures include law enforcement capacity building, tools to detect trafficked items and monitor online marketplaces, protection of cultural heritage sites by drones or satellite imagery, supporting practitioners’ networks and awareness raising.

    The Commission has also launched a project with the International Council of Museums[7], including support to a selected number of museums.

    The Commission furthermore is conducting a study on improving traceability of cultural goods in the EU, to provide recommendations to Member States on setting up stolen cultural goods databases.

    • [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52022DC0800
    • [2] https://www.eurojust.europa.eu/
    • [3] https://www.eurojust.europa.eu/news/romania-and-netherlands-set-joint-investigation-team-theft-precious-historic-art-dutch-museum
    • [4] https://www.europol.europa.eu/
    • [5] https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/law-enforcement-cooperation/empact-fighting-crime-together_en
    • [6] For examples of projects see https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/2cbbe3d2-a55c-11ef-85f0-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
    • [7] https://icom.museum/en/
    Last updated: 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “Battle of Creators”: make a video and get a contract from a major brand

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    The State University of Management invites students to take part in the new season of the creative video content competition “Battle of Creators”, which is being implemented with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives.

    The competition will give students interested in developing in the creative field the opportunity to gain significant professional experience and cash prizes for the videos they create. Student media centers will be able to improve their knowledge and receive cash prizes that will allow them to develop the association.

    Anyone can take part. To do this, you need to register on the competition website and shoot a promotional video on a given topic.

    After registration, video tutorials, participant chat and support from a team of professionals will become available.

    The winners of the “Battle of Creators” will receive prizes and contracts with federal brands.

    All details on the official website and in the Vkontakte community.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/02/2025

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Defiance Launches $GLDY, Gold Enhanced Options Income ETF

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MIAMI, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Defiance ETFs is proud to announce the launch of GLDY, the Defiance Gold Enhanced Options Income ETF. GLDY offers investors a new opportunity to seek current income while gaining indirect exposure to the price movements of physical gold bullion.

    “We’re excited to introduce GLDY,” said Sylvia Jablonski, CEO of Defiance ETFs. “With GLDY, investors can access enhanced income potential tied to the price of gold—a historically resilient asset in times of economic uncertainty. As central banks continue to manage inflation and global instability persists, gold may remain a sought-after safe haven.”

    GLDY is an actively managed ETF designed to provide income while maintaining indirect exposure to the share price performance of GLD, which seeks to track the price of physical gold bullion.

    The Fund’s strategy focuses on having the ability to make monthly distributions through generating income throughout each week by regularly selling put options. Simultaneously, it aims to provide an “enhanced” yield compared to traditional option-based strategies by frequently selling short-term options, typically with a duration of less than a week.

    An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in GLD, nor in gold bullion. ● The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential options income gains if GLD shares increase in value. ● The Fund’s strategy is subject to all potential losses if GLD shares decline, which may not be offset by income received by the Fund. ● The Fund does not invest directly in GLD shares. ● The Fund does not invest directly in gold bullion. ● Fund shareholders are not entitled to any dividends paid by GLD.

    There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment.

    About Defiance ETFs
    Founded in 2018, Defiance is at the forefront of ETF innovation. Defiance is a leading ETF issuer specializing in thematic, income, and leveraged ETFs.

    Important Disclosures

    GLDY Disclosure: Defiance ETFs LLC is the ETF sponsor. The Fund’s investment adviser is Tidal Investments, LLC (“Tidal” or the “Adviser”).

    Fund holdings and sector allocations are subject to change at any time and should not be considered recommendations to buy or sell any security.

    The Funds’ investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses must be considered carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other important information about the investment company. Please read carefully before investing. A hard copy of the prospectuses can be requested by calling 833.333.9383.

    GLD is an exchange-traded product (“ETP”) that generally seeks to replicate the performance of the price of gold bullion. GLD is not subject to the protections of the1940 Act; however, the Fund and its shareholders are subject to the protections of the 1940 Act.

    Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible. As an ETF, the funds may trade at a premium or discount to NAV. Shares of any ETF are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. A portfolio concentrated in a single industry or country, may be subject to a higher degree of risk.

    Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs and ETPs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, imperfect correlation with underlying investments, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions.

    Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.

    GLD Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of GLD. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of GLD, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s investments in options contracts that are based on the value of GLD, the Fund may also be subject to the following risks:
    GLD Trading Risk. An investment in GLD is subject to substantial risks, in particular risks associated with investing in the gold market. GLD is subject to market fluctuations influenced by large-scale gold sales, especially during economic crises, which can adversely impact gold prices and, in turn, the investment value of the Shares.
    Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events.

    Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of in-the-money put option contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying ETP over the Call Period (typically, one week, but may range from one day to a month). This means that if the Underlying ETP experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold put options during a Call Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying ETP over the Call Period.

    Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

    None of the Fund, the Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, or their respective affiliates makes any representation to you as to the performance of the Index. THE FUND, TRUST, ADVISER, AND SUB-ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH, NOR ENDORSED BY, THE INDEX.

    New Fund Risk: The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.

    No 1940 Act Protections: The Underlying ETP is not an investment company subject to the 1940 Act. Accordingly, investors in the Underlying ETP do not have the protections expressly provided by that statute.

    An Investment in the Fund is not an investment in GLD, nor in gold bullion.

    Diversification does not ensure a profit nor protect against loss in a declining market.

    Commissions may be charged on trades.

    Distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC.

    David Hanono
    info@defianceetfs.com
    833.333.9383

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cc837cb4-3fe0-4e7a-9928-d88f19d2e1a6

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung Introduces SmartThings Powered ‘Customized Cooling’; delivering intelligent automation, improved energy efficiency, and comfortable sleep environment

    Source: Samsung

    The struggle of sleepless summer nights is finally over. Samsung, India’s leading consumer electronics brand, is redefining home cooling with its latest innovation – ‘Customized Cooling’. This first-of-its-kind feature synchronizes Samsung Smart Air Conditioners with WWST (Works with SmartThings) certified fans and switches, delivering uninterrupted comfort while optimizing energy efficiency.
     
    Why Do We Wake Up Tired? The Science Behind Sleep & Cooling
    India’s electricity demand is growing at 6-7% annually, driven in part by increased use of air conditioners during the summer months (IEA Report). Despite this, many households still rely on both air conditioners and fans for comfort.
     
    In fact, Samsung’s consumer experience study reveals that most of the Indian homes have at least three fans, highlighting the significant role these devices play in daily life. Moreover 50% of Indian consumer’s use both simultaneously, frequently adjusting settings throughout the night by turning the AC off when it becomes too cold or back on when the room warms up.
     
    This constant adjustment not only disrupts sleep but also leads to higher energy consumption and discomfort. Recognizing this challenge, Samsung has introduced ‘Customized Cooling’, a SmartThings-powered solution in the 2025 Bespoke AI range of Air conditioners that automatically maintains a consistently comfortable temperature throughout the night – and even during the day – without the need for manual adjustments.
     
    This seamless integration synchronizes Samsung Smart ACs with SmartThings-certified fans and switches, ensuring enhanced comfort along with reduced electricity bills.
     
    “At Samsung, we believe true comfort goes beyond cooling – it’s about intelligent, personalized experiences that adapt to the user’s needs. Indian consumers often rely on a combination of ACs and fans to stay comfortable, especially at night. With Customized Cooling, we are eliminating the hassle of frequent adjustments by seamlessly operating the 2025 Bespoke AI range of ACs with SmartThings-certified fans and switches. This brings peace of mind, energy efficiency, and uninterrupted rest,” said Ghufran Alam, Vice President, Digital Appliances, Samsung India.
     
     Moreover, while the feature is designed to optimize sleep, it’s equally useful for staying comfortable throughout the day without compromising comfort or energy savings, he further added.
     
    Smart, Energy-Efficient, and Sustainable
     
    The ‘Customized Cooling’ feature eliminates the need for manual adjustments, ensuring a balanced and restful night’s sleep. It automatically adapts to surrounding environment, adjusts fan and AC settings in sync, to maintain a comfortable room environment during sleep or any time of day, while reducing power consumption.
     
    Available within SmartThings Energy Service, the ‘Customized Cooling’ feature ensures both comfort and sustainability. The feature is compatible with WWST-certified smart fans and smart switches, allowing users to integrate it effortlessly into their smart homes.
     
    With this integrated SmartThings experience, Samsung is transforming how consumers experience home cooling. Whether it is ensuring comfortable sleep or providing smart comfort effortless during the day, the tug-of-war between AC and fan settings is finally over – because when technology works for you, comfort comes easy!
     
    About SmartThings
    SmartThings is a leading provider of smart home solutions, dedicated to making your life easier, more comfortable, and more sustainable. Our innovative products and services empower you to take control of your home environment, optimize energy usage, and create a smarter, more connected living space.
     

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Huawei Wins Nine Lightwave+BTR Innovation Reviews Awards, Hitting a Record High

    Source: Huawei

    Headline: Huawei Wins Nine Lightwave+BTR Innovation Reviews Awards, Hitting a Record High

    [Shenzhen, China, April 2, 2025] On April 1, Lightwave, a world-renowned telecom media, presented its Lightwave+BTR Innovation Reviews winners. Huawei won nine awards with its OptiXtrans DC908 Pro, C+L Dual-band WSS module, OptiXtrans DX808, OptiXtrans E9600/6600 series, OptiX OSN 9800 K36, 50G PON solution, Premium Broadband solution, FTTR-B solution, and FTTO solution. This was Huawei’s highest number of Lightwave Reviews honors and also the most of any vendor this year, demonstrating the company’s technical leadership in the optical network field.
    Huawei Wins Nine Lightwave Innovation Reviews Awards

    Lightwave has been organizing and presenting the annual Lightwave+BTR Innovation Reviews awards in optical communications for many years. The panel of judges consists of carriers, analysts, communications vendors, media, engineers, and researchers from universities. It is one of the most influential technical awards for the optical networks sector. Huawei’s nine honor-winning products and their categories are as follows:
    Huawei OptiXtrans DC908 Pro Won the DCI Platforms award
    DC908 Pro implements ultra-broadband, simplified, and intelligent all-optical interconnection between distributed data centers. The single-wavelength rate reaches up to 2 Tbps, and the single-fiber capacity reaches 96 Tbps. The innovative Storage + Optical Connection Coordination (SOCC) optimizes the protection performance from the aspects of storage I/O links and optical links, thereby greatly slashing the exception duration of financial transactions.
    Huawei C+L Dual-band WSS Module Won the Optical Components award
    The C+L-band integrated wavelength selective switch (WSS) can groom 240 wavelengths in C band and L band in any direction within one single module, doubling the module integration and grooming capability. OXC using C+L WSS can provide an optical-layer grooming capability greater than 3 Pbps.
    Huawei OptiXtrans DX808 Won the Optical Subsystems award
    OptiXtrans DX808 is an industry-leading all-optical switch used in data centers. It introduces the all-optical cross-connect (OXC) technology to data center networks (DCNs) and supports 256 x 256 non-blocking all-optical switching. The power consumption of the entire system is lower than 300 W. It also supports inter-generational reuse of DCNs at intelligent computing centers, increasing the network scale and efficiency of intelligent computing clusters.
    Huawei OptiXtrans E9600/E6600 Series Won the Optical Transport Systems award
    OptiXtrans E9600/6600 series is the industry’s first product that supports fgOTN. Designed for private production networks in industries such as electric power and transportation, it supports one network to carry different services, 10M to 100G+ elastic bandwidth, and 99.9999% ultra-high reliability, meeting deterministic computing requirements in the AI era.
    Huawei OptiX OSN 9800 K36 Won the Optical Transport Systems award
    OSN 9800 K36 is the industry’s first OTN platform for the AI era, with a single-subrack capacity of 100T, ultra-high energy efficiency, and super intelligent enabling network reliability of 99.9999%. At the recently held MWC25, the latest K12 platform with a smaller size was released, and the new hitless switching technology is introduced to improve the intelligent computing collaboration efficiency.
    Huawei 50G PON Solution Won the FTTH/Optical Access Platforms award
    Based on the MA5800T series products, the industry’s first commercial 50G PON solution supports high-density deployment of 8-port/16-port symmetric/asymmetric triple-mode 50G PON. It also supports smooth upgrade without changing existing ODNs.
    Huawei Premium Broadband Solution Won the Monitoring & Analysis award
    Premium Broadband Solution provides visible and manageable home broadband experience, and introduces AI technologies to build “HBB(Home Broadband) Agent”. It proactively identifies experience issues and performs intelligent optimization to reduce the user churn rate. For user complaints, the solution supports remote fault locating and fast handling, cutting OPEX.
    Huawei FTTR-B Solution Won the Wi-Fi Solutions award
    FTTR-B Solution supports all-optical 2000 Mbps Wi-Fi networking, ensuring committed experience for users. It supports ultra-large concurrency, guaranteeing 300 users to work at the same time. In addition, its dynamic antenna provides 100% coverage without blind spots, while its simplified O&M achieves self-service for users.
    Huawei FTTO Solution Won the Wi-Fi Solutions award
    FTTO solution has been put into commercial use in over 10,000 campuses in education, healthcare, and hotel scenarios, efficiently supporting local AI deployment in campuses. Computing is boosted with optical technologies, achieving 50G to rooms and 10G to APs, and providing higher bandwidth, more connections, and AI-based dynamic energy saving. In addition, direct fiber connection to APs supports Seamless Roaming Coordinated Network, making the solution the new normal for campuses in the AI era.
    Lightwave+BTR Editor-In-Chief Sean Buckley expressed congratulations, stating: “On behalf of the Lightwave+BTR Innovation Reviews, I would like to congratulate Huawei on achieving 9 well-deserved level honoree status. Lightwave+BTR showcases and applauds the most innovative products, projects, technologies, and programs that significantly impact the industry through this program, and it’s well-deserved that Huawei won these nine honoree reviews.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Westminster Council invests £1.3m to improving Pimlico | Westminster City Council

    Source: City of Westminster

    Westminster City Council has approved more than £1.3 million for a new programme which will deliver improvements across Pimlico.

    The new funding will be used to support and strengthen our local communities, as well as allowing us to develop long-term improvement plans for the area.

    Headline announcements for the Pimlico Programme include:

    • £1million to extend our High Streets Programme for Pimlico – this aims to create safe, sustainable, welcoming places, a vibrant local economy and connected communities. This funding will be used to develop a long-term improvement plan for Lupus street and areas around the station. We will speak to residents, visitors and local businesses to develop the plan.
    • £200,000 for the Community Priorities Programme – this provides grant funding for community-led work to support the health and wellbeing of residents, such as counselling for carers, housing advice workshops, and stay and play activities for parents and children. 
    • £50,000 for Digital Dash – provides training opportunities for local talent, bridging the gap between education and work, helping young residents access opportunities with global tech leading businesses.
    • £35,000 for Helping Hands – the Young Westminster Foundation programme providing funding and support to those members of the community who are affected by youth violence.   
    • £24,000 for Green After School Clubs at Churchill Gardens – gives residents the chance to grow food and to learn about air quality and climate change. 
    • Pimlico businesses will also benefit from new support programmes, following the approval of additional funding for high streets across Westminster.

    Westminster City Council Cabinet Member Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development, Cllr Geoff Barraclough, said:

    “We’re investing in high streets and local areas to become more sustainable, resilient and enrich the local community, which is part of our Fairer Westminster commitments.

    “I’m really pleased the funding will be used to make Pimlico even more welcoming to residents, visitors and businesses and help community groups to continue to deliver their excellent and important services.”               

    Westminster City Council’s Pimlico Programme Lead Member, Cllr Jason Williams, said:

    “We’ve worked with local people and community groups in Pimlico to find out about any issues they have and how we can tackle them through our improvement plan. 

    “We want to see Pimlico progress and improve outcomes and opportunities for local people by developing welcoming spaces, enhancing the appearance of Lupus Street the high street and supporting local organisations.”

    Maggie Harper, Coordinator from Pimlico Toy Library, said:

    “I am thrilled to see the approval of this local government fund, a testament to the open and proactive partnership between our Community and Westminster City Council. Through transparent communication and a shared vision, we’ve worked together to develop a program that will make a meaningful impact in Pimlico.

    “I am excited to see the positive changes it will bring and look forward to continuing this strong collaboration.”

    The Council carried out engagement with residents by hosting the Pimlico Community Conversations, which asked the local community how the Council can support improving and rejuvenating their local area.

    From these conversations, the community’s highest priorities were:  

    1. Community Activities, Events and Spaces 
    1. Crime and Safety 
    1. Housing 
    1. Children and Young People 
    1. Green and Resilient 

    Suggestions were also raised about a number of locations that could be improved – especially Lupus Street and the areas around Pimlico Station. The community asked for improvement to also include support for local businesses.

    The £1.3 million fund is in addition to other ongoing investment across Pimlico which includes plans for a new Community Hub on Rampayne Street, the Warwick Way Highways Scheme, improvements to Pimlico Gardens and increased CCTV for the area.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Knife and illegal vapes seized in Anfield during Community Impact Day

    Source: City of Liverpool

    A knife and one hundred illegal vapes have been discovered during a Community Impact Day in Anfield.

    The Council’s Private Sector Housing Team organised the event on Thursday 27 March, with participants including a range of the local authority’s departments as well as Liverpool Streetscene Ltd, Merseyside Police, Your Housing Group, Riverside Housing and the Breckfield Centre.

    Outcomes from the day included:

    • Residents on Chapel Road, The Coppice and Monastery Road were visited following reports of consistent anti-social behaviour
    • Merseyside Police recovered a blade which could be used as a viable weapon from alleyway searches around Chapel Road
    • The Licensing and Tobacco Unit seized 100 illicit vapes across two shops on Townsend Lane and Priory Road, whilst three other commercial premises were inspected and found to be compliant
    • The Landlord Licensing team completed compliance inspections at privately rented properties and gathered information about potentially unlicensed properties
    • Liverpool Streetscene Ltd collected evidence on fly-tipping and passage dumping for further investigation
    • The Breckfield Centre conducted a litter pick, improving the visual appearance of streets

    Evidence from the ongoing cases was referred to the relevant services for investigation, and partners will continue to monitor the issues raised.

    To report poor property conditions or anti-social behaviour from a rental property, email privatesector.housing@liverpool.gov.uk or report it online.

    For advice and to hear how to report anti-social behaviour, click here.

    To report fly-tipping, click here.

    Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “This is all part of our neighbourhood approach to identifying issues of concern to local residents and taking positive action to tackle them.

    “By bringing together a range of different organisations we can maximise the impact and involve the relevant partner in making life better for locals.”

    Anfield Councillor, Billy Marrat, said: “This proved a very productive day in making this area safer and stronger for residents.

    “Some residents have been living in fear & it is our job to act against irresponsible tenants and residents to make these areas a lot better for all.”

    Chief Inspector Sarah Rotherham from Merseyside Police said: “I am proud to report the success of our recent community impact day on 27th March.

    “This joined up approach resulted in significant outcomes including the recovery of a dangerous bladed article and the seizure of 100 illicit vapes in Anfield.

    “Our dedicated partnership approach worked tirelessly to address anti-social behaviour, improve property conditions, and tackle fly-tipping.

    “This initiative not only enhances community safety but also demonstrates our unwavering commitment to supporting residents and maintaining a safer, cleaner environment for all.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: YieldMax™ ETFs Announces Distributions on FIAT (127.21%), CVNY (100.49%), ULTY (77.62%), CONY (73.33%), YMAX (68.44%) and Others

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO and MILWAUKEE and NEW YORK, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — YieldMax™ today announced distributions for the YieldMax™ Weekly Payers and Group C ETFs listed in the table below.

    ETF
    Ticker    1    		 ETF Name Distribution
    Frequency    		 Distribution
    per Share    		 Distribution
    Rate    2,4    		 30-Day
    SEC Yield3    		 ROC5 Ex-Date &
    Record Date    		 Payment
    Date
    GPTY YieldMax™ AI & Tech Portfolio Option Income ETF Weekly $0.2668 34.84% 0.00% 100.00% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    LFGY YieldMax™ Crypto Industry & Tech Portfolio Option Income ETF Weekly $0.4189 60.57% 0.00% 100.00% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    QDTY YieldMax™ Nasdaq 100 0DTE Covered Call ETF Weekly $0.2638 31.00% 0.00% 37.26% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    RDTY YieldMax™ R2000 0DTE Covered Call ETF Weekly $0.3351 36.44% 0.00% 78.96% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    SDTY YieldMax™ S&P 500 0DTE Covered Call ETF Weekly $0.2723 31.10% 0.00% 65.95% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    ULTY YieldMax™ Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF Weekly $0.0916 77.62% 2.21% 97.00% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    YMAG YieldMax™ Magnificent 7 Fund of Option Income ETFs Weekly $0.0971 33.26% 69.89% 28.54% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    YMAX YieldMax™ Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs Weekly $0.1781 68.44% 96.57% 0.00% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    ABNY YieldMax™ ABNB Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4 Weeks $0.3665 37.87% 3.62% 0.00% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    AMDY YieldMax™ AMD Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4 Weeks $0.2765 45.13% 2.97% 93.13% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    CONY YieldMax™ COIN Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4 Weeks $0.4381 73.33% 4.42% 94.62% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    CVNY YieldMax™ CVNA Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4 Weeks $2.9684 100.49% 2.44% 99.08% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    FIAT YieldMax™ Short COIN Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4 Weeks $0.9240 127.21% 1.73% 98.90% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    MSFO YieldMax™ MSFT Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4 Weeks $0.3337 27.09% 3.75% 0.00% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    NFLY YieldMax™ NFLX Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4 Weeks $0.6020 46.77% 3.58% 59.10% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    PYPY YieldMax™ PYPL Option Income Strategy ETF Every 4 Weeks $0.3521 34.34% 4.19% 0.00% 4/3/25 4/4/25
    Weekly Payers & Group D ETFs scheduled for next week: GPTY LFGY QDTY RDTY SDTY ULTY YMAG YMAX AIYY AMZY APLY DISO MSTY SMCY XYZY YQQQ


    Performance data quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost and current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Performance current to the most recent month-end can be obtained by calling     (833) 378-0717.

    Note: DIPS, FIAT, CRSH, YQQQ and WNTR are hereinafter referred to as the “Short ETFs.”

    Distributions are not guaranteed. The Distribution Rate and 30-Day SEC Yield are not indicative of future distributions, if any, on the ETFs. In particular, future distributions on any ETF may differ significantly from its Distribution Rate or 30-Day SEC Yield. You are not guaranteed a distribution under the ETFs. Distributions for the ETFs (if any) are variable and may vary significantly from period to period and may be zero. Accordingly, the Distribution Rate and 30-Day SEC Yield will change over time, and such change may be significant.

    Investors in the Funds will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions with respect to the underlying reference asset(s).

    1 All YieldMax™ ETFs shown in the table above (except YMAX, YMAG, FEAT, FIVY and ULTY) have a gross expense ratio of 0.99%. YMAX, YMAG and FEAT have a Management Fee of 0.29% and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses of 0.99% for a gross expense ratio of 1.28%. FIVY has a Management Fee of 0.29% and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses of 0.59% for a gross expense ratio of 0.88%. “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” are indirect fees and expenses that the Fund incurs from investing in the shares of other investment companies, namely other YieldMax™ ETFs. ULTY has a gross expense ratio after the fee waiver of 1.30%. The Advisor has agreed to a fee waiver of 0.10% through at least February 28, 2026.
    2 The Distribution Rate shown is as of close on April 1, 2025. The Distribution Rate is the annual distribution rate an investor would receive if the most recent distribution, which includes option income, remained the same going forward. The Distribution Rate is calculated by annualizing an ETF’s Distribution per Share and dividing such annualized amount by the ETF’s most recent NAV. The Distribution Rate represents a single distribution from the ETF and does not represent its total return. Distributions may also include a combination of ordinary dividends, capital gain, and return of investor capital, which may decrease an ETF’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment. These Distribution Rates may be caused by unusually favorable market conditions and may not be sustainable. Such conditions may not continue to exist and there should be no expectation that this performance may be repeated in the future.
    3 The 30-Day SEC Yield represents net investment income, which excludes option income, earned by such ETF over the 30-Day period ended March 31, 2025, expressed as an annual percentage rate based on such ETF’s share price at the end of the 30-Day period.
    4 Each ETF’s strategy (except those of the Short ETFs) will cap potential gains if its reference asset’s shares increase in value, yet subjects an investor to all potential losses if the reference asset’s shares decrease in value. Such potential losses may not be offset by income received by the ETF. Each Short ETF’s strategy will cap potential gains if its reference asset decreases in value, yet subjects an investor to all potential losses if the reference asset increases in value. Such potential losses may not be offset by income received by the ETF.
    5 ROC refers to Return of Capital. The ROC percentage is the portion of the distribution that represents an investor’s original investment.
       

    Each Fund has a limited operating history and while each Fund’s objective is to provide current income, there is no guarantee the Fund will make a distribution. Distributions are likely to vary greatly in amount.

    Standardized Performance

    For YMAX, click here. For YMAG, click here. For TSLY, click here. For OARK, click here. For APLY, click here. For NVDY, click here. For AMZY, click here. For FBY, click here. For GOOY, click here. For NFLY, click here. For CONY, click here. For MSFO, click here. For DISO, click here. For XOMO, click here. For JPMO, click here. For AMDY, click here. For PYPY, click here. For XYZY, click here. For MRNY, click here. For AIYY, click here. For MSTY, click here. For ULTY, click here. For YBIT, click here. For CRSH, click here. For GDXY, click here. For SNOY, click here. For ABNY, click here. For FIAT, click here. For DIPS, click here. For BABO, click here. For YQQQ, click here. For TSMY, click here. For SMCY, click here. For PLTY, click here. For BIGY, click here. For SOXY, click here. For MARO, click here. For FEAT, click here. For FIVY, click here. For LFGY, click here. For GPTY, click here. For CVNY, click here. For SDTY, click here. For QDTY, click here. For WNTR, click here.

    Important Information

    This material must be preceded or accompanied by the prospectus. For all prospectuses, click here.

    Tidal Financial Group is the adviser for all YieldMax™ ETFs.

    THE FUND, TRUST, AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY UNDERLYING REFERENCE ASSET.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable to all YieldMax ETFs referenced above, except the Short ETFs)

    YMAX, YMAG, FEAT and FIVY generally invest in other YieldMax™ ETFs. As such, these two Funds are subject to the risks listed in this section, which apply to all the YieldMax™ ETFs they may hold from time to time.

    Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.

    Referenced Index Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Index (or the Index ETFs). This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of companies that comprised the Index or an ETF that tracks the Index, even though it does not.

    Indirect Investment Risk. The Index is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way. Investors in the Fund will not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the companies that comprise the Index but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Index.

    Russell 2000 Index Risks. The Index, which consists of small-cap U.S. companies, is particularly susceptible to economic changes, as these firms often have less financial resilience than larger companies. Market volatility can disproportionately affect these smaller businesses, leading to significant price swings. Additionally, these companies are often more exposed to specific industry risks and have less diverse revenue streams. They can also be more vulnerable to changes in domestic regulatory or policy environments.

    Call Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s call writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the underlying reference asset and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold call options and over longer periods.

    Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members.

    Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, imperfect correlation with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions.

    Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events.

    Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given period. If the Fund does make distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next.

    High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses.

    Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil.

    Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund.

    New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.

    Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of call option contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the underlying reference asset over the Call Period.

    Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (ARKK, TSLA, AAPL, NVDA, AMZN, META, GOOGL, NFLX, COIN, MSFT, DIS, XOM, JPM, AMD, PYPL, SQ, MRNA, AI, MSTR, Bitcoin ETP, GDX®, SNOW, ABNB, BABA, TSM, SMCI, PLTR, MARA, CVNA), may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole.

    Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.

    Indirect Investment Risk. The Index is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable only to GPTY)

    Artificial Intelligence Risk. Issuers engaged in artificial intelligence typically have high research and capital expenditures and, as a result, their profitability can vary widely, if they are profitable at all. The space in which they are engaged is highly competitive and issuers’ products and services may become obsolete very quickly. These companies are heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. The issuers are also subject to legal, regulatory, and political changes that may have a large impact on their profitability. A failure in an issuer’s product or even questions about the safety of the product could be devastating to the issuer, especially if it is the marquee product of the issuer. It can be difficult to accurately capture what qualifies as an artificial intelligence company.

    Technology Sector Risk. The Fund will invest substantially in companies in the information technology sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Market or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

    Risk Disclosure (applicable only to MARO)

    Digital Assets Risk: The Fund does not invest directly in Bitcoin or any other digital assets. The Fund does not invest directly in derivatives that track the performance of Bitcoin or any other digital assets. The Fund does not invest in or seek direct exposure to the current “spot” or cash price of Bitcoin. Investors seeking direct exposure to the price of Bitcoin should consider an investment other than the Fund. Digital assets like Bitcoin, designed as mediums of exchange, are still an emerging asset class. They operate independently of any central authority or government backing and are subject to regulatory changes and extreme price volatility.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable only to BABO and TSMY)

    Currency Risk: Indirect exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad.

    Depositary Receipts Risk: The securities underlying BABO and TSMY are American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). Investment in ADRs may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market.

    Foreign Market and Trading Risk: The trading markets for many foreign securities are not as active as U.S. markets and may have less governmental regulation and oversight.

    Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may also be subject to different regulatory, accounting, auditing, financial reporting, and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable only to GDXY)

    Risk of Investing in Foreign Securities. The Fund is exposed indirectly to the securities of foreign issuers selected by GDX®’s investment adviser, which subjects the Fund to the risks associated with such companies. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities.

    Risk of Investing in Gold and Silver Mining Companies. The Fund is exposed indirectly to gold and silver mining companies selected by GDX®’s investment adviser, which subjects the Fund to the risks associated with such companies.

    The Fund invests in options contracts based on the value of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX®), which subjects the Fund to some of the same risks as if it owned GDX®, as well as the risks associated with Canadian, Australian and Emerging Market Issuers, and Small-and Medium-Capitalization companies.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable only to YBIT)

    YBIT does not invest directly in Bitcoin or any other digital assets. YBIT does not invest directly in derivatives that track the performance of Bitcoin or any other digital assets. YBIT does not invest in or seek direct exposure to the current “spot” or cash price of Bitcoin. Investors seeking direct exposure to the price of Bitcoin should consider an investment other than YBIT.

    Bitcoin Investment Risk: The Fund’s indirect investment in Bitcoin, through holdings in one or more Underlying ETPs, exposes it to the unique risks of this emerging innovation. Bitcoin’s price is highly volatile, and its market is influenced by the changing Bitcoin network, fluctuating acceptance levels, and unpredictable usage trends.

    Digital Assets Risk: Digital assets like Bitcoin, designed as mediums of exchange, are still an emerging asset class. They operate independently of any central authority or government backing and are subject to regulatory changes and extreme price volatility. Potentially No 1940 Act Protections. As of the date of this Prospectus, there is only a single eligible Underlying ETP, and it is an investment company subject to the 1940 Act.

    Bitcoin ETP Risk: The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Bitcoin ETP. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Bitcoin ETP, even though it does not. Bitcoin ETPs are subject, but not limited, to significant risk and heightened volatility. An investor in a Bitcoin ETP may lose their entire investment. Bitcoin ETPs are not suitable for all investors. In addition, not all Bitcoin ETPs are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Those Bitcoin ETPs that are not registered under such statute are therefore not subject to the same regulations as exchange traded products that are so registered.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable only to the Short ETFs)

    Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.

    Price Appreciation Risk. As part of the Fund’s synthetic covered put strategy, the Fund purchases and sells call and put option contracts that are based on the value of the underlying reference asset. This strategy subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it shorted the underlying reference asset, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s indirect inverse exposure to changes in the value of the underlying reference asset, the Fund is subject to the risk that the value of the underlying reference asset increases. If the value of the underlying reference asset increases, the Fund will likely lose value and, as a result, the Fund may suffer significant losses.

    Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing (selling) strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in decreases in the value of the underlying reference asset and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer periods.

    Purchased OTM Call Options Risk. The Fund’s strategy is subject to potential losses if the underlying reference asset increases in value, which may not be offset by the purchase of out-of-the-money (OTM) call options. The Fund purchases OTM calls to seek to manage (cap) the Fund’s potential losses from the Fund’s short exposure to the underlying reference asset if it appreciates significantly in value. However, the OTM call options will cap the Fund’s losses only to the extent that the value of the underlying reference asset increases to a level that is at or above the strike level of the purchased OTM call options. Any increase in the value of the underlying reference asset to a level that is below the strike level of the purchased OTM call options will result in a corresponding loss for the Fund. For example, if the OTM call options have a strike level that is approximately 100% above the then-current value of the underlying reference asset at the time of the call option purchase, and the value of the underlying reference asset increases by at least 100% during the term of the purchased OTM call options, the Fund will lose all its value. Since the Fund bears the costs of purchasing the OTM calls, such costs will decrease the Fund’s value and/or any income otherwise generated by the Fund’s investment strategy.

    Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members.

    Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, imperfect correlation with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions.

    Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying reference asset, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events.

    Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given period. If the Fund does make distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next.

    High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings.

    Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil.

    Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund.

    New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.

    Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of put option contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in decreases in value experienced by the underlying reference asset over the Put Period.

    Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, for any Fund that focuses on an individual security (e.g., TSLA, COIN, NVDA, MSTR), may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole.

    Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.

    Risk Disclosures (applicable only to YQQQ)

    Index Overview. The Nasdaq 100 Index is a benchmark index that includes 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, based on market capitalization.

    Index Level Appreciation Risk. As part of the Fund’s synthetic covered put strategy, the Fund purchases and sells call and put option contracts that are based on the Index level. This strategy subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it shorted the Index, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s indirect inverse exposure to changes in the Index level, the Fund is subject to the risk that the Index level increases. If the Index level increases, the Fund will likely lose value and, as a result, the Fund may suffer significant losses. The Fund may also be subject to the following risks: innovation and technological advancement; strong market presence of Index constituent companies; adaptability to global market trends; and resilience and recovery potential.

    Index Level Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of put option contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will benefit from decreases in the Index level experienced over the Put Period. This means that if the Index level experiences a decrease in value below the strike level of the sold put options during a Put Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and any Fund gains may significantly differ from the level of the Index losses over the Put Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in decreases in value experienced by the Index level over each Put Period, but has significant negative exposure to any increases in value experienced by the Index level over the Put Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the inverse of the performance of the Index level. The Fund’s ability to benefit from the Index level decreases will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put option contracts and will vary from Put Period to Put Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of component companies that comprise the Index, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Index and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the Index level changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Put Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly inversely correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Index level. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact that the value of the options contracts has on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the Index level will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than the inverse of the changes experienced by the Index level.

    YieldMax™ ETFs are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC. Foreside is not affiliated with Tidal Financial Group, or YieldMax™ ETFs.

    © 2025 YieldMax™ ETFs

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Prospect’s Real Estate Private Credit Platform Provides $10.9 Million to Class A Stabilized Cash Flowing Multifamily Property in Brooklyn

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Prospect Capital Management L.P. (“Prospect”), through its real estate private credit platform, has closed on an investment to recapitalize The Frederick, a 193-unit, Class A stabilized cash flowing multifamily property in Brooklyn, New York. Constructed in 2018, the property is owned by a joint venture between an affiliate of Harbor Group International, LLC, a global real estate investment manager, and Coney Realty & Management, a privately-owned multifamily operator based in Brooklyn.

    “Prospect’s real estate platform continues to identify high-quality multifamily investments in outperforming submarkets,” said Grier Eliasek, Prospect Capital Corporation’s President and COO. “This transaction further demonstrates our ability to invest in attractive opportunities with top-tier sponsors.”

    “The Frederick offers a luxury residential experience at an attractive price point in one of New York City’s tightest submarkets,” said Joseph Ryu, Principal and head of Prospect’s real estate credit platform. “The Frederick is a highly-amenitized asset with proximity to Prospect Park and accessibility to numerous MTA lines that we expect to continue to support demand and rent growth.”

    The preferred equity investment was issued behind a new Freddie Mac senior loan provided by NewPoint Real Estate Capital.

    The transaction marks Prospect’s latest real estate private credit investment following a $12.0 million preferred equity investment on The Roadrunner on McDowell, a 356-unit multifamily property in Scottsdale, AZ, which closed in February 2025.

    About Prospect Capital Management L.P.

    Prospect, headquartered in New York City, is an SEC-registered investment adviser that, along with its predecessors and affiliates, has 37 years of experience investing in and managing high-yielding debt and equity investments using both private partnerships and publicly traded closed-end structures. Prospect and its affiliates employ a team of 150 professionals and offer investment solutions across credit, private equity, and real estate.

    Prospect’s real estate platform invests in U.S. commercial real estate credit including senior mortgages, mezzanine loans and preferred and other equity investments. As of December 31, 2024, Prospect and its affiliates had invested in over 32,000 multifamily units, with initial property value of $3.5 billion, and realized 36 multifamily investments.

    Prospect, together with its affiliates, has $8.3 billion of regulatory assets under management as of December 31, 2024. For more information, call (212) 448-0702 or visit www.prospectcap.com.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7de1aeb0-70fe-419a-a838-1fcfbc459287

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Taiwan’s government and civil society ready to join international efforts to assist Myanmar in postdisaster reconstruction

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    Taiwan’s government and civil society ready to join international efforts to assist Myanmar in postdisaster reconstruction

    Date：2025-03-30
    Data Source：Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs

    March 30, 2025No. 084A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on March 28, causing significant casualties and vast property damage. In response, Taiwan’s government and nongovernmental organizations quickly mobilized needed resources. Through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Myanmar, the Taiwan government expressed concern to the government of Myanmar and conveyed Taiwan’s readiness to assist in rescue operations.While Myanmar was formulating a coordinated response, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung instructed TECO in Myanmar to establish a single contact window (email: mmr@mofa.gov.tw; phone: +95-9-427355550) to ensure that Taiwan’s assistance efforts could proceed smoothly. It would be responsible for coordinating and tallying the forms of assistance that related Taiwan agencies and groups could provide and then contacting the Myanmar government, affected areas, and related institutions, as appropriate.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) stresses that the government of Taiwan is both able and willing to provide assistance. It also appreciates that Taiwanese NGOs have shown initiative and are working together to extend care and support to people in affected areas, highlighting Taiwan’s humanitarian concern. MOFA hopes that the concerted efforts by the Taiwan government and civil society can help speed up postdisaster reconstruction in Myanmar so that people there can rebuild their homes and resume a normal life. (E) 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Local heritage to be protected with £20 million of funding

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Local heritage to be protected with £20 million of funding

    Support to boost people’s access to local heritage, delivering government’s Plan for Change to increase opportunities for all

    • Shops, pubs, parks, and town halls at risk of falling into disrepair will be protected with £15 million grant scheme now open for applications 
    • Comes alongside new £4.85 million Heritage Revival Fund also open for applications, helping communities to take ownership of local heritage sites and bring them back into good use

    Communities across England can now apply for a share of almost £20 million to help care for historic buildings and heritage sites in their local area, ensuring that everyone, everywhere feels proud of where they live. 

    The new £4.85 million Heritage Revival Fund is currently accepting applications for projects that will help to rescue and repurpose neglected historic buildings, like theatres, department stores and former banks. It will do this by supporting community organisations, charities and social enterprises to take ownership of these sites, transforming them into vibrant spaces that meet local needs. 

    The programme will be delivered by the Architectural Heritage Fund and will run from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026. It will be open to charities and social enterprises in England seeking to take ownership of and adapt historic buildings for community uses. 

    This is in addition to the £15 million Heritage at Risk Capital Fund opening today for Expressions of Interest from individuals or organisations, focusing on the most deprived areas to rescue their locally cherished, at risk historic sites and buildings. This funding will support projects which seek to repair and enhance a variety of heritage buildings to benefit the local public and community, like shops, pubs, parks, and town halls. This is in addition to Historic England’s current Heritage at Risk Repair Grants, and will be open to a wider range of local heritage sites, celebrating the historic buildings people care most about. 

    It follows the announcement from the Culture Secretary last month of the £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, which aims to support economic growth and increase opportunities for people across the country.

    Heritage Minister Sir Chris Bryant said:

    It is so important to communities across the country that we preserve local heritage that helps us to tell our national story.

    I am delighted that we have been able to provide this support to save the historic buildings most at risk, whilst simultaneously empowering people all over the country to take over the heritage sites at the beating heart of their communities and bring them back into good use. 

    These new funds are just another step of our Plan for Change, helping to boost local economies and bring opportunity to everyone, everywhere.

    Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: 

    Thanks to the £15m additional funding through the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, we will be able to help breathe new life into derelict historic buildings, stimulating economic growth and boosting local pride in some of the country’s most deprived areas. We’re excited to fund projects that will harness the power of heritage to make a difference where it is most needed.

    Ros Kerslake, Chair of the Architectural Heritage Fund, said:

    We are delighted to announce the new Heritage Revival Fund and our renewed partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Historic England. AHF’s work in recent years has demonstrated the impact that the regeneration of historic buildings can have on our town centres and high streets so we are excited to be able to extend the reach of that work.

    Historic buildings aren’t just landmarks—they’re symbols of pride, purpose, and local identity and this funding will unlock the potential of social enterprises and charities to transform neglected heritage into thriving community spaces.

    We would also like to say a huge thanks to DCMS and the Culture Secretary, this investment will breathe new life into these vital spaces.

    Notes to editors: 

    • The Heritage Revival Fund will build on the recent work of the Architectural Heritage Fund to a wide range of community-led projects and will support more projects similar to:  

    1. The Ice House in Great Yarmouth. The Grade II-listed Ice House, originally one of a pair, is now the only building of its kind left in the country and serves as a reminder of the town’s once-thriving fishing industry. Thanks to Out There Arts, the unique building will soon be brought back into full use as a National Centre for Outdoor Arts and Circus, comprising an arts and circus training hub, with opportunities for performances and a bar. This imaginative and creative reuse of the building will further develop Great Yarmouth’s reputation as the capital of circus in the UK, while also strengthening the link between the town’s fishing and circus heritage. 

    2. Across the country in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust has revitalised 170-175 High Street West. Originally a row of houses, the buildings were rapidly adapted for commercial use when they housed the drapery shop of George Binns and his son, Henry. Over subsequent generations, the small drapery shop expanded to regional dominance as Binns Department Store. However, the buildings that provided Binns’ first home eventually fell into disrepair. Now, they have been restored and repurposed as a café, community hub, and the music and arts venue that has cemented the site’s position at the heart of Sunderland’s Community.

    • In February, Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy announced more than £270 million in funding for arts venues, museums, libraries and the heritage sector in a major boost for growth. 

    • The online portal to register Expressions of Interest for the Heritage Revival Fund opened on 1 April 2025. Full guidance, including eligibility criteria and details of how to apply can be found on the Architectural Heritage Fund’s website. 

    • The online portal to register Expressions of Interest for the Heritage At Risk Capital Fund opens on 2 April 2025. Full guidance, including eligibility criteria and details of how to apply can be found on Historic England’s website. 

    • Historic England : We are Historic England, the public body that protects and brings life to the heritage that matters to us all, so it lives on and is loved for longer. From the extraordinary to the everyday, our historic places and spaces matter. From community centres to cathedrals, homes to high streets, markets to mills – there are special places we all choose to hold onto, the legacy we want to pass on and the stories we continue to tell. That’s why we work together with people across England to discover, protect and bring new life to our shared historic environment, providing advice, knowledge, support and services. Follow us on social media @HistoricEngland.

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: lowRISC and SCI Semiconductor Release Sunburst Chip Repository for Secure Microcontroller Development

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — lowRISC C.I.C., the open silicon ecosystem organisation, together with SCI Semiconductor, a leader in CHERI solutions and both CHERI Alliance founding members, today announced the release of the open source Sunburst Chip design repository, a key milestone in phase two of the DSbD/UKRI-funded Sunburst Project (Grant Number: 107540). This marks a significant step in bringing CHERIoT-Ibex based secure microcontrollers to market, as leveraged by SCI’s ICENI device family, which will reach first commercial availability this year.

    Why it matters: memory safety vulnerabilities account for around 70% of reported exploits, causing industries from automotive to IoT and industrial systems to require secure, efficient microcontroller solutions that balance performance, power consumption, and affordability. CHERI technology provides a critical solution, mitigating these vulnerabilities by enforcing memory safety at the hardware level.

    “By addressing security challenges in a ‘by design’ manner, CHERIoT-Ibex has proven its potential as a next-generation secure microcontroller architecture. However, to move the needle, CHERIoT-based IP must be both commercial-grade and readily available,” said Dr. Gavin Ferris, CEO of lowRISC. “Our release, with SCI, of the permissively licensed open source Sunburst Chip repository is a significant turning point in bringing CHERI-based security to the embedded systems market, and represents a core deliverable of the Sunburst project.”

    This news follows lowRISC and SCI Semiconductor’s commitment to tape out the Sonata™ design (incorporating Microsoft’s Ibex®-based CHERIoT core). This builds on the success of the first phase of the Sunburst Project, which introduced CHERI technology to embedded engineers through the Sonata™ FPGA board and RTL platform. The project was subsequently extended to deliver an open source SoC top-level, reusing much of the IP developed for OpenTitan “Earl Grey”, which itself has reached production with Google and is heading into Chromebooks this year. Sonata™ platforms distributed to key stakeholders by the Sunburst project are driving awareness, technical engagement and innovation around memory-safe microcontrollers as could be seen in the recent Digital Catapult / DSbD TAP Cohort 6 event.

    SCI Semiconductor is leveraging the Sunburst Chip repository as the foundation of their ICENI family of secure microcontrollers. As part of this effort, SCI is targeting a 22nm commercial process and will drive this design to form the basis for the first ICENI secure microcontroller, a commercial chip available in the second half of 2025.

    “The availability of commercial-grade CHERI technology is a key factor in shaping the future of secure computing,” said Haydn Povey, Chief Executive, SCI Semiconductor. “We are on a mission to ensure that the market has access to robust, open source foundations for secure-by-design microcontrollers enabling a focus on differentiation, just as we have with Iceni.”

    The Sunburst Chip repository is now publicly available on GitHub at https://github.com/lowRISC/sunburst-chip. Developers and researchers are encouraged to explore the repository and leverage the technology for their own CHERIoT-Ibex based designs. For those looking to experiment with CHERIoT-Ibex today, the Sonata™ low-cost boards are available to purchase via Mouser.

    About lowRISC®
    Founded in 2014 at the University of Cambridge Department of Computer Science and Technology, lowRISC is a not-for-profit company/CIC that provides a neutral home for collaborative engineering to develop and maintain open source silicon designs and tools for the long term. The lowRISC not-for-profit structure combined with full-stack engineering capabilities in-house enables the hosting and management of high-quality projects like OpenTitan and Sunburst via the Silicon Commons® approach.

    About SCI Semiconductor
    SCI Semiconductor was formed to lead the commercialisation of CHERI enabled devices. With a strong focus on secure and high-integrity computing, the organisation has built a team of recognised industry leaders, with decades of leadership in security, processor IP and chip design, and high-integrity software.

    About the CHERI Alliance
    lowRISC and SCI Semiconductor are both founding members of the CHERI Alliance, a community interest organisation promoting the global adoption of the Capability Hardware Enhanced RISC Instructions (CHERI) security technology across the computing industry. Building on over a decade of pioneering research by the University of Cambridge and SRI International, CHERI introduces a proven architecture designed to enhance system security through fine-grained memory protection and software compartmentalization. The Alliance is actively engaging with industry, academia, and the public sector to standardise and implement CHERI across a diverse range of computing platforms. To learn more, visit http://www.cheri-alliance.org

    Media Contact
    lowRISC@w2comm.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: TookPS: DeepSeek isn’t the only game in town

    Source: Securelist – Kaspersky

    Headline: TookPS: DeepSeek isn’t the only game in town

    In early March, we published a study detailing several malicious campaigns that exploited the popular DeepSeek LLM as a lure. Subsequent telemetry analysis indicated that the TookPS downloader, a malware strain detailed in the article, was not limited to mimicking neural networks. We identified fraudulent websites mimic official sources for remote desktop and 3D modeling software, alongside pages offering these applications as free downloads.

    Malicious websites

    UltraViewer, AutoCAD, and SketchUp are common business tools. Therefore, potential victims of this campaign include both individual users and organizations.

    Our telemetry also detected file names such as “Ableton.exe” and “QuickenApp.exe”, alongside malicious websites. Ableton is music production software for composition, recording, mixing, and mastering, and Quicken is a personal finance app for tracking expenses, income, debts, and investments across various accounts.

    TookPS

    In our report on attacks exploiting DeepSeek as a lure, we outlined the infection chain initiated by Trojan-Downloader.Win32.TookPS. Let us delve into this. Upon infiltrating a victim’s device, the downloader reaches out to its C2 server, whose domain is embedded in its code, to retrieve a PowerShell script. Different malware samples communicate with different domains. For example, the file with the MD5 hash 2AEF18C97265D00358D6A778B9470960 reached out to bsrecov4[.]digital, which was inactive at the time of our research. It received the following base64-encoded command from that domain:

    Original command

    Decoding reveals the PowerShell command being executed:

    The variable “$TookEnc” stores an additional base64-encoded data block, also executed in PowerShell. Decrypting this reveals the following command:

    Decoded command from $TookEnc variable shown in the previous screenshot

    Example of decrypting another command from $TookEnc variable

    Although different samples contain different URLs, the command structure remains identical. These commands sequentially download and execute three PowerShell scripts from the specified URL. The first script downloads “sshd.exe”, its configuration file (“config”), and an RSA key file from the C2 server. The second script retrieves command-line parameters for “sshd” (remote server address, port, and username), and then runs “sshd”.

    Example of a malicious PowerShell command generated by the PowerShell script:

    This command starts an SSH server, thereby establishing a tunnel between the infected device and the remote server. For authentication, it uses the RSA key downloaded earlier, and the server configuration is sourced from the “config” file. Through this tunnel, the attacker gains full system access, allowing for arbitrary command execution.

    The third script attempts to download a modified version of the Backdoor.Win32.TeviRat malware onto the victim’s machine, which is a well-known backdoor. The sample we obtained uses DLL sideloading to modify and deploy the TeamViewer remote access software onto infected devices. In simple terms, the attackers place a malicious library in the same folder as TeamViewer, which alters the software’s default behavior and settings, hiding it from the user and providing the attackers with covert remote access. This campaign used the domain invoicingtools[.]com as the C2.

    Part of the script that downloads Backdoor.Win32.TeviRat

    Additionally, Backdoor.Win32.Lapmon.* is downloaded onto the compromised device. Unfortunately, we were not able to establish the exact delivery method. This backdoor uses the domain twomg[.]xyz as its C2.

    In this manner, the attackers gain complete access to the victim’s computer in variety of ways.

    Infrastructure

    The malicious scripts and programs in this attack primarily used domains registered in early 2024, hosted at two IP addresses:

    C2 domains and corresponding IPs

    We found no legitimate user-facing resources at these IP addresses. Alongside the campaign-related domains, we also found other domains long blocked by our security solutions. This strongly suggests these attackers had used other tools prior to TookPS, Lapmon, and TeviRat.

    Takeaways

    The DeepSeek lure attacks were merely a glimpse into a large-scale campaign targeting both home users and organizations. The malware distributed by the attackers was disguised as popular software, including business-critical applications. They attempted to gain covert access to the victim’s device through a variety of methods after the initial infection.

    To protect against these attacks, users are advised to remain vigilant and avoid downloading pirated software, which may represent a serious threat.

    Organizations should establish robust security policies prohibiting software downloads from dubious sources like pirated websites and torrents. Additionally, regular security awareness training is essential for ensuring a proper level of employee vigilance.

    IOCs

    MD5
    46A5BB3AA97EA93622026D479C2116DE
    2DB229A19FF35F646DC6F099E6BEC51F
    EB6B3BCB6DF432D39B5162F3310283FB
    08E82A51E70CA67BB23CF08CB83D5788
    8D1E20B5F2D89F62B4FB7F90BC8E29F6
    D26C026FBF428152D5280ED07330A41C
    8FFB2A7EFFD764B1D4016C1DF92FC5F5
    A3DF564352171C207CA0B2D97CE5BB1A
    2AEF18C97265D00358D6A778B9470960
    8D0E1307084B4354E86F5F837D55DB87
    7CB0CA44516968735E40F4FAC8C615CE
    62CCA72B0BAE094E1ACC7464E58339C0
    D1D785750E46A40DEF569664186B8B40
    EE76D132E179623AD154CD5FB7810B3E
    31566F18710E18F72D020DCC2FCCF2BA
    F1D068C56F6023FB25A4F4F0CC02E9A1
    960DFF82FFB90A00321512CDB962AA5B
    9B724BF1014707966949208C4CE067EE

    URLs
    Nicecolns[.]com
    sketchup-i3dmodels-download[.]top
    polysoft[.]org
    autocad-cracked[.]com
    ultraviewer[.]icu
    ultraview-ramotepc[.]top
    bsrecov4[.]digital
    downloader[.]monster
    download[.]monster
    pstuk[.]xyz
    tukeps2ld[.]online
    twomg[.]xyz
    tuntun2[.]digital
    invoicingtools[.]com
    tu02n[.]website
    inreport2[.]xyz
    inrep[.]xyz

    IPs
    88[.]119.175.187
    88[.]119.175.184
    88[.]119.175.190

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Landmark Taiwan offshore wind deal receives UK backing, unlocking £55 million in contracts for British exporters

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 4

    Press release

    Landmark Taiwan offshore wind deal receives UK backing, unlocking £55 million in contracts for British exporters

    UK Export Finance has guaranteed £184 million in financing for one of Taiwan’s largest offshore wind projects.

    Credit: Copenhagen Offshore Partners

    • The deal secures £55 million in manufacturing and service contracts for British suppliers, supporting local jobs and economic growth.

    • Export breakthrough enabled by collaboration with other export credit agencies and with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners – one of the world’s largest fund managers for renewable energy investments.

    UK Export Finance (UKEF) is providing a £184 million credit guarantee to support the construction of the 495 MW Fengmiao 1 offshore windfarm in Taiwan, securing £55 million in manufacturing and service export contracts for British suppliers.

    UKEF is the government’s export credit agency, providing support to help exporters win and deliver new overseas contracts.

    Cadeler – a company with operations based in East Anglia – will be contracted to supply an installation vessel together with crew, sea-fastening services and crane operators.

    This latest Buyer Credit Guarantee from UKEF forms part of a wider $3.7 billion financing package by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP). This involves export credit agencies from Denmark, Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, and Taiwan.

    Located off the west-coast of Taichung City, the offshore wind site is due to be completed in 2027.

    The Fengmiao 1 project will result in estimated annual greenhouse gas emissions savings equivalent to emissions from a quarter of a million cars.

    Promoting investment into British businesses and employers, UKEF’s decision to back the project supports this government’s Plan for Change to boost economic growth across all regions and promote the UK’s clean-growth expertise.

    Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said:

    Being absolutely committed to delivering economic growth under the Plan for Change means we are using every tool at our disposal to enable British businesses to succeed.

    This deal harnesses the power of commerce to drive the energy transition whilst securing lucrative new opportunities for UK businesses and supporting job creation in local communities.

    Mikkel Gleerup, Chief Executive Officer at Cadeler added:

    We are grateful to UKEF for the support they are providing to the Fengmiao 1 Project—an important milestone in Cadeler’s continued expansion into Taiwan’s offshore wind market.

    UKEF’s backing highlights the importance to Cadeler and its clients of our operations in the United Kingdom, with our UK-owned installation vessels and East Anglia-based team supporting offshore wind development both at home and abroad. Cadeler remains committed to advancing offshore wind in the APAC region and beyond.

    Thomas Wibe Poulsen, Partner and Head of Asia-Pacific at CIP, said:

    Financial close on Fengmiao I is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication from the project team, suppliers, contractors, banks, ECAs and offtakers. It is the first offshore wind project in Taiwan to be supported by a portfolio of corporate offtakers in Taiwan and Fengmiao I sets a new benchmark for the country’s rapidly maturing offshore wind market.

    Contact 

    Media enquiries:

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Showcase for local suppliers interested in fusion energy

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Showcase for local suppliers interested in fusion energy

    Businesses across Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire find out more about fusion energy at an event at Gainsborough Golf Club.

    STEP’s James Heaton and a local supplier – Image credit: UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd.

    More than 120 representatives from small and medium enterprises located close to the home of STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) at West Burton gathered recently for a local supplier engagement event, hosted by the team who are bringing fusion energy to the UK.

    Howard Wilson, STEP’s Director of Science and Technology introduced the session with a presentation on fusion, STEP, plus supporting site information about West Burton where the prototype fusion energy power plant will be built.

    Presenting from the local district councils, Julie Beresford Head of Growth and Economic Prosperity and Sally Grinrod-Smith Director of Planning, Regeneration and Communities demonstrated support for STEP from nearby local authorities and their fluid approach to hosting STEP. They covered the history of the area and identified the socio-economic opportunities that will result from the STEP Programme in the future.

    Since the early days of the programme, the STEP team has worked closely in partnership with district and county councils. Both Julie and Sally observed the high levels of engagement on the day and commented on the positive nature of the event and the numerous business enquiries that have followed.

    Commercial team members Andrew Atkinson and Ryan Cload represented the supply chain at STEP. Andrew commented:

    It’s very important to the local economy that STEP brings opportunities to the area. Our initial priority is to establish what services we have on our doorstep and create the right channels of engagement to enable effective ways of future working with local businesses. This event was a great way to share information about STEP and it was encouraging to see the networking that took place amongst the local business representatives.

    Helping to bring the work of STEP to life, a series of local case studies were given, to explore the early relationships already established with STEP. Clive Anderson from Elite Signs of Gainsborough commented on his long-established relationship with the site and what it meant to the business to be able to continue working with the STEP team. He welcomed future requests as the site works continue to grow. Photographer Chris Vaughan’s work was showcased, and he commented that he felt part of the team when commissioned to work for STEP.

    The STEP team always create time for questions when spending time in the community to aid understanding of fusion. These covered the technical side of fusion, site transport, water licences, apprentices, skills and the processes behind tenders for work. The website also includes an area with frequently asked questions which are updated regularly.

    Following the presentations, a speed-dating session was held with the local businesses to give them a chance to share information about their companies, the nature and size of their business and plans for future growth. The range of industry was vast and covered engineering, skills, security, transport, accommodation, catering, manufacturing, materials and many more.

    For those who may have missed this event, future similar events are planned for the local area with all events published and shared with people who have registered their interest on our website: step.ukaea.uk. You can also follow our social channels @STEPtoFusion.

    Notes to Editors

    STEP is a major technology and infrastructure programme to build the UK’s first prototype fusion power plant and to create a UK-led fusion industry. STEP will demonstrate net energy, fuel self-sufficiency and a route to commercialisation. This will catalyse new ideas and technology that will benefit multiple industries and help secure our future on this planet. STEP is a government-funded industry partnership programme led by UK Industrial Fusion Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of UKAEA Group.

    The West Burton site was selected in October 2022 as the home for STEP. The site is currently a demolition zone, with extensive works to decommission the former coal-fired power station, alongside this activity, the STEP Programme is preparing site characterisation information in readiness for construction.

    Local Authorities in the area recently reported on the potential local impact of jobs and investment in the area. Headlines from Nottinghamshire County Council’s ‘Newsroom’ available here.

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fantastic early results from food waste campaign

    Source: City of Canterbury

    Home  »  Latest News   »   Fantastic early results from food waste campaign

    Over the last few weeks, you may have noticed we have been out and about putting stickers on black household bins, encouraging residents not to put their food waste in them but instead to recycle it using a food bin/caddy.

    And to help with this, we have been offering discounted outdoor food caddies, reduced to £10 for a limited period.

    There has been a great response to the campaign so far, with lots of people ordering caddies and starting to recycle their leftover food, and we would like to thank everyone for their support.

    Early results have shown an overall 11 per cent increase in food waste tonnages collected since we launched this campaign seven weeks ago, with a bigger increase of 16.7 per cent across weeks four to six.

    And last week, week seven, as the deliveries of the food bins that were ordered really gathered pace, the increase was 22 per cent, which is a fantastic result.

    The extra bit of good news is that, although the sticker roll out is now complete, we still have a few outdoor food caddies left at the discounted price of £10.

    But you need to be quick and get your order in by the end of this Thursday (3 April) – just go to our website:

    Food caddies are emptied weekly using a separate vehicle and are easy to rinse out and keep clean.

    Residents can place any raw or cooked food in their caddy to be recycled, but not anything that is not solid food, such as oils, liquids or packaging of any sort.

    This project has been jointly organised and paid for by us and Kent County Council, and because recycling food uses less energy and is less costly than burning food waste mixed with general rubbish, the money spent on it should be recovered by lower disposal costs in the future.

    When food waste is recycled, it creates gas to power homes and a fertiliser for farms, so it’s a win all round.

    Once again, your support for what we have been seeking to achieve with this campaign has been really appreciated and we look forward to emptying those new food caddies for many years to come.

    Published: 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government unveils proposals to transform Fort Regent into a 21st century leisure destination02 April 2025 The Government of Jersey, through its Regeneration Steering Group, has unveiled ambitious proposals to redevelop Fort Regent, restoring its status as the Island’s premier leisure and entertainment… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    02 April 2025

    The Government of Jersey, through its Regeneration Steering Group, has unveiled ambitious proposals to redevelop Fort Regent, restoring its status as the Island’s premier leisure and entertainment hub. 

    The transformation will create a vibrant, modern destination for socialising, entertainment and recreation, with a strong emphasis on facilities for children and young adults. 

    In collaboration with the Jersey Development Company, JDC, the Government’s property development arm, practical and sustainable plans have been developed that balance heritage with state-of-the art leisure and entertainment facilities. 

    Key Features of the proposed redevelopment: 

    Internal transformations 

    • Gloucester Hall redeveloped into a flexible 2,500 seat acoustic theatre, enhancing Jersey’s ability to attract larger live performances and events, and provide flexibility for DJ events, conferences, conventions and/or a show court for sporting events. 
    • Queens Hall (the Rotunda) converted into a multi-functional entertainment complex over two floors, incorporating: A 12-lane ten-pin bowling facility; Arcade and battle café style games space; A six-screen cinema (relocated from the Waterfront) 
    • The Piazza and adjacent perimeter Garrison Rooms redesigned as an arts and culture hub, providing spaces for performing arts, music and artist studios surrounding a large covered space for hosting exhibitions, events and live performances, and serving as the home of Jersey’s winter ice rink. 
    • The former Active Gym space repurposed as a multi-activity facility for all ages, featuring: A ‘Ninja Warrior’-style active play zone; Sky Trail; Climbing and bouldering activities.
    • Additionally, some of the remaining perimeter rooms and Don Theatre are proposed to become egaming zones, virtual golf, cafés and a bar. 

    New outdoor amenities 

    • A destination skatepark catering to all ages 
    • A pump track for BMXers and Mountain Bikers 
    • A play and heritage trail
    • A 500m running track 
    • A teenage zone with a 3×3 ball court and a dedicated social space for older children and teenagers. 

    External enhancements 

    • Improved accessibility and a new entrance building 
    • A cable car link to the Fort 
    • A hotel (on the site of the former swimming pool) 
    • A relocated children’s nursery 
    • A rooftop bar and restaurant with panoramic views over St Helier 
    • Landscaped gardens 
    • Uplighting of the Fort’s external walls Cost and funding strategy 

    This initiative is part of a broader Government strategy for longer-term, ongoing investment in Jersey’s infrastructure, housing, healthcare, public spaces and sport, leisure and recreational facilities. 

    The cost of the Fort Regent redevelopment is estimated at £110 million –  excluding the new hotel which will be privately funded. 

    Financing for the project will come from the following sources, details for which are under development: 

    • Revenues from Fort Regent: Income from rental agreements, events revenue and other commercial activities. 
    • Borrowing: To prevent further delays, enabling immediate investment while spreading repayment over time. 
    • Existing Capital Budget contributions: Allocations from annual capital budgets. 
    • Additional Government contributions: Public sector efficiency savings and budget surpluses, where available. 

    Funding proposals will be presented to the States Assembly once the design and costs have been finalised. 

    Government and JDC statements 

    Chief Minister, Deputy Lyndon Farnham: “​​The long-overdue redevelopment of Fort Regent Leisure Centre represents a transformational investment in Jersey’s community. Working with the Jersey Development Company, we have developed an ambitious plan that delivers modern, high-quality leisure and recreational facilities with a particular focus on children and young adults. I look forward to hearing Islanders’ views during the consultation process and to seeing Fort Regent fully revitalised as a vibrant social hub at the heart of Island life.”

    Minister for Infrastructure, Connétable Andy Jehan: “I am very pleased to share these exciting plans for the future of Fort Regent. I hope that islanders will look closely at what is proposed and give us their feedback, including where they think the plans can be improved. We are listening and want to be sure that the regeneration meets the needs and ambitions of the public. 

    “Our aim is for Fort Regent to once again be the Island’s premier family leisure and entertainment venue with a wide range of activities, including sport. This consultation marks a turning point, where we can bring Fort Regent back into proper use and make it the vibrant community asset we all know it can be.”

    Lee Henry, CEO of JDC: “Jersey Development Company is honoured to have been entrusted by Government to regenerate Fort Regent. The Fort is a much-loved community asset and we look forward to engaging with the community on the exciting vision for its regeneration. We have carefully ensured that the proposals respect the heritage and focus on delivering much needed all-weather amenities for children, young adults and families. The consultation on the proposals has launched and we hope to hear from as many Islanders as possible in order to inform the plans and we look forward to receiving the community’s views.”

    The full proposals can be viewed at www.jerseydevelopment.je/fort-regent​

    Public Consultation and next steps: 

    JDC invites all islanders to contribute their views by participating in an independent public survey, which will be open from Wednesday 2 April to Sunday 18 May 2025.https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/FortRegentSurvey-4insight/ 

    A public presentation will be held on 22 April at the Pomme d’Or Hotel 5:30pm-7pm to ask questions and provide feedback. To register your attendance via Eventbrite here: https://bit.ly/4l6Yh9W. ​Additionally, JDC will conduct presentations for local secondary schools to establish the views of the under-18s. 

    The results of the consultation will be published in June. The first Planning Application for the roof refurbishment will be submitted in August 2025.

    ​Once the Fort is fully vacated, by December 2025, redevelopment will commence in early 2026, with completion scheduled for December 2028.​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI China: Innovation thrives in north China’s ‘city of the future’

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Stepping into the exhibition hall of Mech-Mind Robotics, a Chinese unicorn company, visitors are captivated by a robotic arm that responds to voice commands and precisely grasps intricate workpieces.

    With its expertise in equipping traditional robotic arms with “eyes” and “brains,” Mech-Mind Robotics has become one of the leading enterprises in its field, exporting products to over 50 countries and regions.

    Last year, the company relocated its headquarters from Beijing to the Xiong’an New Area in north China’s Hebei Province, aiming to thrive in this “city of the future.”

    “Our company has evolved from 0 to 1 and from 1 to 10, and we believe Xiong’an is a good place for us to advance from 10 to 100, or even 10,000,” said Zhang Dan, head of the president’s office at Mech-Mind Robotics.

    In April 2017, China decided to establish the Xiong’an New Area as part of a strategy to promote the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Xiong’an was designed to be a smart and livable city that is innovative, green and free from “urban ills.”

    This futuristic city, with an urban landscape that has gradually taken shape over the past eight years, has a strong appeal for high-tech companies like Mech-Mind Robotics, with many opting to locate themselves in Xiong’an New Area Zhongguancun Science Park.

    Founded less than two years ago, the science park has already attracted more than 140 companies. Carrying forward the innovative spirit of Beijing’s Zhongguancun, once known as “China’s Silicon Valley,” it is striving to become a paradise for businesses of all sizes seeking to break new ground.

    One such startup is Xiong’an Xingyuan Technology Co., Ltd., which has quickly made its mark in this burgeoning science park. Since launching a year ago, the company has been developing advanced technologies, including metaverse, large-scale virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI).

    Gong Wentong, CEO of Xiong’an Xingyuan, has been impressed by the business-friendly environment encountered at this location since his company’s inception. He recalled obtaining his business license on the same day the company was registered — and noted that the science park facilitates networking events linking startups and established local enterprises, thereby helping entrepreneurs like him access potential business opportunities.

    Through such interactions, Xiong’an Xingyuan has developed cooperative relationships with enterprises in need of technological support. “We plan to cooperate with an elderly care service company, using our VR technology to help senior citizens enjoy immersive travel experiences and social activities,” said Gong.

    Gong’s satisfaction was echoed by Wang Ling, deputy general manager of Zhijue Intelligent, a small company focusing on the application of LiDAR technology.

    In an interview with Xinhua, Wang not only referred to multiple opportunities to communicate with her peers in the science park, but also spoke highly of the favorable policies issued by local authorities.

    In recent years, Xiong’an has responded to the national call for innovation-driven development through a raft of incentive measures to pool talent from various sectors — especially those involved in aerospace information, AI, new materials, and other cutting-edge industries, aiming to build a high-standard platform for innovators.

    As part of these efforts to foster entrepreneurship, competitions have regularly been held to support outstanding innovation projects. Wang’s team won one such competition — receiving housing subsidies, workspace allowances and extra bonuses as reward for their victory.

    There was a time when living conditions in Xiong’an were a great concern for Wang, but the rapid development of the city has since dispelled her doubts and worries. With a batch of public facilities, including schools and hospitals, gradually put into use, people like Wang are now able to relocate their entire families to this city — thus embarking together on a new life journey.

    “We feel that we are being pushed forward by the surrounding opportunities here,” Wang told Xinhua, adding that she even introduced her friends to new possibilities in this area.

    Wang’s experience epitomizes the dynamics of innovation shaped by collaboration between government and market entities — a process that delivers benefits to all stakeholders, with companies thriving, talent converging and all citizens enjoying the fruits of innovative development.

    “This year, we will step up efforts to build an industrial cluster featuring AI and robotics,” said Liu Jingjing, general manager of the science park. Liu also said that more companies are expected to arrive in Xiong’an and contribute to its scientific and technological innovation. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Property sales rise 54.7%

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Land Registry logged 6,661 sale and purchase agreements for all building units received for registration in March, up 54.7% compared with February and up 32.9% year-on-year.

    The total consideration for such agreements in March rose 61.4% from the previous month to $45.6 billion, representing a 22.1% year-on-year growth.

    Of the agreements, 5,367 were for residential units, amounting to a 67.7% increase from February and a 35.2% rise from a year ago.

    The total consideration for residential units was $38.8 billion, up 68.7% compared with February and 29.1% higher year-on-year.

    There were 393,010 land register searches last month.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –