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  • MIL-OSI Global: What is Tren de Aragua? How the Venezuelan gang started − and why US policies may only make it stronger

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Verónica Zubillaga, Mellon Visiting Professor, University of Illinois Chicago

    A viral surveillance video allegedly shows armed members of the Tren de Aragua gang at an apartment building in Aurora, Colo. RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

    When the U.S. government deported 177 Venezuelans on Feb. 20, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security alleged that 80 of the deportees were members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

    U.S. news outlets report that members have set up shop in at least 16 states and are “wreaking havoc on communities across the nation.”

    According to Fox News, in February 2025 there was an “infestation” of Tren de Aragua members in an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado.

    Suspected Tren de Aragua members have been arrested in Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, California, Texas and other states.

    The U.S. State Department went so far as to designate Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization in an effort to stop “the campaigns of violence and terror committed by international cartels and transnational organizations.”

    There is little reliable information about Tren de Aragua – but no shortage of sensationalist news reports and Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids claiming to target them.

    We are sociologists who have spent a combined 37 years researching gangs, crime and policing in Venezuela. Our research in Venezuela, and our colleagues’ research in other countries, suggests that incarceration and mass deportations of Venezuelans living in the U.S., whether they have ties to the group or not, will likely strengthen Tren de Aragua rather than cripple it.

    Indeed, we have already seen how these strategies contributed to the expansion of street gangs in El Salvador and Honduras by creating new opportunities for members to network and become more organized.

    What is Tren de Aragua?

    According to investigative journalists and a handful of academic studies, Tren de Aragua was initially founded by Hector “El Niño” Guerrero and two other men in 2014. The three men were imprisoned in Tocorón prison in the state of Aragua.

    By 2017, Tren de Aragua began to be known as a “megabanda,” a category the local press in Venezuela use to refer to large organized criminal groups. The term arose to highlight the size of some street gangs, which at the time was unprecedented in Venezuela.

    Since its beginning, the gang has depended heavily on extortion. It also sells street drugs, but that has been a much less important source of revenue for it.

    Tren de Aragua’s growth surged as a result of mass incarceration policies that began under Venezuela’s former President Hugo Chávez and expanded under current President Nicolás Maduro. Incarceration rates began to increase in 2009 and were exacerbated by police raids deployed in 2010 in marginalized neighborhoods across the country. Venezuela’s prisons became filled with young, poor men.

    Crowded together in inhumane conditions, the men began to organize into prison gangs with clear hierarchies. They accumulated vast profits by charging prisoners fees for food, use of space and protection from inmate violence. They also opened and ran businesses, including a club, inside Tocorón prison.

    Members of different gangs in and outside the prison also began to communicate and share information about criminal activities such as kidnapping and extortion. This strengthened social networks and expanded their illegal enterprises.

    Tren de Aragua eventually took control of Tocorón prison as the government became unable to manage daily life inside its walls. It had become one of the largest and best organized gangs in Venezuela.

    A view inside the notoriously dangerous and violent Tocorón prison in 2011.
    Franklin Suarez via Getty Images

    Criminal enterprise grows

    Since 2014, an economic and humanitarian crisis has devastated Venezuela, causing many Venezuelans to migrate.

    Venezuela had one of the highest displacement rates in the world between 2014 and 2018, when at least 3 million people left the country.

    Tren de Aragua, still based in the Tocorón prison at that time, took advantage of this mass migration. It expanded the group’s business portfolio to include human trafficking and sexual exploitation of Venezuelan female migrants in Chile, Colombia and Peru.

    It’s unclear how far beyond Venezuela Tren de Aragua has spread. While the group has certainly expanded operations into the Latin American countries mentioned above, research shows common criminals have posed as Tren de Aragua members in both Colombia and Chile.

    Moreover, the arrest of alleged Tren de Aragua members for committing crimes in the U.S. and other countries does not mean that the gang has set up shop in those places. Gang members, same as non-gang members, migrate during crises. They may continue to commit crimes in new places after they arrive. However, it’s important to note that immigration in the U.S. is consistently linked with decreases – not increases – in both violent crime and property crime.

    Even some local police departments have questioned the gang’s expansion into the U.S.

    In Aurora, police refuted both the mayor’s and President Donald Trump’s claims about the apartment complex being taken over by the gang. And the New York Police Department recently reported that suspected Tren de Aragua members there are largely focused on snatching mobile phones and robbing department stores – hardly the crimes of a transnational criminal empire or terrorist organization.

    Venezuelan security forces wrested control of Tocorón prison from the Tren de Aragua gang in 2023.
    Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images

    Making matters worse

    Deportations do not address the urgent situation faced by many migrants who leave their homelands in search of a better, safer future.

    When governments prioritize the spectacle of deportations to deal with migration, they contribute to the expansion of even more resilient networks of criminal enterprises.

    Recent history bears this out.

    In El Salvador in the 1990s and early 2000s, incarceration, deportations and repressive policing policies contributed to the evolution of youth street gangs such as the Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, into transnational extortion rackets that spread across Central America.

    These same policies could also contribute to the growth of Tren de Aragua within Latin America.

    Prison isolates large groups of excluded and marginalized people and constrains them to brutal conditions. This enables and encourages the social networks that fuel illegal markets and criminal activity beyond the walls of prisons.

    Rising xenophobia

    Another harmful outcome of the policies we have discussed here is that they may fuel xenophobia toward and criminalization of Venezuelan immigrants living in the U.S.

    This closes off opportunities and harms people already devastated by economic, political and humanitarian crises in their home country.

    Venezuelans have responded with their characteristically incisive and biting humor.

    Many have used social media to parody news outlets and political speeches, and Venezuelans regularly post memes and videos that mock the automatic association made between them and Tren de Aragua.

    The satiric news site El Chigüire Bipolar posted stories titled “The United States confirms that Venezuelans are Tren de Aragua members from birth” and “ICE agents detain newborn that might be Tren de Aragua leader in the future.”

    Meanwhile, recent cuts in U.S. foreign aid to countries with large Venezuelan populations, such as Colombia and Peru, will likely exacerbate the migration crisis by constraining opportunities for Venezuelans.

    Future waves of migrants will be easy prey for criminal organizations like Tren de Aragua, which has turned human trafficking into a lucrative business. And with current policies of cutbacks, incarceration and repression, Tren de Aragua will likely continue to grow and fill its coffers.

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

    – ref. What is Tren de Aragua? How the Venezuelan gang started − and why US policies may only make it stronger – https://theconversation.com/what-is-tren-de-aragua-how-the-venezuelan-gang-started-and-why-us-policies-may-only-make-it-stronger-250007

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: From opposing robber barons to the New Deal to desegregation to DOGE, state attorneys general have long taken on Washington

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

    State attorneys general are teaming up to check Trump’s executive power. erhui1979/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

    The start of President Donald Trump’s second term has been a bonanza for the attorneys general of blue states. As the president has released his blizzard of executive orders and axed federal funding and programs on which states rely, these attorneys general have filed suits designed to put the brakes on what Trump is trying to accomplish.

    As the Washington Post reported on Feb. 22, 2025, “In the past month alone, multistate coalitions have sued the Trump administration seven times.”

    Here’s one example: In late January, 22 states and the District of Columbia asked a federal district court in Rhode Island for a temporary restraining order to stop the Office of Management and Budget from halting federal grants and financial assistance that would go to residents, organizations or governmental entities in their jurisdictions.

    In early February, the attorneys general of Minnesota, Oregon and Washington sought and were granted an order to stop the Trump administration from implementing an executive order that, according to Lambda Legal, an LGBTQ+ rights advocacy group, “targets transgender and gender-diverse youth.”

    Almost a week later, 14 attorneys general went to court to prevent Elon Musk “from issuing orders to any person in the Executive Branch outside of DOGE and otherwise engaging in the actions of an officer of the United States.”

    New York Attorney General Letitia James and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong both sued to stop DOGE from obtaining Americans’ personal data.
    Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    As a student of law and politics, I see the attorneys general actions against the Trump administration as the latest chapter of an ongoing story dating to the 19th century in which state officials push back against the national government, breathing life into this country’s federal system. That system, designed by the framers to protect liberty and as a guard against tyranny, gave powers to both federal and state governments.

    Hybrid role of state attorneys general

    The work of attorneys general in the various states involves a mix of law and politics. As the National Association of Attorneys General describes their role, attorneys general are “chief legal officers” and serve “as counselor to state government agencies and legislatures, and as a representative of the public interest.”

    Attorneys general use the law to advance their political goals. Though their precise duties vary from state to state, state attorneys general do not completely eschew politics.

    In 43 states, they are elected officials who run for office as partisans. These candidates offer programs and promise to take actions that are typically in line with the platforms of the parties that nominate them. As attorney Marissa Smith wrote in the Cornell Law Review, “The position of State AG has long been said to stand for ‘Aspiring Governor’ rather than Attorney General.”

    Smith argues that state attorneys general “have leaned into our nation’s divisive partisanship – often as an integral part of a quest for higher office – and used their traditional roles and powers to grandstand and showcase their party loyalty on a national stage.”

    When, as in the recent spate of suits, state attorneys general pursue the federal government or another target on the national stage, there’s really no way for them to lose, politically speaking. As journalist Alan Greenblatt writes, “It’s all upside. If a lawsuit succeeds, you achieve a policy goal. If it fails, you’ve still made a name for yourself and often delayed a policy for months and even years,” especially when that policy is unpopular.

    Suing the federal government

    There is nothing new about what state attorneys general are now doing. At one time or another, lawsuits against the federal government have come from both Democratic and Republican attorneys general.

    For example, during the so-called Gilded Age at the end of the 19th century, because of their “unique institutional position,” progressive state attorneys general “were able to serve as opportunity points for the expression of the ‘public interest’ in the absence of administrative mechanisms or actions by other political institutions,” political scientist Paul Nolette writes.

    These attorneys general sued railroad companies and other big businesses, seeking to get state courts to rein in the growing power of what were called at the time “robber barons.”

    As the New Deal unfolded in the 1930s, some Republican state attorneys general tried to resist what they saw as federal government encroachment on state power, though the primary opposition to the New Deal came from other political actors.

    After the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision ordered the desegregation of schools, a few Southern Democratic state attorneys general were involved in organizing “massive resistance” in the region, by offering legal advice to state officials opposed to the Brown decision and defending segregation in court.

    In the 1980s, state attorneys general banded together to sue federal agencies for failing to enforce the law or to implement acts of Congress, including those concerning the deregulation of industry. A decade later, they launched a concerted campaign of lawsuits against major tobacco companies because the federal government was not, they alleged, adequately regulating the tobacco industry.

    And when Barack Obama entered the White House, state attorneys general enthusiastically embraced the role of watchdog and nemesis. Republican state attorneys general led the resistance with lawsuits over health policy, immigration and environmental regulations, using their powers much like their Democratic counterparts are doing today.

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton claims to have sued the Obama administration 100 times.
    Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images

    Former West Virginia Solicitor General Elbert Lin, who served as the chief litigator in his state’s attorney general’s office, tells the story this way: “During the eight years of the Obama Administration, states led mostly by Republican attorneys general made it a priority, early and often, to challenge President Obama’s initiatives.”

    One of them, Texas’ Greg Abbott, sued the Obama administration 31 times, at one point describing his job this way: “I go into the office, I sue the federal government, and I go home.”

    During the first Trump administration, Democratic attorneys general continued what had happened under Obama. They filed 138 multistate lawsuits, up from the 78 times Republicans sued the Obama administration.

    And at the end of President Joe Biden’s term, Ken Paxton, Texas’ Republican attorney general, issued a press release saying that over the previous four years, he had sued the administration 100 times, calling it “an historic milestone.”

    ‘Expect to be sued’

    Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once called states “laboratories of democracy.” More recently, Jeffrey Rosen of the National Constitution Center praised federalism for continuing “to promote ideological diversity” in an increasingly polarized nation.

    That diversity has long been on display in what state attorneys general have done on the national stage.

    Today, when some worry that the U.S. constitutional system is breaking down, state attorneys general are trying to realize the founders’ vision of limited government. They are mobilizing legal tools to vindicate legal claims while also using the courts for political purposes.

    All presidents should expect to be sued early and often by state attorneys general of the opposite party. But as attorney Jeffrey Toobin writes in The New York Times, “political victories matter more, and last longer, than court cases” in the United States.

    In recent years, suits brought by state attorneys general have protected the rights of immigrants, defended reproductive rights and asserted state prerogatives in many areas. But while these lawsuits have an important role to play in America’s constitutional system, what citizens do is more important.

    Even successful litigation by state attorneys general typically brings only a one-time victory, but political action is needed to sustain what they achieve in court. And their work cannot be done without the support of the citizens they serve and who, by and large, elect them.

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

    – ref. From opposing robber barons to the New Deal to desegregation to DOGE, state attorneys general have long taken on Washington – https://theconversation.com/from-opposing-robber-barons-to-the-new-deal-to-desegregation-to-doge-state-attorneys-general-have-long-taken-on-washington-250758

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Super Invaders

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Invasive plants introduced by humans to new environments can outcompete native species and disrupt entire ecosystems, and some introduced invasive species called “super invaders” have qualities that allow them to grow more rapidly than native species.

    UConn Department of Geography, Sustainability, Community, and Urban Studies researcher Julissa Rojas-Sandoval is studying the impact of super invaders across the Americas as part of an international collaboration, leading experiments in Connecticut, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica. This project seeks to understand why super invaders appear to “play by different rules” than natives in the same environment.

    UConn Greenhouses and the UConn Forest serve as living laboratories, where students Charlotte Melnitsky ’25 (CLAS) and Morgan Reynolds ’25 (CLAS) are helping to determine what gives super invaders the competitive advantage and experiment with different methods to measure resource capture and defense trade-offs. This information can help with the development of effective management strategies to preserve crucial forest ecosystems.

    This research is in collaboration with Jason Fridley (Clemson University), Michele Dechoum (Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil), Patrick Martin (University of Denver), Guadalupe Williams (Institute of Ecology, Mexico), Eduardo Chacon (University of Costa Rica) and Alana Freytes and José Fumero (University of Puerto Rico). The project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is made possible with the crucial support of the Institute of the Environment, UConn Forest staff members, Robert Fahey and Thomas Worthley (UConn-NRE), and UConn Floriculture Greenhouse staff members Frederick Pettit and Shelley Durocher.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Kaltura Launches AI-Powered ‘TV Genie’, Powering Hyper-Personalized Entertainment Experiences and Streamlining Content Enrichment and Curation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    New York, March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

    Kaltura (Nasdaq: KLTR), the Video Experience Cloud, today announced the launch of the Kaltura TV Genie which powers AI-infused entertainment experiences for live and on-demand streaming.   

      

    TV Genie enables media and telecommunication companies to offer hyper-personalized lean-forward viewing experiences for audiences, as well as streamline their operations through enhancement and automation of content enrichment and curation.   

      

    Kaltura’s TV Genie transforms endless content searches into instant engaging discovery by offering hyper-personalized viewing recommendations based on an unlimited array of parameters and preferences as well as real-time viewer feedback and mood. Audiences also benefit from real-time accessibility and localization for varying backgrounds and regions through automatic translation capabilities and improved navigation through advanced content chaptering, allowing users to easily skip to their desired viewing moments.    

      

    Alongside Kaltura’s recently launched AI Content Lab, TV Genie enables content editors and curators to instantly create short-form videos and textual summaries from long-form content, optimizing it for viewers with varying tastes. TV Genie also automatically curates and recommends content in real-time for editors based on their catalog and current trends to simplify their work and boost creativity, and allows editors to seamlessly generate thematic content rails, such as a collection of romantic films with happy endings, by simply requesting them.   

      

    “AI is collapsing the narrowing divide between content production, curation, distribution, and consumption, further boosting viewer engagement and monetization, while also reducing operational complexities and costs,” said Ron Yekutiel, Co-Founder, Chairman, President and CEO of Kaltura. “We are very excited about the launch of our TV Genie, which comes on the heels of our other AI agents, the Class and Work Genies. AI-infused video production and viewing experiences are set to massively increase the amount and impact of videos created and consumed at home, work, and school – further turning every company into a media company. We are thrilled to be enabling this transformative revolution.”   

      

    There are currently over 50 organizations participating in the Genie Series’ beta program, including large enterprises, education institutions, and media and telecom companies. One of the beta program participants, for example, is Reshet 13, one of Israel’s largest broadcasters, who uses TV Genie and Content Lab to produce concise, impactful news segments from its flagship hour-long evening news program. The network, which sees 3.5 million unique visitors on its digital platform every month, employs TV Genie’s AI-powered content indexing to create thematic video reels, such as compiling all Crème Pâtissière recipes featured in its highly popular cooking show Game of Chefs.   

      

    “Having worked with Kaltura for years to power our digital transformation, starting with the TV Genie was an obvious yes for us,” said Nir Cohen, VP of Digital and Current Affairs at Reshet 13. “We wanted to be able to rapidly transform our content into other formats, to increase its reach, and with TV Genie we believe our repurposed content will be exponentially improved, along with viewership and engagement rates.”    

    Kaltura’s Class, Work, and TV Genies are AI-powered Agents that create hyper-personalized video experiences across institutions, enterprises and media and telecoms companies. They harness the power of AI to increase the impact of videos for users while improving efficiency through automation and streamlined operations for the organization.   

      

    Learn more about Kaltura AI-infused video solutions, here   

    About Kaltura    

    Kaltura’s mission is to create and power AI-infused hyper-personalized video experiences that boost customer and employee engagement and success. Kaltura’s Video Experience Cloud includes a platform for enterprise and TV content management and a wide array of Gen AI-infused video-first products, including Video Portals, LMS and CMS Video Extensions, Virtual Events and Webinars, Virtual Classrooms, and TV Streaming Applications. Kaltura engages millions of end-users at home, at work, and at school, boosting both customer and employee experiences, including marketing, sales, and customer success; teaching, learning, training and certification; communication and collaboration; and entertainment and monetization. For more information, visit www.corp.kaltura.com.

      

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Enphase Energy Increases Deployments of Legacy NEM System Expansion Solution in California

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FREMONT, Calif., March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH), a global energy technology company and the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems, today announced increased deployments of its solution for expanding legacy net energy metering (NEM) solar energy systems in California as utilities streamline their approval process. Homeowners can now expand their systems without losing NEM status for their existing setup, thanks to new Enphase® Energy System™ configurations with IQ® Microinverters, IQ® Batteries, and Enphase Power Control.

    Enphase first announced its solution for expanding legacy NEM systems in California last year. Since then, the application process for installing these systems with the top utilities in California has improved to support a more streamlined process. Hundreds of systems have been approved already, with many more expected to be approved soon.

    Many California solar homeowners are consuming more energy than they produce due to increasing home and transportation electrification. Previously, those on legacy NEM programs (1.0 and 2.0) couldn’t expand their systems without transitioning to NEM 3.0, which offers lower export rates. Now, with new Enphase system configurations and a power control feature, homeowners can expand their systems while retaining legacy NEM benefits. The existing system can continue exporting to the grid, while the new system is restricted from grid exports and designed to serve increased household consumption. This will help homeowners meet rising energy needs, lower electricity bills, and create more business opportunities for installers. Installers should check with their regional California utility for details on potential charges associated with implementing the new systems. Watch an explainer video from the Enphase Training Team here.

    “California utilities streamlining the approval process for expanding legacy systems has enabled us to more efficiently and effectively serve our customers,” said Mike Teresso, president at Baker Electric Home Energy. “Enphase’s solution is helping us meet growing energy demands while giving homeowners the flexibility they need for the future.”

    “We appreciate utilities simplifying the approval process for legacy NEM expansions in California,” said John Almond, CEO of Semper Solaris. “Our customers want to add more solar and storage without losing the value of their existing systems, and now they can do just that. This is a win for homeowners and a huge opportunity for installers like us to help more people take control of their growing energy needs.”

    “Expanding solar systems under legacy NEM used to be a challenge,” said Ed Murray, president of Aztec Solar. “Now, California’s application process is more streamlined, and Enphase’s innovative solution allows us to easily design solutions enabling savings and giving homeowners more energy independence. This is a big step forward for California solar!”

    In addition, Solargraf®, Enphase’s design and proposal software platform, can help installers seamlessly design and generate proposals for expanded legacy NEM systems. For new systems, the platform can also optimize solar and battery projects to help enable maximum savings under the new California solar rules.

    “This is exactly the kind of progress we want to see – utilities making it easier for homeowners to expand their clean energy systems without unnecessary barriers,” said Ken Fong, senior vice president and general manager of the Americas and APAC at Enphase Energy. “Our software and hardware solution, combined with a more efficient utility approval process, enables homeowners to get more value from solar and battery systems and installers to expand their business quickly. We’re committed to supporting installers and homeowners as they navigate these new opportunities.”

    For more information about Enphase’s solution for expanding legacy NEM solar energy systems in California, please visit the Enphase website (Installers and Homeowners).

    About Enphase Energy, Inc.

    Enphase Energy, a global energy technology company based in Fremont, CA, is the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems that enable people to harness the sun to make, use, save, and sell their own power—and control it all with a smart mobile app. The company revolutionized the solar industry with its microinverter-based technology and builds all-in-one solar, battery, and software solutions. Enphase has shipped approximately 80.0 million microinverters, and approximately 4.7 million Enphase-based systems have been deployed in more than 160 countries. For more information, visit https://enphase.com/.

    ©2025 Enphase Energy, Inc. All rights reserved. Enphase Energy, Enphase, the “e” logo, IQ, and certain other marks listed at https://enphase.com/trademark-usage-guidelines are trademarks or service marks of Enphase Energy, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Other names are for informational purposes and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements related to the expected capabilities and performance of Enphase Power Control; expectations related to cost savings; and the timing of new features for Solargraf. These forward-looking statements are based on Enphase Energy’s current expectations and inherently involve significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements as a result of such risks and uncertainties including those risks described in more detail in Enphase Energy’s most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other documents filed by Enphase Energy from time to time with the SEC. Enphase Energy undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events, or changes in its expectations, except as required by law.

    Contact:

    Enphase Energy

    press@enphaseenergy.com

    This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Volaris Group Acquires Oceans HQ

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Volaris Group (Volaris) today announced the acquisition of Oceans HQ, a leading provider of a SaaS solutions for international ship registries. Oceans HQ joins forces with PDMS, a Volaris Group company and provider of digital solutions and services. The Oceans HQ ship registry product portfolio and their team, will now operate as part of PDMS.

    Headquartered in the UK, Oceans HQ has been working with maritime administrations for over 10 years serving customers including Gibraltar Maritime Administration and the Swiss Maritime Navigation Office. Their full suite of software products (OHQ Cloud) has been designed to support the daily operations of maritime registries from vessel registration and survey and inspections through to seafarer certification.

    PDMS already serves a number of leading ship registry clients and, with this acquisition, further expands its global footprint in the ship registry and seafarer management market.

    Catriona Watt, CEO of PDMS, stated, “We are delighted to join forces with the team at Oceans HQ, combining our extensive domain experience and technical expertise to advance our mission of leading digital transformation for ship registries. Oceans HQ’s in-depth knowledge of the ship registry sector perfectly enhances our own capabilities, positioning us to deliver unparalleled innovative solutions.”

    André Tanguy, CEO of Oceans HQ, commented, “In PDMS we have found the ideal long-term home for our industry-leading solutions and we are eager to leverage the wider support of the broad Volaris network. Being part of a larger organisation will help strengthen our operational capabilities, provide new and exciting opportunities for our existing team and create additional value for our longstanding customers.”

    Through the acquisition, PDMS and Oceans HQ are set to continue developing digital solutions to help ship registries and maritime regulators worldwide, to improve the services provided to ship owners, managers and seafarers.

    About Volaris Group

    Volaris acquires, strengthens, and grows vertical market technology companies. As an Operating Group of Constellation Software Inc., Volaris strengthens businesses within the markets they compete, enabling them to grow – whether that growth comes through organic measures such as new initiatives and product development, day-to-day business, or through complementary acquisitions. Learn more at www.volarisgroup.com

    For more information: 
    Ryan Hill
    Vice President of Corporate Communications at Volaris Group
    Tel: +1 416-831-0305 
    ryans.hill@volarisgroup.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: PayPal launches its biggest online sales event in Australia, PayPal Frenzy

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SYDNEY, March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bargain hunting Aussies can get ready to grab some fabulous discounts, with PayPal today announcing its biggest online sales event in Australia to date, PayPal Frenzy, with deals from more than 200 leading brands.

    PayPal, Australia’s most trusted way to pay onlinei, is partnering with Click Frenzy, to launch a seven-day online sale event, which will offer customers deals of up to 80% off, across leading fashion, beauty, home and tech brands.

    Deal hunters can dive in from 7pm (AEDT) on Tuesday, 4 March and keep an eye on the PayPal Australia and Click Frenzy Instagram channels for new offers until midnight, 10 March.

    PayPal lets shoppers spread out the cost of their purchases over 4 instalments, with PayPal Pay in 4 offering no late fees or interest charges. In fact, half (48%) of Australian buy now, pay later (BNPL) users say they’ve now switched to PayPal Pay in 4 because it has no late fees.ii

    PayPal’s Head of Consumer Marketing, Caitlin Hoey, said: “In a climate where Aussies are having to watch their hip pockets, sales can be a great tactic to spread your money further. This year we’re excited to expand PayPal Frenzy across fashion, electronics, home goods, travel, sport, home/interiors and even something for our furry friends.

    “Additionally, you’ve got the flexibility to pay later with PayPal Pay in 4 – letting you score unmissable deals using four easy instalments with no late fees or interest.

    “With research showing two-thirds of Aussie BNPL customers use BNPL to spread out the cost of larger purchases and more than half to manage cost of living pressures or their budget, PayPal Pay in 4 gives Australian consumers the payment flexibility and choice they’re looking for.” ii

    Payment methods can matter as much as discounts, with 38% of Australians having abandoned an online purchase because their favourite payment method wasn’t available and research indicating that PayPal is Australia’s most preferred and most-trusted online payment method.ii

    PayPal Frenzy is thrilled to welcome some of the biggest brands including Chemist Warehouse, The Iconic, Temu, Webjet and over 200 more.

    Here is just a sneak peak of what shoppers can expect:

    • Chemist Warehouse – up to 1/2 price off RRP on Vitamins & Supplements
    • The Iconic
      • 25% off on Women’s, Men’s & Kid’s
      • Up To 25% off on Sports, Beauty & Home
      • 40% Dresses and Sandals
      • 30% Women’s Footwear
    • Temu – Up to 30% off for new users
    • Webjet – $50 off Domestic Flight bookings when you check-out with PayPal Pay in 4
    • Sennheiser – 50% off storewide
    • Petbarn – Members save up to 40%
    • Manning Cartell – Dresses from $90 and up to 80% off.
    • Decathlon – Save up to 50% Sports Equipment (online only)
    • FILA – Up to 70% sitewide

    During PayPal Frenzy, 300 lucky shoppers will have the chance to win a share of $120,000 through PayPal’s social media giveaway.iii Simply checkout with PayPal Pay in 4 during the sale event and follow the steps to enter via the PayPalAU Instagram account.

    For all the amazing deals, follow PayPal Australia on Instagram (PayPalAU) and visit PayPal Frenzy.

    PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy.  For more information, visit https://about.pypl.com/ and https://investor.pypl.com/. 

    PayPal Australia was established in 2005 and has more than 9.5 million active Australian customer accounts. PayPal enables Australian consumers and businesses to easily and securely send, receive, and manage their money. The PayPal service is provided by PayPal Australia Pty Limited (ABN 93 111 195 389) which holds an Australian Financial Services Licence number 304962. PayPal credit services including PayPal Pay in 4 are provided by PayPal Credit Pty Limited (ACN 600 629 258). For more information visit PayPal Australia Newsroom for more information and follow us on Instagram or Facebook. 

    Established in 2012, Click Frenzy has partnered with 1000s of Australia’s biggest retailers to bring Aussie consumers the best deals and exclusive offers to one centralised location.

    Media Contact:
    For all media enquiries, interviews, or images, please contact Edelman Australia on 0432 159 901/ 0459 431 732 paypalAU@edelman.com / Agent99 PR on 0402 420 247 zarah@agent99pr.com.  

    References:

    i.   PayPal has been awarded Most Trusted Payments Brand 2024 – Roy Morgan Most Trusted Brand Awards 2024.
    ii.  PayPal Australia eCommerce Index 2025. Research conducted by Fifth Quadrant, commissioned by PayPal Australia. Online survey of 1.022 Consumers.
    iii. Terms & Conditions and eligibility rules apply. For competition T&Cs see the PayPal Australia Newsroom for full PayPal Pay in 4 and competition terms see PayPal.com/au.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Who’s who at the Vatican?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniel Speed Thompson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Dayton

    Deacons take part in a mass in St. Peter’s Basilica that was supposed to be presided over by Pope Francis. AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino

    For more than two weeks, eyes have been on the Vatican, awaiting news about Pope Francis’ health. The pope has been at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14, 2025, being treated for double pneumonia and other complications.

    When a pope is ill, resigns or passes away, who steps in? And who else helps lead the Holy See? The Conversation U.S. asked Daniel Speed Thompson, a theologian at the University of Dayton, for some insight into Vatican City.

    Who are the most powerful people at the Vatican, besides the pope?

    The Vatican houses the central government of the Catholic Church and is also an independent city-state. The pope is both the head of the Catholic Church and head of state.

    In order to govern both, he has the Roman Curia, meaning “court.” In modern terms, the Curia is the papal bureaucracy. It is an extension of the pope’s authority.

    In Catholic doctrine, the pope has the highest authority in the church. He can exercise it alone or with the College of Bishops, made up of all the bishops in the world. Bishops named by the pope to the office of “cardinal” can, if under 80 years old, vote to elect a new pope. Some cardinals, but by no means all, serve in the papal Curia in Rome.

    Besides the pope, curial officials who oversee important aspects of the church’s political and religious life are often powerful figures. For example, the secretariat of state, headed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, oversees relations with other countries and international organizations. It also oversees the Vatican’s diplomatic corps.

    Pope Francis smiles as he walks alongside Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, left, and Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi at the Vatican in 2014.
    AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

    The Dicastery – “department” – for the Doctrine of the Faith, led by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, addresses questions about correct Catholic teaching on faith and morals. The Dicastery of Bishops, headed by Cardinal Robert Prevost, coordinates the nominations of new bishops around the world.

    All these officials work under the authority of the pope, advocating for and implementing his agenda. For example, Prevost has suggested that all Catholics should be involved in the selection of bishops. This idea is linked with Francis’ call for a more “synodal” church: one that is less hierarchical and shaped by lay Catholics’ concerns and challenges.

    If a pope can’t fulfill his duties, who steps in?

    When a pope dies – or resigns, like Benedict XVI did in 2013 – the governance of the Catholic Church formally falls to the College of Cardinals. However, the authority of the college is very limited. On their own, cardinals cannot make any significant decisions concerning faith, morals and worship. Nor can they undo previous papal decisions or change church laws about electing a new pope.

    All the heads of the dicasteries lose their office upon the death or resignation of a pope. The College of Cardinals serves as a caretaker government whose primary purpose is to prepare for the election of the new pope and oversee day-to-day workings of the Vatican.

    One cardinal, known as the “camerlengo,” is responsible for confirming the pope’s death or resignation. He then assumes control over the pope’s residence and coordinates the funeral, if needed. The camerlengo also takes custody of the Vatican’s property in Rome and supervises details for the upcoming conclave.

    Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell talks with The Associated Press in his office in Rome in 2018.
    AP Photo/Paolo Santalucia

    The day-to-day business of the Catholic Church continues, but no big decisions can be made in the absence of a pope. The church cannot appoint new bishops, and the Vatican cannot start new diplomatic efforts.

    Are officials at the Vatican often nominated to be pope?

    Sometimes. Francis was a cardinal from Argentina before his election as pope and had not served in the Roman Curia. However, Benedict XVI, Francis’ predecessor, did serve as the prefect of the Congregation – now called Dicastery – for the Doctrine of the Faith. Some recent popes served in the Curia earlier in their career but not immediately before their election.

    What do you wish more people understood about the Vatican?

    Three things. First, the Vatican is unlike any organization in the world. Its religious mission and political status rest on nearly 2,000 years of history. This complicated story provides a unique tradition that anchors the institution of the Catholic Church, but can also block the church from critical self-examination and renewal.

    Second, the Vatican is like every organization in the world. Vatican officials can be faithful to the highest standards of their religion, truly wishing to serve the church and the common good of humanity. But they can also be flagrantly immoral, even criminals, and careerist seekers of status or luxury. Francis has consistently called out priests and bishops who see themselves as somehow superior by virtue of their office or their ordination.

    Finally, compared with the massive bureaucracies of modern governments and corporations, the Vatican is relatively small and not as wealthy as it is often portrayed.

    Although the Curia manages a vast international organization, its resources are far closer to my own midsize Catholic university than to the U.S. government or Apple. Vatican City and the Holy See employ about 2,000 people, with an operating budget of about US$835 million.

    Yes, the Catholic Church has wealth – and the ongoing problem of deficits and financial corruption. But the Vatican’s resources pale in comparison with what a modern state or large company can muster.

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

    – ref. Who’s who at the Vatican? – https://theconversation.com/whos-who-at-the-vatican-250874

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Occidental Announces Offer to Exercise Warrants at a Temporarily Reduced Price

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HOUSTON, March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Occidental (NYSE: OXY) today announced an offer to exercise its outstanding publicly traded warrants (the “Warrants”) at a temporarily reduced price (the “Offer”).

    The Offer is available to holders of the Warrants, each representing the right to purchase one share of Occidental’s common stock, $0.20 par value per share, at an exercise price of $22.00. The Warrants were initially distributed by Occidental on August 3, 2020 in the form of a dividend to the holders of record of Occidental’s common stock as of July 6, 2020 and are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “OXY WS”. Warrant holders (the “Holders”) have the opportunity to exercise each of their Warrants at a temporarily reduced exercise price of $21.30. There is no minimum participation requirement with respect to the Offer.

    The Offer is subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Offer to Exercise Warrants to Purchase Common Stock of Occidental Petroleum Corporation, dated March 3, 2025 (the “Offer to Exercise”), filed as an exhibit to Occidental’s Schedule TO filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

    To participate in the Offer and exercise the Warrants at the temporarily reduced exercise price, Holders must elect to participate prior to the expiration of the Offer at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on March 31, 2025, which may be extended by Occidental in its sole discretion (the “Expiration Date”), and must deliver payment and the required documentation in accordance with the Offer to Exercise prior to the Expiration Date. Holders who elect to participate in the Offer and do not withdraw their validly tendered Warrants will receive the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants promptly after the Expiration Date. Any Holder that tenders Warrants prior to the Expiration Date but changes their mind may withdraw their tender of Warrants at any time prior to the Expiration Date. 

    The purpose of the Offer is to encourage the exercise of the Warrants by temporarily reducing the exercise price. If all of the outstanding Warrants are exercised at the temporarily reduced exercise price, Occidental would receive gross proceeds of approximately $1.6 billion. Occidental intends to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes, which may include the redemption or repayment of certain of its outstanding indebtedness.

    For additional information or assistance, please contact D.F. King & Co., Inc., which is acting as Information Agent for the Offer, at:

    D.F. King & Co., Inc.
    48 Wall St, 22nd Floor
    New York, NY 10005
    Toll-Free: (888) 628-8208
    Email: OXY@dfking.com

    Additional Information

    The discussion of the Offer contained in this press release is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to buy nor a solicitation of an offer to sell securities. Holders should read the Schedule TO filed with the SEC and the exhibits attached thereto carefully because they contain important information, including the various terms and conditions set forth in the Offer to Exercise. The Schedule TO, including the Offer to Exercise and other related materials, will also be available to Holders at no charge on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov or from D.F. King & Co., Inc., Occidental’s Information Agent for the Offer. Holders are urged to read those materials carefully prior to making any decisions with respect to the Offer.

    Occidental has filed with the SEC a registration statement that includes a prospectus (as supplemented by a prospectus supplement, the “Prospectus”) relating to the offering of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, and has further filed with the SEC a prospectus supplement relating to such registration statement and Prospectus in respect of the exercise of the Warrants at the reduced exercise price. Copies of the Prospectus, as further supplemented by the prospectus supplement, may be obtained from the SEC at http://www.sec.gov, or by contacting D.F. King & Co., Inc.

    This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the common stock, nor shall there be any sale of the common stock in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

    About Occidental

    Occidental is an international energy company with assets primarily in the United States, the Middle East and North Africa. We are one of the largest oil and gas producers in the U.S., including a leading producer in the Permian and DJ basins, and offshore Gulf of America. Our midstream and marketing segment provides flow assurance and maximizes the value of our oil and gas, and includes our Oxy Low Carbon Ventures subsidiary, which is advancing leading-edge technologies and business solutions that economically grow our business while reducing emissions. Our chemical subsidiary OxyChem manufactures the building blocks for life-enhancing products. We are dedicated to using our global leadership in carbon management to advance a lower-carbon world.

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements about Occidental’s expectations, beliefs, plans or forecasts. All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking statements” for purposes of federal and state securities laws, including, but not limited to: any projections of earnings, revenue or other financial items or future financial position or sources of financing; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations or business strategy; any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance; any statements of belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Words such as “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “might,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “intend,” “believe,” “expect,” “aim,” “goal,” “target,” “objective,” “commit,” “advance,” “likely” or similar expressions that convey the prospective nature of events or outcomes are generally indicative of forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release unless an earlier date is specified. Unless legally required, Occidental does not undertake any obligation to update, modify or withdraw any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    Forward-looking statements involve estimates, expectations, projections, goals, forecasts, assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Actual outcomes or results may differ from anticipated results, sometimes materially. Factors that could cause results to differ from those projected or assumed in any forward-looking statement include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions, including slowdowns and recessions, domestically or internationally; Occidental’s indebtedness and other payment obligations, including the need to generate sufficient cash flows to fund operations; Occidental’s ability to successfully monetize select assets and repay or refinance debt and the impact of changes in Occidental’s credit ratings or future increases in interest rates; assumptions about energy markets; global and local commodity and commodity-futures pricing fluctuations and volatility; supply and demand considerations for, and the prices of, Occidental’s products and services; actions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC oil producing countries; results from operations and competitive conditions; future impairments of Occidental’s proved and unproved oil and gas properties or equity investments, or write-downs of productive assets, causing charges to earnings; unexpected changes in costs; inflation, its impact on markets and economic activity and related monetary policy actions by governments in response to inflation; availability of capital resources, levels of capital expenditures and contractual obligations; the regulatory approval environment, including Occidental’s ability to timely obtain or maintain permits or other government approvals, including those necessary for drilling and/or development projects; Occidental’s ability to successfully complete, or any material delay of, field developments, expansion projects, capital expenditures, efficiency projects, acquisitions or divestitures; risks associated with acquisitions, mergers and joint ventures, such as difficulties integrating businesses, uncertainty associated with financial projections or projected synergies, restructuring, increased costs and adverse tax consequences; uncertainties and liabilities associated with acquired and divested properties and businesses; uncertainties about the estimated quantities of oil, natural gas liquids and natural gas reserves; lower-than-expected production from development projects or acquisitions; Occidental’s ability to realize the anticipated benefits from prior or future streamlining actions to reduce fixed costs, simplify or improve processes and improve Occidental’s competitiveness; exploration, drilling and other operational risks; disruptions to, capacity constraints in, or other limitations on the pipeline systems that deliver Occidental’s oil and natural gas and other processing and transportation considerations; volatility in the securities, capital or credit markets, including capital market disruptions and instability of financial institutions; government actions (including geopolitical, trade, tariff and regulatory uncertainties), war (including the Russia-Ukraine war and conflicts in the Middle East) and political conditions and events; health, safety and environmental (HSE) risks, costs and liability under existing or future federal, regional, state, provincial, tribal, local and international HSE laws, regulations and litigation (including related to climate change or remedial actions or assessments); legislative or regulatory changes, including changes relating to hydraulic fracturing or other oil and natural gas operations, retroactive royalty or production tax regimes, and deep-water and onshore drilling and permitting regulations; Occidental’s ability to recognize intended benefits from its business strategies and initiatives, such as Occidental’s low-carbon ventures businesses or announced greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets or net-zero goals; potential liability resulting from pending or future litigation, government investigations and other proceedings; disruption or interruption of production or manufacturing or facility damage due to accidents, chemical releases, labor unrest, weather, power outages, natural disasters, cyber-attacks, terrorist acts or insurgent activity; the scope and duration of global or regional health pandemics or epidemics, and actions taken by government authorities and other third parties in connection therewith; the creditworthiness and performance of Occidental’s counterparties, including financial institutions, operating partners and other parties; failure of risk management; Occidental’s ability to retain and hire key personnel; supply, transportation and labor constraints; reorganization or restructuring of Occidental’s operations; changes in state, federal or international tax rates; and actions by third parties that are beyond Occidental’s control.

    Additional information concerning these and other factors that may cause Occidental’s results of operations and financial position to differ from expectations can be found in Occidental’s filings with the SEC, including Occidental’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K.

    Contacts

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Ready Capital Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter 2024 Results and Declares First Quarter 2025 Dividends

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    – GAAP LOSS PER COMMON SHARE FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS OF $(1.80) –
    – DISTRIBUTABLE LOSS PER COMMON SHARE OF $(0.03) –
    – DISTRIBUTABLE EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE BEFORE REALIZED LOSSES OF $0.23 –
    – DISTRIBUTABLE RETURN ON AVERAGE STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY BEFORE REALIZED LOSSES OF 7.1%    –
    – DECLARED A QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND OF $0.125 PER SHARE OF COMMON STOCK AND OPERATING PARTNERSHIP UNIT FOR THE QUARTER ENDING MARCH 31, 2025 –

    NEW YORK, March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ready Capital Corporation (“Ready Capital” or the “Company”) (NYSE: RC), a multi-strategy real estate finance company that originates, acquires, finances, and services lower-to-middle-market (“LMM”) investor and owner-occupied commercial real estate loans, today reported financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2024 and declared dividends for the quarter ending March 31, 2025.

    “The fourth quarter closes out a year of mixed results. On one hand, our Small Business Lending segment performed well, with significant origination growth reflecting the benefits of past investments. Meanwhile, our multi-family lending focused business faced challenges from higher rates, inflationary pressures, and lower rent growth,” said Thomas Capasse, Ready Capital’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Entering 2025, we have taken decisive actions to stabilize and better position our balance sheet going forward by fully reserving for all of our non-performing loans in our CRE portfolio. While this reduces our book value per share in the short term, we believe it provides a path to recovery in our net interest margin through the accelerated resolution of our non-performing loans to generate liquidity for reinvestment in higher-yielding new originations. Additionally, we have adjusted our dividend to $0.125 per share to align with anticipated cash earnings to preserve capital for reinvestment and share repurchases with potential upward bias co-incident with the recovery in earnings. We believe these actions will enable the Company to resume growth in both book value per share and the dividend as we move forward.”

    Fourth Quarter Highlights

    • LMM commercial real estate originations of $436 million
    • Small Business Lending (“SBL”) loan originations of $348 million, including $315 million of Small Business Administration 7(a) loans
    • Book value of $10.61 per share of common stock as of December 31, 2024
    • Entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire United Development Funding IV, a real estate investment trust providing capital solutions to residential real estate developers and regional homebuilders
    • Acquired approximately 5.8 million shares of the Company’s common stock at an average price of $7.35 per share as part of stock repurchase program
    • Issued $130 million in aggregate principal amount of 9.00% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2029

    Full Year Highlights

    • GAAP Loss per common share from continuing operations of $(2.52)
    • Distributable earnings per common share before realized losses of $0.97
    • Distributable return on average stockholders’ equity before realized losses of 7.5%
    • Total LMM and SBL originations of $2.4 billion, including $1.1 billion of Small Business Administration 7(a) loans
    • Sold $7.6 billion in mortgage servicing rights in connection with the disposition of its residential mortgage banking segment
    • Completed the acquisitions of Madison One, a leading originator and servicer of USDA and SBA guaranteed loan product, and Funding Circle USA, Inc., an online lending platform that originates and services small business loans
    • Acquired approximately 10.3 million shares of the Company’s common stock at an average price of $7.95 per share as part of stock repurchase program

    Subsequent Events

    • On January 16, 2025, the Board approved a new stock repurchase program authorizing the repurchase of up to $150 million of the Company’s common stock
    • On February 21, 2025, ReadyCap Holdings, LLC, a taxable REIT subsidiary of the Company, closed a private placement of $220 million in aggregate principal amount of its 9.375% Senior Secured Notes due 2028. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the private placement to repay its indebtedness and for general corporate purposes

    Dividends

    • The Company announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.125 per share of common stock and Operating Partnership unit for the quarter ending March 31, 2025. The dividend is payable on April 30, 2025, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 31, 2025
    • Additionally, the Company announced that its Board of Directors declared quarterly cash dividends on its 6.25% Series C Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series C Preferred Stock”), and its 6.50% Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (the “Series E Preferred Stock”)
    • The Company declared a dividend of $0.390625 per share of Series C Preferred Stock payable on April 15, 2025, to Series C Preferred stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 31, 2025
    • The Company declared a dividend of $0.40625 per share of Series E Preferred Stock payable on April 30, 2025, to Series E Preferred stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 31, 2025

    Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

    In addition to the results presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, this press release includes distributable earnings, formerly referred to as core earnings, which is a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure. The Company defines distributable earnings as net income adjusted for unrealized gains and losses related to certain mortgage backed securities (“MBS”) not retained by us as part of our loan origination business, realized gains and losses on sales of certain MBS, unrealized gains and losses related to residential mortgage servicing rights (“MSR”) from discontinued operations, unrealized changes in our current expected credit loss reserve, unrealized gains or losses on de-designated cash flow hedges, unrealized gains or losses on foreign exchange hedges, unrealized gains or losses on certain unconsolidated joint ventures, non-cash compensation expense related to our stock-based incentive plan, and one-time non-recurring gains or losses, such as gains or losses on discontinued operations, bargain purchase gains, or merger related expenses.

    The Company believes that this non-U.S. GAAP financial information, in addition to the related U.S. GAAP measures, provides investors greater transparency into the information used by management in its financial and operational decision-making, including the determination of dividends. However, because distributable earnings is an incomplete measure of the Company’s financial performance and involves differences from net income computed in accordance with U.S. GAAP, it should be considered along with, but not as an alternative to, the Company’s net income computed in accordance with U.S. GAAP as a measure of the Company’s financial performance. In addition, because not all companies use identical calculations, the Company’s presentation of distributable earnings may not be comparable to other similarly-titled measures of other companies.

    In calculating distributable earnings, Net Income (in accordance with U.S. GAAP) is adjusted to exclude unrealized gains and losses on MBS acquired by the Company in the secondary market but is not adjusted to exclude unrealized gains and losses on MBS retained by Ready Capital as part of its loan origination businesses, where the Company transfers originated loans into an MBS securitization and the Company retains an interest in the securitization. In calculating distributable earnings, the Company does not adjust Net Income (in accordance with U.S. GAAP) to take into account unrealized gains and losses on MBS retained by us as part of the loan origination businesses because the unrealized gains and losses that are generated in the loan origination and securitization process are considered to be a fundamental part of this business and an indicator of the ongoing performance and credit quality of the Company’s historical loan originations. In calculating distributable earnings, Net Income (in accordance with U.S. GAAP) is adjusted to exclude realized gains and losses on certain MBS securities considered to be non-distributable. Certain MBS positions are considered to be non-distributable due to a variety of reasons which may include collateral type, duration, and size.

    In addition, in calculating distributable earnings, Net Income (in accordance with U.S. GAAP) is adjusted to exclude unrealized gains or losses on residential MSRs, held at fair value from discontinued operations. Servicing rights relating to the Company’s small business commercial business are accounted for under ASC 860, Transfer and Servicing. In calculating distributable earnings, the Company does not exclude realized gains or losses on commercial MSRs, as servicing income is a fundamental part of Ready Capital’s business and is an indicator of the ongoing performance.

    To qualify as a REIT, the Company must distribute to its stockholders each calendar year at least 90% of its REIT taxable income (including certain items of non-cash income), determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gain. There are certain items, including net income generated from the creation of MSRs, that are included in distributable earnings but are not included in the calculation of the current year’s taxable income. These differences may result in certain items that are recognized in the current period’s calculation of distributable earnings not being included in taxable income, and thus not subject to the REIT dividend distribution requirement until future years.

    The table below reconciles Net Income computed in accordance with U.S. GAAP to Distributable Earnings.

    (in thousands) Three Months Ended
    December 31, 2024    		 Year Ended
    December 31, 2024
    Net Loss $ (314,751 ) $ (430,398 )
    Reconciling items:    
    Unrealized loss on MSR – discontinued operations   33,175     40,394  
    Unrealized gain on joint ventures   (5,015 )   (3,503 )
    Increase in CECL reserve   277,277     272,964  
    Increase (decrease) in valuation allowance   (31,229 )   124,878  
    Non-recurring REO impairment   31,175     55,686  
    Non-cash compensation   2,826     8,510  
    Unrealized loss on preferred equity, at fair value   15,613     15,613  
    Merger transaction costs and other non-recurring expenses   6,579     17,432  
    Bargain purchase gain   —     (13,859 )
    Realized losses on sale of investments   51,688     183,718  
    Total reconciling items $ 382,089   $ 701,833  
    Income tax adjustments   (22,825 )   (89,504 )
    Distributable earnings before realized losses $ 44,513   $ 181,931  
    Realized losses on sale of investments, net of tax   (44,246 )   (153,571 )
    Distributable earnings $ 267   $ 28,360  
    Less: Distributable earnings attributable to non-controlling interests   3,113     8,167  
    Less: Income attributable to participating shares   2,248     9,125  
    Distributable earnings attributable to common stockholders $ (5,094 ) $ 11,068  
    Distributable earnings before realized losses on investments, net of tax per common share – basic and diluted $ 0.23   $ 0.97  
    Distributable earnings per common share – basic and diluted $ (0.03 ) $ 0.07  

    U.S. GAAP return on equity is based on U.S. GAAP net income, while distributable return on equity is based on distributable earnings, which adjusts U.S. GAAP net income for the items Din the distributable earnings reconciliation above.

    Webcast and Earnings Conference Call

    Management will host a webcast and conference call on Monday, March 3, 2025 at 8:30am ET to provide a general business update and discuss the financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2024. During the conference call, the Company may discuss and answer questions concerning business and financial developments and trends that have occurred after quarter-end. The Company’s responses to questions, as well as other matters discussed during the conference call, may contain or constitute information that has not been disclosed previously.

    The Company encourages use of the webcast due to potential extended wait times to access the conference call via dial-in. The webcast of the conference call will be available in the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at www.readycapital.com. To listen to a live broadcast, go to the site at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time in order to register, download and install any necessary audio software.

    To Participate in the Telephone Conference Call:

    Dial in at least five minutes prior to start time.

    Domestic: 1-877-407-0792
    International: 1-201-689-8263

    Conference Call Playback:

    Domestic: 1-844-512-2921
    International: 1-412-317-6671
    Replay Pin #: 13750356

    The playback can be accessed through March 17, 2025.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements,” as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements; the Company can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations include, but are not limited to, applicable regulatory changes; general volatility of the capital markets; changes in the Company’s investment objectives and business strategy; the availability of financing on acceptable terms or at all; the availability, terms and deployment of capital; the availability of suitable investment opportunities; changes in the interest rates or the general economy; increased rates of default and/or decreased recovery rates on investments; changes in interest rates, interest rate spreads, the yield curve or prepayment rates; changes in prepayments of Company’s assets; the degree and nature of competition, including competition for the Company’s target assets; and other factors, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC, and other reports filed by the Company with the SEC, copies of which are available on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

    About Ready Capital Corporation

    Ready Capital Corporation (NYSE: RC) is a multi-strategy real estate finance company that originates, acquires, finances and services lower-to-middle-market investor and owner occupied commercial real estate loans. The Company specializes in loans backed by commercial real estate, including agency multifamily, investor, construction, and bridge as well as U.S. Small Business Administration loans under its Section 7(a) program and government guaranteed loans focused on the United States Department of Agriculture. Headquartered in New York, New York, the Company employs approximately 500 professionals nationwide.

    Contact
    Investor Relations
    Ready Capital Corporation
    212-257-4666
    InvestorRelations@readycapital.com

    Additional information can be found on the Company’s website at www.readycapital.com.

    READY CAPITAL CORPORATION
    UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
    (in thousands) December 31, 2024   December 31, 2023
    Assets      
    Cash and cash equivalents $ 143,803     $ 138,532  
    Restricted cash   30,560       30,063  
    Loans, net (including $3,533 and $9,348 held at fair value)   3,378,149       4,020,160  
    Loans, held for sale (including $128,531 and $81,599 held at fair value and net of valuation allowance of $97,620 and $0)   241,626       81,599  
    Mortgage-backed securities   31,006       27,436  
    Investment in unconsolidated joint ventures (including $6,577 and $7,360 held at fair value)   161,561       133,321  
    Derivative instruments   7,963       2,404  
    Servicing rights   128,440       102,837  
    Real estate owned, held for sale   193,437       252,949  
    Other assets   362,486       300,175  
    Assets of consolidated VIEs   5,175,295       6,897,145  
    Assets held for sale   287,595       454,596  
    Total Assets $ 10,141,921     $ 12,441,217  
    Liabilities      
    Secured borrowings   2,035,176       2,102,075  
    Securitized debt obligations of consolidated VIEs, net   3,580,513       5,068,453  
    Senior secured notes, net   437,847       345,127  
    Corporate debt, net   895,265       764,908  
    Guaranteed loan financing   691,118       844,540  
    Contingent consideration   573       7,628  
    Derivative instruments   352       212  
    Dividends payable   43,168       54,289  
    Loan participations sold   95,578       62,944  
    Due to third parties   1,442       3,641  
    Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities   188,051       207,481  
    Liabilities held for sale   228,735       333,157  
    Total Liabilities $ 8,197,818     $ 9,794,455  
    Preferred stock Series C, liquidation preference $25.00 per share   8,361       8,361  
           
    Commitments & contingencies      
           
    Stockholders’ Equity      
    Preferred stock Series E, liquidation preference $25.00 per share   111,378       111,378  
    Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized, 162,792,372 and 172,276,105 shares issued and outstanding, respectively   17       17  
    Additional paid-in capital   2,250,291       2,321,989  
    Retained earnings (deficit)   (505,089 )     124,413  
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss   (18,552 )     (17,860 )
    Total Ready Capital Corporation equity   1,838,045       2,539,937  
    Non-controlling interests   97,697       98,464  
    Total Stockholders’ Equity $ 1,935,742     $ 2,638,401  
    Total Liabilities, Redeemable Preferred Stock, and Stockholders’ Equity $ 10,141,921     $ 12,441,217  
    READY CAPITAL CORPORATION
    UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
    (in thousands, except share data) Three Months Ended
    December 31, 2024    		   Year Ended
    December 31, 2024
    Interest income $ 203,965     $ 896,975  
    Interest expense   (153,911 )     (696,455 )
    Net interest income before provision for loan losses $ 50,054     $ 200,520  
    Provision for loan losses   (285,008 )     (292,759 )
    Net interest income after provision for loan losses $ (234,954 )   $ (92,239 )
    Non-interest income      
    Net realized gain (loss) on financial instruments and real estate owned   (10,934 )     (54,000 )
    Net unrealized gain (loss) on financial instruments   (17,025 )     (14,991 )
    Valuation allowance, loans held for sale   31,229       (124,878 )
    Servicing income, net of amortization and impairment of $7,756 and $21,972   4,112       16,556  
    Gain on bargain purchase   —       13,859  
    Income on unconsolidated joint ventures   6,065       10,886  
    Other income   13,557       50,803  
    Total non-interest income (expense) $ 27,004     $ (101,765 )
    Non-interest expense      
    Employee compensation and benefits   (23,320 )     (82,522 )
    Allocated employee compensation and benefits from related party   (3,350 )     (11,387 )
    Professional fees   (7,557 )     (26,887 )
    Management fees – related party   (5,518 )     (24,862 )
    Loan servicing expense   (12,749 )     (46,656 )
    Transaction related expenses   (4,878 )     (10,118 )
    Impairment on real estate   (29,876 )     (56,503 )
    Other operating expenses   (19,637 )     (63,572 )
    Total non-interest expense $ (106,885 )   $ (322,507 )
    Loss from continuing operations before benefit for income taxes   (314,835 )     (516,511 )
    Income tax benefit   17,318       104,512  
    Net loss from continuing operations $ (297,517 )   $ (411,999 )
    Discontinued operations      
    Loss from discontinued operations before benefit for income taxes   (22,978 )     (24,532 )
    Income tax benefit   5,744       6,133  
    Net loss from discontinued operations $ (17,234 )   $ (18,399 )
    Net loss $ (314,751 )   $ (430,398 )
    Less: Dividends on preferred stock   1,999       7,996  
    Less: Net income attributable to non-controlling interest   1,389       5,357  
    Net loss attributable to Ready Capital Corporation $ (318,139 )   $ (443,751 )
           
    Earnings per common share from continuing operations – basic $ (1.80 )   $ (2.52 )
    Earnings per common share from discontinued operations – basic $ (0.10 )   $ (0.11 )
    Total earnings per common share – basic $ (1.90 )   $ (2.63 )
           
    Earnings per common share from continuing operations – diluted $ (1.80 )   $ (2.52 )
    Earnings per common share from discontinued operations – diluted $ (0.10 )   $ (0.11 )
    Total earnings per common share – diluted $ (1.90 )   $ (2.63 )
           
    Weighted-average shares outstanding      
    Basic   167,434,683       169,107,477  
    Diluted   168,845,426       170,472,273  
           
    Dividends declared per share of common stock $ 0.25     $ 1.10  
    READY CAPITAL CORPORATION
    UNAUDITED SEGMENT REPORTING
      Three Months Ended December 31, 2024
    (in thousands) LMM
    Commercial
    Real Estate    		   Small Business
    Lending    		   Corporate-Other   Consolidated
    Interest income $ 170,292     $ 33,673     $ —     $ 203,965  
    Interest expense   (131,128 )     (22,783 )     —       (153,911 )
    Net interest income before provision for loan losses $ 39,164     $ 10,890     $ —     $ 50,054  
    Provision for loan losses   (279,483 )     (5,525 )     —       (285,008 )
    Net interest income after provision for loan losses $ (240,319 )   $ 5,365     $ —     $ (234,954 )
    Non-interest income              
    Net realized gain (loss) on financial instruments and real estate owned   (33,206 )     22,272       —       (10,934 )
    Net unrealized gain (loss) on financial instruments   (19,629 )     2,604       —       (17,025 )
    Valuation allowance, loans held for sale   31,229       —       —       31,229  
    Servicing income, net   1,761       2,351       —       4,112  
    Income on unconsolidated joint ventures   6,065       —       —       6,065  
    Other income   2,279       9,155       2,123       13,557  
    Total non-interest income (loss) $ (11,501 )   $ 36,382     $ 2,123     $ 27,004  
    Non-interest expense              
    Employee compensation and benefits   (4,741 )     (14,564 )     (4,015 )     (23,320 )
    Allocated employee compensation and benefits from related party   (335 )     —       (3,015 )     (3,350 )
    Professional fees   (1,639 )     (3,210 )     (2,708 )     (7,557 )
    Management fees – related party   —       —       (5,518 )     (5,518 )
    Loan servicing expense   (11,592 )     (1,157 )     —       (12,749 )
    Transaction related expenses   —       —       (4,878 )     (4,878 )
    Impairment on real estate   (29,876 )     —       —       (29,876 )
    Other operating expenses   (4,257 )     (12,215 )     (3,165 )     (19,637 )
    Total non-interest expense $ (52,440 )   $ (31,146 )   $ (23,299 )   $ (106,885 )
    Income (loss) before provision for income taxes $ (304,260 )   $ 10,601     $ (21,176 )   $ (314,835 )
    Total assets $ 8,058,707     $ 1,427,281     $ 368,338     $ 9,854,326  
    READY CAPITAL CORPORATION
    UNAUDITED SEGMENT REPORTING
      Year Ended December 31, 2024
    (in thousands) LMM
    Commercial
    Real Estate    		   Small Business
    Lending    		   Corporate-Other   Consolidated
    Interest income $ 766,354     $ 130,621     $ —     $ 896,975  
    Interest expense   (598,846 )     (97,609 )     —       (696,455 )
    Net interest income before provision for loan losses $ 167,508     $ 33,012     $ —     $ 200,520  
    Provision for loan losses   (283,800 )     (8,959 )     —       (292,759 )
    Net interest income after provision for loan losses $ (116,292 )   $ 24,053     $ —     $ (92,239 )
    Non-interest income              
    Net realized gain (loss) on financial instruments and real estate owned   (132,746 )     78,746       —       (54,000 )
    Net unrealized gain (loss) on financial instruments   (20,588 )     5,597       —       (14,991 )
    Valuation allowance, loans held for sale   (124,878 )     —       —       (124,878 )
    Servicing income, net   5,759       10,797       —       16,556  
    Gain on bargain purchase   —       —       13,859       13,859  
    Income on unconsolidated joint ventures   10,876       10       —       10,886  
    Other income   22,605       23,424       4,774       50,803  
    Total non-interest income (loss) $ (238,972 )   $ 118,574     $ 18,633     $ (101,765 )
    Non-interest expense              
    Employee compensation and benefits   (25,821 )     (46,036 )     (10,665 )     (82,522 )
    Allocated employee compensation and benefits from related party   (1,139 )     —       (10,248 )     (11,387 )
    Professional fees   (4,963 )     (12,681 )     (9,243 )     (26,887 )
    Management fees – related party   —       —       (24,862 )     (24,862 )
    Loan servicing expense   (44,667 )     (1,989 )     —       (46,656 )
    Transaction related expenses   —       —       (10,118 )     (10,118 )
    Impairment on real estate   (56,428 )     (75 )     —       (56,503 )
    Other operating expenses   (15,212 )     (36,108 )     (12,252 )     (63,572 )
    Total non-interest expense $ (148,230 )   $ (96,889 )   $ (77,388 )   $ (322,507 )
    Income (loss) before provision for income taxes $ (503,494 )   $ 45,738     $ (58,755 )   $ (516,511 )
    Total assets $ 8,058,707     $ 1,427,281     $ 368,338     $ 9,854,326  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council housing scheme opens door to local green space improvements

    Source: City of Leeds

    Green space in a Leeds community has been given a new and attractive lease of life thanks to a local council housing development.

    The Leeds City Council development, currently nearing completion at Brooklands Avenue in Seacroft, will provide a total of 33 high-quality homes for affordable rent.

    But the scheme – part of Leeds’s Council Housing Growth Programme (CHGP) – will not just have a positive impact on the lives of the people who move into the finished homes.

    Funding made available through the development has also been used to carry out improvements to existing green space close to Brooklands Avenue. Key elements of this work include:

    • The tidying of a woodland area that sits between Brooklands Avenue and Seacroft Village Green;
    • The planting of trees, shrubs and bulbs on two pieces of land next to The Green, a road which leads off Brooklands Avenue;
    • Enhancements to a footpath that runs between The Green and Redmire Drive.

    The improvements were carried out in partnership between the council and environmental charity Groundwork Yorkshire following consultation with residents and other regular users of the green space.

    And the difference that has been made to the area left two senior councillors hugely impressed when they paid a recent visit to Brooklands Avenue.

    Councillor Jess Lennox, Leeds City Council’s executive member for housing, and Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council’s executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space, helped out with the planting of a tree during their visit.

    Funds generated by the Brooklands Avenue scheme and another council housing development in the Ambertons area of Gipton are also being used to improve the biodiversity of 1.14 hectares of amenity grassland near the Denbigh Heights and Denbigh Croft flats, off Wykebeck Valley Road. Work here has included the planting of native scrub, providing a variety of food sources and shelter for wildlife.

    Councillor Jess Lennox, Leeds City Council’s executive member for housing, said:

    “The Brooklands Avenue development illustrates how our successful Council Housing Growth Programme is continuing to deliver the kind of high-quality, affordable homes that can change lives for the better.

    “Homes are more than just bricks and mortar, they can add social value and vibrancy to existing communities. I was really pleased, therefore, to see the positive difference that this particular scheme has made to green space in the surrounding area.”

    Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council’s executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space, said:

    “The work that has taken place at Brooklands Avenue and Wykebeck Valley Road is a great example of how the council, with support from residents and partners, can provide and enhance local green space.

    “Making our parks, fields, woods and footpaths as attractive and accessible as possible will encourage more and more people to use them and enjoy the benefits for health and wellbeing that come with spending time outdoors.”

    The Brooklands Avenue development will comprise 25 one-bedroom apartments – in a five-storey building named after Doris Storey, a Leeds swimming champion of the 1930s – and eight two and three-bedroom houses.

    The council is meeting most of the cost of the development, with additional support coming from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Brownfield Housing Fund.

    Around 700 homes have been built or acquired via Leeds’s CHGP since 2018, supporting ongoing efforts to ease local affordable housing pressures.

    By increasing the number of appropriate properties available to tenants looking to downsize, the programme has also helped free up some homes that are best suited to larger families.

    Places where new housing has recently been delivered by the CHGP include Barncroft Close in Seacroft and Scott Hall Drive in Chapel Allerton as well as a site in Middleton formerly occupied by Throstle Recreation Ground and Middleton Skills Centre.

    ENDS

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/THAILAND – Apostles among Burmese refugees, the Capuchin Friars bring food and spiritual comfort

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Ofm cap Thailand

    Chiang Mai (Agenzia Fides) – In the Thai parish of Mae Teng, in the diocese of Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, 350 Burmese Catholics belonging to the Kayaw, Kayah and Kayan tribes have found refuge. In recent days, the death of a little girl from the Kayaw tribe, whose parents did not know who to turn to for her funeral, has drawn the attention of the Capuchin Franciscan friars who work there. Brother Denchai, Brother Alshem Anuchit Sombunpoolpeume and Brother André Thaweedet Sawanphaophan welcomed the family, celebrated the funeral rite, and offered them comfort and support in their grief. Now, the Capuchin friars have established a bond with the refugees and begun to visit their villages and settlements to better understand their needs and offer them material and spiritual support.The men of these tribes, the brothers report, are engaged in training elephants, while the women sell crafts to visitors. However, their economic situation remains precarious: they are mostly illegal immigrants, without official residence and work permits, and they lack rights, like thousands of other Burmese refugees who have fled the conflict and are not recognized by the Thai government.The Franciscans are committed to providing food, medicine and other essential goods, but they also guarantee a supportive presence that is not secondary: spiritual, through liturgical celebrations, sacraments and human closeness, based on authentic fraternity. These elements are as important as material food, sometimes even more so, as they bring peace and hope to afflicted hearts.Now, the friars plan to organize an educational course for 45 children and young people who cannot pay school fees. At the same time, they are looking for resources to buy medicines and cover medical care, something these families cannot afford with the little they manage to earn. To respond to their needs, the Capuchin Missionary Centre in Milan has also been mobilized, with its director, Friar Giovanni Cropelli, who wants to take advantage of the favourable time of Lent to raise awareness among the faithful about charity and to support these needs. “These refugees – he notes – are part of the so-called “ghost towns”, which are not recognized in any way by the State. Without civil identity, they have no access to medical care, education or any public service. They are in a state of extreme need”. He adds that “among them, there is an even more disadvantaged minority, the community of Catholic refugees, who, fleeing the civil war, have left behind their home, their relatives, their memories and their roots”. Forced emigration is a consequence of the deep political, social, economic and humanitarian crisis that followed the military coup in February 2021, aggravated by the civil war, which has created more than 3.5 million internally displaced persons and thousands of people crossing the border into neighbouring Thailand.The Thai government has tried to curb this phenomenon through repatriation policies, creating detention camps for migrants or refugee camps guarded by the police, without allowing refugees to integrate into society. In 2024, the repatriation policy resulted in the detention of nearly 200,000 Myanmar citizens. As the war in Burma continues, with the compulsory recruitment law enacted by the Burmese junta, many young people continue to try to leave the country, choosing Thailand as their destination. Some enroll in schools, universities and study courses, applying for residence visas as students; for others, the only way is clandestinely, in the hope of finding work and regularizing their situation. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 3/3/2025)

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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/DR CONGO – Rebel movement M23 is said to be responsible for the attack in Bukavu

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – “According to credible witnesses, the two explosions that hit the crowd in Bukavu are attributable to the M23,” a local source from the capital of the Congolese province of South Kivu tells Fides.On February 27, at the end of a rally organized by Corneille Nanga, coordinator of the Congo River Alliance (the political wing of the M23), two hand grenades exploded on the Place de l’Indépendance, leaving 13 dead and a hundred injured. The double attack was attributed by the M23 on the authorities in Kinshasa, but there were at least three versions of who was supposedly responsible for the massacre (see Fides, 27/2/2025). Now our source, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, reconstructs the events as follows: “According to a witness who was wounded in the double attack, at the end of the speech by the ‘new authorities’ on the Place de l’Indépendance, an invitation was made to the young people to join the M23; then, while most of the bystanders left the square, some young people began to shout: ‘Rwandans, go back to your homes’. This angered the M23 militiamen who were present to guard the event. In particular, militiamen were positioned in two small trucks on opposite sides of the square. A hand grenade was thrown from one of the trucks, causing the first victims. On the other side of the square, a second grenade was thrown from the other truck, causing more deaths and injuries. At least one person was hit in the head and is now in a coma.””The fact that the M23 was responsible for the massacre,” our source continues, “is confirmed by the fact that the area of the two explosions was immediately surrounded by militiamen who prevented the fragments from being collected. The next day, the square was perfectly clean, without any trace of the bombs or the blood of the victims.” The Fides source adds that the security situation in Bukavu remains precarious. “There are still many deaths in the city because, in the absence of the police and the prison (which was set on fire when the city was taken, see Fides, 20/2/2025), people resort to the so-called ‘popular justice’ to defend themselves against crimes. This has already happened before with thieves and robbers; Fearing that if they were handed over to the police they would be released and then return to take revenge on those who had denounced them, some preferred to resort to a quicker form of justice by killing and burning thieves and robbers. On February 27 alone, five people accused of various robberies were found murdered in a district of the city. This is the situation of a population left to its own devices.” Finally, according to our source, “the so-called ‘Wazalendo’, the local self-defense militias, are reorganizing themselves after the regular army soldiers fled.” “According to the testimonies collected, on March 1, an M23 formation was ambushed by the Wazalendo near Minova. There are reports of around 50 deaths among the M23. The fighting these days is concentrated in the Nyangesi area, a strategic point on the road from Bukavu to the plain. However, the M23 is located in Kamaniola, while the Wazalendo are stationed in a nearby town.” (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 3/3/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Injunctions granted against pair who preyed on vulnerable residents

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Oswald Clarke, aged 61 and of no fixed abode, and Emma Price, 39, also of no fixed abode, targeted vulnerable people, and coerced or threatened them to get into and take control of their properties, where they would then supply and use of class A controlled drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine.  

    The Court heard that Clarke in particular would threaten and intimidate the residents, often supplying them with drugs to persuade them to comply and hold them in debt to him.

    This exploitation, commonly known as cuckooing, attracted many people to properties the pair had taken over to use controlled drugs, in turn causing increased levels of anti social behaviour in the local area.

    Twelve people were identified as being victims of Clarke and Price over a period of 14 months, many of whom lived in Wolverhampton Homes properties in the Heath Town area.

    The injunctions last for 2 years and prohibit Clarke and Price from approaching or communicating with named victims, entering or remaining in the Heath Town area, entering any residential dwelling owned by the council or Wolverhampton Homes other than their homes, entering any other residential dwelling in Wolverhampton without the owner’s consent, and using abusive, offensive, threatening or intimidating language or behaviour to any council or Wolverhampton Homes resident.

    If either breach the injunctions, they could be fined or jailed for up to 2 years for contempt of court.

    Wolverhampton Anti Social Behaviour Team led on securing the injunctions, working closely with Wolverhampton Homes, West Midlands Police, and the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Exploitation Team and Legal Services.

    Councillor Obaida Ahmed, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Digital and Community, said: “Clarke and Price preyed on vulnerable residents, causing them serious harm and causing anti social behaviour to the wider community.

    “We hope the injunctions that have been granted against them by the County Court will send out a strong message that such exploitation will not be tolerated across our city.”

    Wolverhampton Partnerships Sergeant Nicola Sephton added: “Officers in our exploitation hub work to safeguard and support those who are often vulnerable individuals.

    “We work closely with partners including the council and Wolverhampton Homes to protect those who are exploited, through the courts and by offering them the opportunities to move forward with their lives.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Snooker event gets ‘M’ Mark status

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Major Sports Events Committee today announced that it has awarded “M” Mark status to the World Snooker Grand Prix 2025, due to be held from March 4 to 9.

    Major Sports Events Committee Chairman Wilfred Ng said: “The World Snooker Grand Prix 2025 has moved out of the UK for the very first time. Being held in Hong Kong, its scale and its prize pool have reached new heights.

    “It is the inaugural major event after the opening of Kai Tak Sports Park, which not only helps promote local snooker development but also underlines Hong Kong’s status as the centre for major international sports events.”

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: Bitfarms Provides February 2025 Production and Operations Update  

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    – Operational hashrate of 16.1 EH/s –
    – Acquisition of Stronghold Digital Mining & sale of Yguazu site on track for Q1 2025 close –
    -Appoints Craig Hibbard to SVP of Infrastructure-

    This news release constitutes a “designated news release” for the purposes of the Company’s second amended and restated prospectus supplement dated December 17, 2024, to its short form base shelf prospectus dated November 10, 2023.

    TORONTO, March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitfarms Ltd. (NASDAQ/TSX: BITF), a global Bitcoin and vertically integrated data center company, today issued its latest monthly production report. All financial references are in U.S. dollars.

    CEO Ben Gagnon stated, “We are on track to close our acquisition of Stronghold Digital Mining (“Stronghold”) following the recent successful shareholder vote which Stronghold shareholders voted overwhelmingly in support. Combined with the strategic sale of our 200 MW Yguazu, Paraguay data center, also on track for a Q1 2025 close, these accretive transactions will improve our energy portfolio and transform Bitfarms into a North American energy and compute infrastructure company with lower-cost energy and high-quality assets, suitable for both HPC/AI and Bitcoin mining.

    “In addition, I am thrilled to welcome our new SVP of Infrastructure, Craig Hibbard. Craig joins us from Mawson Infrastructure Group where he was Chief Development Officer. He has over 25 years of experience leading large-scale real estate development projects, including the recent rapid design and construction of over 200 MW of digital infrastructure for a U.S. firm specializing in digital assets and HPC/AI. Based in Pennsylvania, Craig will play a critical role in managing infrastructure development for our rapidly expanding PJM portfolio and advancing our HPC/AI business.”

    SVP of Global Mining Operations Alex Brammer said, “During February we grew our operational hashrate 6% to 16.1 EH/s and grew our average operational hashrate 20% to 13.4 EH/s, achieving new all-time highs in three out of four countries. This growth will continue as we deploy miners in the U.S. and Argentina and optimize performance across all of our data centers.”

    February 2025 Select Operating Highlights

    Key Performance Indicators February 2025 January 2025
    Total BTC earned 213 201
    Month End Operating EH/s 16.1 15.2
    BTC/Avg. EH/s 16 18
    Average Operating EH/s 13.4 11.2
    Energized Capacity (MW) 437 437
    Hydropower (MW) 256 256
    Watts/Terahash Efficiency (w/TH) 20 20
    BTC Sold 75 42
    • 16.1 EH/s operational at February 28, 2025, up 6% M/M.
    • 13.4 EH/s average operational, up 20% M/M.
    • 16 BTC/average EH/s, 11% lower M/M.
    • 213 BTC earned, 6% higher M/M.
    • 7.6 BTC earned daily on average, equal to ~$638,400 per day based on a BTC price of $84,000 at February 28, 2025.

    February 2025 Financial Update

    • Sold 75 of the 213 BTC earned as part of the Company’s regular treasury management practice for total proceeds of $6.5 million.
    • Added 108 BTC, bringing Treasury to 1,260 BTC, up from 1,152 BTC last month and representing $105.8 million based on the Bitcoin price of $84,000 at February 28, 2025. This includes the transfer of 30 BTC to a third party as collateral for active option contracts during the month.

    Upcoming Conferences and Events

    • March 12, 2025: Cantor Fitzgerald Global Technology Conference (NYC)
    • March 17-18, 2025: 37th Annual ROTH Conference (Dana Point, CA)

    About Bitfarms Ltd.

    Founded in 2017, Bitfarms is a global vertically integrated Bitcoin data center company that sells its computational power to one or more mining pools from which it receives payment in Bitcoin. Bitfarms develops, owns, and operates vertically integrated mining facilities with in-house management and company-owned electrical engineering, installation service, and multiple onsite technical repair centers.

    Bitfarms currently has 13 operating Bitcoin data centers, as well as hosting agreements with two data centers, in four countries: Canada, the United States, Paraguay, and Argentina. Powered predominantly by environmentally friendly hydro-electric and long-term power contracts, Bitfarms is committed to using sustainable and often underutilized energy infrastructure.

    To learn more about Bitfarms’ events, developments, and online communities:

    www.bitfarms.com
    https://www.facebook.com/bitfarms/
    https://twitter.com/Bitfarms_io
    https://www.instagram.com/bitfarms/
    https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitfarms/

    Glossary of Terms

    • Y/Y or M/M= year over year or month over month
    • BTC or BTC/day = Bitcoin or Bitcoin per day
    • EH or EH/s = Exahash or exahash per second
    • MW or MWh = Megawatts or megawatt hour
    • GW or GWh= Gigawatts or gigawatt hour
    • w/TH = Watts/Terahash efficiency (includes cost of powering supplementary equipment)
    • HPC/AI = High Performance Computing / Artificial Intelligence
    • Energized capacity= Power available
    • Operational capacity= Power and infrastructure being used for current operations
    • PJM= Pennsylvania- New Jersey- Maryland Interconnection LLC

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This news release contains certain “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” (collectively, “forward-looking information”) that are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release and are covered by safe harbors under Canadian and United States securities laws. The statements and information in this release regarding projected growth, target hashrate, opportunities relating to the Company’s geographical diversification and expansion, the merits of the rebalancing operations to North America and projected growth, the North American energy and compute infrastructure strategy, deployment of miners as well as the timing therefor, closing of the Stronghold acquisition on a timely basis and on the terms as announced, the positive impact of the Stronghold acquisition and the ability to gain access to additional electrical power and grow hashrate of the Stronghold business, the sale of the Yguazu, Paraguay Site and the reinvestment of the proceeds of the sale for growth, opportunities relating to the potential of the Company’s data centers for HPC/AI, performance of the plants and equipment upgrades and the impact on operating capacity including the target hashrate and multi-year expansion capacity, the opportunities to leverage Bitfarms’ proven expertise to successfully enhance energy efficiency and hashrate, the benefits of diversification and other statements regarding future growth, plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking information. Any statements that involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as “expects”, or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “plans”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “forecasts”, “estimates”, “prospects”, “believes” or “intends” or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results “may” or “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information and are intended to identify forward-looking information.

    This forward-looking information is based on assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time they were made, and involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, risks relating to: the construction and operation of the Company’s facilities may not occur as currently planned, or at all; there is no guarantee that the Company will be able to complete the acquisition of Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc. or the sale of the Yguazu, Paraguay Site on the terms as announced, or at all; expansion may not materialize as currently anticipated, or at all; the anticipated merits of the HPC/AI strategy, the benefits and programs of the PJM deregulated market and the objectives of diversification in general may not be realized as planned; efforts to improve and optimize the performance of equipment may not be successful; the digital currency market; the ability to successfully mine digital currency; revenue may not increase as currently anticipated, or at all; it may not be possible to profitably liquidate the current digital currency inventory, or at all; a decline in digital currency prices may have a significant negative impact on operations; an increase in network difficulty may have a significant negative impact on operations; the volatility of digital currency prices; the anticipated growth and sustainability of hydroelectricity for the purposes of cryptocurrency mining in the applicable jurisdictions; the inability to maintain reliable and economical sources of power for the Company to operate cryptocurrency mining assets; the risks of an increase in the Company’s electricity costs, cost of natural gas, changes in currency exchange rates, energy curtailment or regulatory changes in the energy regimes in the jurisdictions in which the Company operates and the adverse impact on the Company’s profitability; future capital needs and the ability to complete current and future financings, including Bitfarms’ ability to utilize an at-the-market offering program ( “ATM Program”) and the prices at which securities may be sold in such ATM Program, as well as capital market conditions in general; share dilution resulting from an ATM Program and from other equity issuances; the risk that a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting could result in a misstatement of the Company’s financial position that may lead to a material misstatement of the annual or interim consolidated financial statements if not prevented or detected on a timely basis; any regulations or laws that will prevent Bitfarms from operating its business; historical prices of digital currencies and the ability to mine digital currencies that will be consistent with historical prices; and the adoption or expansion of any regulation or law that will prevent Bitfarms from operating its business, or make it more costly to do so. For further information concerning these and other risks and uncertainties, refer to the Company’s filings on www.sedarplus.ca (which are also available on the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov), including the restated MD&A for the year-ended December 31, 2023, filed on December 9, 2024. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including factors that are currently unknown to or deemed immaterial by the Company. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking information other than as required by law . Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, or any other securities exchange or regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

    Additional Information about the Stronghold Acquisition and Where to Find It

    This communication relates to a proposed merger between Stronghold and Bitfarms. In connection with the proposed merger, Bitfarms has filed the registration statement with the SEC. After the registration statement is declared effective, Stronghold will mail the proxy statement/prospectus to its shareholders. This communication is not a substitute for the registration statement, the proxy statement/prospectus or any other relevant documents Bitfarms and Stronghold has filed or will file with the SEC. Investors are urged to read the proxy statement/prospectus (including all amendments and supplements thereto) and other relevant documents filed with the SEC carefully and in their entirety if and when they become available because they will contain important information about the proposed merger and related matters.

    Investors may obtain free copies of the registration statement, the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents filed by Bitfarms and Stronghold with the SEC, when they become available, through the website maintained by the SEC at www sec.gov. Copies of the documents may also be obtained for free from Bitfarms by contacting Bitfarms’ Investor Relations Department at investors@bitfarms.com and from Stronghold by contacting Stronghold’s Investor Relations Department at SDIG@gateway-grp.com.

    No Offer or Solicitation

    This communication is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, sell or solicit any securities or any proxy, vote or approval, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be deemed to be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

    Participants in Solicitation Relating to the Stronghold Acquisition

    Bitfarms, Stronghold, their respective directors and certain of their respective executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Stronghold’s shareholders in respect of the proposed merger. In connection with the proposed merger, Bitfarms has filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form F-4 on December 19, 2024, which includes a proxy statement of Stronghold that also constitutes a prospectus of Bitfarms. This communication may be deemed to be solicitation material in respect of the proposed merger. Additional information regarding the interests of such potential participants, including their respective interests by security holdings or otherwise, will be set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed merger if and when they become available. These documents are available free of charge on the SEC’s website and from Bitfarms using the sources indicated above.

    Investor Relations Contact:

    Bitfarms
    Tracy Krumme
    SVP, Head of IR & Corp. Comms.
    +1 786-671-5638
    tkrumme@bitfarms.com

    Media Contact: 

    Bitfarms
    Caroline Brady Baker 
    Director, Communications   
    cbaker@bitfarms.com 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Message from the Director of World Heritage, Lazare Eloundou Assomo, for World Wildlife Day 2025

    Source: United Nations

    Mr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the World Heritage Centre (WHC), shares a message for World Wildlife Day 2025.

    Today, World Wildlife Day is a powerful reminder of the urgent need to protect and conserve biodiversity. Around the globe, countless plant and animal species face unprecedented threats, with many on the brink of extinction. This includes some of the rarest and most extraordinary species that inhabit sites protected under the World Heritage Convention.

    UNESCO World Heritage sites exemplify our cultural treasures and the most outstanding natural places. They protect over a fifth of the planet’s mapped species richness.

    World Heritage sites include the mangrove ecosystems of the Sundarbans in Bangladesh and India, home to the largest remaining population of the Bengal tiger. The Rainforests of the Atsinanana in Madagascar and Manú National Park in Peru, are among the most biodiverse places on Earth. World Heritage sites also show how wildlife conservation supports livelihoods and promotes sustainable socio-economic development.

    However, the extraordinary biodiversity found in UNESCO World Heritage sites must be protected from threats such as overexploitation and illegal wildlife trade. To combat these threats, UNESCO and site managers work closely with CITES and other key actors. We need all hands on deck. To protect these irreplaceable places, it is crucial to give site managers the financial resources they need to sustain the rich life these sites support.

    On this World Wildlife Day, I urge everyone to look for innovative financial solutions that will allow wild species of plants and animals to thrive for generations to come. Together, we can ensure the survival of wildlife and the preservation of the planet’s natural wonders.

    Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of World Heritage

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Potentially life-saving bleed kits installed in the Coalfield Area

    Source: City of Sunderland

    Ten new potentially lifesaving bleed kits have been installed across Copt Hill, Hetton, Houghton and Shiney Row

    Sunderland City Council’s Coalfield Area Committee has funded the bleed kits in partnership with the Connor Brown Trust set up by the parents of 18-year-old Connor Brown following his tragic death in 2019.

    Tanya and Simon Brown are actively supporting the community to prevent knife crime and raising awareness of its impact. The kits were installed six years on from the fatal knife attack on Connor Brown in the city. 

    The Coalfield Area Committee allocated £5,400 from its neighbourhood fund budget towards the kits.

    Bleed kits could be used to give vital care and attention to a patient in those first few minutes before the emergency services arrive, potentially saving their life. These kits are part of the wider fight against knife crime across the city with over 50 installed so far by the Connor Brown Trust.

    Councillor Mel Speding, Chair of Sunderland City Council’s Coalfield Area Committee, said: “As a group, the Coalfield Committee aims to support and improve our communities in Houghton, Hetton, Shiney Row and Copt Hill. We were keen to provide funding for these kits which could make a big difference in an emergency.

    “We appreciated the opportunity to partner with the Connor Brown Trust which does such fantastic work across Sunderland. While we hope these kits are never needed, it is reassuring to know that they are there for our residents. We are taking the necessary steps to keep our communities safe.”

    The Coalfield Area Committee is one of five area committees across Sunderland. Made up of local councillors, area committees provide residents with a greater say by working closely with their communities and drawing on local knowledge to identify priorities for their area. They also create Area Plans to support the City Plan, focusing on local needs. These plans help fund and deliver projects in partnership with local voluntary and community sector organisations.

    This is one of 11 grants awarded by the Coalfield Area Committee since April 2024 to support community groups and voluntary organisations with various projects. These include social inclusion and wellbeing activities, Clean It, Green It, and holiday activities for children and young people. 

    Tanya Brown from The Connor Brown Trust said: “If there is an incident, doing nothing means a patient has less chance of survival, but using the kit gives anyone a better chance, before paramedics get to the scene. It’s important to have these bleed kits in as many places as possible simply because they could save lives.

    “The kits have been designed so that little to no training is needed and they can be used by the public or a first responder to any accident where there is a catastrophic bleed. The cabinets contain easy to read instructions and illustrations for each part of equipment showing where and how to use it.”

    In the event of the bleed kits being needed, the 999 operators will direct the caller to the nearest mobile kit or fixed unit and give them the combination code to unlock the unit. The kits are designed for catastrophic bleeding and the caller will be guided on how to use the equipment.

    The kits are now registered and ready to use if needed at:

    • Colliery Inn, Hetton, DH5 9JQ
    • Easington Lane Workmens Club, DH5 0JR
    • Houghton Sports and Wellness Centre, DH4 5AF
    • New Herrington Bowling Club, DH4 4UG
    • Penshaw Community Centre, DH4 7HU
    • Queensway Pharmacy, Houghton, DH5 8EL
    • Shiney Resource and Advice Centre (ShARP), Shiney Row, DH4 4QW
    • Springboard Adventure, Hetton Lyons Country Park, DH5 0RH
    • St John’s Methodist Church, Fencehouses, DH4 6HN
    • St Matthews Youth and Community Centre, Newbottle, DH5 8EL

    For more information about other kits across the city, visit: Connor Brown Trust

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Passengers to enjoy greener air travel as UK backs sustainable fuel production

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    Press release

    Passengers to enjoy greener air travel as UK backs sustainable fuel production

    Have your say on how the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) revenue certainty mechanism could be funded.

    • air travel to become greener as government introduces industry-led price guarantee to boost sustainable aviation fuel supply while keeping ticket fares down
    • investment in low carbon fuels could support up to 15,000 new jobs and £5 billion for the UK economy by 2050 – delivering economic growth as part of the government’s Plan for Change
    • plans will turbocharge investment in UK SAF, bolster expansion plans and cut carbon emissions while minimising the impact on industry and passengers

    Passengers will enjoy greener plane journeys thanks to new support for the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry helping to tackle emissions, establish Britain as a clean energy superpower and allow the UK to go further and faster with expansion plans.   

    The government has today (3 March 2025) published a consultation setting out how it intends to support the green fuels sector and provide certainty for SAF producers, in the latest step in the government’s plan to support the aviation sector to kickstart economic growth.

    The SAF industry is crucial for the future of aviation, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional jet fuels. By reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 70% compared to fossil fuels, SAF will play a vital role in delivering our clean energy mission as part of our Plan for Change and allow the UK to back airport expansion in line with climate commitments.

    Backing investment in the low carbon sector also has huge potential for driving economic growth, as it’s expected to support up to 15,000 new jobs and deliver £5 billion to the UK economy by 2050.

    As this is still a new and emerging industry, today’s proposals will tackle the current uncertainty in the sector by introducing an industry funded price guarantee – known as the revenue certainty mechanism (RCM) – to ensure a steady income flow for producers, even if the price of SAF fluctuates, helping to keep down costs for airlines and holidaymakers.   

    The proposals will help to reduce risk, give investors the confidence they need to invest in UK SAF plants and help the sector secure the supply it needs to bolster the SAF industry in the UK. The mechanism is also designed to limit costs and protect holidaymakers and working people against significant cost increases, with any rises expected to be in line with the usual variation of ticket prices.

    The revenue certainty comes alongside the introduction of the SAF Mandate in January 2025, which requires a growing percentage of aviation fuel to come from sustainable sources to support the industry by securing demand and driving production in the UK. The mandate was one of the first in the world to be put into law, once again putting the UK at the forefront of decarbonising air travel.

    The revenue certainty mechanism combined with the mandate will contribute to our net zero goals, enabling the aviation sector to continue to grow, including through airport expansion. This is also expected to drive significant investment into the SAF sector, creating green jobs, fostering innovation and driving growth as part of our Plan for Change.

    Aviation Minister, Mike Kane, said:    

    We are committed to building the technology and fuel supply that will see greener flying become a reality in a way that protects consumers.    

    As part of our Plan for Change, these proposals will power up SAF production in the UK, support thousands of green jobs and bolster expansion plans.

    Tim Alderslade, Chief Executive of Airlines UK, said:

    UK airlines support the RCM as a means of driving production in SAF and ensuring the industry can comply with the mandate.

    We look forward to working with government on its design with a particular focus on encouraging a competitive market and supporting FOAK plants. The goal must be the production of as much SAF at the cheapest possible price for consumers, to help the industry get to net zero, support growth in UK aviation whilst minimising the impact on passengers.

    Karen Dee, Chief Executive of AirportsUK, said: 

    SAF will play a key role in decarbonising aviation and a revenue certainty mechanism will not only ensure the UK can access enough supply but also that we can benefit from thousands of jobs and billions in investment.

    Airports will work with government as part of the aviation sector to develop the right solution that will give the market the confidence it needs to bring investment forward, enabling a new UK industry producing homegrown SAF to emerge.

    This, in turn, will allow the UK’s global air connectivity to expand sustainably within our net zero targets and play an increasing role in growing our economy, something the government is prioritising to drive up the prosperity of the whole country.

    Gaynor Hartnell, Chief Executive of the Renewable Transport Fuel Association, said: 

    The RCM is essential if SAF is to be manufactured here in the UK rather than imported. Home produced SAF leads to more jobs and improved fuel security, plus it’s a better way of dealing with household and commercial waste than burning it for electricity generation.

    The consultation will run from 3 March to 31 March, with the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Revenue Support Mechanism) Bill being laid in Parliament in the spring. This support will build on the £63 million recently announced by the Chancellor in her growth speech to boost production of alternative fuels in the UK.

    Last month, the Chancellor also invited Heathrow Airport to bring forward expansion plans for consideration by the summer. The government will then review the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) to ensure that any scheme is delivered in line with our legal, environmental and climate obligations.

    In September last year, the department announced a refreshed and rejuvenated Jet Zero taskforce, which is serving as the driving force to transform how people fly – aligning with the government’s missions to make the UK a clean energy superpower and kickstart the economy.

    In a further boost for sustainable aviation, the UK led the charge for new carbon limits on aircrafts at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which will see all new aircraft types become 10% more efficient from 2031. This will help cut emissions and fuel costs, benefitting passengers as well as the planet. Regulations on aircraft noise will also be strengthened from 2029 to make planes quieter when taking off and landing.

    The RCM will help deliver certainty in the green fuels market, supporting stable production of the SAF needed for aviation decarbonisation. The scheme is similar to that used in the UK’s world-leading renewables sector and could now boost domestic sustainable fuel production, driving investment in the UK SAF industry and boosting the economy through more green jobs. 

    This is a temporary measure, while SAF market prices are uncertain, to help scale early technologies while supporting a competitive market for SAF production. The government will monitor its impacts and can manage liabilities by capping the support to a pre-agreed volume of SAF, as well as agreeing the strike price within contracts.

    Aviation, Europe and technology media enquiries

    Media enquiries 0300 7777 878

    Switchboard 0300 330 3000

    Updates to this page

    Published 3 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Asian Development Blog: Multi-Stakeholder Solutions Needed for Women Entrepreneurs in South Asia

    Source: Asia Development Bank

    Gender-inclusive entrepreneurship in South Asia remains hindered by financial, social, and structural barriers. A holistic approach—combining access to finance, business development services, and multi-stakeholder partnerships—can accelerate women’s entrepreneurship and foster inclusive growth.

    While gender-inclusive entrepreneurship is a significant enabler of economic growth, only 18% of firms in South Asia are owned by women, compared to 34% globally. Women in the region lack capital and finance, as well as opportunities to access business networks and effectively market products and services. They have limited engagement in trade activities and with innovative solutions. 

    These challenges are compounded by structural barriers, such as social and customary norms and disproportionate household and care responsibilities that limit women’s opportunities as entrepreneurs and hinder their economic participation. 

    The following approaches, which should be tailored to distinct contexts, cultures, and levels of development, can help boost women’s entrepreneurship in South Asia:

    Create an inclusive business ecosystem: Accelerating women’s entrepreneurship in South Asia, a region with complexities and inequalities intertwined, requires development of an ecosystem of inclusive interventions and investments, policies, private sector engagement, and promoting resources that give women access to capital, skills, innovation, services and new markets.

    Access to finance for women has positive direct and indirect impact on business and economic empowerment, reducing poverty, and achieving good health and well-being. 

    Addressing only one issue in the chain of challenges cannot produce a sustainable effect; rather, adopting a holistic approach that creates an enabling environment by explicitly addressing constraints of women and promoting women’s entrepreneurship through specific actions is essential for long-term strategic changes that can support inclusive economic growth and development in South Asia. 

    Providing access to finance for women can be life changing: Limited financial resources confine women to smaller-scale business operations at the micro level in countries such as Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. Challenges related to capital are often rooted in gender biases, lack of tailored financial products, absence of collateral, and limited understanding of financial institutions.

    Applying innovations in finance, more targeted approaches, including for women in more vulnerable positions, can help overcome the barriers related to social norms, mobility, and control of resources and assets. While 65% of women-led small and medium enterprises in developing countries are unserved financially, access to finance for women has positive direct and indirect impact on business and economic empowerment, reducing poverty, and achieving good health and well-being. 

    Providing targeting approaches and giving access to finance has been done in Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan and has helped women to expand and grow their businesses. Targeting women as clients has a business case as well, offering opportunities for the private sector to capitalize on this important segment by providing tailored financial products and services.

    Offer comprehensive business development services: Because women-owned enterprises are under-financed and under-resourced in South Asia, offering non-financial services can be a driver of business growth. Business development services, such as mentoring, financial advisory, legal support, skills training, and accessing new markets and networks can be key drivers for women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and other South Asian countries. 

    Providing tailored services for women in start-ups is equally important as challenges at this stage are intertwined with a lack of confidence, social norms, and expectations towards women with limited resources. While also facing other forms of discrimination (particularly, in India and Nepal), supplying women with these services can lead to more equitable access to non-financial resources and significant economic growth on local and regional levels. 

    Leverage multi-stakeholder partnerships: Development partners, governments, and private sector companies – all can play role in advancing women’s entrepreneurship in South Asia. Gender-inclusive investments by development partners, improving policy frameworks by governments, and fostering bold actions by the private sector through targeted investments and financial products can all address the gender divide in entrepreneurship. Moreover, partnerships across stakeholders can only enhance these actions. 

    The path to advancing women’s entrepreneurship and engagement of stakeholders needs to be deepened to also address often discriminatory underlying social norms and practices that hold women back. This is particularly so in South Asia, where gender disparities are intertwined with religion, caste, ethnicity, and other social exclusions that exacerbate gender inequalities.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Development Asia: Harnessing Youth and Infrastructure for Timor-Leste’s Sustainable Future

    Source: Asia Development Bank

    Timor-Leste presents a unique mix of strengths and weaknesses that shape its development trajectory.

    Youth and labor supply. The country’s youthful population is part of its strength, with a median age of 20.7 years and 64.6% of its citizens under 30. By 2037, the labor forces is expected to grow by 34.8% compared to the 2022 population. Depending on various population growth scenarios, the labor force will increase by at least 26% to 27% over the next 15 years based on the latest population census (Figure 1). This increase in the working-age labor force presents a significant opportunity to boost employment prospects and sustain higher economic growth.

    Figure 1: Supply of Labor Force

    Source: The National Institute of Statistics (INETL). 2023. Timor-Leste Population and Housing Census 2022; Author’s estimate.

    Strategic location and vibrant democracy. Geographically situated in Southeast Asia, Timor-Leste holds a strategic position at the intersection of key sea lines in the Indo-Pacific region—giving it an advantage in terms of regional investments, maritime trade, and security. Benefitted from a robust electoral process, pluralism, and civil liberties, Timor-Leste is ranked 45th out of 167 countries in the 2023 Democracy Index, surpassing the average indices of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia and the Pacific, and the world (Figure 2).

    Figure 2: Democracy Index

    Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). 2024. Democracy Index 2023-Age of Conflict.

    Resource endowment and savings. The country boasts significant oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea, especially in the Greater Sunrise gas and condensate field. In 2005, it established a petroleum fund as a sovereign wealth fund, primarily sourced from petroleum revenues from the Bayu-Undan field and investment income from the petroleum fund. By the end of 2024, the petroleum fund’s balance has reached nearly $18.3 billion, exceeding the non-petroleum gross domestic product (GDP) by more than tenfold (Figure 3).

    Figure 3: The Petroleum Fund

    Source: The Central Bank of Timor-Leste (BCTL). 2024. The Petroleum Fund Reports; Author’s estimate.

    High poverty and food and nutrition insecurity. Despite its strengths, Timor-Leste faces significant challenges with poverty and food insecurity. Issues—such as poverty rate standing at 41.8% based on the national poverty line and 48.3% when measured using the multidimensional poverty, over 62.5% of the population experiencing food insecurity, 42% of households dealing with acute food insecurity, and half of the children under five years old are stunted—represent major barriers to development. Malnutrition, reduced cognitive development, impaired learning ability, and low productivity have limited human capital development.

    Narrow economic base and high dependence on the petroleum fund. The economy remains undiversified and highly susceptible to domestic and external shocks, including disasters from natural hazards and trade fluctuations. GDP growth has been low and volatile, heavily reliant on public expenditures and the petroleum fund, projected to be depleted by 2035 based on current spending. From 2009 to 2023, the average annual real GDP growth was 2.9%, but it decelerated to just 1% over the past decade, highly correlated with the growth in budget expenditure and withdrawals from the petroleum fund (Figure 4).[1]

    Figure 4: GDP Growth and Public Spending

    Source: Ministry of Finance of Timor-Leste. 2009-2024. Budget Transparency Portal; Author’s estimate.

    Lack of competitiveness and budget deficit. The high cost of doing business stems from challenges related to connectivity, land title issues, limited electricity and clean water supply, and low labor productivity—contributing to lack of competitiveness. The underdeveloped private sector contributes to a low domestic revenue base, averaging only 12.3% over the past 15 years. In contrast, total spending has been exceedingly high, averaging 90.5% of GDP. This imbalance has resulted in a significant government budget deficit, averaging 35.4% of GDP over the same period, primarily financed through persistent and excessive withdrawals from the petroleum fund (Figure 5).[2] As of 2023, GDP per capita and gross national income per capita remained low at $1,324 and $1,294 respectively. This current economic structure underscores the urgent need for economic diversification and development of a robust private sector to ensure sustainable growth and resilience against economic shocks.

    Figure 5: Government Budget

    ESI = estimated sustainable income, GDP = gross domestic product, PF = petroleum fund.
    Source: Ministry of Finance of Timor-Leste. 2009-2024. Budget Transparency Portal; Author’s estimate.

    Infrastructure gaps and limited basic services. In addition to underdeveloped human, institutional, and private sector capacities, Timor-Leste faces significant gaps and challenges in infrastructure development and provision of basic services. The country was ranked 46th out of 50 in terms of facilities supporting regulatory compliance and institutions and infrastructure enabling business activities. Due to inadequate infrastructure connectivity, access to markets and essential services—such as healthcare, education, and clean water—is limited, particularly in rural areas where 71.4% of the population resides. Significant investment in human capital, institutional strengthening, and infrastructure and logistics is crucial to support development and improve living standards.

    Lack of policy continuity. New administrations often bring changes in policies and program orientations, along with high staff turnover in the public sector. To advance ongoing priority initiatives and achieve development goals, it is crucial to strengthen institutions and ensure policy continuity and certainty.

    Suboptimal allocation of government resources to social sectors. Over the past 15 years, the compound annual growth rate of current budget expenditures in Timor-Leste was 8.9%, significantly outpacing the 4.2% compound annual growth rate of capital expenditures. Consequently, the share of current spending in the total budget has risen to 79% in 2024 from 65% in 2009. Despite the increase, there remains a persistent misallocation of resources, particularly in health and education. This misallocation leads to intergenerational human capital issues and economic disparity. Notably, the planned spending from the veterans’ fund for 2025 is nearly double the annual healthcare budget. Education spending has remained low at 7.6% of total government expenditure, significantly below the ASEAN historical average of 13.8%. Similarly, healthcare expenditure per capita in Timor-Leste is only $59, starkly contrasted with the ASEAN average of $630.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Beginning of the end for the ‘feudal’ leasehold system

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Beginning of the end for the ‘feudal’ leasehold system

    The government has published the Commonhold White Paper today.

    • Commonhold, a radical improvement on leasehold ownership, will be reinvigorated under major reforms
    • New leasehold flats to be banned as the government takes steps to honour its manifesto commitment to ensure commonhold becomes the default tenure
    • Major change will give homeowners a stake in the ownership of their buildings and will hand them more power, control and security over their homes.
    • Change will ensure flat owners are not second-class homeowners and that the unfair feudal leasehold system is brought to an end, building on the Plan for Change ambition to drive up living standards

    Homeowners will have a stake in the ownership of their buildings from day one, not have to pay ground rent, and will gain control over how their buildings are run under major plans to bring the feudal leasehold system to an end. 

    Plans to reinvigorate commonhold and make it the default tenure have been announced today. Unlike leasehold ownership where third-party landlords own buildings and make decisions on behalf of homeowners, these changes will empower hard working homeowners to have an ownership stake in their buildings from the outset and will give them greater control over how their home is managed and the bills they pay. 

    Supporting delivery of a manifesto commitment – these reforms mark the beginning of the end for the feudal leasehold system. The changes complement the Plan for Change milestone to build 1.5 million homes, combatting the acute and entrenched housing crisis by making homeownership fit for the future, by putting people in control of the money they spend on their home. 

    Commonhold-type models are used all over the world. The autonomy and control that it provides for are taken for granted in many other countries. It can and does work and the government is determined, through both new commonhold developments and by making conversion to commonhold easier, to see it take root – so millions of existing leaseholders can also benefit from this step change in rights and security.

    Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook said:

    “This government promised not only to provide immediate relief to leaseholders suffering now but to do what is necessary to bring the feudal leasehold system to an end – and that is precisely what we are doing. 

    “By taking decisive steps to reinvigorate commonhold and make it the default tenure, we will ensure that it is homeowners, not third-party landlords, who will own the buildings they live in and have a greater say in how their home is managed and the bills they pay.

    “These reforms mark the beginning of the end for a system that has seen millions of homeowners subject to unfair practices and unreasonable costs at the hands of their landlords and build on our Plan for Change commitments to drive up living standards and create a housing system fit for the twenty-first century.”

    Following the introduction of a comprehensive new legal framework for commonhold, new leasehold flats will be banned, and in the meantime the government will continue to implement reforms to help millions of leaseholders who are currently suffering from unfair and unreasonable practices at the hands of unscrupulous freeholders and managing agents.  

    The government has already empowered leaseholders with more rights and security – enabling them to buy their freehold or extend their lease without having to wait two years from the point they purchased their property, and overhauling the right to manage – putting more leaseholders in the driving seat of the management of their property and service charges. 

    Progress will be made as quickly as possible to make it cheaper and easier for leaseholders to buy their freehold or extend their lease, and to make it easier for leaseholders to challenge unreasonable service charge increases.

    Changes set out in the Commonhold White paper include:

    • New rules that will enable commonhold to work for all types of developments, including mixed-use buildings and allowing shared ownership homes within a commonhold.   
    • Greater flexibility over development rights, helping developers build with confidence and maintaining safeguards for the consumer.   
    • Giving mortgage lenders greater assurance with new measures to protect their stake in buildings and protect the solvency of commonholds – such as mandatory public liability insurance and reserve funds and greater oversight by commonhold unit owners to keep costs affordable.   
    • Strengthening the management of commonholds, with new rules around appointing directors, clear standards for repairs, and mandating use of reserve funds; and  
    • Providing an enhanced offer for homeowners – including requiring greater opportunities for democracy in agreeing the annual budget, clarifying how owners may change “local rules” over how a building is run and new protections for when things go wrong.

    A new Code of Practice will set out how costs should be apportioned in commonhold, aimed at providing consumers with transparency and clarity, and the Government is committed to strengthening regulation of managing agents. The government will also launch a consultation to ban new leasehold flats later this year to explore the best way forward. 

    An ambitious draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill will be published later this year setting out the legal framework for how reformed commonhold will work.

    Further information

    Under the current system, leasehold ownership hands the homeowner the right to occupy land or a property for a set period which reverts back to the freeholder once this expires. It means leaseholders don’t own their property outright, are forced to pay potentially escalating ground rent costs in some cases, and have a landlord who determines how the building is run and determines service charges the leaseholder must pay.  

    Commonhold ownership allows people to fully own their property outright, with no expiring term or need to save to extend a lease. They can have a say in managing their building, and have the benefit of not needing to pay ground rent or have a third party landlord. There are no leases, with the rights, responsibilities and rules for all property owners set out in the Commonhold Community Statement (CCS). This “rulebook” establishes how the shared areas and facilities will be managed, maintained and funded, as well as the obligations for each person. It establishes a democratic system of decision-making and helps prevent disputes.  

    Each property owner will become part of a commonhold association upon buying their home, which oversees both the governance and management of the building unless it decides to bring in a managing agent – which will be accountable to the commonholders, not to a landlord, including the power to hire and fire them.   

    Through the commonhold association, homeowners will have a vote on the annual budget, which is for upkeep and for maintenance of the building, and on the charges they have to pay – equivalent to what service charges are used for under the current leasehold system. Homeowners will also be able to effectively plan for longer-term repairs or maintenance under commonhold, and vote on issues that affect them including adopting ‘local rules’ – specific to how they and their neighbours in the same block of flats want to live.   

    The government is pushing forward the majority of the Law Commission’s recommendations due to the benefits of this tenure over leasehold.  Initially introduced in England and Wales in 2002, commonhold has struggled to take off due to flaws in its legal framework, despite its success in Europe, New Zealand, Australia, the US and other parts of the world.

    Key differences between commonhold and leasehold:

    • Commonhold offers full freehold ownership – real homeownership – unlike leasehold, whereby a property is leased out for a set amount of time before reverting back to the landlord and homeowners have a lack of control over their building.  
    • Commonhold allows homeowners a say on the annual budget for their building – including how their charges for upkeep and maintenance are spent – unlike leasehold, where a bill is usually imposed on leaseholders by landlords often even after the money has been spent.  
    • There is no ground rent in a commonhold property, compared to older leasehold properties. The ground rent requirement for newer properties was removed in 2022 (2023 for retirement properties) through the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022.   
    • Forfeiture is not possible under commonhold, meaning a unit owner cannot be threatened with losing their home and equity as they can in leasehold. The government will also address the disproportionate and draconian threat of forfeiture as a means of compliance with a lease agreement.    
    • Commonholders have the power to hire or fire a managing agent who works in their interests, unlike in leasehold where one is appointed by the landlord.

    Updates to this page

    Published 3 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FEMA Staff Heading to Neighborhoods in McDowell County, W.Va.

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: FEMA Staff Heading to Neighborhoods in McDowell County, W.Va.

    FEMA Staff Heading to Neighborhoods in McDowell County, W.Va.

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) Teams will be conducting door to door residential outreach in McDowell County, W.Va., beginning Sunday, March 2, to help people affected by recent flooding. FEMA staff can help people register for FEMA assistance, check the status of applications and make minor corrections to applications. Residents of McDowell, Mercer, Mingo and Wyoming counties are eligible to apply for FEMA assistance to help with recovery from the winter floods that began on Feb. 15, 2025. You do not need to wait for DSA teams to apply for FEMA assistance. You can also:  Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone line operates seven days a week. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for this service.Visit DisasterAssistance.gov. Download the FEMA App. If you have already applied for FEMA assistance, FEMA inspectors will follow up on applications and review reported damages. While FEMA staff will be making neighborhood visits, residents of the affected communities should also be aware of potential fraud and scams by people claiming to represent FEMA: FEMA representatives never charge a fee or ask for payment. FEMA representatives will always have a laminated identification badge.  Protect the privacy of your nine-digit FEMA case/registration number. Legitimate FEMA representatives will only ask for the last four digits as part of the verification process.If you have any concerns, you can call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.   For more information on West Virginia’s disaster recovery, visit emd.wv.gov, West Virginia Emergency Management Division Facebook page, www.fema.gov/disaster/4681 and www.facebook.com/FEMA.###FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during and after disasters. FEMA is committed to ensuring disaster assistance is accomplished impartially, without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, ask for assistance on the FEMA Helpline 1-800-621-3362 (press 2 for Spanish and 3 for other languages). In addition, FEMA’s Civil Rights Office can be contacted at FEMA-OCR-ECRD@fema.dhs.gov or toll-free at 833-285-7448.
    erika.osullivan
    Sun, 03/02/2025 – 19:07

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Over $2 Million in FEMA Assistance for Kentucky Households

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Over $2 Million in FEMA Assistance for Kentucky Households

    Over $2 Million in FEMA Assistance for Kentucky Households

    FRANKFORT, Ky — In one week, homeowners and renters in eleven Kentucky counties have been approved for more than $2 million from FEMA to help with recovery from the February floods, and additional assistance may be available for those who apply and meet eligibility requirements.FEMA may be able to help eligible applicants with rental assistance, basic home repair costs and other disaster-caused needs. Homeowners and renters in Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Harlan, Knott, Lee, Letcher, Martin, Owsley, Perry and Pike counties can apply in several ways:Go online to disasterassistance.gov.Download the FEMA App for mobile devices.Call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other, give FEMA your number for that service.Visit a Disaster Recovery Center.The Kentucky Division of Emergency Management and FEMA have opened Disaster Recovery Centers in Perry and Pike counties to provide disaster resources. More are planned. PERRY COUNTYHazard Community College1 Old Community College Dr.Hazard, KY 41701PIKE COUNTYPike Public Library126 Lee Ave.Pikeville, KY 41501Belfry Public Library24371 US-119 NorthBelfry, KY 41514Hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday. Deadline to apply is April 25, 2025.For an accessible video on how to apply for FEMA assistance, go to youtube.com/watch?v=WZGpWI2RCNw.For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4860. Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x.com/femaregion4. 
    sarah.cleary
    Sat, 03/01/2025 – 15:08

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FDA Roundup: February 28, 2025

    Source: US Food and Drug Administration

    For Immediate Release:
    February 28, 2025

    Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an at-a-glance summary of news from around the agency:

    On Thursday, the FDA approved Odactra to include use in individuals 5 through 11 years of age to treat house dust mite induced nasal inflammation (allergic rhinitis), with or without eye inflammation (conjunctivitis). Odactra is an allergen extract immunotherapy that is administered under the tongue (sublingual) and had been approved for use in individuals 12 through 65 years of age. The prescribing information includes a boxed warning to inform that Odactra can cause severe allergic reactions that may be life-threatening. As with other FDA-approved allergen extracts administered sublingually, patients receiving Odactra should be prescribed epinephrine.
    On Monday, the FDA updated the outbreak advisory: Outbreak Investigation of Listeria monocytogenes: Frozen Supplemental Shakes (February 2025) to include that Lyons Magnus LLC recalled 4 oz. Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial Frozen Supplemental Shakes. As of February 24, 2025, a total of 38 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported from 21 states. Of the 38 people for whom information is available, 37 people have been hospitalized, and 12 deaths have been reported.
    On Monday, the FDA cleared Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc.’s Control-IQ+ technology, an interoperable automated glycemic controller (iAGC) that is a software-only, prescription use, device. The device is intended for use with compatible integrated continuous glucose monitors (iCGM) and alternate controller enabled (ACE) pumps to automatically increase, decrease, and suspend delivery of basal insulin based on iCGM readings and predicted glucose values. It can also deliver certain insulin doses (correction boluses) necessary when the glucose value is predicted to exceed a predefined target, which is typically calculated based on carbohydrate intake, exercise, and sleep schedule.  This clearance allows the device to be used for the management of type 1 diabetes in individuals two years and older and for the management of type 2 diabetes in individuals 18 years and older, where the prior version was only for type 1 diabetes. This is the latest example of the FDA’s ongoing commitment to help advance the development of products that can improve the management of diabetes.
    On Friday, February 21, the FDA approved for marketing a software update to Medtronic Inc.’s Activa, Percept and SenSight Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy System, an implantable device that delivers low-intensity electrical pulses to nerve centers in the brain as part of deep brain stimulator (DBS) therapy for Parkinson’s Disease (PD). This first-of-its-kind software update will provide the user with an option for adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS), which individualizes the DBS therapy by adjusting the stimulation level based on detected brain signals surrounding the DBS electrode of the implant. The new programming option is intended to reduce some of the symptoms in patients diagnosed with levodopa-responsive PD, specifically those with symptoms not been adequately controlled with medicine for at least four years.

    Related Information

    Related Information

    ###

    Boilerplate

    The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, radiation-emitting electronic products, and for regulating tobacco products.

    Inquiries

    Consumer:
    888-INFO-FDA

    Content current as of:
    02/28/2025

    Regulated Product(s)

    Follow FDA

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: MEDIA RELEASE: Homestead Communities, Leader Recognized For Wildfire Mitigation Efforts

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    MEDIA RELEASE: Homestead Communities, Leader Recognized For Wildfire Mitigation Efforts

    Posted on Mar 1, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

     

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI

    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

     

    DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS

    KA ʻOIHANA ʻĀINA HOʻOPULAPULA HAWAIʻI

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
    GOVERNOR

    KE KIAʻĀINA

     

    KALI WATSON

    DIRECTOR

    KA LUNA HOʻOKELE

     

    KATIE L. LAMBERT

    DEPUTY DIRECTOR

    KA HOPE LUNA HOʻOKELE

    HOMESTEAD COMMUNITIES, LEADER RECOGNIZED FOR WILDFIRE MITIGATION EFFORTS

    Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization Credits Innovation, Collaboration For Communities’ Success

     

     

    DHHL staff attend Hawaiʻi Wildfire Summit at the Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa in Keauhou.

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    March 1, 2025

    KAILUA-KONA, HAWAIʻI ISLAND – When an illegal fireworks incident set a hillside in Papakōlea between Kapahu and Laukea Street ablaze on New Year’s Eve in 2023, the need for change sparked within Noel Shaw.

    “Because we had Lahaina, we were even more sensitive to the realities of what a fire like what happened on New Year’s could have resulted in for our community,” said Shaw, a Kalāwahine homesteader and Nā Leo O Papakōlea Firewise member. “We saw all the loss in Lahaina, and we saw the need after, and that’s why it was even more urgent.”

    Shaw’s search for a solution led her to the Firewise program.

    On February 27, 2025, homestead leaders from across the state participated in the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Summit alongside Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) staff.

    Hosted by the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO), the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Summit was designed to unite leaders and collaborators statewide. The event’s discussions, panels, and workshops were centered on the latest wildfire research and innovative strategies for wildfire preparedness, mitigation, and management in Hawaiʻi.

    “The goal is to take a forward-looking and united approach to wildfire readiness and resilience,” said Nani Barretto, co-executive director of HWMO. “As HWMO often says, we all have a role to play, and this event was created for us to learn and grow together.”

    Two homestead communities were recognized Thursday for their efforts, commitment and contributions to the Firewise program.

    Nā Leo O Papakōlea Firewise, a group comprising homesteaders from the Papakōlea, Kewalo, and Kalāwahine homesteads on Oʻahu, were recipients of the Firestarter Award; this award recognized the group’s accelerated efforts to assemble a Firewise team. Kahikinui’s Firewise team received the Trailblazer Award for its hazardous waste removal project on Maui.

    Mike Mundon, a Puʻukapu lessee and HWMO team member, was the recipient of the Spirit Award.

    “We deeply value our partnership with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and commend their proactive efforts to ensure the safety of their communities,” said Barretto.

    Homesteaders and DHHL staff were among the panel discussions and presented the measures being implemented at both the community and department level. Some initiatives include green-waste cleanups, community organizing and individual home assessments.

    Of the more than 50 homesteads across the pae ʻāina, only four are nationally recognized as Firewise:

    • Kailapa, Hawaiʻi Island: Established 2016
    • Kahikinui, Maui: Established 2016
    • Waiohuli, Maui: Established 2016
    • Puʻukapu, Hawaiʻi Island: Established 2018

    Three homesteads are currently undergoing the Firewise recognition process: Leialiʻi and Paukukalo on Maui, and Papakōlea.

    “The success of the Firewise program lies in its ability to empower our communities. It gives our homesteads, and its leaders, the tools, strategies and support they need to mitigate wildfire risks in their own backyard. Through collaborative efforts with HWMO, the department aims to ensure every homestead is well-prepared against the threat of wildfires,” DHHL Director Kali Watson said.

    Shaw hopes continued community engagement ignites a call for action.

    “Being fire prepared and stewarding our ‘āina collectively is the dream,” said Shaw. “I think it will bring generations back to what they knew and into what they should be knowing for the future”.

    Click here to download visuals, soundbites.

    B-ROLL (1:33)

    SOUNDBITES

    Noel Shaw, Kalāwahine homesteader, Nā Leo O Papakōlea Firewise

     

    (:27 seconds)

    “We’ve been doing a lot, I think the first iteration of it was really learning for ourselves, about what wildfires are, about what fire mitigation means, about what community organizing around fire looks like, and then the second iteration is kind of like how do we integrate that and bring that into building up an active homestead again around an issue that’s really pressing to our collective safety.”

    Noel Shaw, Kalāwahine homesteader, Nā Leo O Papakōlea Firewise

    (:30 seconds)

    “We could’ve had that fire but without Lahaina as well, it wouldn’t have had as much impact, because we had Lahaina, and we were coming off of that, we were even more sensitive to the realities of what a fire like that happened on New Year’s could have resulted in our community, because we saw all the lost in Lahaina and we saw the need after that so that’s why it was even more urgent that we start moving on it because that fire was like – oh my gosh – plus we were just coming off of Lahaina.”

    Mike Mundon, Puʻukapu homesteader, Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization

     

    (:16 seconds)

    “You don’t want a house to ignite, and then ignite the other house and make a domino effect, so if everybody was to learn to harden their house by having home assessments done, that would be a great deal.”

    Mike Mundon, Puʻukapu homesteader, Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization

    (:29 seconds)

    “I’m a lessee, helping another lessee, and I try to make that lessee, one Hawaiian to another, feel comfortable, and we’re not going to judge, and I’m there to help them about how they can get the bird nest, I’m looking for bird nests, I’m looking for litter in the gutters, I’m looking for weeds that’s burnables up against the house, and I’m going to write a report and tell them this is what they got to remove.”

    # # #

     

    About the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands:

    The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands carries out Prince Jonah Kūhiō  Kalanianaʻole’s vision of rehabilitating native Hawaiians by returning them to the land. Established by U.S. Congress in 1921 with the passage of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, the Hawaiian homesteading program run by DHHL includes management of more than 200,000 acres of land statewide with the specific purpose of developing and delivering homesteading.

    Media Contact:

    Diamond Badajos

    Information and Community Relations Officer

    Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

    Cell: 808-342-0873

    Email: [email protected]

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DLNR News Release – TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF MAʻAKUA RIDGE-PAPALI TRAIL, February 28, 2025

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    DLNR News Release – TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF MAʻAKUA RIDGE-PAPALI TRAIL, February 28, 2025

    Posted on Mar 1, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

     

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI

    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

     

    DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES

    KA ‘OIHANA KUMUWAIWAI ‘ĀINA

     

         JOSH GREEN, M.D.
    GOVERNOR

     

    DAWN CHANG
    CHAIRPERSON

     

    TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF MAʻAKUA RIDGE-PAPALI TRAIL

    FOR LITTLE FIRE ANT ERADICATION

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    February 28, 2025

    Hauʻula, Oʻahu — Starting today, a portion of the Hauʻula Forest Reserve on Oʻahu, including hunting unit C and the Maʻakua Ridge-Papali Trail, will temporarily close for Little Fire Ant (LFA) containment and removal efforts.

     

    The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is partnering with the Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee, the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture, and the Hawaiʻi Ant Lab to produce a comprehensive plan to control the infestation of this noxious invasive species. The partnership also includes surveys and control efforts on private properties around the forest reserve.

     

    This closure is necessary to ensure the safety of hikers, pets, and hunting dogs. The tiny ant delivers a painful sting when disturbed. LFA stings cause welts that can last for weeks and have also been known to cause blindness in cats and dogs. The ant doesn’t build mounded dirt nests, but lives in a variety of habitats, including trees, potted plants, around irrigation lines, and in electrical boxes.

     

    “This little ant is a big threat to our quality of life and native plants and animals,” said DOFAW Oʻahu Branch Manager Marigold Zoll. “We don’t want it to become established in our communities or forest areas, so we need to take quick action. We urge the Hauʻula community to help us in testing their homes and treating any infestations, so we ensure it is eradicated from the area.”

    Emergent populations of LFA have been successfully controlled in other places on Oʻahu, such as Lanikai and Waimānalo, but this is the first detection in a forest reserve on the island. Eradication efforts will begin once the infestation area is defined and may take over a year.

    Zoll added that DOFAW staff will attend the Hauʻula Community Association meeting on March 4 and the Koʻolauloa Neighborhood Board meeting on March 13 and encourages residents to join.

    # # # 

     

    RESOURCES 

    (All images/video courtesy: DLNR) 

     

    Photographs – Maʻakua Ridge LFA Survey https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/vxm7y9kz7w6eoo73fr77m/AOV74EOKSIZUkXa5oKszLKA?rlkey=3pwmkfsu6a6jse9pnm1v90w90&st=0c04fx2d&dl=0

     

    Little Fire Ant information:

    Little Fire Ant (LFA)

    LITTLE FIRE ANTS ON OAHU AND MAUI

    Little Fire Ant

    www.stoptheant.org

     

    Trail information:

    https://hawaiitrails.ehawaii.gov

    Get the Outerspatial App

     

     

    Media Contact: 

    Ryan Aguilar

    Communications Specialist

    Hawaiʻi Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

    808-587-0396

    Email: Dlnr.comms@hawaii.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: STATE OF HAWAIʻI AND FEMA HIGHLIGHT COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS TO SUPPORT LAHAINA WILDFIRE SURVIVORS IN RECOVERY PROCESS – #2025-003

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI AND FEMA HIGHLIGHT COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS TO SUPPORT LAHAINA WILDFIRE SURVIVORS IN RECOVERY PROCESS – #2025-003

    Posted on Mar 1, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

    DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

    KA ʻOIHANA PILI KAUA

     

    HAWAIʻI EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

    KEʻENA HOʻOMALU PŌULIA O HAWAIʻI

     

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.

    GOVERNOR

    KE KIAʻĀINA

    MAJOR GENERAL STEPHEN F. LOGAN

    DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
    LUNA HOʻOMALU PŌULIA

    JAMES DS. BARROS

    ADMINISTRATOR OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
    KAHU HOʻOMALU PŌULIA

     

     

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI AND THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY HIGHLIGHT COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS TO SUPPORT LAHAINA WILDFIRE SURVIVORS IN RECOVERY PROCESS

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             News Release 2025-003

    February 28, 2025

    HONOLULU — The state of Hawaiʻi and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are actively working together to continue supporting survivors of the Lahaina wildfires. Millions of dollars in assistance have already been provided.

    At the request of the state of Hawaiʻi, FEMA authorized the implementation of Direct Housing. Although the period for Direct Temporary Housing Assistance ended on February 10, 2025, the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency (HIEMA) successfully requested a 12-month extension for the program on August 13, 2024. As a result, the housing assistance deadline was extended to February 10, 2026. With this new timeline, both the state of Hawaiʻi and FEMA are fully committed to ensuring a smooth and effective recovery for all affected households.

    FEMA has made significant strides in engaging directly with survivors, offering multiple outreach efforts to discuss unique circumstances and explore viable housing solutions. Monthly informational sessions have been conducted since October 16, 2024, to ensure that survivors are aware of their options and the support available to them.

    “Our regular contacts with the Maui survivor community have made it clear that continued recovery support is needed,” said Governor Josh Green, M.D. “While we are in a challenging time given the new federal funding landscape, we continue our push to get every dollar possible to our neighbors on Maui, both in terms of the survivors and the service providers who are helping them. I applaud our partners at FEMA and the team at HIEMA for their constant efforts on behalf of Maui’s people.”

    FEMA is required by law to charge rent for direct housing 18 months after a disaster is declared. Beginning March 1, 2025, all Direct Housing households will be responsible for paying rent to FEMA.

    FEMA remains committed to ensuring that disaster survivors have access to safe, temporary housing while they recover. Rent adjustments are based on federal guidelines to ensure fairness and consistency, and the appeals process is in place to allow for a thorough review of individual circumstances.

    FEMA has proactively communicated with survivors since last year at 90-, 60-, and 30- day intervals, providing updates and guidance on the program. Survivors also received certified mail with essential information. The goal has been to provide clear, consistent communication and personalized support to ensure survivors have the information they need.

    To date, FEMA has reviewed 90% of appeals submitted by survivors, showcasing its commitment to helping individuals and families regain a sense of stability and security. This not only reflects FEMA’s dedication to the recovery process, but also highlights its outreach efforts in connecting with those who have faced significant challenges.

    “Efforts to streamline the appeals review process have allowed for accelerated decision making, enabling impacted families to access the resources they need without unnecessary delays. Each appeal processed represents a step toward restoring hope and stability, reinforcing our mission to support and empower communities affected by disasters,” said FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Teresa Serata.

    Throughout the recovery process, FEMA has played a pivotal role in ensuring that survivors are immediately placed into suitable housing solutions. This momentum is vital as it paves the way for households to transition from temporary arrangements into permanent homes, which is essential for rebuilding lives and fostering community resilience.

    “With continued collaboration between the state, FEMA, and individual households, we can work together to achieve greater outcomes,” said HIEMA Administrator James Barros. “Our commitment to serving survivors remains steadfast, and we invite all eligible households to actively participate in the appeals process to ensure they receive the assistance they rightfully deserve.”

     

    # # #

     

     

    Contact:

    1. Kīelekū Amundson

    Communications Director

    808-733-4300 Ext 522

    [email protected]

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: What they are saying: Governor Newsom’s latest economic investments will help bolster LA firestorm recovery

    Source: US State of California 2

    Feb 28, 2025

    What you need to know: Local community leaders are praising Governor Newsom’s announcement this week of new financial investments to help boost LA’s economic recovery, as well as the launch of California’s Economic Blueprint and the Los Angeles County Jobs First Regional Plan.

    LOS ANGELES – This week, Governor Newsom announced $24 million in investments towards the economic recovery of Los Angeles following January’s devastating firestorms. The announcement came during the seventh stop of the Governor’s statewide Jobs First tour, where the Governor received the Los Angeles Regional Plan — a community-driven strategy to leverage the innovation, social infrastructure, and LA-area industries — and debuted the statewide California Jobs First Economic Blueprint.

    Funds announced will strengthen infrastructure, and provide support for small business and workers in the LA region, including disaster response: 

    • $10 million in partnership with LA Rises, Maersk and APM Terminals to the LA Region Small Business Relief Fund, a grant program run by the City and County of LA that will provide direct financial support to businesses and nonprofits in fire-impacted communities. This is the first investment by LA Rises, the unified recovery effort launched by the Governor in January and led by Dodgers Chairman Mark Walter, business leader and basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and Casey Wasserman.
    • $3 million toward the Los Angeles Jobs First Collaborative in their recovery efforts for the region, including for the launch of public-facing campaigns to promote small business support and additional capacity for near-term business and economic recovery. 
    • $11 million toward High Road Training Partnerships with workforce training organizations based in Los Angeles. 

    Here’s what leaders in the Los Angeles community are saying:

    State leaders 

    Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D – Pasadena): “The Governor’s Jobs First Economic Blueprint will create good-paying jobs in regions across the state, and reduce barriers for students to access job opportunities through career education. In addition, the plan contains funding to help small businesses recover from the Los Angeles County wildfires that devastated the Altadena and Pasadena region in my district. The recovery will take ongoing support. This Blueprint is an important component that will help brighten our state’s future.”

    Assemblymember Mike Fong (D-Alhambra): “Cultivating one of the best economies in the world starts with our communities.  Governor Newsom’s economic plan is reflective of statewide and regional needs, while utilizing work-based learning opportunities in connection to the state’s upcoming Master Plan for Career Education. Our Los Angeles community was devastated by the fires in our region, and I look forward to working with the Governor on a recovery plan which draws on our higher education institutions to rebuild and strengthen our local and statewide economies.”

    Los Angeles County 

    Kathryn Barger, Los Angeles County Chair and Supervisor for the Fifth District: “I appreciate Governor Newsom‘s plan to invest in our local workforce. Our local economy will greatly benefit from investments that focus on local implementation as Los Angeles County recovers and rebuilds. Strengthening our workforce is key to long-term resilience, and I look forward to seeing these investments create lasting opportunities for our residents.”

    Hilda L. Solis, Los Angeles County Chair Pro Tem and Supervisor for the First District: “Across Los Angeles County, residents have been experiencing job loss by the wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, including nannies, in-home health workers, landscapers, actors, stagehands, and many others who work in these areas. This week’s announcement, which includes $10 million in funding to the LA Regional Small Business Fund, will be crucial in accelerating economic recovery and providing relief to our impacted families. I am deeply grateful to the Governor for his demonstrated commitment to our relief efforts and look forward to continuing to implement California Jobs First locally. Together, we will ensure an equitable recovery for all Angelenos.”

    Lindsey Horvath, Los Angeles County Supervisor for the Third District: “More support is on the way for small businesses and workers impacted by the Palisades and Eaton fires thanks to this $10 million investment from Governor Newsom that will bolster LA County’s Small Business and Worker Relief Funds. Los Angeles County and our State partners, with support from philanthropy, are marshalling unprecedented financial resources to help fire-affected communities fill gaps in monthly expenses and heal. We thank Governor Newsom for his continued support.”

    City leaders

    Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles: “Thank you Governor Newsom, for your continued support through LA’s unprecedented recovery. As we make urgent progress months faster than expected to get residents back home, we also need to ensure that small businesses have the support they need and deserve while navigating through this devastating time. Together, we will get residents home as quickly and as safely as possible, and we will give the Los Angeles workforce the support they deserve. We are grateful for your partnership as we continue our urgent recovery work.”

    Vinh T. Ngo, Mayor of Monterey Park: “We are very excited to see the new economic jobs plan laid out by Governor Newsom that will have direct benefit not just the wildfire impacted areas but all of California. I’m proud that the Governor chose the City of Monterey Park to make this critical announcement this week.”  

    Victoria Knapp, Chair of the Altadena Town Council: “As Chair of the Altadena Town Council, I want to express our deep gratitude to Governor Newsom for his leadership and steadfast commitment to the region since the early days of this disaster. His administration’s continued support has been a lifeline for our communities as we navigate the long road to recovery. This much-needed infusion of aid will be critical in helping our small businesses rebuild, creating new job opportunities, and ensuring our local workforce has access to the training needed to thrive in high-growth industries. With this investment, we are not just restoring what was lost—we are building a more resilient and prosperous future for Altadena and the entire Los Angeles region.”

    Business Leaders 

    Stephen Cheung, President and CEO of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation: “We applaud Governor Newsom and the State of California for their leadership in supporting Los Angeles County’s economic recovery. The $3 million investment in the California Jobs First initiative will strengthen our efforts to create quality jobs and economic opportunities for local communities, especially those most impacted by economic challenges. Additionally, the $10 million in small business relief funding will provide critical support to the backbone of our economy—our small businesses—helping them rebuild, innovate, and thrive. LAEDC is committed to working with our partners across the region to ensure these investments drive inclusive and sustainable economic growth for all Angelenos.”

    Maria Salinas, President and CEO of the LA Area Chamber of Commerce: “Governor Newsom’s announcement marks an exciting step forward in realizing California Jobs First—turning a bold vision into local impact. By investing in key industry sectors and aligning workforce development with economic priorities, this initiative will create accessible, good-paying jobs and drive sustainable growth across our communities. We are proud of the vision set forth in this economic blueprint and the additional investment to help Los Angeles recover and rebuild. This ensures our region continues to lead in innovation, opportunity, and economic resilience.”

    Tracy Hernandez, CEO of BizFed & New California Coalition: “Governor Newsom took talk to action this week delivering much needed real time funding to super charge the LA firestorm rebuilding process and accelerate the vital long term economic resiliency of our state.”

    Alysia Bell, President of UNITE-LA: “Governor Newsom’s leadership drives California’s progress and elevates the triple bottom line: economy, equity, and environment. UNITE-LA, a nonprofit intermediary committed to equitable economic mobility, applauds the state’s continued investment in innovation and regional collaboration, essential for Los Angeles’ wildfire recovery.”

    Judy Matthews, President of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce: “As President of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce, I want to express my strong support for Governor Newsom’s announcement of the California Jobs First Economic Blueprint and its potential impact on Southern California. The focus on job apprenticeship programs and support for small businesses including home-base affected by the fires will generate significant employment opportunities and drive economic growth in our Altadena community. By investing in workforce development and entrepreneurship, these initiatives will create a more resilient economy and attract investments that will revitalize our community and strengthen our local economy.”

    Read more about California’s response to the LA firestorms and support to help speed the recovery and rebuilding of Los Angeles here. For the latest information, resources, and services, visit ca.gov/LAfires. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Rethinking Basement Usage: Allstate Canada Data Reveals Water Damage Among Top Claim Reasons

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MARKHAM, Ontario, March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Basements have evolved from mere storage spaces to integral parts of many homes, now equipped with state-of-the-art entertainment systems, expensive gym equipment and valuable furniture. However, these spaces remain highly susceptible to flooding, potentially leading to costly repairs. Recent data from the Insurance Bureau of Canada highlights 2024 as the most expensive year for severe weather-related losses in our country’s history, with flooding contributing to over $1 billion in losses.

    In fact, Allstate Insurance Company of Canada (Allstate Canada) data reveals that water damage is one of the top reasons customers submit a home insurance claim, and the cost to repair a water-damaged basement has risen by nearly 20 per cent between 2019-2024. According to a recent Léger poll conducted on behalf of Allstate Canada, 80 per cent of Canadians who responded have a basement and one in 10 have experienced basement flooding. The survey also revealed that 61 per cent of responding homeowners have a bathroom, sink or access to running water in their basement, and 55 per cent use their basement to store a spare fridge or freezer. Additionally, 47 per cent have a bedroom, 30 per cent have a home gym or workout area, 23 per cent installed a home theatre system, 20 per cent a home office, and 25 per cent say their basement has a playroom for their children.

    While Canadian homeowners use their basements in different ways, the results of the poll also show that:

    • 41 per cent use their basements to store expensive sports gear such as skis and bikes;
    • Nearly one in three (32 per cent) store home entertainment equipment in their basement;
    • Basements are also commonly the site for priceless possessions, such as photo albums (40 per cent) and family heirlooms (24 per cent);
    • Other items stored in the basement include tools, extension cords and lightbulbs (65 per cent), seasonal items like patio furniture or holiday decorations (59 per cent), furniture (51 per cent), collectibles or memorabilia (31 per cent), important financial, legal or tax documents (28 per cent), computer equipment (23 per cent) and musical instruments (15 per cent).

    Rethinking Home: A New Era for Basements

    “Kitchens are often a central, social part of the home, but basements play an important role as a space to relax with hobbies, store gear between adventures, or to simply unwind,” says Odel Laing, Agency Manager at Allstate Canada. “Homeowners should consider how they can protect these valuable spaces from flooding, which can quickly affect plans as we approach the spring season.”

    Protection and Remodeling Tips

    Flooding typically occurs during warmer weather months, so Laing invites homeowners to consider taking steps to protect their basement and its contents.

    • Elevate high-quality, expensive entertainment systems on stands or hang them up on the wall. Alternatively, keep them on the main floor, if possible.
    • Swap cardboard boxes for plastic ones for storage.
    • Select waterproof cabinetry and shelving.
    • Review your home insurance policy to understand your coverage for water damage.
    • Consult a professional about landscaping opportunities to direct water away from the home’s foundation.
    • Install water or leak detectors compatible with your monitored home security system to notify owners of flooding quickly.
    • If owners are planning to finish or renovate their basement, discuss with your contractor how to best protect from flooding risks.

    For more home flooding-related safety advice, go to the GOOD HANDS® blog at http://blog.allstate.ca/rethink-basement-tips-protect-against-flooding-damage.

    About the Léger poll
    Allstate commissioned Léger to conduct a study among Canadian homeowners to better understand their use of basements, storage habits, flood prevention measures, and overall preparedness for extreme weather events. In order to meet research objectives, an online survey was conducted with 1,000 Canadian homeowners, aged 18 and over, who could express themselves in French or English from January 23 to 27, 2025. It should be noted that due to the non-probabilistic nature of the sample (associated with any web survey), the calculation of the margin of error does not apply. For comparative purposes, a probabilistic sample of 1,000 respondents (web panel) would have a global margin of error of ± 3.1% 19 times out of 20. The margin of error would, however, increase for subgroups.

    About Allstate Insurance Company of Canada
    Allstate Insurance Company of Canada is a leading home and auto insurer focused on providing its customers prevention and protection products and services for every stage of life. Serving Canadians since 1953, Allstate strives to reassure both customers and employees with its “You’re in Good Hands®” promise. Allstate is committed to making a positive difference in the communities in which it operates through partnerships with charitable organizations, employee giving and volunteerism. To learn more, visit www.allstate.ca. For safety tips and advice, visit www.goodhandsadvice.ca.

    For more information, please contact:
    Jessica Hoffeldt
    Agnostic on behalf of Allstate Insurance Company of Canada
    647-269-7438
    jhoffeldt@thinkagnostic.com  

    Maude Gauthier (Quebec only)
    Capital-Image on behalf of Allstate Insurance Company of Canada
    514-915-9469
    mgauthier@capital-image.com

    Cody Gillen
    Public Relations Specialist
    905-475-4536
    cgillen@allstate.ca

    The MIL Network –