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Category: KB

  • MIL-OSI Global: On foreign policy, Trump opts for disruption and Harris for engagement − but they share some of the same concerns

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Garret Martin, Senior Professorial Lecturer, Co-Director Transatlantic Policy Center, American University School of International Service

    Who will represent the U.S. better on the global stage? Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    According to conventional wisdom, U.S. voters are largely motivated by domestic concerns and especially the economy.

    But the upcoming presidential election may be somewhat of an outlier. In a September 2024 poll, foreign policy actually ranks quite high in voters’ concerns – with more Democrats and Republicans combined saying it was “very important” to their vote than, say, immigration and abortion.

    As such, understanding where Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic rival Kamala Harris stand on the significant international issues of the day is important. And we can do so by looking at the records of their respective administrations in the three regions they prioritized: the Indo-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East.

    Donald Trump: Disrupter-in-chief

    In his 2017 inaugural address, Trump painted a dark picture of the U.S. In his telling, his country was being taken advantage of by other nations, especially in trade and security, while neglecting domestic challenges.

    To disrupt this, Trump promised an “America First” approach to guide his administration.

    And in practice, his foreign policy certainly proved disruptive. He showed a clear willingness to buck traditions and undid some of former President Barack Obama’s signature policies, such as the Iran nuclear deal, which exchanged sanctions relief for restrictions on Tehran’s domestic nuclear program, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.

    In so doing, he ruffled the feathers of allies and foes alike.

    Trans-Atlantic relations were tense under Trump, especially because of his hostility toward NATO. After deriding the Atlantic alliance on the campaign trail, Trump stuck to the same tune while in office. He routinely insulted allies at high-level summits and allegedly came close to withdrawing from the alliance altogether in 2018.

    While NATO did make inroads in bolstering its Eastern flank in that period, the alliance was primarily defined by internal turmoil and limited cohesion during Trump’s time in office. U.S. relations with the European Union hardly fared better. In 2018, the U.S. imposed steel and aluminum tariffs on the European Union, citing national security concerns.

    Trump also broke with previous U.S. presidents in his administration’s Asia policy. One of his first moves in 2017 was to abandon the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal negotiated by Obama. Trump’s late 2017 national security strategy also announced a major shift toward China, labeling it as a “strategic competitor” – implying a greater emphasis on containing China as opposed to cooperating with it.

    This hawkish turn played out especially in the field of trade. Trump’s administration imposed four rounds of tariffs in 2018-19, affecting US$360 billion of Chinese goods. Beijing, of course, responded with tariffs of its own. The two countries did sign a so-called phase-one deal in January 2020 that sought to lower the stakes of this trade war. But the COVID-19 pandemic nullified any chance of success, and relations soured further with each Trump utterance of the pandemic being a “Chinese virus.”

    Trump showcased somewhat contradictory impulses toward the Middle East and other issues. He pushed for disengagement and to undo Obama’s major policies. Besides withdrawing from the Paris climate accords in 2017, Trump abandoned the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. His administration also signed a deal to end the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, and it withdrew forces from northern Syria.

    But at the same time, Trump continued the bombing campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq and authorized the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in 2020. The latter was consistent with a policy that aimed to pressure and isolate Iran economically and diplomatically. The key example of the diplomatic pressure came through especially via the Abraham Accords through which Trump helped facilitate the establishment of normal diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco.

    Kamala Harris: Alliance and engagement

    Although not taking a driving role in foreign policy, Harris has been part of an administration that has committed the U.S. to repairing alliances and engaging with the world.

    This came across by undoing some major actions from the Trump administration. For example, the U.S. quickly rejoined the Paris climate accords and overturned a decision to leave the World Health Organization.

    But in other areas, the Biden administration has shown more continuity with Trump than many expected.

    For instance, the U.S. under Biden has not fundamentally deviated from strategic competition with China, even though the tactics have differed a little. The administration maintained Trump’s tariff approach, even adding its own targeted rounds against Beijing on electric vehicles.

    Moreover, it cultivated different diplomatic platforms in the Indo-Pacific to act as a counterweight to China. This included the cultivation of the Quad dialogue with Australia, India and Japan, and the AUKUS deal with Australia and the U.K., both of which attempted to further the Biden administration’s strategy of containing China’s influence by enlisting regional allies. Finally, the Biden administration did maintain some channels of communication with China at the highest level as well, with Biden meeting Xi Jinping twice during his presidency.

    Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks alongside Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House compound on Sept. 26, 2024.
    Tom Brenner/Getty Images

    The Biden administration’s Middle Eastern policy displayed significant continuity with Trump’s approach – at first. While it turned out to be chaotic, the U.S. completed the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan in summer 2021, as had been agreed under Trump. The Biden administration also embraced the format and goals of the Abraham Accords. It even tried to build on them, with the goal of fostering Israeli-Saudi diplomatic ties.

    Of course, the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, in Israel completely changed the equation in the Middle East. Preventing the spiral of violence in the region has become an all-consuming task. Since then, Biden and Harris have tried, largely unsuccessfully, to balance support for Israel with mediation efforts to liberate the hostages and to ensure a cease-fire.

    Trans-Atlantic relations, however, are an area where there were marked differences in the past four years. The tone of the Biden-Harris administration has been in sharp contrast with that of Trump, reaffirming frequently its clear commitment to NATO. And once Russia launched its illegal invasion in February 2022, the U.S. placed itself at the forefront of supporting Ukraine.

    Harris has suggested that she would continue Biden’s policy of providing Kyiv with extensive and continuous military support. In conjunction with allies, the White House of Biden and Harris also implemented a broad range of sanctions against Russia. But the U.S. under Biden has not yet been willing to support Ukraine’s immediate entry into NATO.

    What next?

    Based on their records, what could we expect of a Trump or Harris presidency?

    It’s unlikely either candidate will abandon strategic competition with China. But Trump is more likely to seriously escalate the trade war, promising extensive tariffs against Beijing. Trump’s commitment to defending Taiwan is also more ambiguous in comparison with Harris’ pledges.

    U.S. policy toward Europe will largely depend on the results of the election. Harris has frequently underlined her steadfast support for NATO, as well as for Ukraine. Trump, on the other hand, is showing signs that he is unwilling to further aid the regime in Kyiv.

    And for the Middle East, it remains to be seen whether either Trump or Harris would be able to better shape events in the region.

    Garret Martin receives funding from the European Union for the research institute he co-directs, the Transatlantic Policy Center.

    – ref. On foreign policy, Trump opts for disruption and Harris for engagement − but they share some of the same concerns – https://theconversation.com/on-foreign-policy-trump-opts-for-disruption-and-harris-for-engagement-but-they-share-some-of-the-same-concerns-238847

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: For an estimated 4 million people with felony convictions, restoring their right to vote is complicated – and varies state by state

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Naomi F. Sugie, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles

    Desmond Meade, right, registers to vote in Florida on Jan. 8, 2019. after completing his sentence on a federal conviction. Phelan M. Ebenhack for The Washington Post via Getty Images

    People who are convicted of felonies might think they can’t vote.

    Even in California, where they do have the right to vote, people convicted of felonies cite cases in Florida and Texas where people with felonies who have completed their sentences have been arrested and sentenced to prison for trying to vote illegally.

    It’s almost an article of faith that a person loses their right to vote once they have been convicted.

    But that’s not universally true.

    Since 1997, 26 states and Washington have passed reforms that have expanded voting eligibility to over 2 million people with felony convictions.

    The reforms reflect the growing recognition by some politicians that felony disenfranchisement laws often excluded people from voting long after they served their sentences. Rooted in historical racism that restricted access to the ballot box, these laws are at odds with the idea that punishment should end after someone completes their sentence.

    But with these reforms comes a new challenge – ensuring that people who have the right to vote are aware that they can.

    Different states, different laws

    A popular assumption among the general public, and even among those convicted of felonies, is that they can’t vote for life.

    During our research, we conducted interviews and focus groups with 137 people, as well as text message conversations with over 1,800 people across five states (California, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas). Delia, a 40-year-old Hispanic woman in Texas, explained: “It’s very confusing on purpose. The majority of people that I know, who get booked in and are going to jail, one of the biggest things is, you can’t ever vote again. Right. And so, that’s what I believed.”

    Laws on felony disenfranchisement vary by state]. In some instances, people with convictions can still vote while they are serving time in Maine, Vermont and Washington, D.C.

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Oct. 18, 2022, that the state’s new Office of Election Crimes and Security was in the process of arresting 20 individuals for voter fraud.
    Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, those convicted of felonies have their rights automatically restored in 23 states when released from prison. But in 10 other states, those convicted of certain felonies can lose rights indefinitely or require a governor’s pardon for voting rights to be restored.

    Making matters even more confusing is that state laws make different distinctions on who can and cannot vote. In some cases, the distinctions are based on whether the conviction was a felony or misdemeanor.

    Other states distinguish between the timing of the end of imprisonment, parole or probation – and whether all fines and fees have been paid.

    The Florida eligibility question

    In 2018, for example, Florida voters approved a ballot initiative that “restores the voting rights of Floridians with felony convictions after they complete all terms of their sentence including parole or probation.”

    Known as Amendment 4, the measure excluded people who committed murder or a felony sex offense.

    But before the measure went into effect, a legal dispute arose over the definition of what it meant to complete a sentence. In 2019, Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature passed a law that required payment of outstanding fees and fines before a person convicted of a felony conviction could regain their voting rights.

    Though the American Civil Liberties Union challenged the constitutionality of the law in court, a federal appellate court backed the Republican lawmakers.

    As a result, an estimated 730,000 Floridians who have completed their sentences remain disenfranchised.

    Extending voting rights

    Over the past nearly 30 years, many states have moved to make it easier for those convicted of felonies to regain their voting rights, starting in 1997 in Texas, where lawmakers eliminated a two-year waiting period before a person convicted of a felony regained their right to vote.

    As a result, the number of people with felonies who had lost their right to vote dropped from a high of 6.1 million in 2016 to an estimated 4 million in this election, according to the Sentencing Project. During the U.S. presidential election in 2020, that number was 5.2 million.

    So far in 2024 alone, officials in three states have tinkered with their laws on voter eligibility requirements for people convicted of felonies.

    In Virginia, lawmakers approved on April 5 a new law that allows registered voters who are imprisoned while awaiting trial or have been convicted of a misdemeanor to vote by absentee ballot.

    A month later, in May, Oklahoma lawmakers clarified their existing laws by passing a measure that allows people convicted of felonies to vote under certain conditions, such as receiving a pardon or a reduction of their felony conviction to a lesser misdemeanor.

    Though passed by state lawmakers in April 2024, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled on Oct. 16 that the new law could take effect. The law eliminates the two-year waiting period following the completion of a prison sentence before voting rights could be restored.

    Increasing voter turnout

    Numerous studies of those with felony convictions have shown that they believe the voting process is unclear and confusing.

    In our study of voting behavior of people with convictions, we interviewed Raymond, a 49-year-old Black man in Michigan. When asked about the process of registering to vote, he told us: “I ain’t going to say scary, but it was unfamiliar. It can be overwhelming for people who don’t want to do it. You don’t know where to go, you don’t know who to really vote for.”

    To get the word out to newly eligible voters, community organizations across the U.S. have launched grassroots operations to inform people with convictions of their voting rights and help guide them through the registration process.

    As part of that effort, community organizations such as Alliance for Safety and Justice and TimeDone are working with academic researchers to further understand how different methods of outreach can increase voter turnout among people with felony convictions.

    With many people newly eligible to vote in their first presidential election this year, I believe providing them with accurate information about voting and their state’s felony voting laws is critical to ensuring that the idea of a second chance includes the right to vote.

    Naomi F. Sugie receives funding from the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Council on Library and Information Resources, Orange County, Alliance for Safety and Justice, Crankstart, and Public Agenda.

    – ref. For an estimated 4 million people with felony convictions, restoring their right to vote is complicated – and varies state by state – https://theconversation.com/for-an-estimated-4-million-people-with-felony-convictions-restoring-their-right-to-vote-is-complicated-and-varies-state-by-state-239681

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Trump’s racist talk of immigrant ‘bad genes’ echoes some of the last century’s darkest ideas about eugenics

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Shannon Bow O’Brien, Associate Professor of Instruction, The University of Texas at Austin

    Donald Trump speaks at Madison Square Garden in New York on Oct. 27, 2024. John Salangsang/Invision/AP

    Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has repeatedly denounced immigrants who enter the U.S. illegally and the danger he says that poor immigrants of color pose for the U.S. – often using hateful language to make his point.

    In early October 2024, Trump took his comments a step further when he questioned immigrants’ faulty genes, saying without support that “Many of them murdered far more than one person, and they are now happily living in the United States. You know, now a murderer, I believe this, it’s in their genes. And we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.”

    It was far from the first time Trump has invoked eugenics – a false, racist theory that some people, and even some races, are genetically superior to others.

    In 1988, for example, Trump told Oprah Winfrey during an interview: “You have to be born lucky in the sense that you have to have the right genes.”

    In 2016, Trump said that his German roots are the reason behind his greatness:

    “I always said that winning is somewhat, maybe, innate. Maybe it’s just something you have; you have the winning gene. Frankly it would be wonderful if you could develop it, but I’m not so sure you can. You know, I’m proud to have that German blood, there’s no question about it. Great stuff.”

    And in 2020, Trump again alluded to his belief that bloodlines convey excellence:

    “I had an uncle who went to MIT who is a top professor. Dr. John Trump. A genius. It’s in my blood. I’m smart.”

    Trump’s repeated and countless comments about white people’s racial superiority to people of color have prompted some comparisons to the Nazis and their ideology of racial superiority.

    The Nazis are indeed the most infamous believers of the false idea that white, blue-eyed, blonde-haired people were superior to others – and that the human population should be selectively managed to breed white people.

    But the Nazis didn’t originate these ideas. In fact, the Nazis were so impressed with many American eugenic ideas that they incorporated them into their racist, antisemitic laws.

    Root of eugenics

    The British scientist Francis Galton, a cousin of the evolutionist Charles Darwin, first developed the theory of eugenics in the 1860s, and it gained a foothold in the U.S. and Britain around this time.

    Eugenics sets racial identity, and especially white identity, as the most desirable and worthy.

    By the dawn of the early 1900s, much of the American eugenics scholarship looked down on American immigrants from any place other than Scandinavia, thus coining the term “Nordicism.”

    In the late 19th and early 20th century, immigration to the U.S. was at its peak. In 1890, 14.8% of people living in the U.S. were immigrants. Many people felt concerned about immigration in the U.S., and there were many prominent eugenicists in America. Two of the most famous were Madison Grant and Lothrop Stoddard.

    Both were avowed white supremacists who advocated for scientific racism. They wrote popular and widely read books that helped shape American and German law in the 1920s and 1930s.

    Grant, Stoddard and other theorists in the U.S. embraced eugenics as a way to justify racial segregation, restrict immigration, enforce sterilization and uphold other systemic inequalities.

    Stoddard attacked the United States’ immigration policies in his 1920 book, “The Rising Tide of Color: The Threat Against White World-Supremacy.” He wrote: “If the present drift is not changed, we whites are all ultimately doomed. … We now know that men are not, and never will be equal. We now know that environment and education can only develop what heredity brings.”

    Another prominent eugenicist was Harry H. Laughlin, an educator and superintendent of the Eugenics Record Office, a now-defunct research group that gathered biological and social information about the American population.

    Laughlin wrote an influential 1922 book, “Eugenical Sterilization in the United States,” which included a chapter on model sterilization laws. The Third Reich used his book and laws as a template when implementing them in Germany during the height of the Nazi period.

    Laughlin also regularly testified before U.S. Congress, with this 1922 testimony representative of his message to lawmakers: “Immigration is essentially and fundamentally a racial and biological problem. There are many factors to consider, but, from the standpoint of the future, immigration is primarily a long time national investment in human family stocks.”

    Eugenicists, including Laughlin, have long been specifically preoccupied with Norwegian genetics – believing that America is under attack when immigration occurs from non-Nordic countries.

    In November 1922, Laughlin said, “Some of our finest and most desirable immigrants are from Norway.”

    In 1924, Congress approved the Immigration Act, which severely limited immigration to the U.S., established quotas for immigrants based on nationality and barred immigrants from Asia.

    It was only following the end of World War II and the Holocaust that eugenics fell out of favor and lost its prominence in American thinking.

    Trump’s recycling of history

    Fears over foreign immigrants weakening the U.S. were popular a century ago, and Trump and many of his followers still embrace them today.

    Trump has promised that he will carry out mass deportations of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, forcibly detaining immigrants in camps and removing 1 million people a year.

    In April 2024, Trump used dehumanizing language to express his apparent belief that immigrants are unworthy of empathy. “The Democrats say, ‘Please don’t call them animals. They’re humans.’ I said, ‘No, they’re not humans, they’re not humans, they’re animals.’”

    Trump has also promoted eugenicists’ obsession with Scandinavia and the superiority of white people.

    In 2018, Trump spoke about immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and Africa, saying “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?”

    In the same meeting, Trump also reportedly suggested that the U.S. should instead draw in more people from countries like Norway.

    In April 2024, Trump again embraced this idea of Scandinavian superiority, saying that he wants immigrants from “Nice countries. You know, like Denmark, Switzerland? Do we have any people coming in from Denmark? How about Switzerland? How about Norway?”

    A dangerous flash to the past

    A person running for president in 1924 would seem more likely than a candidate in 2024 to espouse this now-discredited point of view.

    President Calvin Coolidge ran for election on an “America First” platform in 1924, with the slogan only falling out of favor after groups like the Ku Klux Klan embraced it around the same time.

    The idea of America First, at the time, denoted American nationalism and exceptionalism – but also was linked to anti-immigration and fascist movements.

    When Coolidge signed the heavily restrictive 1924 Immigration Act into law he stated, “America must remain American.”

    One hundred years later, Trump calls to mind an America First mentality, including when he regularly reads the lyrics to a song called “The Snake” during his rallies as a way to explain the dangers of welcoming immigrants into the U.S. The civil rights activist Oscar Brown wrote this poem in 1963, and his family has said that Trump misinterprets the song’s words.

    ‘I saved you,’ cried that woman.

    ‘And you’ve bit me even, why’

    ‘You know your bite is poisonous and now I’m going to die.’

    ‘Oh shut up, silly woman,’ said the reptile with a grin,

    ‘You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in.’

    I have written a book on this and I used many of my citations in Chapter 4 to help develop this piece though I reworded or reframed it.

    – ref. How Trump’s racist talk of immigrant ‘bad genes’ echoes some of the last century’s darkest ideas about eugenics – https://theconversation.com/how-trumps-racist-talk-of-immigrant-bad-genes-echoes-some-of-the-last-centurys-darkest-ideas-about-eugenics-241548

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cannabis legalization may hit a ‘red wall’ at the ballot box

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By William Garriott, Professor of Law, Politics and Society, Drake University

    Early voting runs from Oct. 21 through Nov. 3 in Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Cannabis legalization is on the ballot again this November.

    Voters in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota will decide whether to allow adults 21 and up in their states to use cannabis recreationally.

    Voters in Nebraska will decide whether to allow medical access under a doctor’s care.

    Voters in Arkansas will see a question about medical access on their ballot, but the state supreme court ruled that the votes can’t be counted because the name and title of the measure were “misleading.”

    The results of these ballot measures obviously matter to residents of each state, but they also will be telling for the future of the cannabis legalization movement. That’s because these states are all so-called red states where Republicans dominate state politics. They are part of the legalization movement’s biggest obstacle – what I call the “red wall.”

    And because federal legalization is unlikely in the next few years, red wall states are now the front line of the fight over cannabis reform.

    A bipartisan coalition in the beginning

    Cannabis legalization hasn’t always been so partisan.

    In fact, bipartisanship has been key to the success of the contemporary legalization movement, which began in the 1990s.

    How do I know? Because I’ve been told as much by the people who made it happen.

    Since 2014, I’ve been researching cannabis legalization in the U.S.. I’ve been trying to understand the contemporary legalization movement’s success and what it means for the future of U.S. drug policy. As an anthropologist, my process is to go where the action is and talk to people with lived experience.

    And so I’ve been talking to people in Colorado. In 2012, it became one of the first two states to legalize recreational use of cannabis, also called “adult use.”

    Today, 48 states and Washington D.C. have approved cannabis for some kind of medical use, although 10 of those states have legalized only the limited use of oils containing low levels of THC, the active compound in cannabis. Adult use for anyone 21 and older is now allowed in 24 states and Washington.

    This is a dramatic change that is undoing decades of prohibition.

    Any political movement takes thousands of people to be successful, but it also takes leaders. In Colorado, attorney Brian Vicente and activist Mason Tvert played a pivotal role. With support from the Marijuana Policy Project, they spent most of the 2000s building the movement that made recreational legalization possible in Colorado.

    When I asked Vicente and Tvert how they made it happen, they emphasized the same thing: To be effective, they had to build a new kind of coalition. They had to appeal to people who had no personal interest in consuming cannabis.

    Brian Vicente, left, and Mason Tvert, center, celebrate the passage of medical marijuana in Colorado in 2012.
    Karl Gehring/The Denver Post via Getty Images

    In Colorado, they made the case that marijuana should be regulated like alcohol, with tax money going to schools. The fact that Colorado allowed ballot initiatives was also key. It let activists take the issue directly to voters, bypassing opposition from the governor and other elected officials.

    The strategy worked.

    Liberals liked the social justice arguments. Conservatives liked that it enhanced individual liberty. And a broad cross section of voters liked that it would generate tax revenue and let the criminal justice system focus on more serious threats to public safety.

    These voters made for a powerful coalition. And for years, such coalitions helped legalization measures pass in blue states like Oregon and California, and in red states like Alaska and Montana.

    Hitting the red wall

    But since 2020, legalization has become more partisan.

    Of the 26 states where cannabis remains illegal for adult use, 20 are red states with a Republican trifecta, meaning that Republicans control both chambers of the state legislature and the governor’s office.

    Another four – Kansas, Wisconsin, Kentucky and North Carolina – have Republican-controlled state legislatures and Democratic governors.

    Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation where legislative control is split. Medical cannabis was legalized there in 2016, but recreational use is not allowed.

    And Hawaii is the lone blue state that has yet to legalize recreational cannabis. A slimmer majority of voters support it than in other blue states, and there are unique concerns such as the potential impact on the tourist economy.

    All told, 92% of the states where adult use is still illegal are dominated – if not completely controlled – by Republicans who are much less likely to support legalization than either Democrats or independents. This is true of both elected leaders and rank-and-file party members.

    What’s more, 16 of the 26 states that have not legalized adult use cannabis don’t have a ballot initiative process, so supporters can’t take the issue directly to voters. The states with measures on the ballot this November are part of the minority that do.

    Voters in states without ballot initiatives have no choice but to wait on their state legislatures to act. But most Republican-controlled legislatures have shown little interest in the issue, even when the majority of voters in the state support it – like in Iowa.

    Will the red wall hold this November?

    Could the third time be the charm for recreational pot in North Dakota?
    Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Based on polling and precedent, the red wall will likely hold during the 2024 election.

    In South Dakota, most voters oppose adult use legalization, so the measure is likely to fail for the third time.

    Voters in conservative North Dakota have also rejected adult use legalization twice before, which makes success this year unlikely. On the other hand, it has more support from Republican state legislators than in other states, and more voters are undecided on the issue.

    The medical measure in Nebraska is likely to pass, but its future is uncertain. It faces an ongoing legal challenge spurred in part by the state’s Attorney General Mike Hilgers who is a staunch opponent of cannabis legalization.

    And even if it survives legal challenge, that does not mean recreational legalization is around the corner. The most recent polling of Nebraskans shows lower support for recreational use than medical use, particularly among Republicans.

    Florida could go either way

    The wild card is Florida. It has already legalized medical cannabis, and supporters have been trying for years to get adult use on the ballot.

    Polling this summer showed a majority of Republicans supported it, but more recent polls show a slim majority now oppose the referendum.

    It still probably has the votes to pass, but it faces a few obstacles.

    First, it must pass with 60% of the vote.

    Second, it has divided party leaders, with the state’s two highest-profile Republicans, Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis, taking different positions on the issue. Trump says he’s voting yes, while DeSantis is a strong no.

    And third, it has drawn the ire of some legalization supporters for potentially giving disproportionate control of the market to a small group of large cannabis companies. The concern is that the amendment as written does not require the state to increase the number of licensed businesses. Only already-licensed businesses would be guaranteed the opportunity to expand into the recreational cannabis market.

    These same companies are the primary funders of the initiative, with Trulieve alone donating most of the more than US$90 million raised by the Yes campaign. The company already runs more than 150 medical dispensaries in Florida and is one of the largest cannabis companies in the U.S..

    Ironically, DeSantis’ No campaign has put concerns about corporate control at the center of its own messaging, creating a potential coalition between people who oppose adult use legalization under any circumstances and those who oppose it when there’s too much corporate control.

    Trulieve, for its part, has filed a defamation suit against the Republican Party of Florida over the claims.

    Where the movement goes from here

    Unless there are significant surprises this November, legalization supporters will need to find a new strategy to appeal to red state voters and legislators. They will need to take concerns over public health and safety seriously, address the persistence of racial disparities in cannabis arrests in legalization states, tackle the growing corporate influence within the movement, and respond to the moral critiques of people like former Alabama Senator and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions who feel that, simply put, “good people don’t smoke marijuana.”

    William Garriott’s research has been funded by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research.

    – ref. Cannabis legalization may hit a ‘red wall’ at the ballot box – https://theconversation.com/cannabis-legalization-may-hit-a-red-wall-at-the-ballot-box-241738

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Grow fast, die young? Animals that invest in building high-quality biomaterials may slow aging and increase their lifespans

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Chen Hou, Associate Professor of Biology, Missouri University of Science and Technology

    Allocating more energy for growth versus for maintenance comes with longevity trade-offs. Matthias Clamer/Stone via Getty Images

    Fancy, high-quality products such as Rolex watches and Red Wing boots often cost more to make but last longer. This is a principle that manufacturers and customers are familiar with. But while this also applies to biology, scientists rarely discuss it.

    Researchers have known for decades that the faster an animal grows, the shorter its lifespan, at least among mammals. This holds across species of different sizes. Ecophysiologists like me have been studying the trade-offs between allocating energy for growth or for maintenance, and how those trade-offs affect aging and lifespan.

    One explanation is that since animals have a limited amount of energy available, investing more energy in growth will reduce the energy they have left to maintain their health, therefore leading to faster aging.

    Another explanation is based on the observation that metabolism – all the physical and chemical processes that convert or use energy – fuels growth. Some researchers have suggested that fast growth is associated with high metabolism, in turn causing stress that speeds up aging.

    However, these two explanations may not capture the whole picture of the trade-off between growth and longevity. For example, certain species allocate a larger fraction of their energy to maintenance but don’t have better resistance to stress than species that allocate less energy to those processes. This finding indicates that the amount of energy allocated to maintenance may not be the only thing that determines its quality.

    Meanwhile, I found that this negative association still strongly holds even after accounting for metabolic rate. That means the higher metabolism associated with faster growth cannot completely explain faster aging. There had to be other missing links to consider.

    What have scientists overlooked? My recently published research suggests that the energy cost it takes to make biological materials, or the biosynthetic cost, also affects lifespan.

    Whales have some of the longest lifespans among mammals.
    lisabskelton/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Cost of making biomass

    It costs energy to make biological materials, or biomass, such as assembling individual amino acids into whole proteins. It also costs energy to check newly synthesized materials for errors, break down and rebuild materials with errors, and transport finished materials to where they need to be.

    To measure the energy investment in building biomass across species, I derived a mathematical relationship between biosynthetic cost and rates of growth and metabolism. I based my equation on the first principle of energy conservation, which states that energy is neither created nor destroyed, and data on the growth and metabolism rates of different mammals routinely measured by other researchers in the field.

    While researchers previously believed that the cost of synthesizing new biomass was the same across species, my analysis of data from 139 different animals found that there is a great difference in biosynthetic cost between species. For example, a naked mole rat has a biosynthetic cost that is over three times as that of a mouse with the same body mass. While the naked mole rat has a lifespan of 30 years, the mouse’s lifespan is only two to three years.

    My findings suggest that some species spend more energy than others to make one unit of biomass. This is perhaps partially due to living in a more dangerous environment. Animals that grow faster are more likely to reach reproductive maturity than animals that grow more slowly, but the price to pay is low-quality biomaterials.

    Biosynthetic cost and aging

    If everything else is kept the same, the more expensive growth is, the lower the growth rate will be. But how does this energy cost contribute to the aging process?

    I used what I call a cost-quality hypothesis to answer this question. At the cellular level, biosynthetic cost is in part determined by the cell’s tolerance for errors in making materials. Take proteins as an example. Research has repeatedly suggested that protein homeostasis – the collective processes that maintain protein level, structure and function – plays a key role in the aging process. In simple terms, the accumulation of proteins with errors leads to aging.

    Protein synthesis and folding is imperfect. Researchers have estimated that 20% to 30% of new proteins are rapidly degraded after they’re made due to errors. Different species have different degrees of error tolerance and protein quality control. For example, the mouse proteome has two- to tenfold higher levels of proteins with incorrect amino acids relative to the proteome of naked mole rats.

    Let’s consider two species, where one is picky about protein errors and the other not so much. The picky species will break down and remake a protein when it finds an error, constantly using protein quality control mechanisms to proofread, quickly unfold and refold, degrade or resynthesize proteins. Not only do these processes cost energy, they also slow down an animal’s overall biomass growth rate. A pickier species would spend more energy for a unit of net new biomass synthesized than a species with high tolerance, growing more slowly overall.

    On the other hand, a species with higher tolerance to errors would have a lower biosynthetic cost because it would just incorporate the faulty protein into their new biomass. Because this species can function with faulty proteins, it is more resistant to stress and therefore lives longer.

    Naked mole rats live the longest among rodents – their lifespans can push past 30 years.
    Tennessee Witney/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Making things last

    An animal’s ability to maintain homeostasis not only depends on the amount of energy it allocates to maintenance but also on the quality of the tissue it produces. And the quality of that tissue is at least partially due to the energy it invests in making biomass.

    In other words, fancy stuff costs more to make but lasts longer.

    My hope is that these results could be used as a framework to investigate how differences in a person’s development and growth rate affect their health, risk for aging-related diseases and lifespan. It also opens a door to a new research area: Could we manipulate the mechanisms that determine the energetic cost of biosynthesis and slow aging?

    Chen Hou 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. Grow fast, die young? Animals that invest in building high-quality biomaterials may slow aging and increase their lifespans – https://theconversation.com/grow-fast-die-young-animals-that-invest-in-building-high-quality-biomaterials-may-slow-aging-and-increase-their-lifespans-240517

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Making a Snickers bar is a complex science − a candy engineer explains how to build the airy nougat and chewy caramel of this Halloween favorite

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Richard Hartel, Professor of Food Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison

    From their caramel centers to chocolatey coatings, several widely used candy-making processes go into the production of a single Snickers bar. NurPhoto / Contributor via Getty Images

    It’s Halloween. You’ve just finished trick-or-treating and it’s time to assess the haul. You likely have a favorite, whether it’s chocolate bars, peanut butter cups, those gummy clusters with Nerds on them or something else.

    For some people, including me, one piece stands out – the Snickers bar, especially if it’s full-size. The combination of nougat, caramel and peanuts coated in milk chocolate makes Snickers a popular candy treat.

    As a food engineer studying candy and ice cream at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I now look at candy in a whole different way than I did as a kid. Back then, it was all about shoveling it in as fast as I could.

    Now, as a scientist who has made a career studying and writing books about confections, I have a very different take on candy. I have no trouble sacrificing a piece for the microscope or the texture analyzer to better understand how all the components add up. I don’t work for, own stock in, or receive funding from Mars Wrigley, the company that makes Snickers bars. But in my work, I do study the different components that make up lots of popular candy bars. Snickers has many of the most common elements you’ll find in your Halloween candy.

    Let’s look at the elements of a Snickers bar as an example of candy science. As with almost everything, once you get into it, each component is more complex than you might think.

    Snickers bars contain a layer of nougat, a layer of caramel mixed with peanuts and a chocolate coating.
    istarif/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Airy nougat

    Let’s start with the nougat. The nougat in a Snickers bar is a slightly aerated candy with small sugar crystals distributed throughout.

    One of the ingredients in the nougat is egg white, a protein that helps stabilize the air bubbles that provide a light texture. Often, nougats like this are made by whipping sugar and egg whites together. The egg whites coat the air bubbles created during whipping, which gives the nougat its aerated texture.

    A boiled sugar syrup is then slowly mixed into the egg white sugar mixture, after which a melted fat is added. Since fat can cause air bubbles to collapse, this step has to be done last and very carefully.

    The final ingredient added before cooling is powdered sugar to provide seeds for the sugar crystallization in the batch. The presence of small sugar crystals makes the nougat “short” – pull it apart between your fingers and it breaks cleanly with no stretch.

    Chewy caramel

    On top of the nougat layer is a band of chewy caramel. The chewiness of the caramel contrasts the nougat’s light, airy texture, which provides contrast to each bite.

    Caramel stands out from other candies as it contains a dairy ingredient, such as cream or evaporated milk. During cooking, the milk proteins react with some of the sugars in a complex series of reactions called Maillard browning, which imparts the brown color and caramelly flavor.

    Maillard browning starts with proteins and certain sugars. The end products of these reactions include melanoidins, which are brown coloring compounds, and a variety of flavors. The specific flavor molecules depend on the starting materials and the conditions, such as temperature and water content.

    Commercial caramel, like that in the Snickers bar, is cooked up to about 240-245 degrees Fahrenheit (115-118 degrees Celsius), to control the water content. Cook to too high a temperature and the caramel gets too hard, but if the cook temperature is too low, the caramel will flow right off the nougat. In a Snickers bar, the caramel needs to be slightly chewy so the peanuts stick to it.

    Chocolate coating

    To make chocolate, raw cocoa beans are harvested from cacao pods and then fermented for several days. After the fermented beans are dried, they are roasted to develop the chocolate flavor. As in caramel, the Maillard browning reaction is an important contributor to the flavor of chocolate.

    The milk chocolate coating on the Snickers bar happens through a process called enrobing. The naked bar, arranged on a wire mesh conveyor, passes through a curtain of tempered liquid chocolate, covering all sides with a thin layer. Tempering the chocolate coating makes it glossy and gives it a well-defined snap.

    The enrobing process in action.

    The flow of the tempered chocolate needs to be controlled precisely to give a coating of the desired thickness without leading to tails at the bottom of the candy bar.

    The Snickers bar

    When done right, the result is a delicious Snickers bar, a popular Halloween – or anytime – candy.

    With about 15 million bars made each day, getting every detail just right requires a lot of scientific understanding and engineering precision.

    Richard Hartel has previously consulted for Mars Wrigley, but not in the past decade, and does not receive funding from them nor own shares in their company.

    – ref. Making a Snickers bar is a complex science − a candy engineer explains how to build the airy nougat and chewy caramel of this Halloween favorite – https://theconversation.com/making-a-snickers-bar-is-a-complex-science-a-candy-engineer-explains-how-to-build-the-airy-nougat-and-chewy-caramel-of-this-halloween-favorite-241534

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Israel’s ban on UNRWA continues a pattern of politicizing Palestinian refugee aid – and puts millions of lives at risk

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Nicholas R. Micinski, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, University of Maine

    The Israeli parliament’s vote on Oct. 28, 2024, to ban the United Nations agency that provides relief for Palestinian refugees is likely to affect millions of people – it also fits a pattern.

    Aid for refugees, particularly Palestinian refugees, has long been politicized, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, has been targeted throughout its 75-year history.

    This was evident earlier in the current Gaza conflict, when at least a dozen countries, including the U.S., suspended funding to the UNRWA, citing allegations made by Israel that 12 UNRWA employees participated in the attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. In August, the U.N. fired nine UNRWA employees for alleged involvement in the attack. An independent U.N. panel established a set of 50 recommendations to ensure UNRWA employees adhere to the principle of neutrality.

    The vote by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, to ban the UNRWA goes a step further. It will, when it comes into effect, prevent the UNRWA from operating in Israel and will severely affect its ability to serve refugees in any of the occupied territories that Israel controls, including Gaza. This could have devastating consequences for livelihoods, health, the distribution of food aid and schooling for Palestinians. It would also damage the polio vaccination campaign that the UNRWA and its partner organizations have been carrying out in Gaza since September. Finally, the bill bans communication between Israeli officials and the UNRWA, which would end efforts by the agency to coordinate the movements of aid workers to prevent unintentional targeting by the Israel Defense Forces.

    Refugee aid, and humanitarian aid more generally, is theoretically meant to be neutral and impartial. But as experts in migration and international relations, we know funding is often used as a foreign policy tool, whereby allies are rewarded and enemies punished. In this context, we believe Israel’s banning of the UNRWA fits a wider pattern of the politicization of aid to refugees, particularly Palestinian refugees.

    What is the UNRWA?

    The UNRWA, short for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, was established two years after about 750,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled from their homes during the months leading up to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and the subsequent Arab-Israeli war.

    Palestinians flee their homes during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
    Pictures from History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    Prior to the UNRWA’s creation, international and local organizations, many of them religious, provided services to displaced Palestinians. But after surveying the extreme poverty and dire situation pervasive across refugee camps, the U.N. General Assembly, including all Arab states and Israel, voted to create the UNRWA in 1949.

    Since that time, the UNRWA has been the primary aid organization providing food, medical care, schooling and, in some cases, housing for the 6 million Palestinians living across its five fields: Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, as well as the areas that make up the occupied Palestinian territories: the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

    The mass displacement of Palestinians – known as the Nakba, or “catastrophe” – occurred prior to the 1951 Refugee Convention, which defined refugees as anyone with a well-founded fear of persecution owing to “events occurring in Europe before 1 January 1951.” Despite a 1967 protocol extending the definition worldwide, Palestinians are still excluded from the primary international system protecting refugees.

    While the UNRWA is responsible for providing services to Palestinian refugees, the United Nations also created the U.N. Conciliation Commission for Palestine in 1948 to seek a long-term political solution and “to facilitate the repatriation, resettlement and economic and social rehabilitation of the refugees and the payment of compensation.”

    As a result, UNRWA does not have a mandate to push for the traditional durable solutions available in other refugee situations. As it happened, the conciliation commission was active only for a few years and has since been sidelined in favor of the U.S.-brokered peace processes.

    Is the UNRWA political?

    The UNRWA has been subject to political headwinds since its inception and especially during periods of heightened tension between Palestinians and Israelis.

    While it is a U.N. organization and thus ostensibly apolitical, it has frequently been criticized by Palestinians, Israelis as well as donor countries, including the United States, for acting politically.

    The UNRWA performs statelike functions across its five fields, including education, health and infrastructure, but it is restricted in its mandate from performing political or security activities.

    Initial Palestinian objections to the UNRWA stemmed from the organization’s early focus on economic integration of refugees into host states.

    Although the UNRWA officially adhered to the U.N. General Assembly’s Resolution 194 that called for the return of Palestine refugees to their homes, U.N., U.K. and U.S. officials searched for means by which to resettle and integrate Palestinians into host states, viewing this as the favorable political solution to the Palestinian refugee situation and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this sense, Palestinians perceived the UNRWA to be both highly political and actively working against their interests.

    In later decades, the UNRWA switched its primary focus from jobs to education at the urging of Palestinian refugees. But the UNRWA’s education materials were viewed by Israel as further feeding Palestinian militancy, and the Israeli government insisted on checking and approving all materials in Gaza and the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967.

    A protester is removed by members of the U.S. Capitol Police during a House hearing on Jan. 30, 2024.
    Alex Wong/Getty Images

    While Israel has long been suspicious of the UNRWA’s role in refugee camps and in providing education, the organization’s operation, which is internationally funded, also saves Israel millions of dollars each year in services it would be obliged to deliver as the occupying power.

    Since the 1960s, the U.S. – the UNRWA’s primary donor – and other Western countries have repeatedly expressed their desire to use aid to prevent radicalization among refugees.

    In response to the increased presence of armed opposition groups, the U.S. attached a provision to its UNRWA aid in 1970, requiring that the “UNRWA take all possible measures to assure that no part of the United States contribution shall be used to furnish assistance to any refugee who is receiving military training as a member of the so-called Palestine Liberation Army (PLA) or any other guerrilla-type organization.”

    The UNRWA adheres to this requirement, even publishing an annual list of its employees so that host governments can vet them, but it also employs 30,000 individuals, the vast majority of whom are Palestinian.

    Questions over links of the UNRWA to any militancy has led to the rise of Israeli and international watch groups that document the social media activity of the organization’s large Palestinian staff.

    In 2018, the Trump administration paused its US$60 million contribution to the UNRWA. Trump claimed the pause would create political pressure for Palestinians to negotiate. President Joe Biden restarted U.S. contributions to the UNRWA in 2021.

    While other major donors restored funding to the UNRWA after the conclusion of the investigation in April, the U.S. has yet to do so.

    ‘An unmitigated disaster’

    Israel’s ban of the UNRWA will leave already starving Palestinians without a lifeline. U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said banning the UNRWA “would be a catastrophe in what is already an unmitigated disaster.” The foreign ministers of Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the U.K. issued a joint statement arguing that the ban would have “devastating consequences on an already critical and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, particularly in northern Gaza.”

    Reports have emerged of Israeli plans for private security contractors to take over aid distribution in Gaza through dystopian “gated communities,” which would in effect be internment camps. This would be a troubling move. In contrast to the UNRWA, private contractors have little experience delivering aid and are not dedicated to the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality or independence.

    However, the Knesset’s explicit ban could, inadvertently, force the United States to suspend weapons transfers to Israel. U.S. law requires that it stop weapons transfers to any country that obstructs the delivery of U.S. humanitarian aid. And the U.S. pause on funding for the UNRWA was only meant to be temporary.

    The UNRWA is the main conduit for assistance into Gaza, and the Knesset’s ban makes explicit that the Israeli government is preventing aid delivery, making it harder for Washington to ignore. Before the bill passed, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matt Miller warned that “passage of the legislation could have implications under U.S. law and U.S. policy.”

    At the same time, two U.S. government agencies previously alerted the Biden administration that Israel was obstructing aid into Gaza, yet weapons transfers have continued unabated.

    Sections of this story were first used in an earlier article published by The Conversation U.S. on Feb. 1, 2024.

    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. Israel’s ban on UNRWA continues a pattern of politicizing Palestinian refugee aid – and puts millions of lives at risk – https://theconversation.com/israels-ban-on-unrwa-continues-a-pattern-of-politicizing-palestinian-refugee-aid-and-puts-millions-of-lives-at-risk-242379

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Video: President Biden Delivers Remarks on his Investing in America Agenda

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    President Biden delivers remarks on how his Investing in America agenda is rebuilding our infrastructure, tackling the climate crisis, and creating good paying union jobs.

    Baltimore, MD

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9xEZeNRaug

    MIL OSI Video –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Charitable and voluntary organisations set to receive £4.5 million29 October 2024 The Chief Minister and Minister for External Relations intend to allocate £4. 5 million from the Jersey Reclaim Fund, which will be distributed to local charitable and voluntary organisations over the… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    29 October 2024

    The Chief Minister and Minister for External Relations intend to allocate £4.5 million from the Jersey Reclaim Fund, which will be distributed to local charitable and voluntary organisations over the next three years. 

    Set up in 2017, the Jersey Reclaim Fund is administered by the government and made up of balances in dormant bank accounts in Jersey where contact has been lost with the customer for more than 15 years. 

    The funds will be allocated by​ the Jersey Community Foundation (JCF). 

    The Ministers now wish to provide a three-year funding package for 2025 – 2027 of at least £4.5m to provide sustained support to charities and voluntary organisations, and appropriate arrangements are being made to enable the change to be implemented. As well as supporting the community, charities can use part of their grants to sustain or strengthen the resilience and sustainability of their organisation. 

    The Minister for External Relations, Deputy Ian Gorst, who has responsibility for financial services, said: “This package will provide increased financial support for charities and voluntary organisations over a longer period, increasing confidence and recognising their invaluable contribution to our society. I’m grateful to all those financial services institutions who support the Reclaim Fund, and to the JCF for their continued work. 

    “We are also discussing with the JCF other schemes to match fund large private donations, and hope to have further announcements later in the year.” 

    The Chief Minister, Deputy Lyndon Farnham, said: “The Jersey Community Foundation has supported more than 450 recipients since it was established in 2020, helping charities and voluntary organisations to continue their central role in the life of our Island. 

    “Against the backdrop of recent economic conditions, this government is committed to increasing and strengthening support for the sector.” ​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Pan-European Strategy aims to align Transport, Health and Environment policies by 2050

    Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

    Transport plays a crucial role in society and in the economy, enabling access to jobs, services and people, while driving trade and tourism. However, it also brings significant socioeconomic, environmental and health challenges. In most countries, public policies at all levels do not deal with transport, health, environment, and urban planning issues holistically.

    This is about to change thanks to the adoption of the first Pan-European Strategy on Transport, Health and Environment – the result of a vision that connects transport policies with health and environmental goals. The strategy, adopted today in Geneva at the 22nd session of the Steering Committee of the Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP), lays out a road map for the transformation of transport systems by 2050, promoting sustainable urban mobility, cleaner technologies and climate resilience. This brings synergies with other UNECE initiatives, such as the Inland Transport Committee’s Strategy on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Inland Transport.

    The strategy aims to:  

    • Recognize the positive role of transport

    The strategy recognizes the transport sector as crucial to sustainable development, promoting health as well as the quality and livability of the environment. By working together, the transport, health and environment sectors can contribute significantly to improving people’s lives.

    • Adopt a holistic approach

    National, regional and local authorities must address transport, health and environmental issues together, in order to develop integrated policies and frameworks. In some countries, financing mechanisms for public transport and infrastructure for walking and cycling are neither sustainable nor adequate. The adoption of a holistic approach will lead to more effective regulations, better budget allocations and improved living conditions.

    • Allow for tailor-made solutions

    The strategy recognizes the diverse realities across the region and calls for tailored solutions that include all stakeholders – Governments, communities, businesses and civil society – to build an inclusive, greener mobility.

    • Support the shift to public transport and active mobility  

    The strategy aims to shift the modal split from the current car-dominated model towards increased public transport and active mobility (cycling and walking). These different modes will need to be treated equally across UNECE member States, with sustainable transport solutions being applied to rural and peri-urban areas. Cargo and freight transport will also become more sustainable. The approach to transport demand will promote proximity to services and enhance sustainable mobility through technology.

    • Address air and noise pollution

    Air pollution is a leading environmental risk to health, causing nearly 570,000 premature deaths in 53 countries of the region according to a 2023 World Health Organization publication. Over 90% of the region’s population is exposed to harmful levels of air pollutants, with road transport being a major source of such pollutants through exhaust and non-exhaust emissions. Road transport accounts for about 25% of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions and is thus a key contributor to climate change.

    The current shift towards vehicle electrification and fleet renewals will allow for the transition to cleaner mobility. At present, transport is the principal source of background noise pollution in urban areas in the region.

    • Maximize health benefits

    Active mobility can significantly reduce health risks, in particular obesity and non-communicable diseases, lessening the burden on healthcare systems. Expanding green spaces and infrastructure for active mobility will also foster mental well-being through greater social interaction.

    • Reinforce social inclusion  

    Lower-income groups tend to live in areas with poorer transport infrastructure, limiting access to services, jobs and social activities. Transport systems also often fail to address the varying needs of people according to gender, age and ability. Road traffic accidents are the main cause of death among people aged 5–29 years worldwide.

    The strategy emphasizes the inclusion of gender, age and disability needs in transport planning, ensuring that mobility is accessible to all. Green finance and fiscal incentives will have an important role to play in driving investment in sustainable transport, creating jobs, and stimulating the economy.

    • Collect and manage data

    The lack or limited quality of data is a recurring challenge and one of the most serious obstacles to informed policymaking in some UNECE member States. This prevents an objective assessment of the impact of transport on the environment and health from being carried out.

    Consistent data on transport, greenhouse gas emissions and mobility will inform policy across the region.

     

    In implementing the Strategy, under the framework of THE PEP, member States will also work on:

    • Directing investments, fiscal incentives and green finance initiatives towards sustainable transport, stimulating job creation and the economy;
    • Making the most of digitalization of transport and mobility services;
    • Increasing the resilience of transport systems to climate change, pandemics and other disasters.

    The next step will be for member States, within the framework of THE PEP and with other stakeholders, to discuss how to implement the Strategy and mobilize the appropriate resources to facilitate implementation, drawing on the knowledge-sharing and good practices of each member State.

    Note to editors

    At the Fifth High-level Meeting on Transport, Health and Environment (Vienna (online), 17–18 May 2021), member States agreed to develop a comprehensive pan-European strategy on transport, health and the environment, including a clear pathway for its implementation, to achieve the agreed vision, and to guide the further work of THE PEP. The Vienna Declaration is available at https://unece.org/pep/publications/vienna-declaration.

    In addition to being the first and only international programme designed to integrate environmental and health aspects into transport, mobility and urban planning policies, THE PEP is a policy framework that brings together the transport, health and environment sectors. It is jointly serviced by UNECE and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. All member States are invited to actively contribute to and support THE PEP and more information in its regard is available at https://unece.org/thepep.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Ya’an City in SW China makes full use of strategic position to develop local tourism

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

    Ya’an City in SW China makes full use of strategic position to develop local tourism

    Updated: October 29, 2024 20:21 Xinhua
    This aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2024 shows a base camp for road trips along the National Highway 318 at the Tianquan highway service area in Ya’an City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province. The Sichuan-Xizang highway connecting southwest China’s Sichuan Province and the Xizang Autonomous Region serves as the artery linking the plateau region and the country’s inland areas. It is an important part of the National Highway 318 (coded G318), known for steep mountains and rugged terrain through which it winds, and has been bustling with travelers and adventure lovers. In recent years, Ya’an City has made full use of its strategic position along the G318 highway to develop local tourism and enable better experience for tourists. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2024 shows the Feixian’guan suspension bridge (front) and the newly built Feixian’guan bridge (back) in Lushan County, Ya’an City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2024 shows one section of the Sichuan-Xizang highway in Ya’an, southwest China’s Sichuan Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2024 shows a highway service area near the Feixian’guan bridge in Lushan County, Ya’an City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Tourists pose for photos in an exhibition space introducing the National Highway 318 in Ya’an, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Oct. 27, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Tourists visit an exhibition space introducing the National Highway 318 in Ya’an, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Oct. 27, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Tourists visit an exhibition space introducing the National Highway 318 in Ya’an, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Oct. 27, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2024 shows tourists posing for photos with a mark of the National Highway 318 at Tianquan highway service area in Ya’an City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: China to roll out gradient cultivation system for smart factories

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

    BEIJING, Oct. 29 — China will conduct a gradient (progressive) cultivation campaign for the country’s smart factories, according to a circular.

    The circular, jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and five other government authorities, stated that gradient cultivation for the smart factories will be carried out at four levels.

    Since the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period, departments including the MIIT have implemented an intelligent manufacturing project, successfully cultivating a number of high-level and iconic smart factories.

    The project has also motivated more than 10,000 manufacturers around the country to carry out the construction of digital workshops and smart factories.

    Establishing the gradient cultivation system for smart factories will drive the formation of a safe, controllable and complete high-level supply system for the intelligent manufacturing sector. It will also help establish more complete intelligent manufacturing standards and an evaluation system, the ministry said.

    MIL OSI China News –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Union Members in Minnesota Hit the Ground to Support Pro-Labor Candidates

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    IAM members from across Minnesota came together to actively engage with voters to make a difference in the upcoming election. Focusing on AFL-CIO-endorsed candidates who advocate for workers’ rights, union members and volunteers have been knocking on doors, phone banking, and connecting with community members, reminding them of the power of their vote and its impact on labor policies.

    IAM District 77 members met with Congresswoman Betty McCollum, where she reaffirmed her commitment to workers’ rights and spoke on crucial issues impacting Minnesota’s workforce, such as fair wages, safe working conditions, and support for union organizing.

    “Our collective action serves as a powerful reminder of what’s at stake and how crucial it is for voters to get involved,” said IAM District 77 Directing Business Representative Andrew Peltier, “When union members come together to support labor-friendly candidates, we are building a future where workers’ rights are valued and protected.”

    Share and Follow:

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: LPL Financial Welcomes Goodwin Petrilli Financial

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN DIEGO, Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LPL Financial LLC announced today that financial advisors Randy Petrilli, Matt Goodwin, Travis Whitaker and Jeff McWhorter of Goodwin Petrilli Financial have joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, RIA and custodial platforms. The advisors reported having approximately $205 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets*. They join LPL from Cambridge Investment Research.

    Based in Fort Collins, Co., the firm was founded in 1992 by Harry Goodwin, Matt’s father, who retired last year after serving clients for more than three decades. The ensemble practice offers a comprehensive range of financial planning and investment management services to individuals, families and businesses throughout Northern Colorado.

    “We have a strong local presence and have built our business through a solid referral network,” Goodwin said. “The team has a long history of working with educators in northern Colorado by helping them manage retirement assets and plan for retirement. Over the years, we’ve worked with multiple generations of clients who want to preserve their family legacies.”

    As client expectations continue to rise, the team at Goodwin Petrilli Financial turned to LPL for the next chapter of their business.

    “We were highly impressed by LPL’s technology, which allows us to provide more personalized and efficient services,” Petrilli said. “Our clients benefit by having one place where they can find all their account information, and we appreciate how programs work together in ClientWorks to manage our daily tasks — from meeting minutes to planning software. We are excited about LPL’s commitment to providing us with the resources and support we need to grow our business and deliver more value to clients.”

    Scott Posner, LPL Executive Vice President, Business Development, said, “On behalf of the entire LPL community, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Randy, Matt, Travis and Jeff. We are committed to delivering innovative technology, robust resources and strategic support to enable advisors to provide personalized advice and run thriving practices. We look forward to supporting the entire team at Goodwin Petrilli Financial for years to come.”

    Related

    Advisors, learn how LPL Financial can help take your business to the next level.

    About LPL Financial

    LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LPLA) was founded on the principle that LPL should work for advisors and institutions, and not the other way around. Today, LPL is a leader in the markets we serve, serving more than 23,000 financial advisors, including advisors at approximately 1,000 institutions and at approximately 580 registered investment advisor firms nationwide. We are steadfast in our commitment to the advisor-mediated model and the belief that Americans deserve access to personalized guidance from a financial professional. At LPL, independence means that advisors and institution leaders have the freedom they deserve to choose the business model, services and technology resources that allow them to run a thriving business. They have the flexibility to do business their way. And they have the freedom to manage their client relationships, because they know their clients best. Simply put, we take care of our advisors and institutions, so they can take care of their clients.

    Securities and Advisory services offered through LPL Financial LLC (“LPL Financial”), a registered investment advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. LPL Financial and its affiliated companies provide financial services only from the United States. Goodwin Petrilli Financial and LPL are separate entities.

    Throughout this communication, the terms “financial advisors” and “advisors” are used to refer to registered representatives and/or investment advisor representatives affiliated with LPL Financial.

    We routinely disclose information that may be important to shareholders in the “Investor Relations” or “Press Releases” section of our website.

    *Value approximated based on asset and holding details provided to LPL from end of year, 2023.

    Media Contact: 
    Media.relations@LPLFinancial.com 
    (704) 996-1840

    Tracking #649120

    The MIL Network –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: ibex Unveils Wave iX AI Virtual Agent; Setting a New Standard for AI-Powered Customer Support

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ibex (NASDAQ: IBEX), a leading global provider of business process outsourcing (BPO) and customer engagement technology solutions, today announced the launch of ibex Wave iX AI Virtual Agent, a sophisticated AI solution designed for seamless and scalable automated customer and brand interactions.

    ibex Wave iX AI Virtual Agent provides AI-driven voice and text conversations that are customized to align with a brand’s persona and specific business needs. It offers human-like, infinitely scalable, and hyper-personalized customer experiences while integrating seamlessly with existing agent support systems to facilitate swift escalation and efficient resolution of more complex customer issues.

    “ibex Wave iX AI Virtual Agent is more than a new AI solution, it is a transformative approach to the future of customer engagement,” said Bob Dechant, CEO of ibex. “ibex Wave iX AI Virtual Agent integrates the scalability and efficiency of AI with the necessary brand alignment, enabling businesses need to deliver exceptional, empathetic, and uniquely tailored customer experiences.”

    ibex Wave iX AI Virtual Agent is a new groundbreaking AI-driven, digital-first customer experience solution within the ibex Wave iX solution suite, which comprises three strategic components—AgentAI, CustomerAI, and InsightsAI—and leverages cutting-edge Generative AI technology to deliver the next generation of AI and agent-assisted customer experience.

    A significant advantage of ibex Wave iX AI Virtual Agent is its capacity for scalability on-demand. This flexibility enables businesses to dynamically adjust their customer service resources, ensuring optimal allocation during peak periods or unforeseen surges in demand. Coupled with the virtual agent’s empathetic and patient approach, this adaptability ensures that routine interactions are efficiently managed by ibex Wave iX AI Virtual Agent, allowing human customer service agents to concentrate of resolving more complex issues.

    Seamless customer interactions

    ibex Wave iX AI Virtual Agent also breaks down communication barriers by offering true omnichannel and multilanguage support. This capability ensures that businesses can effectively communicate with customers across any platform, in their preferred language, creating a seamless and inclusive experience.

    While ibex Wave iX AI Virtual Agent is designed to handle a wide range of customer inquiries autonomously, it also features a smooth escalation process to human agents when necessary.

    Businesses can easily customize ibex Wave iX AI Virtual Agent to match their unique brand personality. The platform allows for the creation of channel-specific personas, ensuring consistency across every customer interaction and enabling brands to achieve their desired impact, at scale.

    Always getting smarter

    ibex Wave iX AI Virtual Agent goes beyond simple query resolution. The platform is designed to understand multiple intents and complex tasks, learning and improving with each interaction. This sophisticated approach allows the virtual agent to gain a deep and accurate understanding of customer actions and patterns, enabling businesses to make rapid, informed choices that drive customer satisfaction and loyalty.

    To ensure data security and regulatory compliance ibex has implemented strict governance measures in ibex Wave iX AI Virtual Agent.

    For more information about ibex Wave iX AI Virtual Agent or to schedule a demo, please visit here.

    About ibex 

    ibex delivers innovative business process outsourcing (BPO), smart digital marketing, online acquisition technology, and end-to-end customer engagement solutions to help companies acquire, engage and retain valuable customers. Today, ibex operates a global CX delivery center model consisting of approximately 30 operations facilities around the world, while deploying next generation technology to drive superior customer experiences for many of the world’s leading companies across retail, e-commerce, healthcare, fintech, utilities and logistics.

    ibex leverages its diverse global team of over 30,000 employees together with industry-leading technology, including the AI-powered ibex Wave iX solutions suite, to manage nearly 175 million critical customer interactions, adding over $2.2B in lifetime customer revenue each year and driving a truly differentiated customer experience. To learn more, visit our website at ibex.co and connect with us on LinkedIn.

    Media Contact:
    Dan Burris
    daniel.burris@ibex.co

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0c3b6ba9-0829-4dbc-96ea-4a56a032a004

    The MIL Network –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Savi Financial Corporation Earns $205,000 in the Third Quarter of 2024; Results Highlighted by NIM Expansion

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MOUNT VERNON, Wash., Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Savi Financial Corporation, Inc. (OTC Pink: SVVB), the bank holding company for SaviBank, today reported net income of $205,000, or $0.05 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2024. This compared to a net loss of $5,000, or a loss of $0.00 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2024, and net income of $558,000, or $0.13 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2023. In the first nine months of 2024, the Company reported a net loss of $216,000, or a loss of $0.05 per diluted share, compared to net income of $1.59 million, or $0.36 per diluted share, in the first nine months of 2023. All results are unaudited.

    “We reported improved third quarter 2024 operating results, compared to the preceding quarter, driven by increases in net interest income, lower non-interest expense and net interest margin expansion,” said Michal D. Cann, Chairman and President of Savi Financial Corporation. “Overall, loan growth was muted during the quarter, in part due to a slowdown in the local economy and uncertainties surrounding the election and future economic growth. However, we are seeing improvements in our loan pipeline, particularly with SBA loan originations. Further, we experienced good growth in core deposits during the quarter, with an increase in core deposits from local municipalities, which will allow us to reduce our reliance on brokered deposits to fund future growth.”

    “Loan growth was relatively flat compared to the preceding quarter and up 5% compared to a year ago. However, we did see good growth in the loan pipelines,” said Andrew Hunter, President and CEO of SaviBank. “We continue to seek out lending opportunities from our customers and anticipate slower than historic loan growth for the remainder of the year.”

    “The increase in loan yields during the quarter contributed to net interest margin (NIM) expansion of four basis points during the current quarter,” said Rob Woods, Chief Financial Officer of SaviBank. “We anticipate funding costs are near their peak and will continue to stabilize and should improve over the next few quarters if interest rates continue to decrease.” The Company’s NIM was 3.52% in the third quarter of 2024, compared to 3.48% in the preceding quarter, and 3.66% in the third quarter a year ago. The NIM remains higher than the peer average of 3.21% posted by the 171 banks that comprised the Dow Jones U.S. Microcap Bank Index as of June 30, 2024. The cost of funds increased to 244 basis points during the third quarter of 2024, compared to 238 basis points in the preceding quarter.

    Merger

    On March 22, 2024, the Company announced that it had signed a Purchase and Assumption agreement whereby Lakewood, WA. based Harborstone Credit Union will acquire SaviBank in an all-cash transaction. The transaction is structured as a purchase agreement with Harborstone Credit Union purchasing substantially all assets and assuming substantially all liabilities of SaviBank. The transaction is anticipated to be completed in the spring of 2025, subject to receiving all regulatory approvals. Shareholders of Savi Financial have approved the acquisition.

    “We look forward to working with Harborstone Credit Union to continue our tradition of having a positive impact in our local communities,” said Cann. “We are deeply focused on providing resources and services for our customers to succeed, and believe that the additional services, products and locations Harborstone Credit Union provides will help us continue to meet the financial needs of our customers. Through the unique structure of this acquisition by Harborstone Credit Union, we believe we are maximizing value to our shareholders who have supported us over the years.”

    Third Quarter 2024 Highlights:

    • The Company reported net income of $205,000 for the third quarter of 2024, compared to net loss of $5,000 for the second quarter of 2024, and net income of $558,000 for the third quarter of 2023.
    • Earnings per diluted share were $0.05 in the third quarter of 2024, compared to losses per diluted share of $0.00 in the preceding quarter, and earnings per diluted share of $0.13 in the third quarter of 2023.
    • Net interest income was $5.06 million in the third quarter of 2024, compared to $4.86 million in the second quarter of 2024, and $5.03 million in the third quarter of 2023.
    • Total revenue, consisting of net interest income and non-interest income, was $5.88 million in the third quarter of 2024, compared to $6.04 million in the preceding quarter and $5.89 million in the third quarter a year ago.
    • Non-interest expense was $5.57 million in the third quarter of 2024, compared to $5.82 million in the preceding quarter, and $5.56 million in the third quarter a year ago. The decrease in non-interest expense during the third quarter of 2024 was largely due to lower salary and employee benefits compared to the prior quarter.
    • Average third quarter 2024 total loans increased 2% to $512.8 million, compared to $503.8 million in the second quarter of 2024, and increased 8% from $473.6 million in the third quarter of 2023. Total loans at September 30, 2024, decreased to $509.5 million from $512.1 million at June 30, 2024, and increased 5% compared to $487.2 million at September 30, 2023.
    • SBA and USDA loan production for the twelve months ended September 30, 2024, totaled 22 loans for $14.5 million, compared to production of 18 loans for $14.8 million in the year-ago period.
    • Average third quarter 2024 total deposits grew 2% to $502.5 million, from $490.8 million in the preceding quarter, and increased 6% from $474.1 million in the third quarter a year ago. Total deposits increased 4% to $512.9 million, at September 30, 2024, compared to $492.1 million at June 30, 2024, and increased 7% compared to $481.5 million at September 30, 2023.
    • The Company recorded an $86,000 provision for credit losses in the third quarter of 2024, compared to a $255,000 provision in the second quarter of 2024, and a $350,000 credit to the provision in the third quarter of 2023.
    • Allowance for loan losses, as a percentage of total loans, was 1.18% at September 30, 2024, compared to 1.19% at June 30, 2024, and 1.16% at September 30, 2023.
    • Nonperforming loans, as a percentage of total loans, was 0.26% at September 30, 2024, compared to 0.24% at June 30, 2024, and 0.09% at September 30, 2023.
    • Nonperforming assets, as a percentage of total assets, was 0.21% at September 30, 2024, compared to 0.20% at June 30, 2024, and 0.19% a year ago.
    • Net charge-offs were $214,000 in the third quarter of 2024, compared to $35,000 in the second quarter of 2024, and $77,000 in the third quarter a year ago.
    • SaviBank capital levels remained above the threshold for well-capitalized institutions with a tier-1 leverage ratio of 8.19% at September 30, 2024.

    About Northwest Washington

    SaviBank currently operates six branches in Skagit County, two branches in Island County, one branch in Whatcom County and one branch in San Juan County. The Skagit, Whatcom, Island and San Juan counties region stretches north from the greater Seattle/Everett/Bellevue metropolis to the Canadian border.

    The housing market in Skagit, Island, Whatcom and San Juan counties remains stable, although it has fallen off the record high levels from the past few years. According to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, the average home in Skagit County sold for $560,000, up 1.91% in September 30, 2024, compared to a year ago, and there was a 2.37 month supply of homes on the market. For Island County, the average house sold for $605,000, down 0.82% from a year ago and supply totaled 3.18 months. For Whatcom County, the average home sold for $611,000, up 10.38% from a year ago and supply totaled 2.61 months. For San Juan County, the average home sold for $829,000, down from 13.65% a year ago and supply totaled 9.05 months.

    Skagit’s population is projected to grow 3.84% from 2024 through 2029, and median household income is projected to increase by 11.41% during the same time frame. Whatcom County’s population is projected to grow 4.97% from 2024 through 2029, and median household income is projected to increase by 10.99%. Island County’s population is projected to grow 2.24% from 2024 through 2029, and median household income is projected to increase by 12.83%. San Juan County’s population is projected to grow 6.78% from 2024 through 2029, and median household income is projected to increase by 10.88%.

    Sources:
    https://www.nwmls.com/real-estate-news/monthly-market-snapshot/

    https://www.capitaliq.spglobal.com/ 

    About Savi Financial Corporation Inc. and SaviBank

    Savi Financial Corporation is the bank holding company which owns SaviBank. The Bank began operations April 11, 2005, and has 10 branch locations in Anacortes, Burlington, Bellingham, Concrete, Mount Vernon (2), Oak Harbor, Freeland, Sedro-Woolley, and Friday Harbor, Washington. The Bank provides loan and deposit services to customers who are predominantly small and middle-market businesses and individuals in and around Skagit, Island, Whatcom and San Juan counties. As a locally-owned community bank, we believe that when everyone becomes Savi about their finances, our entire community benefits.
    For additional information about SaviBank, visit: www.SaviBank.com.

    About Harborstone Credit Union

    Harborstone Credit Union is a Washington-chartered and federally insured credit union headquartered in Lakewood, Washington. Founded in 1955 as McChord Federal Credit Union, serving airmen on McChord Air Force Base (now Joint Base Lewis McChord), Harborstone Credit Union has grown to become one of the largest credit unions in Washington State with over 91,000 members and approximately $2.1 billion in total assets. Harborstone Credit Union has sixteen branches located throughout King, Pierce, and Thurston counties and offers members a full range of products and services with the aim to assist members in achieving financial well-being through innovative financial solutions that foster thriving communities and economic vitality. For more information, please visit www.harborstone.com.

    Forward Looking Statements

    Certain statements in this news release contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements relating to future plans and expectations, and are thus prospective. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, such as the businesses of Harborstone Credit Union and SaviBank may not be integrated successfully or such integration may take longer to accomplish than expected, the expected cost savings and any revenue synergies from the acquisition may not be fully realized within the expected timeframes, disruption from the acquisition may make it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, associates, or suppliers, the required governmental approvals of the acquisition may not be obtained on the proposed terms and schedule, or Savi Financial shareholders may not approve the acquisition, any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of the assumptions could prove to be inaccurate. Therefore, we can give no assurance that the results contemplated in the forward-looking statements will be realized. The inclusion of this forward-looking information should not be construed as a representation by the companies or any person that the future events, plans, or expectations contemplated by the companies will be achieved. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning the companies or any person acting on their behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by the cautionary statements above. None of Harborstone Credit Union, Savi Financial or SaviBank undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

     
    SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA                           
    (In thousands of dollars, except for ratios and per share amounts)                      
    Unaudited                              
      Three Months Ended   Nine Months Ended
      September 30,
    2024    		   September 30,
    2023    		   Var %   June 30,
    2024    		   Var %   September 30,
    2024    		   September 30,
    2023    		   Var %
    SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS                              
    Interest income $ 8,756     $ 7,573     16 %   $ 8,371     5 %   $ 24,962     $ 21,092     18 %
    Interest expense   (3,698 )     (2,539 )   46       (3,509 )   5       (10,411 )     (6,092 )   71  
    Net interest income   5,058       5,034     0       4,862     4       14,551       15,000     (3 )
    Provision for loan losses   (86 )     350     (125 )     (255 )   (66 )     (578 )     539     (207 )
                                                             
    NII after loss provision   4,972       5,384     (8 )     4,607     8       13,973       15,539     (10 )
    Non-interest income   825       852     (3 )     1,181     (30 )     2,587       2,796     (7 )
    Non-interest expense   (5,566 )     (5,559 )   0       (5,823 )   (4 )     (16,920 )     (16,415 )   3  
    Income before tax   231       677     (66 )     (35 )   (760 )     (360 )     1,920     (119 )
    Federal income tax expense   26       119     (78 )     (30 )   (187 )     (144 )     333     (143 )
    Net income $ 205     $ 558     (63 )%   $ (5 )   (4,200 )%   $ (216 )   $ 1,587     (114 )%
                                   
    PER COMMON SHARE DATA                              
    Number of shares outstanding (000s)   3,465       3,460     0 %     3,465     — %     3,465       3,460     0.14 %
    Earnings per share, basic $ 0.06     $ 0.16     (63 )   $ (0.00 )   (4,200 )   $ (0.06 )   $ 0.46     (114 )
    Earnings per share, diluted $ 0.05     $ 0.13     (63 )   $ (0.00 )   (4,201 )   $ (0.05 )   $ 0.36     (114 )
    Market value   14.50       6.86     111       14.79     (2 )     14.50       6.86     111  
    Book value   10.93       10.95     (0 )     10.61     3       10.93       10.95     (0 )
    Market value to book value   132.63 %     62.65 %   112       139.40 %   (5 )     132.63 %     62.65 %   112  
                                   
    BALANCE SHEET DATA                              
    Assets $ 623,637     $ 591,370     5 %   $ 621,191     0 %   $ 623,637     $ 591,370     5 %
    Investments securities   36,629       35,140     4       34,698     6       36,629       35,140     4  
    Total loans   509,535       487,184     5       512,080     (0 )     509,535       487,184     5  
    Total deposits   512,912       481,476     7       492,140     4       512,912       481,476     7  
    Borrowings   52,500       52,500     –       72,000     (27 )     52,500       52,500     –  
    Sub Debt – Savi Financial Only   17,000       17,000     –       17,000     –       17,000       17,000     –  
    Shareholders’ equity   37,881       37,887     (0 )     36,777     3       37,881       37,887     (0 )
                                   
    AVERAGE BALANCE SHEET DATA                              
    Average assets $ 622,414     $ 583,931     7 %   $ 612,262     2 %   $ 608,559     $ 557,460     9 %
    Average total loans   512,751       473,590     8       503,793     2       502,860       459,765     9  
    Average total deposits   502,526       474,076     6       490,753     2       498,373       456,093     9  
    Average shareholders’ equity   37,329       37,812     (1 )     36,678     2       37,534       37,082     1  
                                   
    ASSET QUALITY RATIOS                              
    Net (charge-offs) recoveries $ (214 )   $ (77 )   N/M     $ (35 )   N/M     $ (422 )   $ (266 )   N/M  
    Net (charge-offs) recoveries to average loans   (0.17 )%     (0.07 )%   N/M       (0.03 )%   N/M       (0.11 )%     (0.08 )%   N/M  
    Non-performing loans as a % of loans   0.26       0.09     183       0.24     6       0.26       0.09     183  
    Non-performing assets as a % of assets   0.21       0.19     10       0.20     4       0.21       0.19     10  
    Allowance for loan losses as a % of total loans   1.18       1.16     2       1.19     (1 )     1.18       1.16     2  
    Allowance for loan losses as a % of non-performing loans   462.69       1,223.59     (62 )     492.30     (6 )     462.69       1,223.59     (62 )
                                   
    FINANCIAL RATIOSSTATISTICS                              
    Return on average equity   2.20 %     5.90 %   (63 )%     -0.05 %   (4,128 )%     -0.77 %     5.71 %   (113 )%
    Return on average assets   0.13       0.38     (66 )     (0.00 )   (4,133 )     (0.05 )     0.38     (112 )
    Net interest margin   3.52       3.66     (4 )     3.48     1       3.47       3.77     (8 )
    Efficiency ratio   81.59       92.23     (12 )     83.37     (2 )     85.53       92.24     (7 )
    Average number of employees (FTE)   136       145     (6 )     140     (3 )     142       146     (3 )
                                   
    CAPITAL RATIOS                              
                                   
    Tier 1 leverage ratio — Bank   8.19       8.24     (1 )%     8.27     (1 )%     8.19       8.24     (1 )%
    Common equity tier 1 ratio — Bank   9.59       9.08     6       9.36     2       9.59       9.08     6  
    Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio — Bank   9.59       9.08     6       9.36     2       9.59       9.08     6  
    Total risk-based capital ratio –Bank   10.78       10.22     5       10.56     2       10.78       10.22     5  
                                   

    Contact:
    Michal D. Cann
    Chairman & President
    Savi Financial Corporation
    (360) 399-7001

    The MIL Network –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: insightsoftware Eases Reporting for Finance Teams Using Workday, Freeing Time for More Strategic Work

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — insightsoftware, the most comprehensive provider of solutions for the Office of the CFO, today launched insightsoftware Reporting for Workday. Establishing a live connection with Workday enables finance teams to speed up report production so they can spend more time on strategic analysis. CFOs, controllers, financial analysts, accountants, operations, and IT managers can report financial data in near real time.

    Finance teams are increasingly seeking to go beyond their native ERP reporting capabilities to create custom reports that are perfectly adapted to their business needs. Consequently, finance professionals often devote considerable time to report creation or rely heavily on IT for support. Research conducted by insightsoftware found that 75% of finance professionals spend at least five to six hours weekly recreating financial reports, totaling 300 hours annually. This underscores the need for more adaptable and user-friendly reporting solutions that allow finance teams to extract greater value from their ERP data using familiar tools like Excel.

    insightsoftware Reporting for Workday empowers finance teams with live connectivity, facilitating more effective reporting on financial data. Built on insightsoftware’s robust connected data Platform, it leverages deep domain expertise with integrated business logic and context, enabling seamless reporting on general ledger data. Finance professionals can efficiently generate financial reports in Excel and delve into transaction details to resolve issues promptly.

    “We are thrilled to offer Workday users a new, more flexible approach to fulfilling their financial reporting needs. Finance teams can now streamline their reporting processes to drive impactful business decisions across their organizations,” said Lee An Schommer, Chief Product Officer and General Manager, FP&A at insightsoftware. “Developing this live connection with Workday demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing finance teams with exactly what they need to help fuel organizational growth.”

    insightsoftware Reporting for Workday offers finance teams a more flexible and intuitive environment for report creation in Excel, delivering the essential context and business understanding needed for crucial decision-making. This goes beyond what is possible with standard ERP and financial system reporting.

    insightsoftware Reporting for Workday is available across North America, EMEA, and APAC regions, ensuring global reach and support. Visit the insightsoftware website to learn more.

    About insightsoftware
    insightsoftware is a global provider of comprehensive solutions for the Office of the CFO. We believe an actionable business strategy begins and ends with accessible financial data. With solutions across financial planning and analysis (FP&A), accounting, and operations, we transform how teams operate, empowering leaders to make timely and informed decisions. With data at the heart of everything we do, insightsoftware enables automated processes, delivers trusted insights, boosts predictability, and increases productivity. Learn more at insightsoftware.com.

    Media Contacts
    Inkhouse for insightsoftware
    insightsoftware@inkhouse.com

    Daniel Tummeley
    Corporate Communications Manager
    PR@insightsoftware.com

    The MIL Network –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Flywire Survey Uncovers Increasing Demand for Flexible, Patient-Centric Payment Solutions in U.S. Healthcare

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    80% of respondents said they want the ability to pay for a medical bill in installments or as part of a payment plan

    60% cannot afford to pay for an unexpected illness or injury in one lump sum

    Additional Flywire research shows improving the patient payment experience can boost a hospital’s bottom line

    BOSTON, Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Flywire Corporation (Nasdaq: FLYW), a global payments enablement and software company, has released its new report, Is Paying for Healthcare Consumer Friendly Yet? examining the topic of healthcare affordability and accessibility among patients in the U.S. The research highlights a significant disconnect between patient expectations and current billing practices in U.S. healthcare, and uncovers opportunities for healthcare providers to both improve the patient payment experience and increase collections.

    “Our research found that patients want medical statements that are easier to understand, the ability to pay bills securely online, and they want to pay in installments of longer than 12 months to better manage the high cost of healthcare,” said John Talaga, EVP and GM of Healthcare, Flywire. “By meeting these demands, hospitals and health systems can not only boost patient satisfaction but also protect the financial health of their organization, as we know that patients satisfied with the financial aspect of their care are more likely to pay their bill, return for service and refer their friends. Flywire helps providers engage patients at every stage of the financial journey, with easy to understand, affordable payment options – streamlining the collections process, while helping patients feel more in control of their medical expenses.”

    Patients Are Stressed About High and Unexpected Medical Costs

    With 89% of Americans concerned about rising medical costs, it’s no surprise that understanding bills has become a top priority for patients. 75% of those surveyed said medical bills are too complicated, up from 65% in 2021. Patients are also stressed about unexpected medical bills that may loom in the future: 60% of those surveyed said they cannot afford to pay for an unexpected illness or injury in one lump sum, which increased from 46% in 2021.

    Patients also emphasized the need for bills to be clearer, with many expressing a desire for simplified, easy-to-read statements that outline charges and payment options more effectively. In fact, nearly everyone surveyed (95%) agreed that there needs to be a better way to simplify and pay for medical bills.

    Patients want payment plans and financing options to help them afford medical bills

    93% say it should be easier to pay their medical bills over time. Those with a child in the household are more likely to say they would want to pay in installments than those without a child in the household (84% vs. 79%).

    81% said they would want to have the ability to pay for a medical expense over time – in installments or as part of a payment plan. Respondents cited both longer terms to pay and financing options as ways to make paying for medical bills more affordable, with 38% saying they would prefer to pay medical bills over 12 or 18 months, and 85% of respondents saying they wish they had consumer-friendly options, like buy-now, pay-later.

    Patients weigh payment security in healthcare payment decisions

    Security remains a top concern for American healthcare patients, with 67% of respondents worried about the potential for healthcare payment data breaches. This concern is exacerbated by the fact that 31% have already received notifications of a breach involving their healthcare or personal information, so it’s no surprise that 59% of patients are more concerned about payment security now than they were a few years ago.

    7 ways Flywire solves patients’ biggest payment concerns and boost health systems’ bottom lines

    Flywire’s solutions are designed to optimize the patient financial experience for health systems throughout the U.S., providing patients with a personalized pathway to pay off their balance that’s fully customized to meet every patient’s unique financial needs. And more data suggests that improving the payment experience is core to protecting the financial health of hospitals and health systems. A separate Total Economic Impact analysis showed that by using Flywire’s patient financial engagement platform, healthcare organizations increased revenue by 29% and reduced bad debt as a percentage of net revenue from 5.5% to 4%. Other Flywire clients have reported to reduce their cost per patient payment by 43%.

    As one client put it:

    “Implementing Flywire has been one of the best decisions we’ve made as an organization, because we have seen it in the feedback from our patients. We see, ‘Thank you for making the statements easy to understand,’ because patients weren’t understanding our statements. And ‘Thank you for having the option to go online and pay and be able to set up payment plans and make arrangements,’” said Sonya Turner, Senior Director Patient Accounting, Centra Healthcare

    Additionally, Flywire helps healthcare systems:

    1. Deliver more payment plan options with personalized payment plans that are tailored to patient financial capacity.

    2. Extend collection terms beyond 12 months with non-recourse, integrated financing.

    3. Provide a single platform for in-house and outsourced payment plans.

    4. Provide a single portal to make payments by integrating with an EHR strategy for a single-sign on experience

    5. Provide a secure way to pay online. Ensure compliance with regulatory and industry standards, such as HIPAA and PCI DSS v 4.0, and more.

    6. Increase self-pay collection

    7. Reduce time spent dealing with accounts receivable.

    To view the complete report, please visit here

    About Flywire

    Flywire is a global payments enablement and software company. We combine our proprietary global payments network, next-gen payments platform and vertical-specific software to deliver the most important and complex payments for our clients and their customers.

    Flywire leverages its vertical-specific software and payments technology to deeply embed within the existing A/R workflows for its clients across the education, healthcare and travel vertical markets, as well as in key B2B industries. Flywire also integrates with leading ERP systems, such as NetSuite, so organizations can optimize the payment experience for their customers while eliminating operational challenges.

    Flywire supports more than 4,000 clients with diverse payment methods in more than 140 currencies across more than 240 countries and territories around the world. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA, USA with global offices. For more information, visit www.flywire.com. Follow Flywire on X , LinkedIn and Facebook.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding Flywire’s expectations regarding the benefits of its solutions to healthcare patients, Flywire’s business strategy and plans, market growth and trends. Flywire intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as, but not limited to, “believe,” “may,” “will,” “potentially,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “target,” “plan,” “expect,” or the negative of these terms, and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations that involve risks, changes in circumstances, assumptions, and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in Flywire’s forward-looking statements include, among others, the factors that are described in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of Flywire’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and available on the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov/. Additional factors may be described in those sections of Flywire’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, expected to be filed with the SEC in the fourth quarter of 2024. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and Flywire undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release on account of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

    Media Contacts

    Sarah King
    media@flywire.com

    Investor Relations Contact:

    Masha Kahn
    IR@Flywire.com

    The MIL Network –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: VT Insurance Agency LLC Selects Applied Digital Agency to Optimize Niche Commercial Lines Workflows

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Chicago, IL., Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Applied Systems® today announced that VT Insurance Agency LLC, a niche agency specializing in aerial application risks for fixed wing, rotor wing, and drone insurance, has selected Applied Digital Agency to automate the end-to-end commercial lines new business and remarketing workflows. VT Insurance Agency LLC leveraged the flexibility of Applied Epic and its Applied marketing, customer service, payments hub and submissions management applications to meet its unique business needs, reducing duplicative data entry and keeping information easily accessible to optimize the team’s operational and customer service efforts.

    “As our agency grew, we experienced inefficiencies with our previous agency management system due to the number of unnecessary clicks and data re-entry needed to market and service accounts,” said Vaughn Tolbert, owner, VT Insurance Agency LLC and national board member of the Unmanned Pilots Associate for Safety and Standards (U-Pass). “Applied Epic’s modern, customizable technology stood out to us because we were able to integrate our marketing and policy workflows and build out aviation-specific forms that populate information directly from Applied Epic, allowing data to flow through each step of the workflow and give more time to our customers.”

    Applied’s Digital Agency solution consists of a foundational management system, payment hub, online customer self-service and mobile technology, commercial lines application digitization and automation, and insurer connectivity, all hosted in the cloud. The fully integrated solution enables agencies to create higher-value business transactions and deliver superior customer experiences throughout the entire insurance lifecycle. By leveraging integrated applications that enable agencies to manage their entire business and eliminate duplicative work typically caused by multiple, disparate systems, digital agencies operate more efficiently, improve customer service, and accelerate growth and profitability across all lines of business.

    “Independent agents with lean teams must be strategic about the technology they use to enable their unique workflows and keep their bottom line in check,” said Anupam Gupta, chief product officer, Applied Systems. “Applied Digital Agency’s connected workflows and flexible infrastructure allow niche agencies to easily reuse account and policy data they’ve entered once across fields and forms throughout the insurance lifecycle, helping them work smarter and faster, and ultimately increase profitability.”

    # # #

     

    The Applied products and logos are trademarks of Applied Systems, Inc., registered in the U.S.

     

    About Applied Systems
    Applied Systems is the leading global provider of cloud-based software that powers the business of insurance. Recognized as a pioneer in insurance automation and the innovation leader, Applied is the world’s largest provider of agency and brokerage management systems, serving customers throughout the United States, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom. By automating the insurance lifecycle, Applied’s people and products enable millions of people around the world to safeguard and protect what matters most.

    About VT Insurance Agency LLC
    VT Insurance Agency is the nation’s leading aerial application drone insurance agency, with a strong focus on agricultural drones. The agency carries 75%-80% of all legal aerial application drone policies, offering Property and Casualty insurance services such as aerial application drone/aircraft, pleasure and business drone/aircraft, aviation commercial general liability, products and completed operations, premises, commercial auto, workers’ compensation, and inventory. VT Insurance Agency is a proud national board member of the Unmanned Pilots Associate for Safety and Standards (U-Pass) and regularly helps push for regulation changes for drones in state and federal agencies.

    The MIL Network –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Tabnine Unveils Industry-First, Hyper-Personalized AI Code Review Agent

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TEL AVIV, Israel, Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tabnine, the originators of the AI code assistant category, today unveiled the Tabnine Code Review Agent; introducing a first-of-its-kind AI software validation agent that enables organizations to produce higher quality, more secure code by leveraging and enforcing any given team’s unique best practices and standards for software development.

    This is the first in a wave of highly advanced AI agents and a suite of product capabilities within Tabnine that provides direct coaching and guidance to how the AI behaves. Tabnine’s Code Review Agent makes it effortless for organizations to codify their institutional knowledge, corporate policies, and software development standards, including best practices and patterns found in their “golden code repos.” The Tabnine Code Review Agent will then enforce adherence to those rules across the software development process. This explicit guidance builds on Tabnine’s personalized approach to AI code generation through awareness and understanding of both locally available code and data in the integrated development environment (IDE) and a company’s software repository. The combination allows Tabnine to fully adapt to and reflect the unique methods and preferences of each engineering team.

    “AI in software development is about much more than just generating more code; it’s greatest power might be in helping improve the quality, security, and compliance of code in real time as we work. By reviewing code at the pull request and ensuring that the code presented matches each team’s unique expectations, we are saving engineering teams significant time and effort while applying a level of rigor to the automation of code review that was never possible with static code analysis,” said Peter Guagenti, President at Tabnine. “Using a set of rules personalized to each given organization, the Tabnine Code Review Agent sets a new bar for the category. Tabnine’s unique approach to personalization allows our agents to behave like a fully onboarded member of your engineering team that is steeped in your team’s ways of working.”

    Tabnine Code Review Agent enables companies to provide the specific parameters they would like to see their code comply with via plain language, with no complex setup required. Tabnine converts this provided knowledge into a set of comprehensive rules. Additionally, Tabnine offers a vast array of predefined rules any team can activate, including commonly used industry standards, as well as language or product-specific best practices.

    When developers create a pull request, the Code Review Agent checks the code in the pull request against the rules established by their team. If any aspect of the code doesn’t conform with those rules, then the Agent flags it to the code reviewer, providing guidance on the issue and suggested edits to fix it. All of the rules are in plain English, which makes it easy to review and maintain over time. Tabnine administrators have complete control and can enable or disable specific rules, and set the severity of rules.

    Tabnine’s Code Review Agent will also soon be available within the full array of IDEs the company supports. The Agent passively reviews code as a developer works; flagging issues and offering suggestions as appropriate inside the code editor.

    The Code Review Agent is in Private Preview and open to any Tabnine enterprise customer. You can request early access by contacting Tabnine. Learn more about the Tabnine Code Review Agent and see it in action here.

    About Tabnine
    Tabnine helps development teams of every size use AI to accelerate and improve the software development life cycle. As the original AI coding assistant, Tabnine has been used by millions of developers around the world to boost code quality and developer happiness using generative AI. Unlike other coding assistants, Tabnine is the AI that you control; it is extensively personalized to your engineering team, private and secure (easily running in your controlled environments), never stores or trains on your company’s code or user data, and offers models trained exclusively on open-source code with permissive licenses to eliminate IP risks. Learn more at tabnine.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

    Contact
    press@tabnine.com

    The MIL Network –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Canadian Engineers to Receive High-Demand Skills Training Through Innovative New Platform

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Foresight Canada is announcing the launch of the Advanced Manufacturing Engineers Upskilling Program (AME-UP). AME-UP is funded by Upskill Canada, powered by Palette Skills and the Government of Canada, and is part of the first wave of partnership agreements that are taking an industry-oriented approach to supporting Canadian workers. These agreements will help thousands of workers find new careers through skills training and job placement in some of the fastest-growing industries in Canada.

    Canada’s advanced manufacturing sector faces pressure to adopt sustainable practices to meet climate targets and stay competitive. Traditional methods contribute to high emissions, waste, and inefficiencies, increasing the demand for greener, more efficient solutions. Cleantech innovations like energy-efficient technologies and waste reduction are crucial, but the transition requires a workforce equipped with specialized skills.

    To address this need, Foresight Canada has launched the 16-week AME-UP program, which connects engineers with cleantech employers, offering hands-on experience, real-world projects, and industry-specific training. Employers benefit from access to skilled engineers through Work Integrated Learning (WIL), helping shape the future workforce while supporting the shift to sustainable manufacturing.

    Upskill Canada, supported by funding from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) as part of the Upskilling for Industry Initiative, is Canada’s most ambitious talent initiative. Central to all Upskill Canada programs is the role of community training providers, who work closely with industry to identify in-demand skills. Upskilling workers through Upskill Canada programs creates new career pathways for workers and better positions Canadian companies to compete both domestically and internationally.

    Whether you’re an employer seeking top talent or a participant looking to upskill in cleantech, the AME-UP program is for you. Apply today to unlock new opportunities and drive sustainable growth.

    Quick Facts

    Foresight Canada’s mission is to accelerate adoption of the world’s best clean technologies. Since 2013, they have supported 1280+ cleantech ventures, 150+ industry partners, and 300+ investor firms to deploy $1.77 billion in capital, achieve $511 million in revenues, and create 8,760+ high-paying jobs. Their domestic and international engagement includes collaboration with 2,000+ partners and collaborators.

    Quotes

    “Programs like AME-UP are essential to uniting innovators and industry leaders, bridging the gap between technical talent and our cleantech industry, and preparing Canada’s workforce to drive our future economy forward. By fostering collaboration through market-driven programs, we equip engineering talent with the knowledge needed to advance innovation, drive adoption and ensure employers have access to a highly trained, ready-to-impact workforce.” — Jeanette Jackson, CEO, Foresight Canada

    “Upskill Canada’s partnership with Foresight Canada will allow more workers to access jobs in Canada’s growing advanced manufacturing sector. Graduates of the AME-UP program will be in high demand, bringing the most up-to-date skills to a rapidly changing industry.” — Rhonda Barnet, CEO, Palette Skills

    About Foresight Canada

    ​​Foresight Canada helps the world do more with less, sustainably. As Canada’s largest cleantech innovation and adoption accelerator, they de-risk and simplify public and private sector adoption of the world’s best clean technologies to improve productivity, profitability, and economic competitiveness, all while addressing urgent climate challenges.

    About Upskill Canada

    Upskill Canada is a national talent platform that helps fast-growing companies access the talent they need to compete and succeed globally while creating new career pathways for workers to rapidly transition into high-demand roles. Upskill Canada programs are focused on strengthening key growth sectors: digital technology, cybersecurity, agricultural technology, advanced manufacturing, clean technology and biomanufacturing.

    Think you are a great fit for the AME-UP program? Apply now:

    For Employers

    For Participants

    Questions about the program ? Reach out: upskill@foresightcac.com

    The MIL Network –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: BlackLine Honored with Multiple Consecutive Industry Accolades

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LOS ANGELES, Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BlackLine (Nasdaq: BL), the future-ready platform for the Office of the CFO, has been honored with the 2024 ‘Tech Cares’ and ‘Buyer’s Choice’ awards from TrustRadius, a leading B2B software peer review platform. BlackLine has once again demonstrated its commitment to delivering industry-leading solutions while driving corporate social responsibility, marking its fifth consecutive year of recognition for exceptional employee and community programs.

    As a ‘Tech Cares’ award winner, BlackLine is one of 100 B2B technology companies recognized for outstanding dedication to sustainability, volunteerism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), generous donations, community impact, employee well-being and development, support for women in technology, and educational support.

    BlackLine’s TrustRadius Buyer’s Choice Award reinforces its position as a trusted platform for finance and accounting professionals. Based on real customer feedback and satisfaction ratings, the accolade highlights BlackLine’s ability to deliver significant ROI, ease of use, and strong customer support. These prestigious awards underscore BlackLine’s commitment to delivering customer-centric innovation that drives continuous transformation, providing immediate impact and sustained value to its global customer base.

    In addition to the TrustRadius honors, BlackLine was also recognized for the fifth consecutive year by G2, the world’s largest software marketplace, winning the Best Accounting & Finance Software award. This accolade reflects BlackLine’s success in delivering future-ready financial operations for the Office of the CFO, offering solutions that are accurate, efficient, and intelligent. The award, driven by overwhelmingly positive feedback from verified users, highlights BlackLine’s continued leadership in the market with its Financial Close Management solution.

    “We are honored to receive these recognitions from TrustRadius and G2 for both our market-leading solutions and our commitment to social impact,” said Therese Tucker, Founder and Co-CEO of BlackLine. “At BlackLine, our mission is to inspire, power, and guide digital finance transformation, and our values—Think, Create, Serve—are at the core of how we achieve this. We continually challenge ourselves to think critically, create innovative solutions, and serve both our customers and communities with purpose. These awards are a testament to the hard work of our BlackLiners and the trust our customers place in us as we continue to deliver future-ready financial operations globally.”

    Visit BlackLine’s site here to learn more about the company’s industry solutions. To read what customers are saying about BlackLine, visit the company’s page on TrustRadius here, and on G2’s website here.

    About BlackLine

    BlackLine (Nasdaq: BL), the future-ready platform for the Office of the CFO, drives digital finance transformation by empowering organizations with accurate, efficient, and intelligent financial operations.

    BlackLine’s comprehensive platform addresses mission-critical processes, including record-to-report and invoice-to-cash, enabling unified and accurate data, streamlined and optimized processes, and real-time insight through visibility, automation, and AI. BlackLine’s proven, collaborative approach ensures continuous transformation, delivering immediate impact and sustained value. With a proven track record of innovation, industry-leading R&D investment, and world-class security practices, more than 4,400 customers across multiple industries partner with BlackLine to lead their organizations into the future.

    For more information, please visit blackline.com.

    Media Contact:

    Samantha Darilek

    VP, Communications

    BlackLine

    samantha.darilek@blackline.com

    BlackLine Forward-looking Statements

    This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “intend,” “potential,” “would,” “continue,” “ongoing” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements in this release include statements regarding our growth plans, strategies and opportunities.

    Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon BlackLine’s current plans, estimates and expectations, and are not a representation that such plans, estimates, or expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time those statements are made and/or management’s good faith beliefs and assumptions as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize or if any assumptions prove incorrect, actual performance or results may differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to the Company’s ability to execute on its strategies, attract new customers, enter new geographies and develop, release and sell new features and solutions; and other risks and uncertainties described in the other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including the risks described under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. Additional information will also be set forth in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

    Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and you should not place undue reliance on such statements. Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

    The MIL Network –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Awaken Greater Generosity: Pushpay Enhances Tools for Church Leaders Ahead of Giving Season

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pushpay, the leading payments and engagement solutions provider for mission-driven organizations, today announces several new product enhancements, deeper partner integrations, and tangible resources to equip today’s ministry leaders for a remarkable season of generosity. As nearly 30 percent of charitable giving occurs in the month of December, and roughly 10 percent in the last three days of the year, Pushpay’s latest innovations are designed to help churches inspire generosity within their community.

    With stock and crypto donations on the rise, today Pushpay announces a deeper connection with Engiven, a leading complex giving provider in the U.S., delivering seamless enrollment for Pushpay customers to receive and quickly process stock and cryptocurrency donations without an additional subscription fee. This includes no additional forms, and streamlined processing for customers and their donors.

    “Churches that enable noncash giving are far more likely to receive major gifts, especially at year-end,” said Co-Founder and CEO of Engiven, James Lawrence. “Pushpay has an amazing history of providing innovative solutions to the Church and I’m excited to see new pathways of generosity unlocked as together we make noncash giving more seamless for churches and their donors.”

    Acts of generosity—whether time, talent or tithes—are often a reflection of how connected someone is to their Church. In fact, recent Pushpay data shows that 57% of churches see an increase in overall giving when they focus on ways to engage and cultivate relationships with their people. Pushpay is releasing several new product features and enhancements to help increase connection and generosity leading into the 2024 holiday season, including:

    • Multi-Fund Giving: Allows donors to support multiple causes in one simple flow. Whether it’s missions, building projects, or specific ministries, donors will have the flexibility to distribute their gift across multiple purposes, all within a single, unified experience.
    • App improvements: The new in-app browser will allow users to securely open all external links—including the giving experience—without ever leaving their church app. The new in-app browser brings giving, forms, and other external links directly into the app experience, simply and securely, while limiting distractions from other browser tabs.
    • Resi livestream attendance in Pushpay Insights: An engaged community is a generous community. Pushpay customers can now have a holistic view of how people connect with their services—whether they are in the building or viewing from their home or other location. This feature allows churches to track Resi livestream attendance alongside in-person participation, bringing both data points into one easy-to-view platform via Pushpay Insights.
    • Auto schedule by event and week: Volunteers play a critical role in church, especially during the month of December. This new feature helps administrators efficiently create stronger, more efficient volunteer teams by simplifying the scheduling process. Administrators will be able to schedule volunteers for a single event or an entire week’s worth of services— all in a fraction of the time.

    “Our goal at Pushpay is to empower churches with the tools they need to engage their communities. Our latest innovations not only simplify the giving process but also help ministry leaders build deeper relationships with their congregation,” said Molly Matthews, Pushpay CEO. “By making generosity more accessible and seamless, we’re enabling churches to focus on what matters most—their mission and their people.”

    Lastly, the Company released a new Generosity Hub, which is an online collection of tools, resources and strategies to help ministry teams cultivate a culture of generosity. From general giving tips, to developing a Giving Tuesday campaign, or ways to leverage technology to deeper donor engagement, resources are targeted to help church leaders develop and execute a successful end of year giving strategy.

    Today’s announcement is further reinforcement of Pushpay’s continued commitment to deliver meaningful technology for the Church that helps people connect with people. In fact, 1.3 million moments of connection between churches and their communities are made possible through Pushpay technology every week, which has also resulted in more than $35 billion of generosity to help fuel the mission of the Church over the last five years alone. For more information about Pushpay, visit www.pushpay.com.

    About Pushpay
    Pushpay empowers mission-driven organizations to engage their communities by bringing people together and fostering meaningful connections. Through its innovative suite of products, Pushpay helps create cultures of generosity by streamlining donation processes, enhancing communications, and strengthening relationships. Pushpay’s purpose-built ministry solutions include ChurchStaq, ParishStaq, Pushpay Insights, Resi, and more— all designed to simplify operations and provide data driven insights to support the mission of its customers. Whether managing donations, organizing events, or connecting with community members, Pushpay’s integrated tools enable ministry leaders to focus on what matters most—growing their ministry and deepening engagement. For more information visit www.pushpay.com

    US Media / PR Contact:
    Chelsea Looney
    PR@pushpay.com

    The MIL Network –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Video: Mountain rescue training in Alaska

    Source: US Coast Guard (video statements)

    Crews from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka, Coast Guard Cutter Bailey Barco (WPC 1122), Sitka Mountain Rescue, and Air Force 210th, 211th, and 212th Rescue Squadrons conducted a week-long search and rescue exercise in Sitka, Alaska, April 30 through May 2, 2024. Crews tackled a series of mini scenarios ranging from lost hikers to an avalanche scenario. The exercise culminated with a mass-casualty event involving multiple agencies responding in concert to a scene with 28 survivors in distress. (U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer Second Class Ian Gray)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY4_OQg6x-w

    MIL OSI Video –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Wales and Netherlands mark 80th anniversary of city’s liberation

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    • English
    • Cymraeg

    Wales Office Minister Dame Nia Griffith and Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies, have attended commemorations of the liberation of ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 1944 by the 53rd Welsh Infantry Division.

    Wales Office Minister Nia Griffith and Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies holdling a wreath each.

    ‘s-Hertogenbosch, also known as Den Bosch, has maintained strong links to Wales ever since. The city features many tributes to the sacrifices of the Welsh people. A war memorial in the town honours Welsh soldiers who fought for its freedom, and the names of the 146 Welsh soldiers who gave their lives for the town are displayed on its bridge. There is also a Welsh cross in the cathedral with the names of the Welsh soldiers engraved on the windows of the ‘Welsh rooms’ in the town hall.

    Wales Office Minister Nia Griffith and the Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies each laid a wreath, attended a parade walk and the remembrance service to honour the soldiers.

    A large delegation from Wales visited the city, including representatives from cultural and military organisations, and families of the veterans involved – known as ‘the liberators’.

    In 1995, the Pontypridd branch of The Royal Welsh Regimental Association established a link with the city of s’-Hertogenbosch.  An annual dinner was established in Pontypridd to commemorate the battle and officials from Den Bosch continue to attend to this day.

    In April 2019, to commemorate the liberation of their town, 26 Dutch city employers cycled 400 miles to Cardiff, stopping off at various locations including Crickhowell, Pontypridd and Caerphilly. This event culminated in a ceremony for the handover of a Davy Lamp containing a symbolic ‘Flame of Freedom’. The cyclists took this back to s’-Hertogenbosch where it will burn until the commemorations this weekend.

    This year a group have cycled over 300 miles from Pontypridd to Den Bosch to mark the anniversary, organised by Gareth Pennell who was honoured as a freeman of the Dutch city in 2019 in honour of his work on commemorations over the years.

    Wales Office Minister, Dame Nia Griffith said: 

    It is so important that we take time to reflect on the events of 80 years ago and honour those from the 53rd Welsh Infantry Division who fought and died alongside civilians in order to liberate ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

    It is a privilege to represent the UK Government at this commemoration and help make sure that the sacrifice of so many lives is not forgotten.

    The Deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies, said: 

    The commemorations this weekend serve as a poignant opportunity for us to remember, reflect and recognise those who served and those who paid the ultimate price for the liberation of this city; they will be remembered. Their sacrifices enable us all to live our lives with the freedom we have today.

    It is our duty to remember what happened here in Den Bosch and ensure future generations understand that, so we can learn the lessons and ensure peace for generations to come.

    Wales has an important relationship with Den Bosch, and we hope to see this continue and grow through economic and cultural ties.

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    Published 29 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Canada: During COP16, Canada announces new partnerships to support global biodiversity and Indigenous-led action 

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    Biodiversity loss poses a fundamental threat to our everyday lives, impacting clean water, air, fertile soil, food, medicine, the global economy and climate control. The climate crisis is affecting biodiversity as events like wildfires become more severe and frequent in Canada and around the world.

    October 29, 2024 – Ottawa, Canada – Global Affairs Canada

    Biodiversity loss poses a fundamental threat to our everyday lives, impacting clean water, air, fertile soil, food, medicine, the global economy and climate control. The climate crisis is affecting biodiversity as events like wildfires become more severe and frequent in Canada and around the world.

    This week, delegations from around the world are meeting at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Cali, Colombia, to advance the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) to achieve the international community’s goal of living in harmony with nature by 2050.

    Canada is committed to working with all partners to halt and reverse the loss of nature and protect Indigenous rights. That’s why the Government of Canada supports conservation efforts to increase the resilience of communities in many parts of the world.

    Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, and the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced 7 projects, worth a total of $62 million, that aim to protect biodiversity in regions around the world, with a particular focus in Latin America. For example, Canada’s contribution will increase the resilience to climate change of Indigenous communities in the Amazon through the integration of ancestral practices to address climate variability.

    These projects will be implemented in partnership with the following institutions:

    • Conservation International – Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
    • UN Development Programme – Biodiversity Ecosystem Restoration for Community Resilience in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh project
    • Fisheries and Oceans Canada – Supporting the Protection of Marine Biodiversity Within the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean project
    • WildAid – Strengthening Marine Law Enforcement in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean project
    • World Food Programme – Enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ Resilience to Climate Change in Colombia project
    • International Union for the Conservation of Nature – Podong Indigenous Peoples Initiative
    • UN Environment Programme – Accelerating Systemic Change for Gender Equality and Biodiversity Conservation Through the National Biodiversity Strategies and Actions Plans Accelerator Partnership 

    “Canada recognizes that biodiversity loss poses a fundamental threat to people, the planet and the global economy. We share the environment and depend on it for our livelihoods, survival and well-being. Canada’s support for Indigenous peoples, women and girls, and all actors working to counter biodiversity loss will help ensure that our communities and ecosystems are resilient and able to thrive.”

    – Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Canada imposes sanctions as violence in Myanmar escalates

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced sanctions under the Special Economic Measures (Burma) Regulations against 3 individuals and 4 entities for supplying weapons and military equipment to the Myanmar military.

    October 29, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced sanctions under the Special Economic Measures (Burma) Regulations against 3 individuals and 4 entities for supplying weapons and military equipment to the Myanmar military.

    The sanctions announced today, in coordination with the United Kingdom and the European Union, respond to the ongoing and increasing aerial attacks by the Myanmar military regime. Over the last six months, military airstrikes killed almost 400 civilians, including more than 60 children, and injured more than 750 people

    These attacks are a grave breach of international peace and security and violate the basic principles of democracy and respect for human rights. The conflict has resulted in a worsening humanitarian crisis and increased instability as the regime escalates violence to assert its authority. 

    Imposing these sanctions on individuals and entities under the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA) is in direct response to these actions and to those supplying weapons, military equipment, key resources and revenue to the Myanmar military.

    Canada continues to urge all countries to impose similar measures. We call on the international community to suspend all support to the Myanmar military, including the transfer of weapons, materiel, aviation fuel, equipment, and technical assistance to the Myanmar military.  

    Canada will continue to support the aspirations of the people of Myanmar and those who work peacefully to advance a peaceful, inclusive, democratic future. 

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Backgrounder – Additional sanctions

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Effective October 29, 2024, Canada is imposing sanctions against the following individuals and entities for supplying weapons and military equipment to the Myanmar military during worsening attacks on civilians.

    Effective October 29, 2024, Canada is imposing sanctions against the following individuals and entities for supplying weapons and military equipment to the Myanmar military during worsening attacks on civilians.

    Canadian measures

    The Special Economic Measures (Burma) Regulations impose on listed persons a prohibition on any transaction (effectively, an asset freeze) by prohibiting persons in Canada and Canadians outside Canada from engaging in any activity related to any property of these listed persons or providing financial or related services to them.

    The specific prohibitions are set out in the regulations.

    Targeted individuals are senior figures in the Myanmar military responsible for such international humanitarian and human rights law violations. The names of the individuals and entities added to the schedule of these regulations are the following:

    Individuals

    1. Charlie Than
    2. Ne Aung
    3. Win Kyaw Kyaw Aung

    Entities

    1. King Royal Technologies Company Ltd.
    2. Royal Shune Lei Company Ltd.
    3. International Group of Entrepreneurs (IGE)Company Ltd.
    4. Swan Energy Company Limited

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Backgrounder: Canada announces $62 million for sustaining livelihoods by protecting biodiversity in developing countries

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Today, during the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16), the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, announced a total of $62 million in funding for the following projects

    Today, during the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16), the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, announced a total of $62 million in funding for the following projects:

    Project: Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
    Partner: Conservation International
    Funding: $20 million for fiscal years 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026

    The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund aims to support the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in 3 biodiversity hot spots: the Cerrado in Brazil; countries in the Indo-Burma region, namely Cambodia, Laos and Thailand; and countries in the Tropical Andes region, namely Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Canada’s contribution will advance gender equality by strengthening leadership skills among women conservationists and enhance locally driven conservation in key biodiversity areas through financial and technical support.

    Project: Biodiversity Ecosystem Restoration for Community Resilience in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh
    Partner: UN Development Programme
    Funding: $12.5 million for fiscal years 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026

    This project aims to strengthen biodiversity conservation and resilient ecosystems in climate-vulnerable and marginalized communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region of Bangladesh. The project will work with these communities to develop and implement community-based biodiversity conservation plans. It will also increase women’s role in decision making and in implementing inclusive biodiversity ecosystem restoration plans with local government agencies, as well as improve the restoration of biodiversity ecosystems by vulnerable households and enhance resilient alternative livelihoods of ecosystem-dependent communities to improve market access and biodiversity conservation.

    Project: Supporting the Protection of Marine Biodiversity Within the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean Through Dark Vessel Detection Technologies
    Partner: Fisheries and Oceans Canada
    Funding: $5 million for fiscal years 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026

    This project shares Canadian technical expertise to assist Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Peru in protecting their unique marine biodiversity and supporting coastal communities, specifically women, Indigenous people and Afro-descendants. The project will provide access to innovative Canadian satellite surveillance technology by MDA Space Ltd. to support monitoring and enforcement efforts to reduce the threats posed by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities.

    Project: Strengthening Marine Law Enforcement in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean
    Partner: WildAid
    Funding: $5 million for fiscal years 2024 to 2025 to 2026 to 2027

    This project will help improve the protection and sustainable use of marine ecosystems in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Peru. This will be achieved by strengthening the capacity of national marine authorities and government-endorsed community organizations to reduce the threats posed by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The project will increase the effectiveness of maritime law enforcement by advocating for compliance through education, outreach and the creation of community-wide benefits.

    Project: Enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ Resilience to Climate Change in Colombia
    Partner: World Food Programme
    Funding: $9.5 million for fiscal years 2023 to 2024 to 2027 to 2028

    This project will help increase the resilience of Indigenous communities in the Amazon. The rich and diverse ecosystems in the southern Colombian Amazon rainforest are highly sensitive to climate change, facing rapid alterations in temperature and water availability. This degradation directly affects the food security and nutrition of forest-dependent communities, particularly Indigenous people and women. The project will focus on climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture and environmental management by combining ancestral practices with modern technology. It will promote sustainable agri-food value chains to improve food security and enhance the role of women in climate governance. Project activities will be carried out in Putumayo, Caquetá and Amazonas.

    Project: Podong Indigenous Peoples Initiative
    Partner: International Union for the Conservation of Nature
    Funding: $7 million for fiscal years 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026

    This initiative is the result of a collaboration between the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Indigenous leaders and the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity. Canada’s contribution will help Indigenous people build their capacity to implement gender-responsive biodiversity conservation actions, build leadership skills to engage in global environmental forums and negotiations, and address the barriers Indigenous peoples face in accessing funding for their self-determined climate and biodiversity priorities and actions.

    This initiative will take place in Guatemala, Nepal, Panama and Tanzania. It advances the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which emphasizes Indigenous peoples’ right to conservation and protection of the environment and the productive capacity of their land.

    Project: Accelerating Systemic Change for Gender Equality and Biodiversity Conservation Through the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans Accelerator Partnership
    Partner: UN Environment Programme
    Funding: $3 million for fiscal years 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026

    The National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) Accelerator Partnership is a global initiative launched in Montréal at COP15. It provides knowledge, technical and financial support to developing countries for the preparation and implementation of their national biodiversity strategies and action plans. NBSAPs are essential road maps that guide decision making and on-the-ground action to conserve and use biodiversity in a sustainable manner.

    Canada’s support will help Antigua and Barbuda, Comoros, Costa Rica, Eswatini, Tajikistan, Thailand and Togo develop and update their NBSAPs and ensure that they are gender-responsive and inclusive.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    January 25, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Economic, trade policies explained

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau today briefed members of the Trade & Industry Advisory Board on major initiatives related to economic and trade developments in the 2024 Policy Address.

    Mr Yau said that the Policy Address announced a series of initiatives, including a reduction of the duty rate for liquor, to create new impetus for Hong Kong’s economic development.

    Currently, the import prices of about 85% of duty-paid liquor in Hong Kong stand at $200 or below, meaning that such products will not benefit from the duty reduction.

    The commerce chief pointed out that this can avoid providing an incentive for citizens to increase liquor consumption as a result of the duty deduction, adding that the proposal has struck a balance between various policy considerations such as facilitating high-end liquor trade, maintaining healthy public finances and safeguarding public health.

    Mr Yau also briefed the members on the proposal introduced in the Policy Address to build a high value-added supply chain service centre.

    He noted that Invest Hong Kong and the Trade Development Council will set up a mechanism and enhance their interfaces for attracting Mainland enterprises to establish international or regional headquarters in Hong Kong for managing offshore trading and supply chains, and providing one-stop diversified professional advisory services for enterprises in Hong Kong looking to go global.

    Mr Yau also highlighted that the Policy Address rolled out various support measures for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including relaunching the principal moratorium arrangement under the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme, as well as raising the maximum indemnity ratio of the Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation to 95%.

    Separately, the Trade & Industry Department briefed the meeting attendees on the Second Agreement Concerning Amendment to the Mainland & Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement Agreement on Trade in Services (Amendment Agreement II).

    Mr Yau said the series of measures will provide better support for SMEs while further promoting economic and trade developments, thereby enabling the steady advancement of Hong Kong’s economy.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    January 25, 2025
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