Category: Natural Disasters

MIL-OSI: Capital City Bank Group, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2025 Results

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Capital City Bank Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CCBG) today reported net income attributable to common shareowners of $16.9 million, or $0.99 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2025 compared to $13.1 million, or $0.77 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2024, and $12.6 million, or $0.74 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2024.

QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS (1^stQuarter 2025 versus 4^thQuarter 2024)

Income Statement

Tax-equivalent net interest income totaled $41.6 million compared to $41.2 million for the prior quarter
- Net interest margin increased five basis points to 4.22% (earning asset yield up one basis point and total deposit cost down four basis points to 82 basis points)
Improved credit quality metrics – net loan charge-offs were nine basis points (annualized) of average loans – allowance coverage ratio increased to 1.12% at March 31, 2025
Noninterest income increased $1.1 million, or 6.1%, and reflected a $0.7 million increase in mortgage banking revenues and a $0.5 million increase in wealth management fees
Noninterest expense decreased $3.1 million, or 7.4%, primarily due to a $3.1 million decrease in other expense which included a higher level of gains from the sale of banking facilities, namely the sale of our operations center building in the first quarter

Balance Sheet

Loan balances decreased $11.5 million, or 0.4% (average), and increased $9.2 million, or 0.4% (end of period)
Deposit balances increased by $65.1 million, or 1.8% (average), and increased $111.9 million, or 3.0% (end of period), largely due to the seasonal increase in our public fund balances
Tangible book value per diluted share (non-GAAP financial measure) increased $0.94, or 4.0%

“I am pleased with our first quarter performance, which reflects strong core fundamentals and strategic execution driven by a 2.6% increase in revenues, solid growth in deposit balances, and improvement in credit quality metrics,” said William G. Smith, Jr., Capital City Bank Group Chairman, President, and CEO. “First quarter earnings also included a $0.17 per diluted share gain from the sale of our operations center building. Our strong balance sheet and revenue diversification provides us with the flexibility to navigate ongoing uncertainty in market and economic conditions.”

Discussion of Operating Results

Net Interest Income/Net Interest Margin

Tax-equivalent net interest income for the first quarter of 2025 totaled $41.6 million, compared to $41.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, and $38.4 million for the first quarter of 2024. Compared to both prior periods, the increase was driven by higher investment securities interest due to new investment purchases at higher yields, in addition to lower deposit interest expense, partially offset by lower loan interest due to lower average loan balances and interest rates. Two less calendar days also contributed to the decline in loan interest compared to the fourth quarter of 2024. Higher overnight funds interest also contributed to the increase over the first quarter of 2024 reflective of a higher level of average earning assets.

Our net interest margin for the first quarter of 2025 was 4.22%, an increase of five basis points over the fourth quarter of 2024 and an increase of 21 basis points over the first quarter of 2024. For the month of March 2025, our net interest margin was 4.22%. The increase in net interest margin over the fourth quarter of 2024 reflected a higher yield in the investment portfolio driven by new purchases during the quarter and a lower cost of deposits, partially offset by a lower overnight funds rate. The increase over the first quarter of 2024 reflected favorable investment repricing, a lower cost of deposits, and a higher overnight funds rate, partially offset by lower average loan balances for both prior periods. For the first quarter of 2025, our cost of funds was 84 basis points, a decrease of four basis points from the fourth quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2024. Our cost of deposits (including noninterest bearing accounts) was 82 basis points, 86 basis points, and 85 basis points, respectively, for the same periods.

Provision for Credit Losses

We recorded a provision expense for credit losses of $0.8 million for the first quarter of 2025 compared to $0.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2024 and $0.9 million for the first quarter of 2024. For the first quarter of 2025, we recorded a provision expense of $1.1 million for loans held for investment (“HFI”) and a provision benefit of $0.3 million for unfunded loan commitments, which was comparable to the fourth quarter of 2024. We discuss the various factors that impacted our provision expense in detail below under the heading Allowance for Credit Losses.

Noninterest Income and Noninterest Expense

Noninterest income for the first quarter of 2025 totaled $19.9 million compared to $18.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2024 and $18.1 million for the first quarter of 2024. The $1.1 million, or 6.1%, increase over the fourth quarter of 2024 was primarily due to a $0.7 million increase in mortgage banking revenues and a $0.5 million increase in wealth management fees, partially offset by a $0.1 million decrease in deposits fees. The increase in mortgage revenues was driven by an increase in rate locks and a higher gain on sale margin. The increase in wealth management fees was attributable to a $0.5 million increase in insurance commission revenue. Compared to the first quarter of 2024, the $1.8 million, or 10.0%, increase was driven by a $1.1 million increase in wealth management fees and a $0.9 million increase in mortgage banking revenues, partially offset by a $0.2 million decrease in deposit fees. The increase in wealth management fees reflected higher retail brokerage fees of $0.6 million, insurance commission revenue of $0.3 million, and trust fees of $0.2 million. The increase in mortgage revenues was driven by an increase in loan fundings and a higher gain on sale margin.

Noninterest expense for the first quarter of 2025 totaled $38.7 million compared to $41.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2024 and $40.2 million for the first quarter of 2024. The $3.1 million, or 7.4%, decrease from the fourth quarter of 2024, reflected a $3.1 million decrease in other expense, a $0.1 million decrease in occupancy expense, and a $0.1 million increase in compensation expense. The decrease in other expense was driven by a $3.5 million decrease in other real estate expense which reflected higher gains from the sale of banking facilities, primarily the sale of our operations center building in the first quarter of 2025, partially offset by a $0.5 million increase in charitable contribution expense. The slight decrease in occupancy expense was due to lower maintenance/repairs for buildings and furniture/fixtures. The slight net decrease in compensation expense reflected a $0.2 million increase in salary expense offset by a $0.1 million decrease in associate benefit expense.

Income Taxes

We realized income tax expense of $5.1 million (effective rate of 23.3%) for the first quarter of 2025 compared to $4.2 million (effective rate of 24.3%) for the fourth quarter of 2024 and $3.5 million (effective rate of 23.0%) for the first quarter of 2024. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, the decrease in our effective tax rate was primarily due to a discrete item in the first quarter of 2025 related to an excess tax benefit for stock compensation. Absent discrete items, we expect our annual effective tax rate to approximate 24% for 2025.

Discussion of Financial Condition

Earning Assets

Average earning assets totaled $3.994 billion for the first quarter of 2025, an increase of $72.0 million, or 1.8%, over the fourth quarter of 2024, and an increase of $144.3 million, or 3.7%, over the first quarter of 2024. The increase over both prior periods was driven by higher deposit balances (see below – Deposits). Compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, the change in the earning asset mix reflected a $67.1 million increase in investment securities and a $22.7 million increase in overnight funds sold partially offset by a $11.5 million decrease in loans HFI and a $6.3 million decrease in loans held for sale (“HFS”). Compared to the first quarter of 2024, the change in the earning asset mix reflected a $180.5 million increase in overnight funds and a $29.1 million increase in investment securities that was partially offset by a $62.7 million decrease in loans HFI and a $2.6 million decrease in HFS.

Average loans HFI decreased $11.5 million, or 0.4%, from the fourth quarter of 2024 and decreased $62.7 million, or 2.3%, from the first quarter of 2024. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, the decrease was primarily attributable to declines in construction loans of $8.6 million, commercial loans of $5.7 million, and consumer loans of $2.1 million, partially offset by a $6.6 million increase in home equity loans. Compared to the first quarter of 2024, the decline was driven by decreases in consumer loans (primarily indirect auto) of $58.8 million, commercial loans of $32.9 million, and commercial real estate mortgage loans of $23.1 million, partially offset by increases in residential real estate loans of $28.9 million, construction loans of $11.5 million, and home equity loans of $10.4 million.

Loans HFI at March 31, 2025 increased $9.2 million, or 0.3%, over December 31, 2024 and decreased $70.4 million, or 2.6%, from March 31, 2024. Compared to December 31, 2024, the increase was primarily attributable to increases in commercial real estate mortgage loans of $27.8 million and residential real estate loans of $12.1 million, consumer loans (primarily indirect auto) of $6.7 million, and home equity loans of $5.9 million, partially offset by decreases in construction loans of $27.7 million, commercial loans of $4.8 million, and other loans of $10.8 million. Compared to the first quarter of 2024, the decline was driven by decreases in consumer loans (primarily indirect auto) of $48.0 million, commercial loans of $33.9 million, commercial real estate mortgage loans of $16.7 million, and construction loans of $10.4 million, partially offset by increases in residential real estate loans of $27.8 million and home equity loans of $11.4 million.

Allowance for Credit Losses

At March 31, 2025, the allowance for credit losses for loans HFI totaled $29.7 million compared to $29.3 million at December 31, 2024 and $29.3 million at March 31, 2024. Activity within the allowance is provided on Page 9. The increase in the allowance over December 31, 2024 reflected higher loan balances and higher loan loss rates, partially offset by a lower level of net loan charge-offs. The increase in the allowance over March 31, 2024 was primarily due to higher loss rates. Net loan charge-offs were nine basis points of average loans for the first quarter of 2025 versus 25 basis points for the fourth quarter of 2024 and 22 basis points for the first quarter of 2024. At March 31, 2025, the allowance represented 1.12% of loans HFI compared to 1.10% at December 31, 2024, and 1.07% at March 31, 2024.

Credit Quality

Nonperforming assets (nonaccrual loans and other real estate) totaled $4.4 million at March 31, 2025 compared to $6.7 million at December 31, 2024 and $6.8 million at March 31, 2024. At March 31, 2025, nonperforming assets as a percent of total assets was 0.10%, compared to 0.15% at December 31, 2024 and 0.16% at March 31, 2024. Nonaccrual loans totaled $4.3 million at March 31, 2025, a $2.0 million decrease from December 31, 2024 and a $2.5 million decrease from March 31, 2024. Further, classified loans totaled $19.2 million at March 31, 2025, a $0.7 million decrease from December 31, 2024 and a $3.1 million decrease from March 31, 2024.

Deposits

Average total deposits were $3.665 billion for the first quarter of 2025, an increase of $65.1 million, or 1.8%, over the fourth quarter of 2024 and an increase of $89.0 million, or 2.5%, over the first quarter of 2024. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, the increase was primarily attributable to higher NOW account balances largely due to the seasonal increase in our public fund balances. The increase over the first quarter of 2024 reflected growth in NOW, money market and certificate of deposit account balances which was mainly due to a combination of balances migrating from savings and noninterest bearing accounts, in addition to receiving new deposits from existing and new clients via various deposit strategies.

At March 31, 2025, total deposits were $3.784 billion, an increase of $111.9 million, or 3.0%, over December 31, 2024, and an increase of $129.1 million, or 3.5%, over March 31, 2024. The increase over December 31, 2024 was due to higher balances in all deposit categories. The increase over March 31, 2024 was primarily due to higher NOW account balances, largely due to the seasonal increase in public funds and increases in money market and certificates of deposit, partially offset by lower savings account balances. Total public funds balances were $648.0 million at March 31, 2025, $660.9 million at December 31, 2024, and $615.0 million at March 31, 2024.

Liquidity

The Bank maintained an average net overnight funds (i.e., deposits with banks plus FED funds sold less FED funds purchased) sold position of $320.9 million in the first quarter of 2025 compared to $298.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 and $140.5 million in the first quarter of 2024. Compared to both prior periods, the increase reflected higher average deposits (primarily seasonal public funds) and lower average loans.

At March 31, 2025, we had the ability to generate approximately $1.540 billion (excludes overnight funds position of $446 million) in additional liquidity through various sources including various federal funds purchased lines, Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings, the Federal Reserve Discount Window, and brokered deposits.

We also view our investment portfolio as a liquidity source as we have the option to pledge securities in our portfolio as collateral for borrowings or deposits, and/or to sell selected securities in our portfolio. Our portfolio consists of debt issued by the U.S. Treasury, U.S. governmental agencies, municipal governments, and corporate entities. At March 31, 2025, the weighted-average maturity and duration of our portfolio were 2.64 years and 2.10 years, respectively, and the available-for-sale portfolio had a net unrealized after-tax loss of $15.4 million.

Capital

Shareowners’ equity was $512.6 million at March 31, 2025 compared to $495.3 million at December 31, 2024 and $448.3 million at March 31, 2024. For the first three months of 2025, shareowners’ equity was positively impacted by net income attributable to shareowners of $16.9 million, a net $3.6 million decrease in the accumulated other comprehensive loss, the issuance of stock of $2.4 million, and stock compensation accretion of $0.4 million. The net favorable change in accumulated other comprehensive loss reflected a $4.1 million decrease in the investment securities loss that was partially offset by a $0.5 million decrease in the fair value of the interest rate swap related to subordinated debt. Shareowners’ equity was reduced by a common stock dividend of $4.1 million ($0.24 per share) and net adjustments totaling $1.9 million related to transactions under our stock compensation plans.

At March 31, 2025, our total risk-based capital ratio was 19.20% compared to 18.64% at December 31, 2024 and 16.84% at March 31, 2024. Our common equity tier 1 capital ratio was 16.08%, 15.54%, and 13.82%, respectively, on these dates. Our leverage ratio was 11.17%, 11.05%, and 10.45%, respectively, on these dates. At March 31, 2025, all our regulatory capital ratios exceeded the thresholds to be designated as “well-capitalized” under the Basel III capital standards. Further, our tangible common equity ratio (non-GAAP financial measure) was 9.61% at March 31, 2025 compared to 9.51% and 8.53% at December 31, 2024 and March 31, 2024, respectively. If our unrealized held-to-maturity securities losses of $12.1 million (after-tax) were recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss, our adjusted tangible capital ratio would be 9.33%.

About Capital City Bank Group, Inc.

Capital City Bank Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CCBG) is one of the largest publicly traded financial holding companies headquartered in Florida and has approximately $4.5 billion in assets. We provide a full range of banking services, including traditional deposit and credit services, mortgage banking, asset management, trust, merchant services, bankcards, securities brokerage services and financial advisory services, including the sale of life insurance, risk management and asset protection services. Our bank subsidiary, Capital City Bank, was founded in 1895 and now has 62 banking offices and 105 ATMs/ITMs in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. For more information about Capital City Bank Group, Inc., visit www.ccbg.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Forward-looking statements in this Press Release are based on current plans and expectations that are subject to uncertainties and risks, which could cause our future results to differ materially. The words “may,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “target,” “vision,” “goal,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause our actual results to differ: the effects of and changes in trade and monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including the interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve Board; inflation, interest rate, market and monetary fluctuations; local, regional, national, and international economic conditions and the impact they may have on us and our clients and our assessment of that impact; the costs and effects of legal and regulatory developments, the outcomes of legal proceedings or regulatory or other governmental inquiries, the results of regulatory examinations or reviews and the ability to obtain required regulatory approvals; the effect of changes in laws and regulations (including laws and regulations concerning taxes, banking, securities, and insurance) and their application with which we and our subsidiaries must comply; the effect of changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by the regulatory agencies, as well as other accounting standard setters; the accuracy of our financial statement estimates and assumptions; changes in the financial performance and/or condition of our borrowers; changes in the mix of loan geographies, sectors and types or the level of non-performing assets and charge-offs; changes in estimates of future credit loss reserve requirements based upon the periodic review thereof under relevant regulatory and accounting requirements; changes in our liquidity position; the timely development and acceptance of new products and services and perceived overall value of these products and services by users; changes in consumer spending, borrowing, and saving habits; greater than expected costs or difficulties related to the integration of new products and lines of business; technological changes; the cost and effects of cyber incidents or other failures, interruptions, or security breaches of our systems or those of our customers or third-party providers; acquisitions and integration of acquired businesses; impairment of our goodwill or other intangible assets; changes in the reliability of our vendors, internal control systems, or information systems; our ability to increase market share and control expenses; our ability to attract and retain qualified employees; changes in our organization, compensation, and benefit plans; the soundness of other financial institutions; volatility and disruption in national and international financial and commodity markets; changes in the competitive environment in our markets and among banking organizations and other financial service providers; government intervention in the U.S. financial system; the effects of natural disasters (including hurricanes), widespread health emergencies (including pandemics), military conflict, terrorism, civil unrest, climate change or other geopolitical events; our ability to declare and pay dividends; structural changes in the markets for origination, sale and servicing of residential mortgages; any inability to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and/or disclosure control; negative publicity and the impact on our reputation; and the limited trading activity and concentration of ownership of our common stock. Additional factors can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 and our other filings with the SEC, which are available at the SEC’s internet site (http://www.sec.gov). Forward-looking statements in this Press Release speak only as of the date of the Press Release, and we assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements or the reasons why actual results could differ, except as may be required by law.

For Information Contact:

Jep Larkin
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
850.402. 8450

USE OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
Unaudited

We present a tangible common equity ratio and a tangible book value per diluted share that removes the effect of goodwill and other intangibles resulting from merger and acquisition activity. We believe these measures are useful to investors because it allows investors to more easily compare our capital adequacy to other companies in the industry.

The GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliations are provided below.

(Dollars in Thousands, except per share data)		Mar 31, 2025		Dec 31, 2024		Sep 30, 2024		Jun 30, 2024		Mar 31, 2024
Shareowners’ Equity (GAAP)		$	512,575	$	495,317	$	476,499	$	460,999	$	448,314
Less: Goodwill and Other Intangibles (GAAP)			92,733		92,773		92,813		92,853		92,893
Tangible Shareowners’ Equity (non-GAAP)	A		419,842		402,544		383,686		368,146		355,421
Total Assets (GAAP)			4,461,233		4,324,932		4,225,316		4,225,695		4,259,922
Less: Goodwill and Other Intangibles (GAAP)			92,733		92,773		92,813		92,853		92,893
Tangible Assets (non-GAAP)	B	$	4,368,500	$	4,232,159	$	4,132,503	$	4,132,842	$	4,167,029
Tangible Common Equity Ratio (non-GAAP)	A/B		9.61%		9.51%		9.28%		8.91%		8.53%
Actual Diluted Shares Outstanding (GAAP)	C		17,072,330		17,018,122		16,980,686		16,970,228		16,947,204
Tangible Book Value per Diluted Share (non-GAAP)	A/C	$	24.59	$	23.65	$	22.60	$	21.69	$	20.97

CAPITAL CITY BANK GROUP, INC.
EARNINGS HIGHLIGHTS
*Unaudited*

		Three Months Ended
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)		Mar 31, 2025		Dec 31, 2024		Mar 31, 2024
EARNINGS
Net Income Attributable to Common Shareowners	$	16,858	$	13,090	$	12,557	$
Diluted Net Income Per Share	$	0.99	$	0.77	$	0.74	$
PERFORMANCE
Return on Average Assets (annualized)		1.58	%	1.22	%	1.21	%
Return on Average Equity (annualized)		13.32		10.60		11.07
Net Interest Margin		4.22		4.17		4.01
Noninterest Income as % of Operating Revenue		32.39		31.34		32.06
Efficiency Ratio		62.93	%	69.74	%	71.06	%
CAPITAL ADEQUACY
Tier 1 Capital		18.01	%	17.46	%	15.67	%
Total Capital		19.20		18.64		16.84
Leverage		11.17		11.05		10.45
Common Equity Tier 1		16.08		15.54		13.82
Tangible Common Equity ⁽¹⁾		9.61		9.51		8.53
Equity to Assets		11.49	%	11.45	%	10.52	%
ASSET QUALITY
Allowance as % of Non-Performing Loans		692.10	%	464.14	%	431.46	%
Allowance as a % of Loans HFI		1.12		1.10		1.07
Net Charge-Offs as % of Average Loans HFI		0.09		0.25		0.22
Nonperforming Assets as % of Loans HFI and OREO		0.17		0.25		0.25
Nonperforming Assets as % of Total Assets		0.10	%	0.15	%	0.16	%
STOCK PERFORMANCE
High	$	38.27	$	40.86	$	31.34	$
Low		33.00		33.00		26.59
Close	$	35.96	$	36.65	$	27.70	$
Average Daily Trading Volume		24,486		27,484		31,023

⁽¹⁾ Tangible common equity ratio is a non-GAAP financial measure. For additional information, including a reconciliation to GAAP, refer to Page 5.

CAPITAL CITY BANK GROUP, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
*Unaudited*

	2025				2024
(Dollars in thousands)	First Quarter				Fourth Quarter			Third Quarter			Second Quarter			First Quarter
ASSETS
Cash and Due From Banks	$	78,521		$	70,543		$	83,431		$	75,304		$	73,642
Funds Sold and Interest Bearing Deposits		446,042			321,311			261,779			272,675			231,047
Total Cash and Cash Equivalents		524,563			391,854			345,210			347,979			304,689

Investment Securities Available for Sale		461,224			403,345			336,187			310,941			327,338
Investment Securities Held to Maturity		517,176			567,155			561,480			582,984			603,386
Other Equity Securities		2,315			2,399			6,976			2,537			3,445
Total Investment Securities		980,715			972,899			904,643			896,462			934,169

Loans Held for Sale (“HFS”):		21,441			28,672			31,251			24,022			24,705

Loans Held for Investment (“HFI”):
Commercial, Financial, & Agricultural		184,393			189,208			194,625			204,990			218,298
Real Estate – Construction		192,282			219,994			218,899			200,754			202,692
Real Estate – Commercial		806,942			779,095			819,955			823,122			823,690
Real Estate – Residential		1,040,594			1,028,498			1,023,485			1,012,541			1,012,791
Real Estate – Home Equity		225,987			220,064			210,988			211,126			214,617
Consumer		206,191			199,479			213,305			234,212			254,168
Other Loans		3,227			14,006			461			2,286			3,789
Overdrafts		1,154			1,206			1,378			1,192			1,127
Total Loans Held for Investment		2,660,770			2,651,550			2,683,096			2,690,223			2,731,172
Allowance for Credit Losses		(29,734	)		(29,251	)		(29,836	)		(29,219	)		(29,329	)
Loans Held for Investment, Net		2,631,036			2,622,299			2,653,260			2,661,004			2,701,843

Premises and Equipment, Net		80,043			81,952			81,876			81,414			81,452
Goodwill and Other Intangibles		92,733			92,773			92,813			92,853			92,893
Other Real Estate Owned		132			367			650			650			1
Other Assets		130,570			134,116			115,613			121,311			120,170
Total Other Assets		303,478			309,208			290,952			296,228			294,516
Total Assets	$	4,461,233		$	4,324,932		$	4,225,316		$	4,225,695		$	4,259,922
LIABILITIES
Deposits:
Noninterest Bearing Deposits	$	1,363,739		$	1,306,254		$	1,330,715		$	1,343,606		$	1,361,939
NOW Accounts		1,292,654			1,285,281			1,174,585			1,177,180			1,212,452
Money Market Accounts		445,999			404,396			401,272			413,594			398,308
Savings Accounts		511,265			506,766			507,604			514,560			530,782
Certificates of Deposit		170,233			169,280			164,901			159,624			151,320
Total Deposits		3,783,890			3,671,977			3,579,077			3,608,564			3,654,801

Repurchase Agreements		22,799			26,240			29,339			22,463			23,477
Other Short-Term Borrowings		14,401			2,064			7,929			3,307			8,409
Subordinated Notes Payable		52,887			52,887			52,887			52,887			52,887
Other Long-Term Borrowings		794			794			794			1,009			265
Other Liabilities		73,887			75,653			71,974			69,987			65,181
Total Liabilities		3,948,658			3,829,615			3,742,000			3,758,217			3,805,020

Temporary Equity		–			–			6,817			6,479			6,588
SHAREOWNERS’ EQUITY
Common Stock		171			170			169			169			169
Additional Paid-In Capital		38,576			37,684			36,070			35,547			34,861
Retained Earnings		476,715			463,949			454,342			445,959			435,364
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, Net of Tax		(2,887	)		(6,486	)		(14,082	)		(20,676	)		(22,080	)
Total Shareowners’ Equity		512,575			495,317			476,499			460,999			448,314
Total Liabilities, Temporary Equity and Shareowners’ Equity	$	4,461,233		$	4,324,932		$	4,225,316		$	4,225,695		$	4,259,922
OTHER BALANCE SHEET DATA
Earning Assets	$	4,108,969		$	3,974,431		$	3,880,769		$	3,883,382		$	3,921,093
Interest Bearing Liabilities		2,511,032			2,447,708			2,339,311			2,344,624			2,377,900
Book Value Per Diluted Share	$	30.02		$	29.11		$	28.06		$	27.17		$	26.45
Tangible Book Value Per Diluted Share⁽¹⁾		24.59			23.65			22.60			21.69			20.97
Actual Basic Shares Outstanding		17,055			16,975			16,944			16,942			16,929
Actual Diluted Shares Outstanding		17,072			17,018			16,981			16,970			16,947

⁽¹⁾ Tangible book value per diluted share is a non-GAAP financial measure. For additional information, including a reconciliation to GAAP, refer to Page 5.

CAPITAL CITY BANK GROUP, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
*Unaudited*

		2025		2024
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)		First Quarter		Fourth Quarter			Third Quarter		Second Quarter		First Quarter
INTEREST INCOME
Loans, including Fees	$	40,478	$	41,453		$	41,659	$	41,138	$	40,683
Investment Securities		5,808		4,694			4,155		4,004		4,244
Federal Funds Sold and Interest Bearing Deposits		3,496		3,596			3,514		3,624		1,893
Total Interest Income		49,782		49,743			49,328		48,766		46,820
INTEREST EXPENSE
Deposits		7,383		7,766			8,223		8,579		7,594
Repurchase Agreements		164		199			221		217		201
Other Short-Term Borrowings		117		83			52		68		39
Subordinated Notes Payable		560		581			610		630		628
Other Long-Term Borrowings		11		11			11		3		3
Total Interest Expense		8,235		8,640			9,117		9,497		8,465
Net Interest Income		41,547		41,103			40,211		39,269		38,355
Provision for Credit Losses		768		701			1,206		1,204		920
Net Interest Income after Provision for Credit Losses		40,779		40,402			39,005		38,065		37,435
NONINTEREST INCOME
Deposit Fees		5,061		5,207			5,512		5,377		5,250
Bank Card Fees		3,514		3,697			3,624		3,766		3,620
Wealth Management Fees		5,763		5,222			4,770		4,439		4,682
Mortgage Banking Revenues		3,820		3,118			3,966		4,381		2,878
Other		1,749		1,516			1,641		1,643		1,667
Total Noninterest Income		19,907		18,760			19,513		19,606		18,097
NONINTEREST EXPENSE
Compensation		26,248		26,108			25,800		24,406		24,407
Occupancy, Net		6,793		6,893			7,098		6,997		6,994
Other		5,660		8,781			10,023		9,038		8,770
Total Noninterest Expense		38,701		41,782			42,921		40,441		40,171
OPERATING PROFIT		21,985		17,380			15,597		17,230		15,361
Income Tax Expense		5,127		4,219			2,980		3,189		3,536
Net Income		16,858		13,161			12,617		14,041		11,825
Pre-Tax (Income) Loss Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		–		(71	)		501		109		732
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO COMMON SHAREOWNERS	$	16,858	$	13,090		$	13,118	$	14,150	$	12,557
PER COMMON SHARE
Basic Net Income	$	0.99	$	0.77		$	0.77	$	0.84	$	0.74
Diluted Net Income		0.99		0.77			0.77		0.83		0.74
Cash Dividend	$	0.24	$	0.23		$	0.23	$	0.21	$	0.21
AVERAGE SHARES
Basic		17,027		16,946			16,943		16,931		16,951
Diluted		17,044		16,990			16,979		16,960		16,969

CAPITAL CITY BANK GROUP, INC.
ALLOWANCE FOR CREDIT LOSSES (“ACL”)
AND CREDIT QUALITY
*Unaudited*

		2025			2024
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)		First Quarter			Fourth Quarter			Third Quarter			Second Quarter			First Quarter
ACL – HELD FOR INVESTMENT LOANS
Balance at Beginning of Period	$	29,251		$	29,836		$	29,219		$	29,329		$	29,941
Transfer from Other (Assets) Liabilities		–			–			–			–			(50	)
Provision for Credit Losses		1,083			1,085			1,879			1,129			932
Net Charge-Offs (Recoveries)		600			1,670			1,262			1,239			1,494
Balance at End of Period	$	29,734		$	29,251		$	29,836		$	29,219		$	29,329
As a % of Loans HFI		1.12	%		1.10	%		1.11	%		1.09	%		1.07	%
As a % of Nonperforming Loans		692.10	%		464.14	%		452.64	%		529.79	%		431.46	%
ACL – UNFUNDED COMMITMENTS
Balance at Beginning of Period		2,155		$	2,522		$	3,139		$	3,121		$	3,191
Provision for Credit Losses		(323	)		(367	)		(617	)		18			(70	)
Balance at End of Period⁽¹⁾		1,832			2,155			2,522			3,139			3,121
ACL – DEBT SECURITIES
Provision for Credit Losses	$	8		$	(17	)	$	(56	)	$	57		$	58
CHARGE-OFFS
Commercial, Financial and Agricultural	$	168		$	499		$	331		$	400		$	282
Real Estate – Construction		–			47			–			–			–
Real Estate – Commercial		–			–			3			–			–
Real Estate – Residential		8			44			–			–			17
Real Estate – Home Equity		–			33			23			–			76
Consumer		865			1,307			1,315			1,061			1,550
Overdrafts		570			574			611			571			638
Total Charge-Offs	$	1,611		$	2,504		$	2,283		$	2,032		$	2,563
RECOVERIES
Commercial, Financial and Agricultural	$	75		$	103		$	176		$	59		$	41
Real Estate – Construction		–			3			–			–			–
Real Estate – Commercial		3			33			5			19			204
Real Estate – Residential		119			28			88			23			37
Real Estate – Home Equity		9			17			59			37			24
Consumer		481			352			405			313			410
Overdrafts		324			298			288			342			353
Total Recoveries	$	1,011		$	834		$	1,021		$	793		$	1,069
NET CHARGE-OFFS (RECOVERIES)	$	600		$	1,670		$	1,262		$	1,239		$	1,494
Net Charge-Offs as a % of Average Loans HFI⁽²⁾		0.09	%		0.25	%		0.19	%		0.18	%		0.22	%
CREDIT QUALITY
Nonaccruing Loans	$	4,296		$	6,302		$	6,592		$	5,515		$	6,798
Other Real Estate Owned		132			367			650			650			1
Total Nonperforming Assets (“NPAs”)	$	4,428		$	6,669		$	7,242		$	6,165		$	6,799

Past Due Loans 30-89 Days	$	3,735		$	4,311		$	9,388		$	5,672		$	5,392
Classified Loans		19,194			19,896			25,501			25,566			22,305

Nonperforming Loans as a % of Loans HFI		0.16	%		0.24	%		0.25	%		0.21	%		0.25	%
NPAs as a % of Loans HFI and Other Real Estate		0.17	%		0.25	%		0.27	%		0.23	%		0.25	%
NPAs as a % of Total Assets		0.10	%		0.15	%		0.17	%		0.15	%		0.16	%

⁽¹⁾Recorded in other liabilities
⁽²⁾Annualized

CAPITAL CITY BANK GROUP, INC.
AVERAGE BALANCE AND INTEREST RATES
*Unaudited*

		First Quarter 2025							Fourth Quarter 2024							Third Quarter 2024							Second Quarter 2024							First Quarter 2024
(Dollars in thousands)		Average Balance			Interest	Average Rate			Average Balance			Interest	Average Rate			Average Balance			Interest	Average Rate			Average Balance			Interest	Average Rate			Average Balance			Interest	Average Rate
ASSETS:
Loans Held for Sale	$	24,726		$	490	8.04	%	$	31,047		$	976	7.89	%	$	24,570		$	720	7.49	%	$	26,281			517	5.26	%	$	27,314		$	563	5.99	%
Loans Held for Investment⁽¹⁾		2,665,910			40,029	6.09			2,677,396			40,521	6.07			2,693,533			40,985	6.09			2,726,748			40,683	6.03			2,728,629			40,196	5.95

Investment Securities
Taxable Investment Securities		981,485			5,802	2.38			914,353			4,688	2.04			907,610			4,148	1.82			918,989			3,998	1.74			952,328			4,238	1.78
Tax-Exempt Investment Securities⁽¹⁾		845			9	4.32			849			9	4.31			846			10	4.33			843			9	4.36			856			10	4.34

Total Investment Securities		982,330			5,811	2.38			915,202			4,697	2.04			908,456			4,158	1.82			919,832			4,007	1.74			953,184			4,248	1.78

Federal Funds Sold and Interest Bearing Deposits		320,948			3,496	4.42			298,255			3,596	4.80			256,855			3,514	5.44			262,419			3,624	5.56			140,488			1,893	5.42

Total Earning Assets		3,993,914		$	49,826	5.06	%		3,921,900		$	49,790	5.05	%		3,883,414		$	49,377	5.06	%		3,935,280		$	48,831	4.99	%		3,849,615		$	46,900	4.90	%

Cash and Due From Banks		73,467							73,992							70,994							74,803							75,763
Allowance for Credit Losses		(30,008	)						(30,107	)						(29,905	)						(29,564	)						(30,030	)
Other Assets		297,660							293,884							291,359							291,669							295,275

Total Assets	$	4,335,033						$	4,259,669						$	4,215,862						$	4,272,188						$	4,190,623

LIABILITIES:
Noninterest Bearing Deposits	$	1,317,425						$	1,323,556						$	1,332,305						$	1,346,546						$	1,344,188
NOW Accounts		1,249,955		$	3,854	1.25	%		1,182,073		$	3,826	1.29	%		1,145,544		$	4,087	1.42	%		1,207,643		$	4,425	1.47	%		1,201,032		$	4,497	1.51	%
Money Market Accounts		420,059			2,187	2.11			422,615			2,526	2.38			418,625			2,694	2.56			407,387			2,752	2.72			353,591			1,985	2.26
Savings Accounts		507,676			176	0.14			504,859			179	0.14			512,098			180	0.14			519,374			176	0.14			539,374			188	0.14
Time Deposits		170,367			1,166	2.78			167,321			1,235	2.94			163,462			1,262	3.07			160,078			1,226	3.08			138,328			924	2.69
Total Interest Bearing Deposits		2,348,057			7,383	1.28			2,276,868			7,766	1.36			2,239,729			8,223	1.46			2,294,482			8,579	1.50			2,232,325			7,594	1.37
Total Deposits		3,665,482			7,383	0.82			3,600,424			7,766	0.86			3,572,034			8,223	0.92			3,641,028			8,579	0.95			3,576,513			7,594	0.85
Repurchase Agreements		29,821			164	2.23			28,018			199	2.82			27,126			221	3.24			26,999			217	3.24			25,725			201	3.14
Other Short-Term Borrowings		7,437			117	6.39			6,510			83	5.06			2,673			52	7.63			6,592			68	4.16			3,758			39	4.16
Subordinated Notes Payable		52,887			560	4.23			52,887			581	4.30			52,887			610	4.52			52,887			630	4.71			52,887			628	4.70
Other Long-Term Borrowings		794			11	5.68			794			11	5.57			795			11	5.55			258			3	4.31			281			3	4.80
Total Interest Bearing Liabilities		2,438,996		$	8,235	1.37	%		2,365,077		$	8,640	1.45	%		2,323,210		$	9,117	1.56	%		2,381,218		$	9,497	1.60	%		2,314,976		$	8,465	1.47	%

Other Liabilities		65,211							73,130							73,767							72,634							68,295

Total Liabilities		3,821,632							3,761,763							3,729,282							3,800,398							3,727,459
Temporary Equity		–							6,763							6,443							6,493							7,150

SHAREOWNERS’ EQUITY:		513,401							491,143							480,137							465,297							456,014

Total Liabilities, Temporary Equity and Shareowners’ Equity	$	4,335,033						$	4,259,669						$	4,215,862						$	4,272,188						$	4,190,623

Interest Rate Spread				$	41,591	3.69	%				$	41,150	3.59	%				$	40,260	3.49	%				$	39,334	3.38	%				$	38,435	3.43	%

Interest Income and Rate Earned⁽¹⁾					49,826	5.06						49,790	5.05						49,377	5.06						48,831	4.99						46,900	4.90
Interest Expense and Rate Paid⁽²⁾					8,235	0.84						8,640	0.88						9,117	0.93						9,497	0.97						8,465	0.88

Net Interest Margin				$	41,591	4.22	%				$	41,150	4.17	%				$	40,260	4.12	%				$	39,334	4.02	%				$	38,435	4.01	%

⁽¹⁾Interest and average rates are calculated on a tax-equivalent basis using a 21% Federal tax rate.
⁽²⁾Rate calculated based on average earning assets.

The MIL Network –

April 21, 2025

MIL-OSI: HBT Financial, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

First Quarter Highlights

Net income of $19.1 million, or $0.60 per diluted share; return on average assets (“ROAA”) of 1.54%; return on average stockholders’ equity (“ROAE”) of 13.95%; and return on average tangible common equity (“ROATCE”)⁽¹⁾ of 16.20%
Adjusted net income⁽¹⁾ of $19.3 million; or $0.61 per diluted share; adjusted ROAA⁽¹⁾ of 1.55%; adjusted ROAE⁽¹⁾ of 14.08%; and adjusted ROATCE⁽¹⁾ of 16.36%
Asset quality remained exceptional with nonperforming assets to total assets of 0.11% and net charge-offs to average loans of 0.05%, on an annualized basis
Net interest margin increased 16 basis points to 4.12% and net interest margin (tax-equivalent basis)⁽¹⁾increased 15 basis point to 4.16%

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., April 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: HBT) (the “Company” or “HBT Financial” or “HBT”), the holding company for Heartland Bank and Trust Company, today reported net income of $19.1 million, or $0.60 diluted earnings per share, for the first quarter of 2025. This compares to net income of $20.3 million, or $0.64 diluted earnings per share, for the fourth quarter of 2024, and net income of $15.3 million, or $0.48 diluted earnings per share, for the first quarter of 2024.

J. Lance Carter, President and Chief Executive Officer of HBT Financial, said, “We are off to a great start in 2025 with strong first quarter results. Despite the economic outlook recently becoming more uncertain, leading to interest rate volatility and stock market declines, we still believe that 2025 will be a solid year for HBT. Our credit discipline, strong profitability and solid balance sheet give us confidence that we are prepared for a variety of economic environments.

We continued to report solid profitability with adjusted net income⁽¹⁾ of $19.3 million, or $0.61 per diluted share, an adjusted ROAA⁽¹⁾ of 1.55% and an adjusted ROATCE⁽¹⁾ of 16.36%. Our net interest margin on a tax-equivalent basis⁽¹⁾ increased by 15 basis points, with 5 basis points of that increase related to higher nonaccrual interest recoveries and loan fees, as average loan balances were higher, loans and securities continued to reprice higher, and deposits repriced lower. Our strong profitability coupled with an improvement in our accumulated other comprehensive income due to lower interest rates, resulted in a $0.63 increase in our tangible book value per share⁽¹⁾ to $15.43. Tangible book value per share increased by 4.3% for the quarter and 17.0% over the last year.

Our balance sheet remains strong with all capital ratios increasing during the quarter and asset quality improving with nonperforming assets to total assets declining to only 0.11%. Loans at quarter-end were down only slightly while average loans for the quarter were up 2.2%. Deposits were up 1.5% at quarter-end and average deposits for the quarter were up 1.1%. Deposit growth was aided by moving most of our repurchase agreements into interest-bearing demand deposits. Our capital levels and operational structure support attractive acquisition opportunities should the right opportunity arise and markets stabilize.”
____________________________________
(1) See “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to their most closely comparable GAAP financial measures.

Adjusted Net Income

In addition to reporting GAAP results, the Company believes non-GAAP measures such as adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share, which adjust for acquisition expenses, branch closure expenses, gains (losses) on closed branch premises, realized gains (losses) on sales of securities, mortgage servicing rights fair value adjustments, and the tax effect of these pre-tax adjustments, provide investors with additional insight into its operational performance. The Company reported adjusted net income of $19.3 million, or $0.61 adjusted diluted earnings per share, for the first quarter of 2025. This compares to adjusted net income of $19.5 million, or $0.62 adjusted diluted earnings per share, for the fourth quarter of 2024, and adjusted net income of $18.1 million, or $0.57 adjusted diluted earnings per share, for the first quarter of 2024 (see “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” tables below for reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to their most closely comparable GAAP financial measures).

Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin

Net interest income for the first quarter of 2025 was $48.7 million, an increase of 2.8% from $47.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2024. The increase was primarily attributable to higher average loan balances, a decrease in deposit costs, and higher yields on loans and debt securities. Additionally, a $0.6 million increase in nonaccrual interest recoveries and loan fees contributed to the increase in net interest income.

Relative to the first quarter of 2024, net interest income increased 4.3% from $46.7 million. The increase was primarily attributable to higher average loan balances, a decrease in deposit costs, and higher yields on debt securities. Also contributing was a $0.7 million increase in nonaccrual interest recoveries and loan fees.

Net interest margin for the first quarter of 2025 was 4.12%, compared to 3.96% for the fourth quarter of 2024, and net interest margin (tax-equivalent basis)⁽¹⁾ for the first quarter of 2025 was 4.16%, compared to 4.01% for the fourth quarter of 2024. The increase was primarily attributable to higher yields on interest-earning assets, which increased 9 basis points to 5.34%, and lower funding costs, which decreased 7 basis points to 1.32%. Additionally, an increase in the contribution of nonaccrual interest recoveries and loan fees accounted for 5 basis points of the increase in net interest margin.

Relative to the first quarter of 2024, net interest margin increased 18 basis points from 3.94% and net interest margin (tax-equivalent basis)⁽¹⁾ increased 17 basis points from 3.99%. These increases were primarily attributable to higher yields on interest-earning assets, a decrease in funding costs, and an increase in nonaccrual interest recoveries and loan fees. Additionally, an increase in the contribution of nonaccrual interest recoveries and loan fees accounted for 6 basis points of the increase in net interest margin.
____________________________________
(1) See “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to their most closely comparable GAAP financial measures.

Noninterest Income

Noninterest income for the first quarter of 2025 was $9.3 million, a 20.0% decrease from $11.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2024. The decrease was primarily attributable to changes in the mortgage servicing rights (“MSR”) fair value adjustment, with a $0.3 million negative MSR fair value adjustment included in the first quarter 2025 results compared to a $1.3 million positive MSR fair value adjustment included in the fourth quarter 2024 results. Further contributing to the decrease was a $0.3 million decrease in wealth management fees, primarily driven by a seasonal decrease in farm management income, a $0.3 million decrease in income on bank owned life insurance, primarily due to the absence of a $0.2 million gain on life insurance proceeds included in the fourth quarter 2024 results, and a $0.2 million decrease in card income. Partially offsetting these decreases was the absence of a $0.3 million realized loss on sale of debt securities included in the fourth quarter 2024 results.

Relative to the first quarter of 2024, noninterest income increased 65.4% from $5.6 million. The increase was primarily attributable to the absence of $3.4 million in realized losses on the sale of debt securities included in the first quarter 2024 results.

Noninterest Expense

Noninterest expense for the first quarter of 2025 was $31.9 million, a 3.3% increase from $30.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2024. The increase was primarily attributable to a $1.3 million increase in salaries expense, primarily driven by seasonal variations in vacation accruals and annual merit increases which took effect in early March, and a $0.6 million increase in employee benefits expense, primarily attributable to higher medical benefit costs. Partially offsetting these increases were a $0.3 million decrease in other noninterest expense and a $0.3 million decrease in data processing expense.

Relative to the first quarter of 2024, noninterest expense increased 2.1% from $31.3 million. The increase was primarily attributable to a $0.5 million increase in employee benefits expense, primarily driven by increased medical benefit costs, and a $0.4 million increase in salaries expense. Partially offsetting these increases was a $0.2 million decrease in data processing expense.

Income Taxes

During the first quarter of 2025 our effective tax rate decreased to 25.2% when compared to 26.0% during the fourth quarter of 2024. This decrease was primarily related to a $0.2 million tax benefit from stock-based compensation that vested during the quarter. Additionally, during the second quarter of 2025, we expect to recognize an additional $0.3 million of tax expense related to the reversal of a stranded tax effect included in accumulated other comprehensive income in connection with the maturity of a derivative designated as a cash flow hedge.

Loan Portfolio

Total loans outstanding, before allowance for credit losses, were $3.46 billion at March 31, 2025, compared with $3.47 billion at December 31, 2024, and $3.35 billion at March 31, 2024. Total loans as of March 31, 2025 were nearly unchanged when compared to December 31, 2024 with a $23.2 million increase in grain elevator lines of credit in the commercial and industrial segment, due to seasonally higher line utilization, partially offset by a $12.0 million reduction on two lines of credit that funded shortly before and paid off after December 31, 2024, as noted in the previous quarter’s earnings release. Larger payoffs in the one-to-four family residential, multi-family, and commercial real estate – non-owner occupied segments were partially offset by draws on existing loans in the construction and development segment and new originations in the municipal, consumer, and other segment. Additionally, average loan balances increased $73.4 million, or 2.2%, from the fourth quarter of 2024 to the first quarter of 2025.

Deposits

Total deposits were $4.38 billion at March 31, 2025, compared with $4.32 billion at December 31, 2024, and $4.36 billion at March 31, 2024. The $66.3 million increase from December 31, 2024 was primarily attributable to higher balances maintained in existing retail accounts. Additionally, the vast majority of repurchase agreement account balances at December 31, 2024 were transitioned to reciprocal interest-bearing demand deposit accounts during the first quarter of 2025.

Asset Quality

Nonperforming assets totaled $5.6 million, or 0.11% of total assets, at March 31, 2025, compared with $8.0 million, or 0.16% of total assets, at December 31, 2024, and $9.9 million, or 0.20% of total assets, at March 31, 2024. Additionally, of the $5.1 million of nonperforming loans held as of March 31, 2025, $1.4 million is either wholly or partially guaranteed by the U.S. government. The $2.5 million decrease in nonperforming assets from December 31, 2024 was primarily attributable to the pay-off of a $1.6 million nonaccrual commercial real estate – non-owner occupied credit.

The Company recorded a provision for credit losses of $0.6 million for the first quarter of 2025. The provision for credit losses primarily reflects a $0.8 million increase in required reserves resulting from changes in qualitative factors; a $0.1 million increase in required reserves driven by changes within the portfolio; and a $0.3 million decrease in specific reserves.

The Company had net charge-offs of $0.4 million, or 0.05% of average loans on an annualized basis, for the first quarter of 2025, compared to net charge-offs of $0.7 million, or 0.08% of average loans on an annualized basis, for the fourth quarter of 2024, and net recoveries of $0.2 million, or 0.02% of average loans on an annualized basis, for the first quarter of 2024.

The Company’s allowance for credit losses was 1.22% of total loans and 825% of nonperforming loans at March 31, 2025, compared with 1.21% of total loans and 549% of nonperforming loans at December 31, 2024. In addition, the allowance for credit losses on unfunded lending-related commitments totaled $3.2 million as of March 31, 2025, compared with $3.1 million as of December 31, 2024.

Capital

As of March 31, 2025, the Company exceeded all regulatory capital requirements under Basel III as summarized in the following table:

	March 31, 2025		For Capital Adequacy Purposes With Capital Conservation Buffer

Total capital to risk-weighted assets	16.85	%	10.50	%
Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets	14.77		8.50
Common equity tier 1 capital ratio	13.48		7.00
Tier 1 leverage ratio	11.64		4.00

The ratio of tangible common equity to tangible assets⁽¹⁾ increased to 9.73% as of March 31, 2025, from 9.42% as of December 31, 2024, and tangible book value per share⁽¹⁾ increased by $0.63 to $15.43 as of March 31, 2025, when compared to December 31, 2024.

During the first quarter of 2025, the Company did not repurchase shares of its common stock under its stock repurchase program. The Company’s Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $15.0 million of HBT Financial common stock under its stock repurchase program, which is in effect until January 1, 2026. As of March 31, 2025, the Company had $15.0 million remaining under the stock repurchase program.
____________________________________
(1) See “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to their most closely comparable GAAP financial measures.

About HBT Financial, Inc.

HBT Financial, Inc., headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, is the holding company for Heartland Bank and Trust Company, and has banking roots that can be traced back to 1920. HBT Financial provides a comprehensive suite of financial products and services to consumers, businesses, and municipal entities throughout Illinois and eastern Iowa through 66 full-service branches. As of March 31, 2025, HBT Financial had total assets of $5.1 billion, total loans of $3.5 billion, and total deposits of $4.4 billion.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Some of the financial measures included in this press release are not measures of financial performance recognized in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures include adjusted net income, adjusted earnings per share, adjusted ROAA, pre-provision net revenue, pre-provision net revenue less charge-offs (recoveries), adjusted pre-provision net revenue, adjusted pre-provision net revenue less charge-offs (recoveries), net interest income (tax-equivalent basis), net interest margin (tax-equivalent basis), efficiency ratio (tax-equivalent basis), adjusted efficiency ratio (tax-equivalent basis), the ratio of tangible common equity to tangible assets, tangible book value per share, adjusted ROAE, ROATCE, and adjusted ROATCE. Our management uses these non-GAAP financial measures, together with the related GAAP financial measures, in its analysis of our performance and in making business decisions. Management believes that it is a standard practice in the banking industry to present these non-GAAP financial measures, and accordingly believes that providing these measures may be useful for peer comparison purposes. These disclosures should not be viewed as substitutes for the results determined to be in accordance with GAAP; nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP financial measures that may be presented by other companies. See our reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures in the “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” tables.

Forward-Looking Statements

Readers should note that in addition to the historical information contained herein, this press release contains, and future oral and written statements of the Company and its management may contain, “forward-looking statements” within the meanings of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “will,” “propose,” “may,” “plan,” “seek,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” or “should,” or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements presented herein are made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or otherwise.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) the strength of the local, state, national and international economies and financial markets (including effects of inflationary pressures and supply chain constraints); (ii) effects on the U.S. economy resulting from the threat or implementation of, or changes to, existing policies and executive orders including tariffs, immigration policy, regulatory or other governmental agencies, foreign policy and tax regulations; (iii) the economic impact of any future terrorist threats and attacks, widespread disease or pandemics, acts of war or other threats thereof (including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East), or other adverse events that could cause economic deterioration or instability in credit markets, and the response of the local, state and national governments to any such adverse external events; (iv) new and revised accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by state and federal regulatory banking agencies, the Financial Accounting Standards Board or the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; (v) changes in local, state and federal laws, regulations and governmental policies concerning the Company’s general business and any changes in response to the bank failures in 2023; (vi) the imposition of tariffs or other governmental policies impacting the value of products produced by the Company’s commercial borrowers; (vii) changes in interest rates and prepayment rates of the Company’s assets; (viii) increased competition in the financial services sector, including from non-bank competitors such as credit unions and fintech companies, and the inability to attract new customers; (ix) changes in technology and the ability to develop and maintain secure and reliable electronic systems; (x) unexpected results of acquisitions, which may include failure to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions and the possibility that transaction costs may be greater than anticipated; (xi) the loss of key executives and employees, talent shortages and employee turnover; (xii) changes in consumer spending; (xiii) unexpected outcomes or costs of existing or new litigation or other legal proceedings and regulatory actions involving the Company; (xiv) the economic impact on the Company and its customers of climate change, natural disasters and of exceptional weather occurrences such as tornadoes, floods and blizzards; (xv) fluctuations in the value of securities held in our securities portfolio, including as a result of changes in interest rates; (xvi) credit risks and risks from concentrations (by type of borrower, geographic area, collateral and industry) within our loan portfolio (including commercial real estate loans) and large loans to certain borrowers; (xvii) the overall health of the local and national real estate market; (xviii) the ability to maintain an adequate level of allowance for credit losses on loans; (xix) the concentration of large deposits from certain clients who have balances above current FDIC insurance limits and who may withdraw deposits to diversify their exposure; (xx) the ability to successfully manage liquidity risk, which may increase dependence on non-core funding sources such as brokered deposits, and may negatively impact the Company’s cost of funds; (xxi) the level of nonperforming assets on our balance sheet; (xxii) interruptions involving our information technology and communications systems or third-party servicers; (xxiii) the occurrence of fraudulent activity, breaches or failures of our third-party vendors’ information security controls or cybersecurity-related incidents, including as a result of sophisticated attacks using artificial intelligence and similar tools or as a result of insider fraud; (xxiv) the effectiveness of the Company’s risk management framework, and (xxv) the ability of the Company to manage the risks associated with the foregoing as well as anticipated. Readers should note that the forward-looking statements included in this press release are not a guarantee of future events, and that actual events may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Additional information concerning the Company and its business, including additional factors that could materially affect the Company’s financial results, is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CONTACT:
Peter Chapman
HBTIR@hbtbank.com
(309) 664-4556


HBT Financial, Inc. Unaudited Consolidated Financial Summary

	As of or for the Three Months Ended
(dollars in thousands, except per share data)	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			March 31, 2024
Interest and dividend income	$	63,138		$	62,798		$	61,961
Interest expense		14,430			15,397			15,273
Net interest income		48,708			47,401			46,688
Provision for credit losses		576			725			527
Net interest income after provision for credit losses		48,132			46,676			46,161
Noninterest income		9,306			11,630			5,626
Noninterest expense		31,935			30,908			31,268
Income before income tax expense		25,503			27,398			20,519
Income tax expense		6,428			7,126			5,261
Net income	$	19,075		$	20,272		$	15,258

Earnings per share – diluted	$	0.60		$	0.64		$	0.48

Adjusted net income ⁽¹⁾	$	19,253		$	19,546		$	18,073
Adjusted earnings per share – diluted ⁽¹⁾		0.61			0.62			0.57

Book value per share	$	17.86		$	17.26		$	15.71
Tangible book value per share ⁽¹⁾		15.43			14.80			13.19

Shares of common stock outstanding		31,631,431			31,559,366			31,612,888
Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding, including all dilutive potential shares		31,711,671			31,702,864			31,803,187

SUMMARY RATIOS
Net interest margin *		4.12	%		3.96	%		3.94	%
Net interest margin (tax-equivalent basis) * ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾		4.16			4.01			3.99

Efficiency ratio		53.85	%		51.16	%		58.41	%
Efficiency ratio (tax-equivalent basis) ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾		53.35			50.68			57.78

Loan to deposit ratio		78.95	%		80.27	%		76.73	%

Return on average assets *		1.54	%		1.61	%		1.23	%
Return on average stockholders’ equity *		13.95			14.89			12.42
Return on average tangible common equity * ⁽¹⁾		16.20			17.40			14.83

Adjusted return on average assets * ⁽¹⁾		1.55	%		1.56	%		1.45	%
Adjusted return on average stockholders’ equity * ⁽¹⁾		14.08			14.36			14.72
Adjusted return on average tangible common equity * ⁽¹⁾		16.36			16.77			17.57

CAPITAL
Total capital to risk-weighted assets		16.85	%		16.51	%		15.79	%
Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets		14.77			14.50			13.77
Common equity tier 1 capital ratio		13.48			13.21			12.44
Tier 1 leverage ratio		11.64			11.51			10.65
Total stockholders’ equity to total assets		11.10			10.82			9.85
Tangible common equity to tangible assets ⁽¹⁾		9.73			9.42			8.40

ASSET QUALITY
Net charge-offs (recoveries) to average loans *		0.05	%		0.08	%		(0.02)	%
Allowance for credit losses to loans, before allowance for credit losses		1.22			1.21			1.22
Nonperforming loans to loans, before allowance for credit losses		0.15			0.22			0.29
Nonperforming assets to total assets		0.11			0.16			0.20

____________________________________

* Annualized measure.

(1) See “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to their most closely comparable GAAP financial measures.
(2) On a tax-equivalent basis assuming a federal income tax rate of 21% and a state tax rate of 9.5%.


HBT Financial, Inc. Unaudited Consolidated Financial Summary Consolidated Statements of Income

	Three Months Ended
(dollars in thousands, except per share data)	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			March 31, 2024
INTEREST AND DIVIDEND INCOME
Loans, including fees:
Taxable	$	53,369		$	52,587		$	51,926
Federally tax exempt		1,168			1,199			1,094
Debt securities:
Taxable		6,936			6,829			6,204
Federally tax exempt		469			482			597
Interest-bearing deposits in bank		1,065			1,520			1,952
Other interest and dividend income		131			181			188
Total interest and dividend income		63,138			62,798			61,961
INTEREST EXPENSE
Deposits		12,939			13,672			13,593
Securities sold under agreements to repurchase		22			179			152
Borrowings		109			115			125
Subordinated notes		470			470			470
Junior subordinated debentures issued to capital trusts		890			961			933
Total interest expense		14,430			15,397			15,273
Net interest income		48,708			47,401			46,688
PROVISION FOR CREDIT LOSSES		576			725			527
Net interest income after provision for credit losses		48,132			46,676			46,161
NONINTEREST INCOME
Card income		2,548			2,797			2,616
Wealth management fees		2,841			3,138			2,547
Service charges on deposit accounts		1,944			2,080			1,869
Mortgage servicing		990			1,158			1,055
Mortgage servicing rights fair value adjustment		(308	)		1,331			80
Gains on sale of mortgage loans		252			409			298
Realized gains (losses) on sales of securities		—			(315	)		(3,382	)
Unrealized gains (losses) on equity securities		8			(83	)		(16	)
Gains (losses) on foreclosed assets		13			7			87
Gains (losses) on other assets		54			2			(635	)
Income on bank owned life insurance		164			415			164
Other noninterest income		800			691			943
Total noninterest income		9,306			11,630			5,626
NONINTEREST EXPENSE
Salaries		17,053			15,784			16,657
Employee benefits		3,285			2,649			2,805
Occupancy of bank premises		2,625			2,773			2,582
Furniture and equipment		445			460			550
Data processing		2,717			2,998			2,925
Marketing and customer relations		1,144			948			996
Amortization of intangible assets		695			709			710
FDIC insurance		562			557			560
Loan collection and servicing		383			653			452
Foreclosed assets		5			31			49
Other noninterest expense		3,021			3,346			2,982
Total noninterest expense		31,935			30,908			31,268
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX EXPENSE		25,503			27,398			20,519
INCOME TAX EXPENSE		6,428			7,126			5,261
NET INCOME	$	19,075		$	20,272		$	15,258

EARNINGS PER SHARE – BASIC	$	0.60		$	0.64		$	0.48
EARNINGS PER SHARE – DILUTED	$	0.60		$	0.64		$	0.48
WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OF COMMON STOCK OUTSTANDING		31,584,989			31,559,366			31,662,954


HBT Financial, Inc. Unaudited Consolidated Financial Summary Consolidated Balance Sheets

(dollars in thousands)	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			March 31, 2024
ASSETS
Cash and due from banks	$	25,005		$	29,552		$	19,989
Interest-bearing deposits with banks		186,586			108,140			240,223
Cash and cash equivalents		211,591			137,692			260,212

Interest-bearing time deposits with banks		—			—			515
Debt securities available-for-sale, at fair value		706,135			698,049			669,020
Debt securities held-to-maturity		490,398			499,858			517,472
Equity securities with readily determinable fair value		3,323			3,315			3,324
Equity securities with no readily determinable fair value		2,629			2,629			2,622
Restricted stock, at cost		5,086			5,086			5,155
Loans held for sale		2,721			1,586			3,479

Loans, before allowance for credit losses		3,461,778			3,466,146			3,345,962
Allowance for credit losses		(42,111	)		(42,044	)		(40,815	)
Loans, net of allowance for credit losses		3,419,667			3,424,102			3,305,147

Bank owned life insurance		24,153			23,989			24,069
Bank premises and equipment, net		67,272			66,758			64,755
Bank premises held for sale		190			317			317
Foreclosed assets		460			367			277
Goodwill		59,820			59,820			59,820
Intangible assets, net		17,148			17,843			19,972
Mortgage servicing rights, at fair value		18,519			18,827			19,081
Investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries		1,614			1,614			1,614
Accrued interest receivable		22,735			24,770			23,117
Other assets		38,731			46,280			60,542
Total assets	$	5,092,192		$	5,032,902		$	5,040,510

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Liabilities
Deposits:
Noninterest-bearing	$	1,065,874		$	1,046,405		$	1,047,074
Interest-bearing		3,318,716			3,271,849			3,313,500
Total deposits		4,384,590			4,318,254			4,360,574

Securities sold under agreements to repurchase		2,698			28,969			31,864
Federal Home Loan Bank advances		7,209			13,231			12,725
Subordinated notes		39,573			39,553			39,494
Junior subordinated debentures issued to capital trusts		52,864			52,849			52,804
Other liabilities		40,201			35,441			46,368
Total liabilities		4,527,135			4,488,297			4,543,829

Stockholders’ Equity
Common stock		329			328			328
Surplus		297,024			297,297			296,054
Retained earnings		329,169			316,764			278,353
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		(38,446	)		(46,765	)		(56,048	)
Treasury stock at cost		(23,019	)		(23,019	)		(22,006	)
Total stockholders’ equity		565,057			544,605			496,681
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	5,092,192		$	5,032,902		$	5,040,510
SHARES OF COMMON STOCK OUTSTANDING		31,631,431			31,559,366			31,612,888


HBT Financial, Inc. Unaudited Consolidated Financial Summary

(dollars in thousands)	March 31, 2025		December 31, 2024		March 31, 2024

LOANS
Commercial and industrial	$	441,261	$	428,389	$	402,206
Commercial real estate – owner occupied		321,990		322,316		294,967
Commercial real estate – non-owner occupied		891,022		899,565		890,251
Construction and land development		376,046		374,657		345,991
Multi-family		424,096		431,524		421,573
One-to-four family residential		455,376		463,968		485,948
Agricultural and farmland		292,240		293,375		287,205
Municipal, consumer, and other		259,747		252,352		217,821
Total loans	$	3,461,778	$	3,466,146	$	3,345,962

(dollars in thousands)	March 31, 2025		December 31, 2024		March 31, 2024

DEPOSITS
Noninterest-bearing deposits	$	1,065,874	$	1,046,405	$	1,047,074
Interest-bearing deposits:
Interest-bearing demand		1,143,677		1,099,061		1,139,172
Money market		812,146		820,825		802,685
Savings		575,558		566,533		602,739
Time		787,335		785,430		713,142
Brokered		—		—		55,762
Total interest-bearing deposits		3,318,716		3,271,849		3,313,500
Total deposits	$	4,384,590	$	4,318,254	$	4,360,574


HBT Financial, Inc. Unaudited Consolidated Financial Summary

	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2025							December 31, 2024							March 31, 2024
(dollars in thousands)	Average Balance			Interest		Yield/Cost *		Average Balance			Interest		Yield/Cost *		Average Balance			Interest		Yield/Cost *

ASSETS
Loans	$	3,460,906		$	54,537	6.39	%	$	3,387,541		$	53,786	6.32	%	$	3,371,219		$	53,020	6.33	%
Debt securities		1,204,424			7,405	2.49			1,208,404			7,311	2.41			1,213,947			6,801	2.25
Deposits with banks		120,014			1,065	3.60			149,691			1,520	4.04			167,297			1,952	4.69
Other		12,677			131	4.19			12,698			181	5.68			12,986			188	5.82
Total interest-earning assets		4,798,021		$	63,138	5.34	%		4,758,334		$	62,798	5.25	%		4,765,449		$	61,961	5.23	%
Allowance for credit losses		(42,061	)						(40,942	)						(40,238	)
Noninterest-earning assets		276,853							277,074							278,253
Total assets	$	5,032,813						$	4,994,466						$	5,003,464

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Liabilities
Interest-bearing deposits:
Interest-bearing demand	$	1,120,608		$	1,453	0.53	%	$	1,088,082		$	1,351	0.49	%	$	1,127,684		$	1,311	0.47	%
Money market		807,728			4,397	2.21			787,768			4,444	2.24			812,684			4,797	2.37
Savings		569,494			370	0.26			562,833			389	0.27			611,224			443	0.29
Time		784,099			6,719	3.48			796,494			7,439	3.72			664,498			5,925	3.59
Brokered		—			—	—			3,261			49	5.96			82,150			1,117	5.47
Total interest-bearing deposits		3,281,929			12,939	1.60			3,238,438			13,672	1.68			3,298,240			13,593	1.66
Securities sold under agreements to repurchase		8,754			22	1.02			31,624			179	2.26			32,456			152	1.89
Borrowings		12,890			109	3.41			13,370			115	3.42			13,003			125	3.87
Subordinated notes		39,563			470	4.82			39,543			470	4.73			39,484			470	4.78
Junior subordinated debentures issued to capital trusts		52,856			890	6.83			52,841			961	7.23			52,796			933	7.11
Total interest-bearing liabilities		3,395,992		$	14,430	1.72	%		3,375,816		$	15,397	1.81	%		3,435,979		$	15,273	1.79	%
Noninterest-bearing deposits		1,045,733							1,041,471							1,036,402
Noninterest-bearing liabilities		36,373							35,644							37,107
Total liabilities		4,478,098							4,452,931							4,509,488
Stockholders’ Equity		554,715							541,535							493,976
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	5,032,813						$	4,994,466						$	5,003,464

Net interest income/Net interest margin ⁽¹⁾				$	48,708	4.12	%				$	47,401	3.96	%				$	46,688	3.94	%
Tax-equivalent adjustment ⁽²⁾					545	0.04						562	0.05						575	0.05
Net interest income (tax-equivalent basis)/ Net interest margin (tax-equivalent basis) ^{(2) (3)}				$	49,253	4.16	%				$	47,963	4.01	%				$	47,263	3.99	%
Net interest rate spread ⁽⁴⁾						3.62	%						3.44	%						3.44	%
Net interest-earning assets ⁽⁵⁾	$	1,402,029						$	1,382,518						$	1,329,470
Ratio of interest-earning assets to interest-bearing liabilities		1.41							1.41							1.39
Cost of total deposits						1.21	%						1.27	%						1.26	%
Cost of funds						1.32							1.39							1.37

____________________________________

* Annualized measure.

(1)   Net interest margin represents net interest income divided by average total interest-earning assets.
(2)   On a tax-equivalent basis assuming a federal income tax rate of 21% and a state income tax rate of 9.5%.
(3)   See “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to their most closely comparable GAAP financial measures.
(4)   Net interest rate spread represents the difference between the yield on average interest-earning assets and the cost of average interest-bearing liabilities.
(5)   Net interest-earning assets represents total interest-earning assets less total interest-bearing liabilities.


HBT Financial, Inc. Unaudited Consolidated Financial Summary

(dollars in thousands)	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			March 31, 2024

NONPERFORMING ASSETS
Nonaccrual	$	5,102		$	7,652		$	9,657
Past due 90 days or more, still accruing		4			4			—
Total nonperforming loans		5,106			7,656			9,657
Foreclosed assets		460			367			277
Total nonperforming assets	$	5,566		$	8,023		$	9,934

Nonperforming loans that are wholly or partially guaranteed by the U.S. Government	$	1,350		$	1,573		$	2,676

Allowance for credit losses	$	42,111		$	42,044		$	40,815
Loans, before allowance for credit losses		3,461,778			3,466,146			3,345,962

CREDIT QUALITY RATIOS
Allowance for credit losses to loans, before allowance for credit losses		1.22	%		1.21	%		1.22	%
Allowance for credit losses to nonaccrual loans		825.38			549.45			422.65
Allowance for credit losses to nonperforming loans		824.74			549.16			422.65
Nonaccrual loans to loans, before allowance for credit losses		0.15			0.22			0.29
Nonperforming loans to loans, before allowance for credit losses		0.15			0.22			0.29
Nonperforming assets to total assets		0.11			0.16			0.20
Nonperforming assets to loans, before allowance for credit losses, and foreclosed assets		0.16			0.23			0.30

	Three Months Ended
(dollars in thousands)	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			March 31, 2024

ALLOWANCE FOR CREDIT LOSSES
Beginning balance	$	42,044		$	40,966		$	40,048
Provision for credit losses		496			1,771			560
Charge-offs		(665	)		(1,086	)		(227	)
Recoveries		236			393			434
Ending balance	$	42,111		$	42,044		$	40,815

Net charge-offs (recoveries)	$	429		$	693		$	(207	)
Average loans		3,460,906			3,387,541			3,371,219

Net charge-offs (recoveries) to average loans *		0.05	%		0.08	%		(0.02)	%

____________________________________

* Annualized measure.

	Three Months Ended
(dollars in thousands)	March 31, 2025		December 31, 2024			March 31, 2024

PROVISION FOR CREDIT LOSSES
Loans	$	496	$	1,771		$	560
Unfunded lending-related commitments		80		(1,046	)		(33	)
Total provision for credit losses	$	576	$	725		$	527

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures –
Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Return on Average Assets

	Three Months Ended
(dollars in thousands)	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			March 31, 2024

Net income	$	19,075		$	20,272		$	15,258
Less: adjustments
Gains (losses) on closed branch premises		59			—			(635	)
Realized gains (losses) on sales of securities		—			(315	)		(3,382	)
Mortgage servicing rights fair value adjustment		(308	)		1,331			80
Total adjustments		(249	)		1,016			(3,937	)
Tax effect of adjustments ⁽¹⁾		71			(290	)		1,122
Total adjustments after tax effect		(178	)		726			(2,815	)
Adjusted net income	$	19,253		$	19,546		$	18,073

Average assets	$	5,032,813		$	4,994,466		$	5,003,464

Return on average assets *		1.54	%		1.61	%		1.23	%
Adjusted return on average assets *		1.55			1.56			1.45

____________________________________

* Annualized measure.

(1) Assumes a federal income tax rate of 21% and a state tax rate of 9.5%.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures –
Adjusted Earnings Per Share — Basic and Diluted

	Three Months Ended
(dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)	March 31, 2025		December 31, 2024		March 31, 2024

Numerator:
Net income	$	19,075	$	20,272	$	15,258

Adjusted net income	$	19,253	$	19,546	$	18,073

Denominator:
Weighted average common shares outstanding		31,584,989		31,559,366		31,662,954
Dilutive effect of outstanding restricted stock units		126,682		143,498		140,233
Weighted average common shares outstanding, including all dilutive potential shares		31,711,671		31,702,864		31,803,187

Earnings per share – basic	$	0.60	$	0.64	$	0.48
Earnings per share – diluted	$	0.60	$	0.64	$	0.48

Adjusted earnings per share – basic	$	0.61	$	0.62	$	0.57
Adjusted earnings per share – diluted	$	0.61	$	0.62	$	0.57

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures –
Pre-Provision Net Revenue, Pre-Provision Net Revenue Less Net Charge-offs (Recoveries),
Adjusted Pre-Provision Net Revenue, and Adjusted Pre-Provision Net Revenue Less Net Charge-offs (Recoveries)

	Three Months Ended
(dollars in thousands)	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			March 31, 2024

Net interest income	$	48,708		$	47,401		$	46,688
Noninterest income		9,306			11,630			5,626
Noninterest expense		(31,935	)		(30,908	)		(31,268	)
Pre-provision net revenue		26,079			28,123			21,046
Less: adjustments
Gains (losses) on closed branch premises		59			—			(635	)
Realized gains (losses) on sales of securities		—			(315	)		(3,382	)
Mortgage servicing rights fair value adjustment		(308	)		1,331			80
Total adjustments		(249	)		1,016			(3,937	)
Adjusted pre-provision net revenue	$	26,328		$	27,107		$	24,983

Pre-provision net revenue	$	26,079		$	28,123		$	21,046
Less: net charge-offs (recoveries)		429			693			(207	)
Pre-provision net revenue less net charge-offs	$	25,650		$	27,430		$	21,253

Adjusted pre-provision net revenue	$	26,328		$	27,107		$	24,983
Less: net charge-offs (recoveries)		429			693			(207	)
Adjusted pre-provision net revenue less net charge-offs	$	25,899		$	26,414		$	25,190

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures –
Net Interest Income (Tax-equivalent Basis) and Net Interest Margin (Tax-equivalent Basis)

	Three Months Ended
(dollars in thousands)	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			March 31, 2024

Net interest income (tax-equivalent basis)
Net interest income	$	48,708		$	47,401		$	46,688
Tax-equivalent adjustment ⁽¹⁾		545			562			575
Net interest income (tax-equivalent basis) ⁽¹⁾	$	49,253		$	47,963		$	47,263

Net interest margin (tax-equivalent basis)
Net interest margin *		4.12	%		3.96	%		3.94	%
Tax-equivalent adjustment * ⁽¹⁾		0.04			0.05			0.05
Net interest margin (tax-equivalent basis) * ⁽¹⁾		4.16	%		4.01	%		3.99	%

Average interest-earning assets	$	4,798,021		$	4,758,334		$	4,765,449

____________________________________

* Annualized measure.

(1) On a tax-equivalent basis assuming a federal income tax rate of 21% and a state tax rate of 9.5%.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures –
Efficiency Ratio (Tax-equivalent Basis) and Adjusted Efficiency Ratio (Tax-equivalent Basis)

	Three Months Ended
(dollars in thousands)	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			March 31, 2024

Total noninterest expense	$	31,935		$	30,908		$	31,268
Less: amortization of intangible assets		695			709			710
Noninterest expense excluding amortization of intangible assets	$	31,240		$	30,199		$	30,558

Net interest income	$	48,708		$	47,401		$	46,688
Total noninterest income		9,306			11,630			5,626
Operating revenue		58,014			59,031			52,314
Tax-equivalent adjustment ⁽¹⁾		545			562			575
Operating revenue (tax-equivalent basis) ⁽¹⁾		58,559			59,593			52,889
Less: adjustments to noninterest income
Gains (losses) on closed branch premises		59			—			(635	)
Realized gains (losses) on sales of securities		—			(315	)		(3,382	)
Mortgage servicing rights fair value adjustment		(308	)		1,331			80
Total adjustments to noninterest income		(249	)		1,016			(3,937	)
Adjusted operating revenue (tax-equivalent basis) ⁽¹⁾	$	58,808		$	58,577		$	56,826

Efficiency ratio		53.85	%		51.16	%		58.41	%
Efficiency ratio (tax-equivalent basis) ⁽¹⁾		53.35			50.68			57.78
Adjusted efficiency ratio (tax-equivalent basis) ⁽¹⁾		53.12			51.55			53.77

____________________________________
(1) On a tax-equivalent basis assuming a federal income tax rate of 21% and a state tax rate of 9.5%.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures –
Ratio of Tangible Common Equity to Tangible Assets and Tangible Book Value Per Share

(dollars in thousands, except per share data)	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			March 31, 2024

Tangible Common Equity
Total stockholders’ equity	$	565,057		$	544,605		$	496,681
Less: Goodwill		59,820			59,820			59,820
Less: Intangible assets, net		17,148			17,843			19,972
Tangible common equity	$	488,089		$	466,942		$	416,889

Tangible Assets
Total assets	$	5,092,192		$	5,032,902		$	5,040,510
Less: Goodwill		59,820			59,820			59,820
Less: Intangible assets, net		17,148			17,843			19,972
Tangible assets	$	5,015,224		$	4,955,239		$	4,960,718

Total stockholders’ equity to total assets		11.10	%		10.82	%		9.85	%
Tangible common equity to tangible assets		9.73			9.42			8.40

Shares of common stock outstanding		31,631,431			31,559,366			31,612,888

Book value per share	$	17.86		$	17.26		$	15.71
Tangible book value per share		15.43			14.80			13.19

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures –
Return on Average Tangible Common Equity,
Adjusted Return on Average Stockholders’ Equity and Adjusted Return on Average Tangible Common Equity

	Three Months Ended
(dollars in thousands)	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			March 31, 2024

Average Tangible Common Equity
Total stockholders’ equity	$	554,715		$	541,535		$	493,976
Less: Goodwill		59,820			59,820			59,820
Less: Intangible assets, net		17,480			18,170			20,334
Average tangible common equity	$	477,415		$	463,545		$	413,822

Net income	$	19,075		$	20,272		$	15,258
Adjusted net income		19,253			19,546			18,073

Return on average stockholders’ equity *		13.95	%		14.89	%		12.42	%
Return on average tangible common equity *		16.20			17.40			14.83

Adjusted return on average stockholders’ equity *		14.08	%		14.36	%		14.72	%
Adjusted return on average tangible common equity *		16.36			16.77			17.57

____________________________________

* Annualized measure.

The MIL Network –

April 21, 2025

MIL-OSI Australia: Joint doorstop interview, Macquarie Park

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

JEROME LAXALE:

I’m Jerome Laxale, the Member for Bennelong. It’s so great to welcome the Minister for Housing and the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the Assistant Minister Jenny McAllister. It’s so great to be here at a small business in Bennelong. These energy efficiency upgrades will make a difference. I’ve run a small business my whole life. And I know that each and every day you’re looking to make savings, you’re looking to reinvest in the business. To get a better outcome for the bottom line, but also for your customers. Investing in these energy efficiency upgrades will help small businesses right across the country. Round 2 being announced today builds on the back of Round 1, which was announced last year. And we had a great example, in Bennelong where a supermarket used these energy efficiency grants to install controllers on their refrigerants, which has reduced their power prices by 20 per cent to 30 per cent. By the government providing these grants, it gives small businesses incentives, to do the homework, and to invest in upgrades to their energy efficiency, reduces emissions and reduces power bills. This is exactly what this Albanese government was elected to deliver. And it’s so great that we have another business here in Bennelong that has applied, that has been successful. They’ll see the power prices go down; they’ll see their emissions go down – all from this incentive by the federal government. It gives me great pleasure to invite Minister McAllister, to talk about it a lot more. It’s a very exciting program and one that I’m proud to have been an advocate for.

SENATOR MCALLISTER:

Thanks very much, Jerome, for your warm welcome and for your tireless advocacy for the people of Bennelong. It’s a pleasure to be here with my friend and colleague, Minister Collins. And today to announce the second round of the Energy Efficiency Grants for Small and Medium Enterprises. Now, we know that over the last 10 years, electricity has literally been leaking out the doors and windows of Australian homes and businesses because too little government attention was paid to the opportunities afforded by energy efficiency. Small improvements to businesses can make a big difference in an ongoing way to the energy demands. Now here at The Governor in Jerome’s electorate of Bennelong, they understand that changes to the energy performance of this operation will help them with their overall business performance. They’ve already made the decision to put solar on the roof, but in addition to that, they are now seeking to install monitoring equipment on the refrigeration, switch over their hot water from gas to a much more efficient electric system, and do an overall energy audit, so that can also understand the future opportunities to improvements right here. Our grants will allow these kinds of activities to happen right across the country. So from Darwin down to Hobart, Sydney to Perth, we will assist more than 1,700 Australian small and medium sized businesses to improve their energy performance. Lighting, refrigeration, heating and cooling, all of these things can make a lasting and enduring difference to the bills paid by small businesses and help these businesses to thrive. There’s a lot of work to do. This area of policy was characterised by a decade of neglect. But we are up for this task, and it is my very great pleasure to announce these grants today. I might introduce the Small Business Minister, Minister Collins, to make a few additional remarks, about the work that we are doing [inaudible] to support the small business sector.

JULIE COLLINS:

Thanks, Jenny. It’s terrific to be here at The Governor Hotel, and I thank them for having us today and for their success in this energy efficiency grant. It’s also terrific, obviously, to be with my friend and local Member, Jerome. It’s terrific to visit Jerome’s electorate. And again, as my colleague said, he’s a terrific advocate for people in Bennelong here in New South Wales. And of course, my other friend and colleague, Minister McAllister, who’s doing a terrific job when it comes to climate and energy, and particularly in terms of helping small businesses improve their energy efficiency and put downward pressure on their energy bills. That is what we have been doing as a government supporting small businesses with targeted support in ways to support small businesses, but also put downward pressure on inflation. These grants are a prime example of the government supporting and investing with small businesses in their business so that they get the returns not just today, but over the long term. As we’ve heard from Minister McAllister and indeed from the local member, Jerome, these grants are incredibly popular because what they do is they get small businesses to think about their energy efficiency, and they’ve put downward pressure on their energy bills over the long term. They are, of course, from our government, supporting small businesses, as we’ve heard, the second round over $40 million going to 1,700 small businesses and medium‑sized enterprises across the country. We, of course, are supporting small businesses in other ways. What we saw in our last budget was our Small Business Budget Statement, which has got over $640 million in targeted support for small businesses.

Because we know while many small businesses are thriving, some small businesses are doing it tough, and we’re providing that targeted support. For things like our direct energy bill relief, up to $325 for around 1 million small businesses across the country. Our instant asset write‑off $20,000, for each asset for small businesses has been extended for this financial year as well as last. We have of course extended important programs to provide mental health and wellbeing for small businesses. To make sure that if they want to expand and grow their business or if they’re having some issues with their small businesses, they can get that targeted personal support for their business through financial counselling and advice. We, of course, are also leveling the playing field. We have got through the parliament legislation in relation to improving payment times for small businesses, again, to help small businesses with their cash flow. We’re reforming the franchising system to make sure that we have as a level playing field as we can get so that small businesses can compete with big businesses. We want to stay small businesses thrive in Australia, and that is what our small business target of support is all about. Labor is the party of supporting small businesses, and I look forward to continuing to work with colleagues like Minister McAllister to ensure that small businesses thrive right across the country.

JOURNALIST:

AEMO has flagged drops in energy supply for renewables throughout winter, with more gas needed to fill the gap. What is the plan if renewable output doesn’t improve?

COLLINS:

Look what we know is that renewables are the cheapest form of energy. AEMO supports what Labor is doing in terms of more renewables into the grid. What we also know is, is that the Liberal and National plan for nuclear will be too slow and too expensive when it comes to energy in Australia. What we’re doing here today is supporting small businesses to put downward pressure on their energy and to help them with their energy bills. And I’m happy to hand over to Minister McAllister to talk more about energy more generally. What I would say is that the alternative plan coming from Peter Dutton to go nuclear is too slow and too expensive, and our plan is being supported by AEMO to get more renewables into the system. Can I say, as a proud Tasmanian, we have a lot of renewables in Tasmania. We’ve been successfully net zero now for 8 out of the 9 last years. So it can be done.

MCALLISTER:

Thanks very much, Julie. Today we’ve received 2 reports from the market bodies indicating that renewables remain the lowest cost form of generation and are making an increasingly important contribution to the grid. Now, the reports also confirm the information that has been provided to successive governments over a very long period of time now – which is that more investment is required in generation capability to replace the aging coal‑fired power fleet that is coming to the end of its life.

Unfortunately, during the period of the last government under the Liberals, these warnings were ignored. Twenty-four coal fired power stations announced or brought forward their closure dates, and the response to this was zero from the previous government. We are acting and taking steps now to bring on the new, reliable renewables that are necessary to develop – to deliver affordable energy for Australians. Now Peter Dutton’s plan is in no way responsive to the information that’s in front of us.

Mr Dutton’s plan, apparently, is to have a conversation over the next term about nuclear with some communities, and then to wait until 2040 to deliver new generation capacity. We can’t wait that long. We need to get on with the job delivering the technologies that the experts tell us, are necessary to deliver an affordable and reliable power grid.

JOURNALIST:

The government has approved gas exploration licenses around Victoria and Tassie. How quickly do we need to get gas – that gas into the grid?

MCALLISTER:

We understand that the future of the Australian electricity market will be built on a range of technologies: renewables, like wind, solar, batteries, pumped hydro and of course, gas for those occasions when we need it as a backup. And what AEMO tells us is that looking to the future, we will see gas used less and less frequently, but when it’s used, it will be really important. It’s on that basis that we built the Future Gas Strategy. It’s important for Australians to think about where we are going to get the gas that we will need out ‘til 2050, but at the same time we retain focus on our core purpose, which is building out the new generation capability that is necessary to replace the aging coal‑fired generation. This is a task that has been completely ignored by the previous government, and it appears that in opposition they have not learned the lessons from the past. The current plan is to do something, perhaps in 2040. What happens between now and then is a complete mystery. And it’s time for Mr Dutton to front up and explain to Australians what the plan is between now and 2040, to meet the energy demands that the Australian economy requires.

MIL OSI News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Pope Francis has died, aged 88. These were his greatest reforms – and controversies

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Joel Hodge, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, Australian Catholic University

Pope Francis has died on Easter Monday, aged 88, the Vatican announced. The head of the Catholic Church had recently survived being hospitalised with a serious bout of double pneumonia.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell’s announcement began:

Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.

There were many unusual aspects of Pope Francis’ papacy. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas (and the southern hemisphere), the first to choose the name “Francis” and the first to give a TED talk. He was also the first pope in more than 600 years to be elected following the resignation, rather than death, of his predecessor.

From the very start of his papacy, Francis seemed determined to do things differently and present the papacy in a new light. Even in thinking about his burial, he chose the unexpected: to be placed to rest not in the Vatican, but in the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome – the first pope to be buried there in more than 300 years.

Vatican News reported the late Pope Francis had requested his funeral rites be simplified.

“The renewed rite,” said Archbishop Diego Ravelli, “seeks to emphasise even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world.”

Straddling a line between “progressive” and “conservative”, Francis experienced tension with both sides. In doing so, his papacy shone a spotlight on what it means to be Catholic today.

The day before his death, Pope Francis made a brief appearance on Easter Sunday to bless the crowds at St Peter’s Square.

Between a rock and a hard place

Francis was deemed not progressive enough by some, yet far too progressive by others.

His apostolic exhortation (an official papal teaching on a particular issue or action) Amoris Laetitia, ignited great controversy for seemingly being (more) open to the question of whether people who have divorced and remarried may receive Eucharist.

He also disappointed progressive Catholics, many of whom hoped he would make stronger changes on issues such as the roles of women, married clergy, and the broader inclusion of LGBTQIA+ Catholics.

The reception of his exhortation Querida Amazonia was one such example. In this document, Francis did not endorse marriage for priests, despite bishops’ requests for this. He also did not allow the possibility of women being ordained as deacons to address a shortage of ordained ministers. His discerning spirit saw there was too much division and no clear consensus for change.

Francis was also openly critical of Germany’s controversial
“Synodal Way” – a series of conferences with bishops and lay people – that advocated for positions contrary to Church teachings. Francis expressed concern on multiple occasions that this project was a threat to the unity of the Church.

At the same time, Francis was no stranger to controversy from the conservative side of the Church, receiving “dubia” or “theological doubts” over his teaching from some of his Cardinals. In 2023, he took the unusual step of responding to some of these doubts.

Impact on the Catholic Church

In many ways, the most striking thing about Francis was not his words or theology, but his style. He was a modest man, even foregoing the Apostolic Palace’s grand papal apartments to live in the Vatican’s simpler guest house.

He may well be remembered most for his simplicity of dress and habits, his welcoming and pastoral style and his wise spirit of discernment.

He is recognised as giving a clear witness to the life, love and joy of Jesus in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council – a point of major reform in modern Church history. This witness has translated into two major developments in Church teachings and life.

Love for our common home

The first of these relates to environmental teachings. In 2015, Francis released his ground-breaking encyclical, Laudato si’: On Care for Our Common Home. It expanded Catholic social teaching by giving a comprehensive account of how the environment reflects our God-given “common home”.

Consistent with recent popes such as Benedict XVI and John Paul II, Francis acknowledged climate change and its destructive impacts and causes. He summarised key scientific research to forcefully argue for an evidence-based approach to addressing humans’ impact on the environment.

He also made a pivotal and innovative contribution to the climate change debate by identifying the ethical and spiritual causes of environmental destruction.

Francis argued combating climate change relied on the “ecological conversion” of the human heart, so that people may recognise the God-given nature of our planet and the fundamental call to care for it. Without this conversion, pragmatic and political measures wouldn’t be able to counter the forces of consumerism, exploitation and selfishness.

Francis argued a new ethic and spirituality was needed. Specifically, he said Jesus’ way of love – for other people and all creation – is the transformative force that could bring sustainable change for the environment and cultivate fraternity among people (and especially with the poor).

Synodality: moving towards a Church that listens

Francis’s second major contribution, and one of the most significant aspects of his papacy, was his commitment to “synodality”. While there’s still confusion over what synodality actually means, and its potential for political distortion, it is above all a way of listening and discerning through openness to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

It involves hierarchy and lay people transparently and honestly discerning together, in service of the mission of the church. Synodality is as much about the process as the goal. This makes sense as Pope Francis was a Jesuit, an order focused on spreading Catholicism through spiritual formation and discernment.

Drawing on his rich Jesuit spirituality, Francis introduced a way of conversation centred on listening to the Holy Spirit and others, while seeking to cultivate friendship and wisdom.

With the conclusion of the second session of the Synod on Synodality in October 2024, it is too soon to assess its results. However, those who have been involved in synodal processes have reported back on their transformative potential.

Archbishop of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge, explained how participating in the 2015 Synod “was an extraordinary experience [and] in some ways an awakening”.

Catholicism in the modern age

Francis’ papacy inspired both great joy and aspirations, as well as boiling anger and rejection. He laid bare the agonising fault lines within the Catholic community and struck at key issues of Catholic identity, triggering debate over what it means to be Catholic in the world today.

He leaves behind a Church that seems more divided than ever, with arguments, uncertainty and many questions rolling in his wake. But he has also provided a way for the Church to become more converted to Jesus’ way of love, through synodality and dialogue.

Francis showed us that holding labels such as “progressive” or “conservative” won’t enable the Church to live out Jesus’ mission of love – a mission he emphasised from the very beginning of his papacy.

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

– ref. Pope Francis has died, aged 88. These were his greatest reforms – and controversies – https://theconversation.com/pope-francis-has-died-aged-88-these-were-his-greatest-reforms-and-controversies-229111

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 21, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Pope Francis has died, aged 88. These were his greatest reforms – and controversies

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joel Hodge, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, Australian Catholic University

Pope Francis has died on Easter Monday, aged 88, the Vatican announced. The head of the Catholic Church had recently survived being hospitalised with a serious bout of double pneumonia.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell’s announcement began:

Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.

There were many unusual aspects of Pope Francis’ papacy. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas (and the southern hemisphere), the first to choose the name “Francis” and the first to give a TED talk. He was also the first pope in more than 600 years to be elected following the resignation, rather than death, of his predecessor.

From the very start of his papacy, Francis seemed determined to do things differently and present the papacy in a new light. Even in thinking about his burial, he chose the unexpected: to be placed to rest not in the Vatican, but in the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome – the first pope to be buried there in more than 300 years.

Vatican News reported the late Pope Francis had requested his funeral rites be simplified.

“The renewed rite,” said Archbishop Diego Ravelli, “seeks to emphasise even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world.”

Straddling a line between “progressive” and “conservative”, Francis experienced tension with both sides. In doing so, his papacy shone a spotlight on what it means to be Catholic today.

The day before his death, Pope Francis made a brief appearance on Easter Sunday to bless the crowds at St Peter’s Square.

Between a rock and a hard place

Francis was deemed not progressive enough by some, yet far too progressive by others.

His apostolic exhortation (an official papal teaching on a particular issue or action) Amoris Laetitia, ignited great controversy for seemingly being (more) open to the question of whether people who have divorced and remarried may receive Eucharist.

He also disappointed progressive Catholics, many of whom hoped he would make stronger changes on issues such as the roles of women, married clergy, and the broader inclusion of LGBTQIA+ Catholics.

The reception of his exhortation Querida Amazonia was one such example. In this document, Francis did not endorse marriage for priests, despite bishops’ requests for this. He also did not allow the possibility of women being ordained as deacons to address a shortage of ordained ministers. His discerning spirit saw there was too much division and no clear consensus for change.

Francis was also openly critical of Germany’s controversial
“Synodal Way” – a series of conferences with bishops and lay people – that advocated for positions contrary to Church teachings. Francis expressed concern on multiple occasions that this project was a threat to the unity of the Church.

At the same time, Francis was no stranger to controversy from the conservative side of the Church, receiving “dubia” or “theological doubts” over his teaching from some of his Cardinals. In 2023, he took the unusual step of responding to some of these doubts.

Impact on the Catholic Church

In many ways, the most striking thing about Francis was not his words or theology, but his style. He was a modest man, even foregoing the Apostolic Palace’s grand papal apartments to live in the Vatican’s simpler guest house.

He may well be remembered most for his simplicity of dress and habits, his welcoming and pastoral style and his wise spirit of discernment.

He is recognised as giving a clear witness to the life, love and joy of Jesus in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council – a point of major reform in modern Church history. This witness has translated into two major developments in Church teachings and life.

Love for our common home

The first of these relates to environmental teachings. In 2015, Francis released his ground-breaking encyclical, Laudato si’: On Care for Our Common Home. It expanded Catholic social teaching by giving a comprehensive account of how the environment reflects our God-given “common home”.

Consistent with recent popes such as Benedict XVI and John Paul II, Francis acknowledged climate change and its destructive impacts and causes. He summarised key scientific research to forcefully argue for an evidence-based approach to addressing humans’ impact on the environment.

He also made a pivotal and innovative contribution to the climate change debate by identifying the ethical and spiritual causes of environmental destruction.

Francis argued combating climate change relied on the “ecological conversion” of the human heart, so that people may recognise the God-given nature of our planet and the fundamental call to care for it. Without this conversion, pragmatic and political measures wouldn’t be able to counter the forces of consumerism, exploitation and selfishness.

Francis argued a new ethic and spirituality was needed. Specifically, he said Jesus’ way of love – for other people and all creation – is the transformative force that could bring sustainable change for the environment and cultivate fraternity among people (and especially with the poor).

Synodality: moving towards a Church that listens

Francis’s second major contribution, and one of the most significant aspects of his papacy, was his commitment to “synodality”. While there’s still confusion over what synodality actually means, and its potential for political distortion, it is above all a way of listening and discerning through openness to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

It involves hierarchy and lay people transparently and honestly discerning together, in service of the mission of the church. Synodality is as much about the process as the goal. This makes sense as Pope Francis was a Jesuit, an order focused on spreading Catholicism through spiritual formation and discernment.

Drawing on his rich Jesuit spirituality, Francis introduced a way of conversation centred on listening to the Holy Spirit and others, while seeking to cultivate friendship and wisdom.

With the conclusion of the second session of the Synod on Synodality in October 2024, it is too soon to assess its results. However, those who have been involved in synodal processes have reported back on their transformative potential.

Archbishop of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge, explained how participating in the 2015 Synod “was an extraordinary experience [and] in some ways an awakening”.

Catholicism in the modern age

Francis’ papacy inspired both great joy and aspirations, as well as boiling anger and rejection. He laid bare the agonising fault lines within the Catholic community and struck at key issues of Catholic identity, triggering debate over what it means to be Catholic in the world today.

He leaves behind a Church that seems more divided than ever, with arguments, uncertainty and many questions rolling in his wake. But he has also provided a way for the Church to become more converted to Jesus’ way of love, through synodality and dialogue.

Francis showed us that holding labels such as “progressive” or “conservative” won’t enable the Church to live out Jesus’ mission of love – a mission he emphasised from the very beginning of his papacy.

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

– ref. Pope Francis has died, aged 88. These were his greatest reforms – and controversies – https://theconversation.com/pope-francis-has-died-aged-88-these-were-his-greatest-reforms-and-controversies-229111

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 21, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Twinkling star reveals the shocking secrets of turbulent plasma in our cosmic neighbourhood

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Reardon, Postdoctoral Researcher, Pulsar Timing and Gravitational Waves, Swinburne University of Technology

Artist’s impression of a pulsar bow shock scattering a radio beam. Carl Knox/Swinburne/OzGrav

With the most powerful radio telescope in the southern hemisphere, we have observed a twinkling star and discovered an abundance of mysterious plasma structures in our cosmic neighbourhood.

The plasma structures we see are variations in density or turbulence, akin to interstellar cyclones stirred up by energetic events in the galaxy.

The study, published today in Nature Astronomy, also describes the first measurements of plasma layers within an interstellar shock wave that surrounds a pulsar.

We now realise our local interstellar medium is filled with these structures and our findings also include a rare phenomenon that will challenge theories of pulsar shock waves.

What’s a pulsar and why does it have a shock wave?

Our observations honed in on the nearby fast-spinning pulsar, J0437-4715, which is 512 light-years away from Earth. A pulsar is a neutron star, a super-dense stellar remnant that produces beams of radio waves and an energetic “wind” of particles.

The pulsar and its wind move with supersonic speed through the interstellar medium – the stuff (gas, dust and plasma) between the stars. This creates a bow shock: a shock wave of heated gas that glows red.

The interstellar plasma is turbulent and scatters pulsar radio waves slightly away from a direct, straight line path. The scattered waves create a pattern of bright and dim patches that drifts over our radio telescopes as Earth, the pulsar and plasma all move through space.

From our vantage point, this causes the pulsar to twinkle, or “scintillate”. The effect is similar to how turbulence in Earth’s atmosphere makes stars twinkle in the night sky.

Pulsar scintillation gives us unique information about plasma structures that are too small and faint to be detected in any other way.

Twinkling little radio star

To the naked eye, the twinkling of a star might appear random. But for pulsars at least, there are hidden patterns.

With the right techniques, we can uncover ordered shapes from the interference pattern, called scintillation arcs. They detail the locations and velocities of compact structures in the interstellar plasma. Studying scintillation arcs is like performing a CT scan of the interstellar medium – each arc reveals a thin layer of plasma.

Usually, scintillation arc studies uncover just one, or at most a handful of these arcs, giving a view of only the most extreme (densest or most turbulent) plasma structures in our galaxy.

Our scintillation arc study broke new ground by unveiling an unprecedented 25 scintillation arcs, the most plasma structures observed for any pulsar to date.

The sensitivity of our study was only possible because of the close proximity of the pulsar (it’s our nearest millisecond pulsar neighbour) and the large collecting area of the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa.

Animation of 25 scintillation arcs changing in curvature with time according to the changing velocity of the pulsar. Each frame of the animation shows the scintillation arcs measured on one day, for six consecutive days. The inset scintillation arcs originate from the pulsar bow shock.
Reardon et al., Nature Astronomy

A Local Bubble surprise

Of the 25 scintillation arcs we found, 21 revealed structures in the interstellar medium. This was surprising because the pulsar – like our own Solar System – is located in a relatively quiet region of our galaxy called the Local Bubble.

About 14 million years ago, this part of our galaxy was lit up by stellar explosions that swept up material in the interstellar medium and inflated a hot void. Today, this bubble is still expanding and now extends up to 1,000 light-years from us.

Our new scintillation arc discoveries reveal that the Local Bubble is not as empty as previously thought. It is filled with compact plasma structures that could only be sustained if the bubble has cooled, at least in some areas, from millions of degrees down to a mild 10,000 degrees Celsius.

Shock discoveries

As the animation below shows, the pulsar is surrounded by its bow shock, which glows red with light from energised hydrogen atoms.

Artist’s animation of the bow shock scattering the pulsar beam. Carl Knox/Swinburne/OzGrav.

While most pulsars are thought to produce bow shocks, only a handful have ever been observed because they are faint objects. Until now, none had been studied using scintillation.

We traced the remaining four scintillation arcs to plasma structures inside the pulsar bow shock, marking the first time astronomers have peered inside one of these shock waves.

This gave us a CT-like view of the different layers of plasma. Using these arcs together with an optical image we constructed a new three-dimensional model of the shock, which appears to be tilted slightly away from us because of the motion of the pulsar through space.

The scintillation arcs also gave us the velocities of the plasma layers. Far from being as expected, we discovered that one inner plasma structure is moving towards the shock front against the flow of the shocked material in the opposite direction.

While such back flows can appear in simulations, they are rare. This finding will drive new models for this bow shock.

Scintillating science

With new and more sensitive radio telescopes being built around the world, we can expect to see scintillation from more pulsar bow shocks and other events in the interstellar medium.

This will uncover more about the energetic processes in our galaxy that create these otherwise invisible plasma structures.

The scintillation of this pulsar neighbour revealed unexpected plasma structures inside our Local Bubble and allowed us to map and measure the speed of plasma within a bow shock. It’s amazing what a twinkling little star can do.

Daniel Reardon receives funding from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav).

– ref. Twinkling star reveals the shocking secrets of turbulent plasma in our cosmic neighbourhood – https://theconversation.com/twinkling-star-reveals-the-shocking-secrets-of-turbulent-plasma-in-our-cosmic-neighbourhood-243022

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NASA Astronaut Don Pettit, Crewmates Complete Space Station Expedition

Source: NASA

NASA astronaut Don Pettit returned to Earth Saturday, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, concluding a seven-month science mission aboard the International Space Station.
The trio departed the space station at 5:57 p.m. EDT aboard the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft before making a safe, parachute-assisted landing at 9:20 p.m. (6:20 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, Kazakhstan time), southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. Pettit also celebrates his 70th birthday on Sunday, April 20.
Spanning 220 days in space, Pettit and his crewmates orbited the Earth 3,520 times, completing a journey of 93.3 million miles. Pettit, Ovchinin, and Vagner launched and docked to the orbiting laboratory on Sept. 11, 2024.
During his time aboard the space station, Pettit conducted research to enhance in-orbit metal 3D printing capabilities, advance water sanitization technologies, explore plant growth under varying water conditions, and investigate fire behavior in microgravity, all contributing to future space missions. He also used his surroundings aboard station to conduct unique experiments in his spare time and captivate the public with his photography.
This was Pettit’s fourth spaceflight, where he served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 71 and 72. He has logged 590 days in orbit throughout his career. Ovchinin completed his fourth flight, totaling 595 days, and Vagner has earned an overall total of 416 days in space during two spaceflights.
NASA is following its routine postlanding medical checks, the crew will return to the recovery staging area in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Pettit will then board a NASA plane bound for the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. According to NASA officials at the landing site, Pettit is doing well and in the range of what is expected for him following return to Earth.
For more than two decades, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs that are not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a strong low Earth orbit economy, NASA is focusing more resources on deep space missions to the Moon as part of Artemis in preparation for future astronaut missions to Mars.
Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:
https://www.nasa.gov/station
-end-
Joshua FinchHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1100joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
Sandra JonesJohnson Space Center, Houston281-483-5111sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov

MIL OSI USA News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Center in Lee County Closing, Help Is Still Available

Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

Headline: Disaster Recovery Center in Lee County Closing, Help Is Still Available

Disaster Recovery Center in Lee County Closing, Help Is Still Available

FRANKFORT, Ky

– The Disaster Recovery Center in Lee County will close temporarily at 7 p

m

on Friday, April 18

Regardless of your county of residence, you can get in-person assistance at any Disaster Recovery Center

To find a center close to you, visit fema

gov/DRC, or text DRC along with your Zip Code to 43362 (Example: “DRC 29169”)

You don’t have to visit a Disaster Recovery Center to apply for federal assistance

You can submit your applications online at DisasterAssistance

gov, through the FEMA App, or by calling 800-621-3362

If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service

Homeowners and renters in Breathitt, Clay, Estill, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Martin, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Simpson and Woodford counties affected by the February flooding can apply for federal assistance

FEMA urges the those affected by the February flooding to apply for assistance by the deadline of Friday, April 25

For an accessible video on how to apply for FEMA assistance, go to youtube

com/watch?v=WZGpWI2RCNw

For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www

fema

gov/disaster/4860

Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x

com/femaregion4

martyce

allenjr
Fri, 04/18/2025 – 19:31

MIL OSI USA News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: What they are saying: Governor Newsom’s lawsuit to end Trump tariffs good for consumers, businesses and families

Source: US State of California 2

Apr 19, 2025

What you need to know: Leaders across the nation, from elected officials to representatives from the business community, are praising California’s efforts to challenge President Trump’s authority to unilaterally enact tariffs.

SACRAMENTO – This week, Governor Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a joint lawsuit against the Trump administration. The lawsuit seeks to end President Trump’s tariff chaos, which has created havoc on the economy, destabilized the stock and bond markets and caused hundreds of billions of dollars in losses, and inflicted higher costs for consumers and businesses. These harms will only continue to grow, as President Trump’s tariffs are projected to shrink the U.S. economy by $100 billion annually.

State leaders

Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire: “President Trump’s last trade war cost America’s ag industry $27 billion. This time around, California’s farmers and families across the state are getting hit even harder. The Golden State is the nation’s largest importer and second largest exporter, the largest manufacturing state, and the 5th largest economy in the world. Republicans in Congress are simply sitting on their hands as the President burns the economy down. Too much is at stake, which is why the Governor and the Attorney General’s action is so important.”

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas: “Trump’s tariffs are the single largest tax increase in our lifetime, and they’re jamming Californians with higher prices on groceries, medicine and cars. This is why we enacted a legal defense fund: to fight Republican policies that harm taxpayers. We’re protecting our residents — and all American families — from unlawful economic chaos.”

Retail and business leaders

Jennifer Barrera, President and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce: “CalChamber has long supported a free trade agenda that fosters economic growth and job creation, including advocacy on lowering or eliminating tariff and non-tariff barriers for businesses. Protectionist measures, such as tariffs, disrupt global supply chains and raise costs on businesses, which are ultimately reflected through higher consumer prices or limited choices on products. As Californians grapple with rising costs and worry about daily pocketbook issues, additional tariffs will only further exacerbate the affordability crisis that millions are facing and will have dire consequences on the California economy.”

Rachel Michelin, President and CEO of the California Retailers Association: “Retailers across California—large and small—are navigating an unprecedented level of uncertainty due to these tariffs. For small businesses in particular, the volatility is devastating. Many neighborhood retailers simply do not have the resources to absorb these additional costs or quickly pivot supply chains forcing them to either raise prices or risk going out of business altogether. This is not sustainable for our communities or California’s economy and the current environment makes it nearly impossible to plan for the future. While we recognize the federal government’s goal of strengthening American industry, we urge all leaders to consider the real-world impact on our state’s businesses and families. California’s retailers stand ready to work with the Governor and Attorney General to find solutions that support growth, stability, and prosperity for all Californians.”

Rodney Fong, CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce: “These tariffs are having a devastating downstream impact on San Francisco’s economy — especially our small businesses that rely on global supply chains and export markets to survive. From rising costs on imported goods to sudden disruptions in inventory and operations, our local entrepreneurs are bearing the brunt of an unpredictable trade policy. We support the state’s efforts to restore certainty and stability to the economic environment our businesses depend on.”

Jason Pagiou, President and CEO of the Asian Business Association of San Diego: “As President and CEO of the Asian Business Association, we want to thank Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta for their continued leadership in protecting working families and small businesses across California. Our latest survey shows that economic pressure isn’t just theoretical — it’s showing up in rent, grocery bills, and the rising costs of essentials.”

Shipping and logistics leaders

Martha Miller, Executive Director of the California Association of Port Authorities (CAPA): “California is home to the most productive goods movement system in the Nation, moving cargo to every corner of the country and supporting millions of jobs. As the primary trade gateway with Asia, our state’s ports are among the first to experience the impacts that tariffs, retaliatory tariffs, and trade uncertainty creates across the global supply chain. We support the Governor’s leadership to mitigate the impacts of these tariffs on American consumers, workers, and businesses.”

Mike Jacob, President of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA): “No state has more private and public dollars invested in their seaports, logistics infrastructure, and freight transportation sector than California, and, as a result, no state has more jobs, more economic activity, more public financing, and more state and local tax revenues at risk of being a casualty in a global trade war than California. We applaud the leadership of the Governor and Attorney General to defend our private and public investments in the largest, most productive, and most environmentally advanced maritime gateways in the Western Hemisphere.”

City leaders

Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach: “Governor Newsom’s announcement of California’s lawsuit represents a critical opportunity to pause and evaluate the real-world impacts of these sweeping tariff changes. Here in Long Beach—home to the nation’s busiest container port—we’re already projecting a 20% drop in cargo volume in the second half of the year. That’s not just a local issue. Trade through the Port of Long Beach supports 2.6 million jobs across the country. Sudden shifts in trade policy, without robust dialogue or congressional oversight, risk long-term harm to our economy and to working families nationwide. It’s time for a more thoughtful and inclusive approach to shaping U.S. trade policy.”

Victor Gordo, Mayor of Pasadena: “In Pasadena, we’re focused on building back a strong, resilient economy. We’re investing in our small businesses, we’re encouraging job development, and we’re laying the groundwork for long-term growth. But these federal tariffs jeopardize all of that. They drive up costs, create uncertainty, and threaten the progress we’ve worked so hard to achieve. That’s why I stand with Governor Newsom in challenging these policies—because cities like ours can’t afford to pay the price for decisions that are short-sighted and out of step with our local needs.”

Larry Agran, Mayor of Irvine: “I appreciate the leadership that Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta are providing in challenging the legality of the Trump Tariffs. Other states need to follow California’s lead. If these tariffs are fully implemented, the effects will be devastating here in Irvine – many thousands of jobs lost, and sharp rises in prices of food, clothing, cars and other goods and services. Evictions and worsening homelessness will inevitably follow. We simply can’t let any of this happen. – Larry Agran, Mayor of Irvine.”

Kevin Jenkins, Interim Mayor of Oakland: “Oakland is grateful for the steadfast leadership of Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta in standing up to the Trump administration’s sweeping tariff proposals. These actions pose a serious threat to California’s economy, including the Port of Oakland and our small businesses, and jeopardize thousands of jobs tied to trade and commerce.”

Matt Mahan, Mayor of San Jose: “Silicon Valley’s success story is built on the free movement of people, ideas, and goods as well as laws that protect those freedoms from arbitrary restrictions. Our companies and communities succeed when we can export their innovative and essential products all over the world.”

Raj Salwan, Mayor of Fremont: “Fremont is the advanced manufacturing capital of Silicon Valley. With the largest manufacturing base in California, we are home to over 900 manufacturers powering industries from semiconductors and artificial intelligence to American-made electric vehicles. Tariffs threaten the global supply chains that sustain our local economy and jeopardize tens of thousands of local jobs. We are hearing directly from our manufacturers that untenable cost increases for key components and growing policy uncertainty around tariffs are leading them to re-evaluate their expansion plans or US operations entirely. Fremont is a shining example of re-shoring U.S. manufacturing and indiscriminate tariffs run completely counter to this stated policy goal. We are deeply concerned for our collective prosperity if these taxes being levied against our businesses and families are not reversed.”

Anna Velazquez, Mayor of Soledad: “The Trump administration tariffs will have a devastating impact to our working families. Soledad is a working class community and our residents will have to endure paying more for everyday household goods, groceries, fruits and vegetables as a result of tariffs that do not address our current inflation and fail to provide an economic plan that supports our working class community. We need a viable economic plan that provides relief to families that are already working hard to stretch their dollars.”

County leaders

Leticia Perez, Chair of the Kern County Board of Supervisors: “Tariffs will cause harmful impacts to Kern County families and small businesses. Families are already dealing with rising costs- they do not deserve this additional strain and uncertainty. I commend Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta for standing up to protect working families and small businesses across California.”

Doug Chaffee, Chair of Orange County Board of Supervisors: “Orange County is home to one of the most dynamic and diverse economies in the nation — from advanced manufacturing and biomedical innovation to world-class tourism and global trade. The Trump administration’s harmful tariff policies will disrupt supply chains, drive up costs, and put local jobs at risk. I fully support Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta’s efforts to defend California’s economy and protect the hardworking businesses and families that keep Orange County thriving.”

Mani Grewal, Stanislaus County Supervisor: “As a farmer and businessman, I understand the critical role that agriculture and trade play in our region’s economy. In Stanislaus County, where agriculture is a cornerstone of our livelihood, the uncertainty and financial strain caused by these tariffs hit particularly hard. Farmers and businesses need certainty and a sense of finality to operate best for their customers and the larger community. We must work to strengthen our agricultural community with policies that support economic wellbeing, not hinder it.”

Terra Lawson-Remer, Acting Chair of San Diego County Board of Supervisors: “These tariffs aren’t just a political talking point—they’re a direct hit on working families here in San Diego. They raise the cost of everyday goods, threaten local jobs, and destabilize the very industries that sustain our economy and fund critical County services. I’m proud to stand with Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta as California becomes the first state to take legal action against this reckless overreach. We need trade policies that lift up American businesses and workers—not ones that punch holes in family budgets and County revenues alike.”

Recent news

Apr 18, 2025

News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he has granted 16 pardons and 9 commutations. The Governor granted a posthumous pardon to Sergeant Richard Allen Penry, an Army Veteran who received the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest…

Apr 18, 2025

News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Brian Kaplun, of San Francisco, has been appointed Deputy Secretary for Policy and Strategic Planning at the Health and Human Services Agency. Kaplun held several roles at the United…

Apr 18, 2025

News What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom’s Administration continues to make significant investments in protecting California’s communities from the threat of climate change and extreme weather conditions with groundbreaking of a $1.95 billion flood protection…

MIL OSI USA News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom grants executive clemency in 25 cases, including posthumous pardon to Army veteran Sergeant Penry

Source: US State of California 2

Apr 18, 2025

Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he has granted 16 pardons and 9 commutations.

The Governor granted a posthumous pardon to Sergeant Richard Allen Penry, an Army Veteran who received the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military honor. Sergeant Penry was born in Petaluma and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. In 1971, President Nixon awarded Sergeant Penry the Medal of Honor for “extraordinary heroism at the risk of his own life.” Sergeant Penry returned from active duty at a time when there were few resources for veterans and little understanding of PTSD. He struggled with reentry to civilian life, which was the context for his substance use and criminal convictions.

“We greatly appreciate this action by Governor Newsom to pardon Medal of Honor recipient and California native Richard Allen Penry. This helps shine a light on the very real challenges some of our veterans’ face in transitioning to civilian life after they have bravely and selflessly served our nation,” said California Department of Veterans Affairs Undersecretary Keith Boylan. “This is a poignant reminder that we need to do all we can to support our veterans, especially those who may bear wounds as a result of their service.”

A veteran’s group from Sonoma County requested the posthumous pardon.

“Thank you to Governor Newsom for his dedication to California’s Veterans. As a retired U.S. Army Ranger Officer, I recognize the experiences of SGT Penry through my own combat service,” said Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1929 Commander and pardon requester Andrew M. LeMarQuand, MAJ (R). “If PTSD can impact a Medal of Honor recipient like SGT Penry, it can affect anyone. Seeking support is important for Veterans and their families and communities.”

Copies of the gubernatorial clemency certificates announced today can be found here.

Resources for victims, survivors, and witnesses

The Governor’s Office encourages victims, survivors, and witnesses to register with CDCR’s Office of Victims and Survivors Rights and Services to receive information about an incarcerated person’s status. For general information about victim services, to learn about victim-offender dialogues, or to register or update a registration confidentially, please click here or call 1-877-256-6877 (toll free).

Clemency authority

While in office, Governor Newsom has granted a total of 224 pardons and 150 commutations.

The California Constitution gives the Governor the authority to grant clemency in the form of a pardon, commutation, or reprieve. In cases where the applicant has more than one felony conviction, the Governor must first get the approval of the Board of Parole Hearings and the California Supreme Court. The Board of Parole Hearings investigates clemency applications.

The Governor issues clemency grants only when they are consistent with public safety. In making this determination, the Governor weighs numerous factors including the applicant’s self-development and conduct since the offense and the impact of a grant on the community, including crime victims and survivors. Clemency recognizes rehabilitative change after conviction. A clemency grant does not forgive or minimize the crime and the harm it caused, and it does not expunge or erase a conviction.

The Governor regards clemency as an important part of the criminal justice system that can incentivize accountability and rehabilitation and increase public safety in prisons and in our communities.

Additional information on executive clemency can be found here.

Recent news

Apr 18, 2025

News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Brian Kaplun, of San Francisco, has been appointed Deputy Secretary for Policy and Strategic Planning at the Health and Human Services Agency. Kaplun held several roles at the United…

Apr 18, 2025

News What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom’s Administration continues to make significant investments in protecting California’s communities from the threat of climate change and extreme weather conditions with groundbreaking of a $1.95 billion flood protection…

Apr 18, 2025

News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the availability of four $50,000 rewards for information leading to unsolved cases in San Mateo, San Diego, Kings, and Sonoma counties. Today’s rewards involve the following cases:Hillsborough (San…

MIL OSI USA News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom announces appointments 4.18.25

Source: US State of California 2

Apr 18, 2025

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Brian Kaplun, of San Francisco, has been appointed Deputy Secretary for Policy and Strategic Planning at the Health and Human Services Agency. Kaplun held several roles at the United States Department of Health and Human Services from 2022 to 2025, including Senior Advisor and Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Office of the Secretary, Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff, and Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff. Kaplun was an Advisor and Health Insurance Specialist in the Office of Legislation in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2022. He was a Health Legislative Aide in the Office of Senator Tammy Baldwin at the United States Senate from 2019 to 2022. Kaplun was a Health Policy Fellow for the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee of the United States Senate from 2018 to 2019. He earned a Master of Science degree in Management Science and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Biology from Stanford University. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $206,628. Kaplun is a Democrat.

Christine Allen, of Folsom, has been appointed Director of the Office of Law Enforcement Support at the Health and Human Services Agency. Allen has been Assistant Chief Counsel at the Office of Law Enforcement Support at the Health and Human Services Agency since 2017. She was Special Assistant Inspector General at the Office of the Inspector General from 2012 to 2017. Allen was a Partner at Coleman, Chavez, & Allen from 2008 to 2012. She held multiple roles at Cuneo, Black, Ward & Missler from 2000 to 2008, including Parter and Associate Attorney. Allen earned a Juris Doctor degree from University of California, Davis and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies and Latin American and Iberian Studies from University of California, Santa Barbara. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $211,896. Allen is a Democrat.

Danté Allen, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director of the Office of Legislation and Communications at the Department of Rehabilitation. Allen was Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration at the United States Department of Education from 2023 to 2025. He was Executive Director of CalABLE at the California State Treasurer’s Office from 2017 to 2023. Allen was a Communications Leader with the Sierra Health Foundation at the Office of Health Equity at the California Department of Public Health from 2014 to 2017. He was Communications Director for Health Plan and Hospital Operations at Kaiser Permanente from 2007 to 2013. Allen was Executive Director for Government Relations and Communications at Queen of the Valley Medical Center from 2001 to 2007. He was Senior Communications Manager at Children Now from 1995 to 2001. Allen was a News Writer at KPIX TV 5 from 1994 to 1995. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Communications Management from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Rhetoric and Communications from the University of California, Davis. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $148,836. Allen is a Democrat.

Briannon Fraley, of Crescent City, has been appointed Tribal Advisor at the California Public Utility Commission. Fraley was the North America Indigenous Right Relations Director at The Nature Conservancy from 2022 to 2024. She was the Director of Government Relations of the City of Portland from 2021 to 2022. Fraley was the Self-Governance Director of the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation from 2012 to 2020. She earned a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Kinesiology from the California State University, Sonoma and a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Native American Studies from the California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and compensation is $145,944. Fraley is a Democrat.

Jevon Wilkes, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission. Wilkes has been Executive Director of the California Coalition for Youth since 2018. He was an External Affairs Coordinator at TLCS, Inc. from 2015 to 2018. Wilkes was Program Director at Echoes of Hope from 2014 to 2015. He was a Career Counselor at Bresee Foundation from 2012 to 2014. Wilkes is a Co-Chair of the Empowerment Committee and Member of the Steering Committee of the California’s Child Welfare Council and is a Member of the California Interagency Council on Homelessness Advisory Committee and Department of Health Care Services’ Behavioral Health Stakeholder Advisory Committee. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from California State University, Channel Islands. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and there is no compensation. Wilkes is a Democrat.

Brandon Fernandez, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission. Fernandez has been Chief Executive Officer at CRI-Help Inc. since 2023, where he has held several roles since 2013, including Chief Operating Officer, Operations and Development Manager, Development Specialist, and Volunteer. Fernandez is a Member of the Board of Directors of the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives, California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals, Young People in Recovery, and the University of California, Los Angeles Health Policy and Management Alumni Association. He earned a Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Management from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Denver. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Fernandez is a Democrat.

Amy Fairweather, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission. Fairweather has been Director of Policy for Swords to Plowshares since 2005. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Arts Administration from Mills College. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and there is no compensation. Fairweather is a Democrat.

Jay’Riah Thomas, of Wilton, has been appointed to the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission. Thomas has been a principal at a public charter school since 2024. She was a Vice Principal at Aspire Public Schools from 2023 to 2024. Thomas was a Dean of Students at Baltimore City Public Schools from 2020 to 2023. She was a Program Director at STRIVE Community Health from 2013 to 2016. Thomas was Director of Education and Manager of Employment at The ARC San Francisco and an ISP Literacy Director at Five Keys Charter School from 2018 to 2020. She was a Teacher at Alan Rowe College Prep from 2016 to 2017. Thomas was a Community Organizer and Advocate at Molina Health Care from 2008 to 2017. She earned a Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of the Pacific and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women’s Studies and Political Science from Spelman College. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and there is no compensation. Thomas is a Democrat.

Press Releases

Recent news

Apr 18, 2025

News What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom’s Administration continues to make significant investments in protecting California’s communities from the threat of climate change and extreme weather conditions with groundbreaking of a $1.95 billion flood protection…

Apr 18, 2025

News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the availability of four $50,000 rewards for information leading to unsolved cases in San Mateo, San Diego, Kings, and Sonoma counties. Today’s rewards involve the following cases:Hillsborough (San…

Apr 17, 2025

News What you need to know: DOGE’s actions to dismantle AmeriCorps threaten vulnerable Californians, disaster response and recovery, and economic opportunities. California is suing — and ramping up efforts to recruit for the state’s service corps program. SACRAMENTO…

MIL OSI USA News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: California breaks ground on critical flood protection project in the Central Valley
Source: US State of California 2
Apr 18, 2025

What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom’s Administration continues to make significant investments in protecting California’s communities from the threat of climate change and extreme weather conditions with groundbreaking of a $1.95 billion flood protection project.

STOCKTON – California, along with federal and local partners, today broke ground in Stockton on a critical infrastructure project that will improve flood protection for tens of thousands of Californians and billions of dollars in property in the Central Valley.

The groundbreaking ceremony marks the start of construction for the Tenmile Slough levee project in Stockton. It is a critical component of the larger Lower San Joaquin River Project, a $1.95 billion project funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the California Department of Water Resources, and the San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency. Once completed, the project will provide improved flood protection for 122,000 residents and $28.7 billion in property along the San Joaquin River for the North and Central Stockton Area.

“Investing in California’s water infrastructure benefits us all. I am grateful for the partnership here from the federal government to help us prepare our communities for extreme weather caused by climate change and prevent future disasters.”

Governor Gavin Newsom
The Tenmile Slough levee segment is rated as the most critically deficient in the Central Valley levee system. Following historic flooding in 1997, DWR and the Central Valley Flood Protection Board identified significant flood risk in the San Joaquin River Basin. Federal, state and local partners worked together to evaluate and design the necessary improvements to respond to these risks.

The Lower San Joaquin River Project is a crucial part of the system-wide flood risk reduction effort outlined in the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan, which provides a comprehensive framework for improving flood protection in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins. This project represents a critical milestone in efforts to protect urban communities, one of many focus areas of the Plan.

“Protecting the people and economy of San Joaquin County from the devastation of extreme flooding is enormously important. Projects like this pay for themselves many times over as shifts between extreme wet and dry conditions become more common,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “California is committed to making these investments in flood infrastructure across the state to adapt to our new climate reality.”

The Lower San Joaquin River Project is just one of several major flood control projects in the state that collectively represent billions of dollars of new and improved infrastructure to protect communities, including:

The Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project, a $600 million project that will improve flood protection for the communities of Pajaro and Watsonville. The State will cover all non-federal costs, approximately $210 million.

The American River Common Features Project, a $1.85 billion project that will improve flood protection for the greater Sacramento area and over 660,000 people.

The recently completed Yuba Basin ($440 million) and Sutter Basin ($320 million) flood projects that reduced flood risk for 135,000 people.

The Governor, in partnership with the Legislature, has invested a total of $560 million over the past two state budgets to support flood response and projects to protect communities from future flooding.

“Levees play a vitally important role in safeguarding Delta communities, farmland, and water supplies,” said Senator Jerry McNerney (SD-5). “Yet many of the Delta’s 1,100 miles of levees need repair or reinforcement to protect against flooding due to climate change,” said Sen. Jerry McNerney, whose 5th Senate District includes the heart of the Delta region. “The Tenmile Slough levee project in Stockton is an essential step in fortifying our aging levee system, and I thank Governor Newsom, the California Department of Water Resources, the San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their support of and contribution to this crucial project.”

“Today marks a major milestone for the City of Stockton and our entire region. The start of construction on the Tenmile Slough levee is essential to delivering the flood protection our community needs and deserves,” said Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (AD-13). “This pivotal step reflects our long-term commitment to public safety, climate resilience, and infrastructure investment. I’m proud to represent this district and to show what’s possible through strong federal, state, and local partnerships. This is what progress looks like: smart, united, forward-thinking investments that safeguard our communities and build a stronger future. We’re one step closer to delivering the safety and security our residents depend on.”

This project is a key part of Governor Newsom’s build more, faster agenda, delivering infrastructure upgrades and thousands of jobs across the state. Find projects building your community at build.ca.gov.
Press Releases, Recent News
Recent news

Apr 18, 2025

News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the availability of four $50,000 rewards for information leading to unsolved cases in San Mateo, San Diego, Kings, and Sonoma counties. Today’s rewards involve the following cases:Hillsborough (San…

Apr 17, 2025

News What you need to know: DOGE’s actions to dismantle AmeriCorps threaten vulnerable Californians, disaster response and recovery, and economic opportunities. California is suing — and ramping up efforts to recruit for the state’s service corps program. SACRAMENTO…

Apr 17, 2025

News What you need to know: Governor Newsom has made the recovery of Los Angeles his highest priority – directing a whole-of-government response to support communities and survivors. LOS ANGELES – On the 100 day milestone since the Eaton and Palisades fires ignited,…

MIL OSI USA News –
April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom announces $200,000 in rewards for unsolved crimes in Hillsborough, La Mesa, Lemoore, and Petaluma

Source: US State of California 2

Apr 18, 2025

Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the availability of four $50,000 rewards for information leading to unsolved cases in San Mateo, San Diego, Kings, and Sonoma counties.

Today’s rewards involve the following cases:

Hillsborough (San Mateo County) – Hillsborough Police Officer: Governor Newsom is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction for the attempted murder of a Hillsborough police officer. The officer’s name is not being released to preserve the integrity of the ongoing investigation. On February 22, 2025 at around 3:49 p.m., the officer was ambushed and shot on the property of the Hillsborough Police Department Station at 1600 Floribunda Avenue. The Hillsborough Police Department has exhausted all investigative leads and requested that a reward be offered to encourage anyone with information about this attempted murder to contact Corporal Josh Wang at 650-375-7470. Anonymous tips can be submitted to the Hillsborough Police Department tips email.

La Mesa (San Diego County) – Corneilius Brown: Governor Newsom is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction for the murder of Corneilius Brown. On April 24, 2021, 22-year-old Brown was fatally shot in the doorway of his apartment in La Mesa. The La Mesa Police Department has exhausted all investigative leads and requested that a reward be offered to encourage anyone with information about this murder to contact Detective Royce Culp at 619-667-7533. Anonymous tips can be submitted to San Diego County Crime Stoppers.

Lemoore (Kings County) – Scott Jeff: Governor Newsom is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction for the murder of Scott Jeff. On March 25, 2022, 52-year-old Jeff was fatally shot on the Santa Rosa Rancheria reservation in Lemoore. The King’s County Sheriff’s Office has exhausted all investigative leads and requested that a reward be offered to encourage anyone with information about this murder to contact Sergeant Chris Martin at 559-852-2886. Anonymous tips can be submitted by email or calling 559-852-4554.

Petaluma (Sonoma County) – Georgia Moses: Governor Newsom is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction for the murder of Georgia Moses. On August 22, 1997, 12-year-old Moses was found next to the Highway 101 southbound on-ramp at Petaluma Boulevard South after she went missing from her home in Petaluma. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office has exhausted all investigative leads and requested that a reward be offered to encourage anyone with information about this murder to contact the Sonoma County Cold Case Unit by email or calling 707-565-2727. Anonymous tips can be submitted to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Governor’s rewards for unsolved cases

Under California law, law enforcement agencies may ask the Governor to issue rewards in specified unsolved cases where they have exhausted all investigative leads, to encourage individuals with information about the crimes to come forward. Public assistance is vital to law enforcement, and rewards may encourage the public cooperation needed to apprehend those who have committed serious offenses.

More information on the Governor’s Reward Program can be found here.

Recent news

Apr 17, 2025

News What you need to know: DOGE’s actions to dismantle AmeriCorps threaten vulnerable Californians, disaster response and recovery, and economic opportunities. California is suing — and ramping up efforts to recruit for the state’s service corps program. SACRAMENTO…

Apr 17, 2025

News What you need to know: Governor Newsom has made the recovery of Los Angeles his highest priority – directing a whole-of-government response to support communities and survivors. LOS ANGELES – On the 100 day milestone since the Eaton and Palisades fires ignited,…

Apr 17, 2025

News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring April 2025, as Arab American Heritage Month. The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below: PROCLAMATIONThe Arab American community, comprising over 20 nationalities…

MIL OSI USA News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Saint John’s homicide: Police urgently seek public’s help

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Attribute to Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin:

Police are continuing to piece together the events that led to a man’s death after being assaulted in Saint Johns, Auckland, on Saturday night.

Emergency services were called to a bus stop on St Johns Road shortly before 10pm on Saturday, following reports a person had been attacked by at least two offenders.

The victim was transported to hospital in a critical condition, where he died from his injuries.

The victim is a 33-year-old Caucasian man; efforts are continuing to formally identify the man, but we believe we know who he is, and are in contact with next of kin. We will be working with them through this process and keeping them informed of any developments.

A post-mortem is scheduled to begin today.

We believe there are members of the public who may hold crucial information that can help us.

Police urgently want to speak with anyone who saw suspicious activity in the area, around a bus stop near 69 St Johns Road, between 9 and 10pm. We especially need to hear from any motorists who have dashcam footage from around that area.

Investigators are continuing to gather and review CCTV and track the victim’s movements throughout the course of Saturday. At this stage we believe that there are two assailants, and while they are not yet identified, someone will know who these people are.

Please do the right thing and contact Police.

The motive for this attack is not yet clear. We are keeping an open mind as to what may have happened in the moments before the attack, and the events preceding it. We also do not know if the victim was waiting for a bus at the time he was attacked, or whether he was taking shelter from the storm. Again, information or footage from the public is crucial to helping us understand that.

The scene examination on St Johns Road has been completed, and a large investigation team is continuing the work to answer the many questions around this tragic event.

If you can help us, please get in touch with us.

Even a small piece of information, which you might think is insignificant, could be the missing puzzle piece we need to hold these offenders to account.

If you have any information that could assist the investigation, please make a report via 105, using the reference number 250419/9858.

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 or www.crimestoppers-nz.org.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Asia Pacific – “Engines of opportunity, centres of vulnerability” – UN forum calls for urgent action to tackle growing challenges in Asian and Pacific cities

Source: United Nations – ESCAP

As Asia and the Pacific faces an unprecedented urban transformation, with cities preparing to absorb 1.2 billion more people by 2050 – roughly twice the population of ASEAN – government leaders, city planners and development experts opened the 81st session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) today, calling for stronger regional cooperation to shape resilient and sustainable urban futures.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana underscored the urgency of rethinking how cities grow and function. “Urbanization is more than just managing growth – it’s about transforming cities into hubs of innovation, resilience and equity,” she said.

While cities have long been drivers of economic growth, the region’s rapid urbanization is intensifying social and environmental pressures. One in three urban residents still lack access to basic services. Climate change is raising temperatures, while rising sea levels and extreme floods threaten coastal megacities. A significant share of the urban population remains locked in poverty, with many living in slums or informal settlements.

“This is the paradox we face,” added Alisjahbana. “Our cities are engines of opportunity but also centres of vulnerability. But there is hope.”

“With over 2.2 billion urban residents and seven of the world’s largest megacities, [the Asia-Pacific] region stands at the forefront of global urban solutions. By working together, we can close inequalities, mitigate climate impacts and empower women while driving investments that propel multiple SDGs forward,” said United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohamed.

“Urban areas across the region continue to experience the impacts of social, economic and climate vulnerabilities in vastly different ways. This prevents the benefits of economic growth from reaching all urban dwellers equally,” shared Philemon Yang, President of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Prime Minister of Thailand, the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh, as well as several ministers from across the region made remarks on the first day of the session. They highlighted priorities for governments to focus on such as harmonizing national and local policies in areas such as housing and transport, improving subnational data collection to drive evidence-based urban policy, strengthening urban planning to meet the needs of ageing populations and growing migrant communities and diversifying urban financing through stronger municipal revenue systems.

“We must have well-planned urban development to ensure that we achieve resilient and sustainable urban development. We must invest in cities that are inclusive, green and resilient, strengthening urban network and city-to-city cooperation, plan proactively for demographic transition and mobilize diversified financing,” said Arzu Rana Deuba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal, who was elected as Chair of the 81st session.

Deliberations at the session are informed by findings of a new ESCAP study Urban Transformation in Asia and the Pacific: From Growth to Resilience which offers policy solutions and showcases cities in the region that are already pioneering change. The report highlights the transformative role of green infrastructure, smart technologies and inclusive urban planning in building cities that work for everyone. It also calls for coordinated action at all levels, warning that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved without cities at the forefront.

“Local and regional authorities are crucial for developing and implementing sustainable solutions to these urban challenges. In fact, two-thirds of SDG targets depend on action at the local level,” stressed Bob Rae, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The 81st ESCAP session is expected to culminate on Friday with the endorsement of regional resolutions covering, among others, strengthening cooperation on the water and climate change nexus, sustainable urban development and advancing the sustainable development of middle-income countries.

For further information: https://www.unescap.org/events/commission81

MIL OSI – Submitted News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Sudan: desperate situation for Zamzam displaced people: MSF is urging, lift the siege, deliver aid, protect civilians

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières

19 April 2025 – Following the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) large-scale ground offensive on Zamzam camp that started on 11 April, hundreds of thousands of people have joined the communities already besieged and deprived of lifesaving aid in El Fasher, the neighbouring capital city of North Darfur. 25,000 more reached Tawila further west, where overwhelmed MSF teams are currently expanding activities to cope with the most pressing medical needs. We are making an urgent appeal to put an end to the siege and the atrocities, to deliver humanitarian aid, including by airdropping food and medicines to El Fasher if necessary, and to allow those who wish to flee to do so safely.

The RSF and their allied armed groups stormed Zamzam, Sudan’s largest displacement camp, which used to host at least 500,000 people near El Fasher, after months of an increasingly tight siege on the area. By 16 April, the camp, by then largely destroyed, was reportedly under RSF control. The majority of the Zamzam population is believed to have fled to El Fasher, where they remain trapped, out of reach of humanitarian aid and exposed to ongoing attacks and further mass violence.

While MSF in Tawila saw over 25,000 people arriving from Zamzam and nearby areas between 12 and 15 April, displaced people are now arriving more sporadically and at great risk for their lives along the way. Our teams set up a health post at the entrance of Tawila to provide the new arrivals with water and immediate nutritional and medical support. We refer critical cases to the local hospital where we have been working since last October. About 1,600 patients so far have required emergency outpatient services, mainly because of severe dehydration.

“We are treating children who were literally dying of thirst on their journeys. We have received so far over 170 people with gunshot and blast injuries and 40 per cent of them are women and girls”, said Marion Ramstein, MSF project coordinator in Tawila. “People tell us that many injured and vulnerable people could not make the trip to Tawila and were left behind. Almost everyone we talk to said they lost at least one family member during the attack”.

Horrific reports emerge from Zamzam camp, where hundreds of people are estimated to have been killed. Fighters were said to be going door-to-door, shooting people hiding in their homes and burning large parts of the camp. Casualties include eleven staff from the humanitarian organisation Relief International, which was running the only remaining clinic in the camp after MSF suspended all its activities in Zamzam in February due to escalating violence and blockades.

We urge the Rapid Support Forces and all armed groups in the area to spare and protect civilians and ensure that those who want to flee can do so without further harm. States and diplomatic actors must use their leverage to translate hollow statements into concrete actions. There have been repeated warnings from the UN and many observers about the risks of mass killings and ethnic violence in El Fasher and the surroundings displacement camps, mostly inhabited by people from the non-Arab Zaghawa and Fur ethnic groups, while most of the RSF fighters and their allies originate from Arab tribes.

After two years of a catastrophic war on people met by neglectful indifference, it remains inconceivable to simply resign ourselves to the current collective failure to provide vital assistance where it’s most needed. “A massive humanitarian response is needed, now more urgently than ever. If the roads to El Fasher are blocked, then air operations must be launched to bring food and medicines to the estimated one million people trapped there and being starved. A scaled-up response is also needed in Tawila, where some of the survivors are arriving and where NGOs are overwhelmed”, said Rasmane Kabore, MSF Head of mission in Sudan. MSF and several other actors are launching emergency interventions in Tawila, but much more is needed in terms of water, food, medical care and shelter.

MSF is an international, medical, humanitarian organisation that delivers medical care to people in need, regardless of their origin, religion, or political affiliation. MSF has been working in Haiti for over 30 years, offering general healthcare, trauma care, burn wound care, maternity care, and care for survivors of sexual violence. MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis. In 2022, more than 120 project staff from Australia and New Zealand worked with MSF on assignment overseas. MSF delivers medical care based on need alone and operates independently of government, religion or economic influence and irrespective of race, religion or gender. For more information visit msf.org.au

MIL OSI – Submitted News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI China: 4.6-magnitude earthquake strikes Qinghai

Source: China State Council Information Office 2

A 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck Zadoi county in Yushu, Qinghai province at 9:07 am on Monday, according to official measurements released by the China Earthquake Networks Center. The quake occurred at a focal depth of 10 kilometers, and no reports of casualties have been made so far.
Closely located to Chadang township, the average elevation within a 5-kilometer radius of the epicenter was measured at approximately 5,199 meters.
Data from the China Earthquake Networks Center’s rapid report catalog shows that over the past five years, 77 earthquakes above magnitude 3 have occurred within 200 kilometers of the epicenter. The strongest recorded was a 6.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Biru county, Nagchu city in Xizang autonomous region on March 19, 2021.

MIL OSI China News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Tougher rules over car battery safety

Source: China State Council Information Office

China is set to enforce the world’s first mandatory safety regulations for new energy vehicle batteries that explicitly prohibit fire and explosion — a landmark move to address public concerns and solidify its position as a global NEV pioneer.

Issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology last week and effective from July 1, 2026, the updated standards will replace a 2020 version that only required a five-minute fire-risk warning, shifting the focus to proactive risk elimination.

The core provision of the regulations stipulates that batteries must not ignite or explode for at least two hours, even during thermal runaway — a self-heating state of lithium-ion cells that is the primary cause of battery-related incidents — and must emit a thermal event alarm while ensuring any smoke produced does not harm occupants.

The new regulations also introduce several stringent testing requirements, including an underside impact test to assess battery protection in the event of a collision. The update is most relevant, given that an increasing number of batteries are being structurally integrated into vehicles under the cell-to-body design approach.

Moreover, batteries will need to pass a safety test proving they can withstand 300 rapid charging cycles followed by a short-circuit test.

According to the MIIT, as of February 2024, 78 percent of the 36 surveyed vehicle and battery companies have the technology to prevent batteries from catching fire or exploding. An additional 14 percent expect to have this capability by 2026-27.

Yang Hongxin, CEO of battery provider Svolt Energy, said that the company started developing such products two years ago. Currently, all its clients are able to meet the new national battery standard.

CATL, the leading Chinese battery manufacturer, said its first-generation No Thermal Propagation technology, in production since 2020, meets the new requirements.

Currently, CATL is developing NP technology, including NP2.0 with high-voltage and smoke separation, and NP3.0 that prevents smoke during thermal runaway.

“The new standard will effectively reduce the risk of battery fires after collisions in new energy vehicles, better protecting consumers’ lives,” a CATL representative said, emphasizing the need for collaboration between automakers and battery suppliers.

An Conghui, president of Geely Holding Group and CEO of Zeekr, said: “Safety involves not just the battery cells but the entire system’s safety. Apart from the battery cells, considerations must also extend to the pack, electronic architecture, mechanical structure, as well as sensors and computing power.”

An said Geely is confident in meeting the new requirements ahead of schedule through R&D in integrated safety systems.

China’s NEV sector — encompassing electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids — has experienced huge growth, with monthly sales surpassing gasoline cars since 2024.In the first quarter, NEV sales jumped 50.4 percent to 3.08 million units, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show.

But recent incidents, such as the fatal crash in March involving a Xiaomi SU7 sedan in Anhui province that caught fire after a collision, have heightened consumer concerns about NEV safety.

These stringent rules will boost consumer safety and accelerate industry consolidation, pushing smaller players to invest in advanced technologies or exit the market, industry experts said.

The regulations will also solidify China’s position as a global NEV leader while addressing safety concerns in a rapidly evolving sector.

To enhance NEV safety performance, the industry must continue efforts in battery material R&D, optimization of battery management systems and vehicle collision safety design, experts added.

MIL OSI China News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI China: 69 pct of Gaza under Israeli displacement orders

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said Sunday that 69 percent of the Gaza Strip is under active Israeli displacement orders.

The Israeli army issued at least 20 displacement orders between March 18 and April 14, UNRWA said in a press statement, adding that the agency “currently operates 115 shelters across Gaza, housing more than 90,000 displaced people.”

Some 420,000 people have been displaced again since the ceasefire collapsed on March 18, it said, warning that the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza is worsening due to Israeli shelling and the seven-week-long aid blockade.

UNRWA stressed the need for an early ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies into Gaza.

Israel has blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza since March 2. It then ended a two-month ceasefire with Hamas on March 18 and resumed deadly air and ground assaults on the enclave.

The renewed Israeli attacks have so far killed 1,827 Palestinians and injured 4,828 others, Gaza health authorities said Sunday, adding the death toll in the enclave since the war began in October 2023 has risen to 51,201, with 116,869 injured.

MIL OSI China News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: “There are people who are sick of the Arctic. And I became one of them”

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

On April 19, the dean celebrated his 70th birthday. Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, Novosibirsk State University, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Honored Geologist of the Russian Federation, Professor Valery Arnoldovich Vernikovsky. He devoted a significant part of his scientific work to studying the Arctic. For a series of works “Geology, tectonics and paleogeodynamics of folded-thrust belts of Siberia” the scientist was awarded the V. A. Obruchev Prize, and for a series of works on a single topic “Study of the deep structure of the Arctic Ocean in order to substantiate the outer boundary of the continental shelf of the Russian Federation” – the O. Yu. Schmidt Prize. Last year, for his great contribution to the development of Russian science, many years of fruitful work and in connection with the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Valery Arnoldovich Vernikovsky was awarded the Medal of the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” of the 2nd degree.

The scientist’s activities have been associated with NSU for almost 30 years. In 1996, he became a lecturer at the Department of General and Regional Geology at NSU, a year later he headed it, and since December 2012 he has become the dean of the Geological and Geophysical Faculty. V.A. Vernikovsky tells about his path to science, his student years and Arctic expeditions.

— Valery Arnoldovich, you are a representative of a family dynasty of geologists. Tell us about your family and its role in your life as a scientist?

— In our family, most people were either doctors or geologists. My father, Arnold Nikolaevich, and his brother, Vladimir, were geologists, and my mother, Inna Pavlovna, and my grandmother were doctors. My sister also chose the same profession. I met my wife, Antonina Evgenyevna, during my student years at the Krasnoyarsk Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals. She, like me, is a geologist. Together, we participated in many expeditions and wrote many joint scientific papers. Her father was a mining engineer. My youngest daughter, Irina, also became a geologist. My father and uncle graduated from the geological faculty of Lviv State University, but they did not directly influence my choice of profession; it happened naturally. They did not agitate me for the profession of a geologist, and certainly did not force me to choose it, but they did not dissuade me either, they supported me in my decision. To be honest, I myself do not remember how I chose the path to science. My parents were scientists, candidates of science – my mother worked at the Krasnoyarsk Medical Institute in the pediatrics department, and my father – an energetic and enthusiastic person – managed to work in different organizations. He worked at the deposits in Berkh (Mongolia) and Norilsk, on the Kola Peninsula and on the Angara… And it turned out that when the time came to decide on a university, I had no doubts where to go: definitely only to the Krasnoyarsk Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals. And I have never regretted this decision in my life.

I prepared for entering this university in advance. After finishing 9th grade, I asked my father, who was then the director of the Krasnoyarsk branch of SNIIGGiMS, to send me to some geological detachment so that I could work with real field geologists during the summer. He sent me to the then already famous geologist and scientist, Doctor of Sciences Georgy Nikolaevich Brovkov. He accepted me into his detachment, and we worked together for two months in Tuva, right on the border with Mongolia. There I learned the basics of field geology and learned to overcome the difficulties of expedition life. I remember it was a very difficult field. It was hot all June and July, and I was constantly thirsty. You could only take a flask of water with you to the field. This was not enough for the whole day, and Georgy Nikolaevich categorically forbade taking water from streams and puddles. All we could do was wait for the evening, when a car would come for us and the driver would bring a whole canister of water.

After this expedition, my decision to go into geology only became stronger, and a year later I entered the Krasnoyarsk Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals in the Mining and Geological Faculty, from which I graduated with a degree in Geology and Exploration of Mineral Deposits.

My parents always supported me: in my studies, in expedition work, and in scientific research. Of course, family influence is very important and valuable. My parents instilled in me a love of nature, a craving for travel, and a desire for scientific knowledge. We spent weekends on the Krasnoyarsk Pillars, enjoying the beauty of these places. In winter, we went on ski trips to Krasnoyarsk Sopka. We really valued moments of communication with nature, and this, perhaps, also played a role in choosing my life path.

— What were your student years like? Were students of those years different from those of today?

— During my student years, young people were distinguished by their focus on their studies and the profession they had chosen. The level of training of my classmates was different: among them were guys from the city, as well as from remote villages and settlements. It was the most difficult for them. But they set themselves the task of graduating from the university and acquiring a specialty. And they made maximum efforts to do this, persistently moving towards their goal, and then working in their specialty. They never refused to go on field trips — such a thought never even arose. If there were any health problems or any obstacles to undergoing field practice, they hid it, just to get into the field. Now, however, I often encounter students who try to avoid this and ask permission to undergo practice in institute laboratories. But a geologist must be familiar with field work — this is my firm conviction. However, it is gratifying that most current geology students remain committed to field practices and expeditionary work. Unfortunately, there are also those who, after 1-2 months of study, realize that they made the wrong choice and leave.

To reduce such cases, I talk to each applicant individually. I think this is very important, because recently a lot of guys have come who do not understand at all what the specialty of “geologist” is. When communicating with such applicants, we try to find out which direction attracts them more and matches their interests: geochemistry, geophysics, geology or paleontology. It happens that they are not ready to make a choice and cannot give a definite answer. Apparently, this is why a certain number of students drop out already in the first year. Some realize that they entered the wrong specialty, and some cannot handle the workload. For some reason, some people think that geology is easy. Not at all. Perhaps it is even more difficult than in other areas, because geology as such is not taught at school. Therefore, first-year students also have to master terminology that is new to them. Not everyone is ready for this, and they decide that it would be easier to leave.

During my student years, the dropout rate was something exceptional. The profession of a geologist was considered prestigious – the competition was 5-6 people per place. We were recruited into two groups, and almost everyone who entered got their diploma and then worked in their specialty – some became chief geologist of a mine, some – chief geologist of a prospecting party, many worked as geologists at mining and processing or mining enterprises, some teach at a university or work at a research institute.

— Valery Arnoldovich, what was your first student geological practice like?

— Our first practical training took place after the first year at Lake Itkul in the Shirinsky District of the Republic of Khakassia. Now there is a permanent NSU training ground there with comfortable houses, a bathhouse, office rooms and a canteen. At that time, there was nothing like that at Itkul. Our field camp was located on the other side of the lake. We lived in 10-bed army tents. The discipline was semi-military: we were divided into teams, and each of them was on duty in the kitchen according to the schedule — preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner. Every day at 7 a.m. the physical education teacher took us out on a three-kilometer cross-country run. Then followed water procedures, which we took right in the lake. A short breakfast — and on the routes. Like today’s geology students, we surveyed the area and made geological maps.

Despite the difficulties of everyday life, we lived very amicably and happily. In our free time from work we played volleyball and trained so well that teams from neighboring villages came to us, and we organized friendly competitions.

— Valery Arnoldovich, at what point did you become interested in studying the Arctic?

– This happened in his student years thanks to my teacher, Arctic geologist, Professor Lev Vasilievich Makhlaev. He taught us lithology and metamorphism. After the second year, we all had to go to industrial practice. And Lev Vasilievich suggested that I and my classmate Sergei Gubanov turn to Krasnoyarsk SNIIGGIMS with a request to include us in the scientific group under the leadership of Anatoly Ignatievich Zabiyaki, who travels to Cape Chelyuskin Peninsula Taimyr. Lev Vasilievich said that he himself worked as part of this group, and we will probably be very interesting to similar experience. We followed his advice and, as a result, went to our first Arctic expedition for as many as 4 months. The session had to be taken ahead of schedule, and by the beginning of the next school year we were late, but it was worth it. Work in Taimyr has become for us not only a school of geology, but also a school of life. Everything for us was new, many difficulties had to be overcome in severe polar conditions. The scientific group was based at the polar station. We flew to Taimyr from the island of Dixon on the Li-2 aircraft. We met us on two old all-terrain vehicles GAZ-47. We got to the polar station on them. After several days of preparation and repair of the same all -terrain vehicles, we went to the place of work in the direction to the south. The path was very difficult – in three days we managed to overcome only 150 kilometers without sleep, without rest, in water and snow. Our all -terrain vehicle constantly stuck in the melted snow. To pull it out, it was necessary to put a log under it, which the caterpillars (tracks) dragged it to the entire length of the case. And then – again and again. Three days later, the difficult path was traveled, we got to the place of work. Only next year we began to set up a tent right on the roof of an all -terrain vehicle. So we have a place to relax. When the tundra began to thaw, we began to go on routes. They were long-every day each of us passed 20-30 kilometers. The first impressions were incomparable. We very slowly, step by step, knew field work, met the Arctic, and she fascinated. I didn’t want anywhere else, and in the future I returned again and again to these places as part of the same scientific group. Here he prepared a candidate, and then a doctoral dissertation. I took root in this region and loved it with all my heart. On the only peninsula, Chelyuskin has documented routes – more than 3 thousand kilometers.

— What was it about the tundra that captivated you so much – such a harsh and inhospitable region?

— The tundra is incredibly beautiful at any time — both when it is covered with snow and when it thaws. The vegetation here is sparse — only dwarf willows and birches barely rise above the ground. There are no mushrooms or berries here, although sometimes you can see russula. Nothing else grows here, but the beauty of the relief, the summer snowfields that do not melt, the coast of the ocean, bound by ice or stormy, is mesmerizing. It cannot be described in words, you have to see it. There are people who are sick with the Arctic. And I became one of them. I think it is some kind of very good disease that you do not want to be cured of.

— What do you remember about the Arctic routes?

— I loved them very much, but they were very difficult. Since there was no possibility to involve route workers, we often went on routes alone, thus violating safety regulations. I went on many routes alone. I left early in the morning after breakfast and returned late in the evening, losing track of time. In the summer in this region there is a polar day, the sun shines as if it were daytime, even at 2 am. Despite constant fatigue, we still strove to quickly go on a new route: to learn something new, to discover, to bring something.

The polar bears were a serious danger on the route. But we were all armed. I had a five-shot carbine, I shot quite well, and I was not afraid. And after one dangerous incident, I developed the habit of never parting with a gun on the route.

This happened on Cape Kaminsky, on the shores of the Kara Sea. The three of us on an all -terrain vehicle almost reached the cape. On our way, there was a stone kurumnik – a large -sized exposure. Do not go further. I remained to work there, 200 meters from an all -terrain vehicle, and my colleagues left the bay to expose on another cape two kilometers from me. I left a heavy carbine in an all -terrain vehicle – why carry an extra 6 kilograms with me, because the car is very close? He became interested in the work-he repulsed the samples, made notes, signed the labels, and suddenly someone warned: “Look where your colleagues are.” I looked closely and saw a very strange picture: they fled in my direction. Running along the tundra in swamp boots, and even with backpacks is very difficult. So something happened. But surprisingly, no one pursued them. What happened? I looked around and saw that three white bear were approaching me: a huge mother and two of her grown cubs, only a little inferior to her parent. The animals have not yet noticed me, although they were approximately 300 meters from the place where I worked peacefully. And if it had not been distracted, we would definitely have met, and this meeting did not promise me anything good. It’s good that I knew one iron rule – in such situations, in no case should I run. The bear will still be faster. Where, crawling, where, bending, under the cover of stones, I got to the saving all -terrain vehicle. Soon my colleagues arrived in time, and the bears reached the place where I worked and sniffed him carefully. We shot into the air and scared them off. I did not have more such meetings, but I learned a lesson forever.

— How important is it to study the Arctic?

— The research group I was a part of was engaged in thematic work. At that time, funding in these regions was allocated only for geological surveys and gold prospecting. The thing is that at that time there was not even a state 200,000-square-meter survey of the territory in Taimyr, and we had to do geological mapping. We also did structural surveys of the area, and studied magmatism and metamorphism. In addition, we searched for native and placer gold, sampled quartz-vein formations and various sulfidization zones. And, by the way, we found gold. An increased gold content was found in the ore occurrence, the first samples from which we took, but only 30 years later geologists-explorers came there with trenching and drilling. Then a fairly good ore occurrence with a higher gold content was established, but due to the remoteness of the territory, the lack of roads and the high cost of the work, exploration was again frozen. This is a gold-bearing region, but prospecting and especially mining are very difficult and expensive. Moreover, such work can only be done for three months a year, when the short summer comes.

— The second region that is in the sphere of your geological attention is the Yenisei Ridge. Tell us about your work in its territory.

— The Yenisei Ridge is the second region that I love very much, and where I worked quite a lot. For various reasons, it was not always possible to fly to the Arctic, but the Yenisei Ridge can be reached by UAZ or GAZ-66 vehicles.

This is a very interesting region in terms of geological structure with a very complex evolution of formation, and I am glad that we managed to do a lot here. For example, to describe the tectonics and evolution of granitoid magmatism of the Yenisei Ridge, to show the evolution of the formation of tectonic structures and much more. We worked mainly like this: we were dropped by helicopters to the upper reaches of the right tributaries of the Yenisei and from there we rafted in rubber boats carrying out geological work. And while we were rafting, for a month or a month and a half, we worked all these tributaries and streams in order to understand the geological structure of the region.

Working in the taiga has its own specifics. If on Taimyr, where there is no high vegetation, I could climb to any elevation, see all the primary rock outcrops and map out a route, then here everything is different. You have to look for rock sections along the Yenisei, Angara and tributaries along which we rafted. If I first got to Taimyr for practical training in 1974 after my second year, then I ended up on the Yenisei Ridge a year later, as part of a different group, again as part of my practical training. Here I worked under the supervision of Vitaly Nikolaevich Pilipenko. He taught me a lot, we went on a lot of routes with him, so the Yenisei Ridge became my second region, which I love very much and where I have returned many times. After the 2011 field season, spent on the New Siberian Islands and the De Long Islands, I no longer had the opportunity to go to the Arctic for field work for 3-4 months, since in 2012 I became the dean of the Geological and Geophysical Faculty of NSU. But I went to the Yenisei Ridge almost every year.

— Valery Arnoldovich, tell us about your work as part of the commission preparing the application for the expansion of the continental shelf of the Russian Federation.

— In February 2016, at the 40th session of the UN Commission in New York, the Russian Federation submitted an application to expand its continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean. I was part of the state delegation. The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, Sergei Donskoy, gave a two-hour presentation. In his speech, he spoke about the large volume of geological and geophysical work carried out over the past 15 years to substantiate this application. According to it, Russia laid claim to the Lomonosov Ridge, the Mendeleyev Rise, and several other areas of the Arctic. Scientists have proven that these territories are an extension of the Russian continental shelf. By the way, our country has previously submitted an application to expand Russian borders in the Arctic. And there is serious scientific evidence for this, which is exactly what we were looking for as part of our research.

Russian scientists have managed to prove that the Mendeleev Ridge, located at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean, has continental, not oceanic, crust, which means it is an extension of the continent and Russia may well lay claim to expanding the boundaries of its continental shelf in the Arctic.

— In your opinion, how important is the role of family in the life of a scientist?

— Of course, the support of loved ones is incredibly important. Most of the time I worked together with my wife. We started a family in 1979. A few years later, Antonina Evgenyevna and I began going on expeditions together. She worked with me for several field seasons on Taimyr, we worked a lot on the Yenisei Ridge. We prepared many joint scientific papers and publications. Such a coincidence of interests and mutual understanding is very helpful in work, it is not for nothing that family dynasties of geologists are not uncommon. In such families, as a rule, there is understanding, mutual assistance, support. You do not need to explain the specifics of your work, your loved one is already familiar with it in all details. He is on the same path and overcomes the same difficulties. It is much easier to go through life together. Especially if you are scientists. Because on this path you can formulate some common task, conduct research together and write a good scientific article.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Russia says repelled Ukrainian attacks amid Easter truce

Source: China State Council Information Office

The Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday that it repelled Ukrainian attacks overnight amid a unilateral Easter truce declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Ukraine accused Russia of violating the ceasefire.

The ministry said Russian troops “remained at previously occupied lines and positions” while Ukrainian troops “attempted to attack the positions of Russian troops” in the Donetsk region overnight.

It added that Ukrainian forces had fired at Russian positions 444 times and counted more than 900 Ukrainian drone attacks.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that 26 Russian assault actions have taken place from 00:00 (2100 GMT on Saturday) to noon (0900 GMT), accusing Russia of violating its self-declared ceasefire.

Putin said the truce starts from 6 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) on Saturday and lasts until midnight on Sunday into Monday (2100 GMT on Sunday). Zelensky said on Saturday that Ukraine will respond in kind to the ceasefire.

MIL OSI China News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI China: 69 pct of Gaza under Israeli displacement orders: UN agency

Source: China State Council Information Office

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said Sunday that 69 percent of the Gaza Strip is under active Israeli displacement orders.

The Israeli army issued at least 20 displacement orders between March 18 and April 14, UNRWA said in a press statement, adding that the agency “currently operates 115 shelters across Gaza, housing more than 90,000 displaced people.”

Some 420,000 people have been displaced again since the ceasefire collapsed on March 18, it said, warning that the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza is worsening due to Israeli shelling and the seven-week-long aid blockade.

UNRWA stressed the need for an early ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies into Gaza.

Israel has blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza since March 2. It then ended a two-month ceasefire with Hamas on March 18 and resumed deadly air and ground assaults on the enclave.

The renewed Israeli attacks have so far killed 1,827 Palestinians and injured 4,828 others, Gaza health authorities said Sunday, adding the death toll in the enclave since the war began in October 2023 has risen to 51,201, with 116,869 injured.

MIL OSI China News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: Here Comes the Boom

Source: United States Department of Defense (video statements)

Enhancing readiness and lethality, @usarmy assigned to Ghost Troop, 2nd Squadron, @2DStryker participate in a live-fire exercise on Grafenwoehr Training Area, Bavaria, Germany.

For more on the Department of Defense, visit: http://www.defense.gov

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYg3f1Kawac

MIL OSI Video –

April 21, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: How a new ‘Fishheart’ project is combining science, community and Indigenous art to restore life in the Baaka-Darling River

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Hooker, Senior Lecturer and Coordinator, Health and Medical Humanities, University of Sydney

A new state-of-the-art tube fishway technology called the “Fishheart” has been launched at Menindee Lakes, located on the Baaka-Darling River, New South Wales.

The technology – part of the NSW government’s Restoring the Darling-Baaka program – will allow native fish to move past large barriers, such as dams, weirs and regulators, when they need to. It’s hoped this will help the fish reproduce and survive, and reduce the risk of mass fish deaths in the Baaka.

At the same time, meaningful policy reform and implementation can’t be achieved without input from First Nations communities. So how do we do this? One creative collaboration on the Fishheart project suggests art may have a big role to play.

Distressing images

Several deeply distressing mass fish death events have occurred in the river since 2018, with millions of native fish, including golden perch, silver perch and Murray cod, dying due to insufficient oxygen in the water.

These events are the outcome of compounding challenges in managing the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia’s largest inland river system. The basin, which stretches from Southern Queensland to South Australia, is a water source for some three million people.

But the construction of infrastructure such as dams, weirs and regulators has profoundly disrupted the natural processes that once sustained healthy river systems. This disruption has been made worse by ineffective and conflict-ridden governance.

The Baaka is a source of life and wellbeing for numerous communities. It should be cared for with the same urgency and coordination as a critically ill patient. If too many doctors or nurses are involved without a clear shared treatment plan, the patient suffers. Likewise, when multiple agencies attempt to manage a sick river, the system can break down.

So how can better care be achieved? For Barkindji Elder David Doyle the answer lies in doing it together.

Seeking and listening to Aboriginal community

Aboriginal peoples have been explaining the importance of Australia’s inland rivers for generations. The Aboriginal community at Menindee held protests about the health of the Baaka two years before the first mass fish deaths. Yet their voices and cultural knowledges have not reconfigured river policy.

A report by the NSW Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer into the March 2023 mass fish deaths on the Lower Baaka identified the importance of including Aboriginal cultural knowledges in strategies for fish species regeneration and management.

However, according to Barkindji Ngnukuu elder Barbara Quayle, the community’s experience of “consultation” has been a tick-box activity. She says there is no trust that cultural knowledges or community perspectives will actually be listened to.

The power of the arts

Traditional cultural knowledges are often held and expressed through various artforms, from story, to dance, to gallery arts. Within rural and remote communities, the arts and art-making create conditions that can help people work together to address complex issues. In fact, there’s a long history of the arts being used to address social conflict.

Can the Fishheart help prevent fish kills? We don’t know. But the Barkindji community’s artistic input in the project is enabling a more integrated approach to finding out.

Elders and community members have come together with regional arts organisation, The Cad Factory, and the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s Fisheries branch, to design traditional knowledge-inspired art for the Fishheart pipes.

This art was painted onto the pipes by members of Barkindji community over the past month. Other community art, including collaborations with the local school, was also placed around the site.

Making the art gave everyone involved the time, space and tools to consider and discuss the project. We learned how the Fishheart technology is inspired by the human heart, with tubes resembling “veins” and “arteries” that can take fish in and “pump” them over barriers through a siphon effect, letting them circulate throughout the river.

We discussed important details on how this technology works, which includes using artificial intelligence used to detect fish in the pipes and collect real-time data and photos of the migration. We also considered how we might further care for the river, by potentially allowing the removal of invasive species, or monitoring for diseases.

The project also provided fisheries managers with the opportunity to hear community concerns, such as whether the installation of fishways might be perceived in ways associated with colonisation, or eventually lead to fish removal from the waterways.

Most importantly, seeing the pipes visually transformed by Barkindji art connected the Fishheart to place and Country. The art provides a tangible expression of uninterrupted Barkindji custodianship for the river and the species that depend on it.

With art, there is hope for creating policy together – policy that might promote the health of the river as a whole, rather than treating the symptoms of the problem.

Claire Hooker receives funding from the NHMRC, MRFF, ARC, and University of Sydney. She is affiliated with Arts Health Network NSW/ACT.

Barbara Quayle is the Vice-president of the Menindee Aboriginal Elders Council, sits on the Barkindji Native Title Board and NSW Aboriginal Water Strategy Board and is a founding guide of Barkindji cultural immersion tour group, Wontanella Tours.

Dave Doyle is a member of the Menindee Aboriginal Elders Council, a previous member of the Barkindji Native Title Board, sits on the NSW Aboriginal Water Strategy Board and is a founding guide of Barkindji cultural immersion tour group, Wontanella Tours.

Reakeeta Smallwood has received funding from ARC and NHMRC, in partnership with University of Sydney, University of Newcastle and University of New England. These funding sources are not relevant to this article or project.

– ref. How a new ‘Fishheart’ project is combining science, community and Indigenous art to restore life in the Baaka-Darling River – https://theconversation.com/how-a-new-fishheart-project-is-combining-science-community-and-indigenous-art-to-restore-life-in-the-baaka-darling-river-254594

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 21, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Curious Kids: if heat rises, why does it get colder in the mountains?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (Climate Science), Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

Shutterstock/EvaL Miko

If heat rises, why does it get colder as you climb up mountains?

– Ollie, 8, Christchurch, New Zealand

That is an excellent and thoughtful question Ollie – why indeed?

You’re right, when air is warmed, it rises. This is what gives us the “thermals” gliders can use to soar upwards and large birds of prey like the South American condors use to help them stay aloft for hours at a time.

But there are lots of other things influencing air temperature. When air rises, it expands because air pressure decreases with height. The energy in the air gets spread out over greater volumes and its temperature goes down.

This effect wins out over warm air rising. The warm air in a thermal will cool as it rises, until it reaches the temperature of the air around it and is no longer buoyant.

But why do we have rising air at all?

That’s because the air around us is heated from below, from Earth’s surface.

When the Sun is shining, it doesn’t heat the air in the lowest few kilometres of the atmosphere (the troposphere) as there are very few gases in that air to absorb sunlight.

The Sun’s rays heat Earth, not the air. The air is then warmed from below, from the ground, just as water in a pot on a stove is warmed from the bottom of the pot.

Earth’s greenhouse

Earth mostly sends energy back to space in the form of heat or infrared radiation (with wavelengths longer than visible light but shorter than microwaves), and there are plenty of gases in the air that are good at absorbing this kind of radiation, even if they don’t feel the sun’s energy.

These are what we call greenhouse gases – water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and so on. Because we have these in the air, the absorption of infrared energy is the main way the air is warmed.

Again, air near the ground is warmed the most by this absorption of energy.
The warm air near Earth is buoyant so it often “bubbles up” into the atmosphere, just like the water in a pot on a stove.

But in the atmosphere, the decrease of pressure with height dictates that temperatures decrease as you go up. This is what’s known in weather jargon as the “lapse rate” – how fast temperatures decrease with height. In dry air (no water vapour), that rate is just under 10°C per kilometre, or a little under 1°C cooler per 100 metres upwards.

As warm and wet air cools as it rises, water vapour condenses to form clouds.
Shutterstock/Klanarong Chitmung

When we have water vapour in the air, it’s a different story. As the air rises and cools, it can’t hold so much water vapour, so some of the vapour has to condense back into liquid water. As it does that, it releases the energy it took to evaporate it in the first place.

That heat warms the air and reduces the “lapse rate”. How big this effect is depends on how much moisture was in the air to start with. On average, the temperature decrease of about 10°C per kilometre goes down to around 6.5°C per kilometre.

And what happens to that liquid water in the air? If forms tiny droplets that make clouds. If enough of those drops stick together and become heavy enough, they’ll fall back to Earth as rain.

Clouds, rain and lightning

We have clouds and rain because temperatures decrease with height. The clouds that form this way, through buoyant air rising in thermals, are known as cumulus clouds.

Cumulus always have lumpy tops, looking a bit like a cauliflower. That’s because different parts of the rising air have different amounts out water vapour in them. So different amounts of energy are released, giving the air different buoyancy in different places. The moistest, most buoyant air rises the highest, while drier less buoyant air doesn’t make it so far up.

If there is lots of moisture available, we can get a thunderstorm cloud, with thunder and lightning as well as plenty of rain. Not just rain either, but often hail (frozen rain).

That happens because the temperature in the upper parts of such deep clouds is well below freezing, so it is made up of ice crystals rather than water drops. Those ice crystals can stick together to form hail, or snow.

Lightning forms because of positive electrical charges at the top of clouds and negative charges at the bottom.
Shutterstock/Athapet Piruksa

Curiously, it’s the collisions between ice crystals and water drops as they go up and down in a deep cumulus cloud that gives rise to lightning, with a build-up of positive electrical charges at the top of the cloud and negative charges at the bottom.

Getting back to your original question, why is it colder in the mountains? That’s because as we climb a mountain, we are moving into cooler layers of the atmosphere. We are getting above the surface layers of the atmosphere, going to lower pressures, and that causes the temperature to drop.

Warm air can still rise from a mountaintop, but it’ll be cooler to start with than air down at sea level, just because it’s at a lower pressure. Climbers who tackle really high mountains, like Mount Everest, usually take oxygen cylinders with them as the air is so thin near the top of such high peaks.

That’s also why snow and ice linger on mountain tops, as that’s where it is cold enough year-round to keep the ice frozen.

Hello curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

James Renwick receives funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). He is a member of the Green Party.

– ref. Curious Kids: if heat rises, why does it get colder in the mountains? – https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-if-heat-rises-why-does-it-get-colder-in-the-mountains-252911

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Cook’s Cove — Update: Multi-agency search for child in Guysborough County suspended

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

A multi-agency search for a child who fell into the water in Cook’s Cove, Guysborough County, has been suspended.

On April 17, at approximately 1:40 p.m., Guysborough County RCMP, fire services and EHS were dispatched to a report of a chid who had fallen into the water while fishing with a man and another child. The man entered the water immediately to rescue the child but was unsuccessful.

Since that time, more than 13 agencies have been involved in the search for the child, including multiple fire departments, EHS LifeFlight, several volunteer ground search and rescue teams (Pictou County GSAR, Strait Area GSAR, Inverness County GSAR, Colchester GSAR), Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources Air Services, Nova Scotia Public Safety Field Communications, Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, Coast Guard Auxiliary, and multiple RCMP units.

There is no information to suggest that the child got out of the water safely and the extensive search efforts have not resulted in information that would enable searchers to identify a specific search location for the child’s remains.

On April 19 at 5 p.m., the search was suspended. Any further search efforts would resume by air at a later date.

The child’s family has been kept updated on the search efforts and RCMP victim services is engaged.

Our thoughts are with the child’s loved ones and the community at this difficult time.

File #: 2025-504441

MIL Security OSI –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK fighter jets intercept Russian aircraft near NATO’s eastern flank
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Press release

UK fighter jets intercept Russian aircraft near NATO’s eastern flank

UK fighter jets have intercepted two Russian aircraft flying close to NATO airspace
UK fighter jets have intercepted two Russian aircraft flying close to NATO airspace as part of the UK’s contribution to NATO’s enhanced Air Policing in the region.

Two RAF Typhoons were scrambled from Malbork Air Base in Poland on Tuesday (April 15) to intercept a Russian Ilyushin Il-20M “Coot-A” intelligence aircraft over the Baltic Sea.

Whilst on Thursday (17 April) another two Typhoons scrambled from the base, to intercept an unknown aircraft leaving Kaliningrad air space and close to NATO airspace.

The intercepts mark the RAF’s first scramble as part of Operation CHESSMAN and come just weeks after the aircraft arrived in eastern Poland to begin their deployment alongside Sweden in defence of NATO’s Eastern Flank.

It follows the Prime Minister’s historic commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, recognising the critical importance of military readiness in an era of heightened global uncertainty. 

Keeping the country safe is the Government’s first priority and foundation of its Plan for Change. The work of the Royal Air Force is critical to the security and stability of the UK, supporting the delivery of the Government’s five missions.

Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard said:

The UK is unshakeable in its commitment to NATO. With Russian aggression growing and security threats on the rise, we are stepping up to reassure our Allies, deter adversaries and protect our national security through our Plan for Change.

This mission shows our ability to operate side by side with NATO’s newest member Sweden and to defend the Alliance’s airspace wherever and whenever needed, keeping us safe at home and strong abroad.

The UK’s deployment of six Typhoon jets and nearly 200 personnel from 140 Expeditionary Air Wing is the UK’s latest contribution to NATO’s air policing efforts, following successful operations in Romania and Iceland last year.

It also represents a landmark in NATO integration with RAF jets from RAF Lossiemouth operating alongside Swedish Gripens – the first time Sweden has contributed fighter aircraft to another Ally’s air policing since joining NATO in 2024.

The intercepts come after the Defence Secretary’s visit to NATO last week where he reaffirmed the UK’s unshakeable commitment to the alliance and co-led a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in which more than 50 nations pledged a total of £21 billion of support to Ukraine.

The Typhoon programme supports more than 20,000 jobs across all regions of the UK every year, which is defending our security whilst creating jobs back home.

The RAF’s Quick Reaction Alert forces, based at RAF Coningsby, Lossiemouth, and Brize Norton, remain ready to protect UK airspace around the clock, while deployed operations like Op CHESSMAN ensure that British airpower is defending the Alliance wherever it is most needed.

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Published 20 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: SPC Apr 20, 2025 Day 4-8 Severe Weather Outlook

Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Day 4-8 Severe Weather Outlook Issued on Apr 20, 2025

Updated: Sun Apr 20 08:26:02 UTC 2025

.

D4
Wed, Apr 23, 2025 – Thu, Apr 24, 2025
D7
Sat, Apr 26, 2025 – Sun, Apr 27, 2025

D5
Thu, Apr 24, 2025 – Fri, Apr 25, 2025
D8
Sun, Apr 27, 2025 – Mon, Apr 28, 2025

D6
Fri, Apr 25, 2025 – Sat, Apr 26, 2025
(All days are valid from 12 UTC – 12 UTC the following day)

Note: A severe weather area depicted in the Day 4-8 period indicates 15%, 30% or higher probability for severe thunderstorms within 25 miles of any point.

PREDICTABILITY TOO LOW is used to indicate severe storms may be possible based on some model scenarios. However, the location or occurrence of severe storms are in doubt due to: 1) large differences in the deterministic model solutions, 2) large spread in the ensemble guidance, and/or 3) minimal run-to-run continuity.

POTENTIAL TOO LOW means the threat for a regional area of organized severe storms appears unlikely (i.e., less than 15%) for the forecast day.

Forecast Discussion

ZCZC SPCSWOD48 ALL
ACUS48 KWNS 200823
SPC AC 200823

Day 4-8 Convective Outlook
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0323 AM CDT Sun Apr 20 2025

Valid 231200Z – 281200Z

…DISCUSSION…
A low-amplitude southwesterly flow regime will prevail for much of
the Day 4-8 period across portions of the central and eastern U.S.,
with a mean upper trough persisting across the western states.
Persistent south/southeasterly low-level flow across the Gulf and
southern Plains will result in northward transport of rich
boundary-layer moisture across the southern and parts of the central
Plains through at least Day 6/Fri. Forecast guidance suggests weak
shortwave impulses may float through modest southwesterly flow Days
4-5/Wed-Thu, perhaps providing some support for isolated to
scattered thunderstorm potential across the warm sector over
TX/OK/KS. Given a moist and unstable airmass, at least some severe
potential will exist. However, where exactly severe potential may
develop Day 4-5/Wed-Thu is uncertain given a lack of stronger
large-scale ascent and absence of any substantial surface
cyclogenesis, coupled with modest deep-layer flow. This precludes 15
percent probabilities at this time, though outlook areas could
become necessary in later outlooks as smaller-scale features become
better resolved.

A period of weak upper ridging may spread across the Plains and the
eastern U.S. on Days 6-7/Fri-Sat ahead of a more substantial upper
trough developing over the western U.S. This may limit severe
potential late in the week before the western upper trough ejects
east toward the end of the forecast period.

..Leitman.. 04/20/2025

CLICK TO GET WUUS48 PTSD48 PRODUCT

MIL OSI USA News –

April 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to leave tonight for an official visit to USA and Peru from 20th to 30th April 2025

Source: Government of India

Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to leave tonight for an official visit to USA and Peru from 20th to 30th April 2025

Union Finance Minister to attend Spring Meetings of the IMF-World Bank

FM will also take part in G20 Finance Ministers & Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meetings besides bilateral meetings with many countries and organisations

Smt. Sitharaman will participate in multilateral dialogues on various fora to showcase India’s economic dynamism

Posted On: 19 APR 2025 5:11PM by PIB Delhi

Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman will embark on an official visit to USA and Peru beginning 20^th April, 2025. During the visit to the USA, the Union Finance Minister will visit San Francisco and Washington D.C. from 20^th to 25^th April, 2025.

In the course of her two-day visit to San Francisco beginning 20^th April 2025, the Union Finance Minister will deliver a keynote address at the Hoover Institution at the Stanford University, San Francisco, on ‘Laying the foundations of Viksit Bharat 2047’ followed by a fireside chat session.

Smt. Sitharaman will also interact with top CEOs from prominent fund management firms during a Roundtable meeting with investors, besides holding bilateral meetings with CEOs from top information technology (IT) firms based in San Francisco. Smt. Sitharaman will also participate in an event featuring Indian diaspora in San Francisco and interact with the Indian community settled there.

During her visit to Washington D.C., USA, from 22^nd to 25^th April 2025, Smt. Sitharaman will participate in the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the 2^ndG20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governor (FMCBG) Meetings, Development Committee Plenary, IMFC Plenary, and Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR) meeting.

On the sidelines of the Spring Meetings in Washington D.C., Smt. Sitharaman will hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from several countries, including Argentina, Bahrain, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, and USA; besides meeting EU Commissioner for Financial Services; President, Asian Development Bank (ADB); President, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB); United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health (UNSGSA); and First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

During her maiden visit to Peru from 26^th to 30^th April 2025, the Union Finance Minister will lead an Indian delegation of officials from the Ministry of Finance and business leaders, highlighting the strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations between the two nations.

Beginning her visit in Lima, Union Finance Minister Smt. Sitharaman is expected to call on the President of Peru, H.E. Ms. Dina Boluarte, and Prime Minister of Peru, H.E. Mr. Gustavo Adrianzén, besides holding bilateral meetings with the Peruvian Ministers of Finance and Economy; Defence; Energy and Mines; and also holding interaction with local public representatives.

In the course of her visit to Peru, the Union Finance Minister will chair the India-Peru Business Forum meeting with prominent business representatives in attendance from both India and Peru. Smt. Sitharaman will also hold an interaction with the Indian investors & businesses currently operating in Peru, as well as the Indian Business delegation visiting Peru.

Given Peru’s importance in the global supply chain of critical minerals and precious metals, discussions during these engagements are also expected to explore avenues for greater collaboration in the mining sector, particularly to strengthen India’s resource security and facilitate value-chain linkages between the two economies.

The Union Finance Minister will also participate in a community event at Lima, where she will interact with the Indian diaspora living in Peru.

****

NB/KMN

(Release ID: 2122913) Visitor Counter : 70

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 20, 2025
MIL-OSI China: World’s 1st humanoid half marathon heralds new era of intelligence

Source: China State Council Information Office 2

Robotic participant “NOETIX N2” (Front R) is seen after the Beijing E-Town half-marathon and humanoid robots half-marathon in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area in southeastern Beijing, China, April 19, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
As the starter pistols sounded on Saturday morning, history was made. On the outskirts of Beijing, servos hummed and joints whirred as 20 bipedal robots bolted from the starting line, kicking off the world’s first humanoid robot half marathon.
For the very first time, humanoid machines stepped onto a long-distance race track to compete alongside human runners, blurring the line between athletics and invention, and heralding a new era of robotic intelligence.
Over the past few months, Chinese startup teams have been dominating the global robotics stage with inventions that can perform impressive stunts like dances, backflips, and Tai Chi. Powered by recent exponential leaps in AI, these machines have moved on from mechanical motions to remarkably lifelike movements.
Their designers believe that now is the perfect moment to showcase China’s growing prowess in robotics manufacturing in a more eye-catching way.
Saturday’s long-distance race put the durability and stamina of these Chinese inventions to the test, though battery replacements akin to pit stops in the F1 Grand Prix were permitted. Robots navigated diverse terrains, including smooth asphalt, cracked roads, puddles, and both gentle and steep slopes.
Prior to the highly anticipated race, the robot runners were surrounded by three to four mechanical and software engineers. The air crackled with tension as the final adjustments were made to various mechanicians, with intensive debugging processes continuing right up to the last possible moment.
Unease lingered among the human competitors, who were uncertain whether the robots would be able to complete the 21-kilometer race — and if they could, whether they would win. Most had been rushed directly from their development labs to the race track, never having completed a full test run.
“We lightened the robot without compromising its strength, refined its leg design, and improved its thermal conductivity and air-cooling systems to boost stability and endurance,” said Guo Yijie, a technician for the Tien Kung Ultra robot, explaining how his team had adapted the machine for the race.
Dressed in an orange vest, Tien Kung, which had the fastest time in the 5-kilometer qualifying race, started first and led the group.
Known for its resilience and constantly evolving athletic capabilities, the 1.8-meter-tall robot had previously set a record by climbing more than 100 consecutive outdoor steps.
Despite thorough preparations, however, Tien Kung encountered a minor setback when its lower leg component fractured during a pre-race field test, adding even more suspense to the competition.
In a surprising twist within just 100 meters of the starting line, a robot wearing a lifelike female face mask buckled at the knees and crashed to the ground. It was quickly overtaken by a 75-centimeter-tall robot in a shiny silver suit that had started later.
Another robot runner, known as Xuanyuan and famed for its diagnostic and emotional recognition AI capabilities, also stumbled shortly after it set off. Luckily, it regained its footing and continued on, albeit at a more cautious pace.
“When falling, humans can get back up with a few simple movements, but robots require multiple joints to work together, each with high torque requirements,” said Yang Guodong, co-founder of a startup that designed CASBOT SE, another robot competitor.
The early kilometers of the race revealed the likely outcome: Tien Kung was the obvious robot frontrunner, though its speed was no match for humans. Strictly speaking, the robots’ movements are more like speed-walking, as they cannot quite manage to get both feet off the ground.
The real drama unfolded at the 16-kilometer mark, where Tien Kung experienced a heart-stopping accident — a sudden, jarring collapse. Its accompanying engineers scrambled, even rolling out a backup machine. A machine swap would have incurred an at least 10-minute penalty, according to the rules of the race.
Five minutes later, Tien Kung surged back to life and resumed running, its steady rhythm undisturbed and its metal frame catching the sun’s glare as the clouds parted. Ahead of the procession was an olive-green Xiaomi SU7, an electric pace car that guided the machine runners.
For the first few kilometers, Noetix’s N2 kept close pace with Tien Kung. At just 1.2 meters tall, it has short, broad legs that move with a firm and powerful stride. Its body swings back and forth with ease, giving it a running posture that is more human-like than Tien Kung’s.
But N2 gradually fell behind, owing to multiple battery swaps and repairs that required engineers to perform frantic hard resets.
Many of the competing robots weren’t brought to the race to chase medals. They stole the show in their own way, with one humanoid robot showcasing long legs resembling those of a praying mantis, and another wearing a comical black fishing hat.
The footwear on display during the race also told a story. Some robots were equipped with professional running shoes for shock absorption, while one clomped forward in rain boots for better traction, as it had rained the day prior.
It didn’t take Booster T1 — another robot racer — long to show off its lively dance skills to onlookers. And a robot resembling a Transformer was quick to slide toward the right-hand railings as soon as the race began, as if attempting to escape.
Though still impressive to the casual viewer, these amusing moments highlighted that humanoid robotics are still in their infancy. For many robotics startups, the half marathon was both a platform to showcase their inventions and a real-world testing ground.
The defining moment of the race came 2 hours and 40 minutes in, when Tien Kung stormed triumphantly across the finish line.
While most human runners had long since completed the race, an eager group of robotics enthusiasts had modulated their pace to form a synchronized procession behind the robot champion. Tien Kung’s average pace came in at approximately 8 kilometers per hour — a milestone achievement in humanoid-robot running history.
“This performance was pretty much in line with our expectations,” said Xiong Youjun, general manager of the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, Tien Kung’s developer.
N2 secured second place among the robots competing, and a machine designed by Shanghai-based firm DroidUp came in third. In total, six humanoid robots completed the race.
“Just being here and participating in this race feels like a victory. Finishing the race should be considered a greater triumph than winning,” Xiong said. “This is the first step toward integrating robots into our daily lives. It’s a historic moment.”
The half marathon trail included a charming avenue lined with princess trees on both sides, leading to Beijing E-Town — a hub of Chinese innovation, where cutting-edge firms in the robotics, semiconductor, biotech and commercial spaceflight sectors are driving the country’s growth.
“Humanoid robots consist of thousands of parts, fueling a lengthy industrial chain,” said Liang Liang, an official of the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (BDA), where Beijing E-Town is located. “China’s robust and diverse manufacturing sectors provide a strong foundation for robot innovation.”
Not all of China’s leading robotics firms took part in Saturday’s half marathon. UBTECH, headquartered in Beijing E-Town, focuses on deploying robots in factories to complete practical tasks, and its products are already training in auto factories.
Likewise, Kepler K2 robots from Shanghai, with a dual-arm payload capacity of 30 kilograms, look set to secure careers as logistics workers.
Currently in China, 470 industrial robots are deployed for every 10,000 manufacturing workers. And in the coming years, humanoid robots are poised to join human workforces, particularly in the handling of open-ended tasks requiring cognitive capabilities.
“The true purpose of this humanoid robot race is aligned with the eternal marathon of human aspiration,” said Li Quan, another official of the BDA, which co-organized the event.
This August, a humanoid robot games is scheduled to be held in Beijing.
“Every physical course will end, but our journey toward human-robot collaboration has no finish tape,” Li said.

MIL OSI China News –

April 20, 2025

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Updates to this page

Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to leave tonight for an official visit to USA and Peru from 20th to 30th April 2025Union Finance Minister to attend Spring Meetings of the IMF-World Bank

Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to leave tonight for an official visit to USA and Peru from 20th to 30th April 2025

Union Finance Minister to attend Spring Meetings of the IMF-World Bank