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Category: Politics

  • MIL-Evening Report: Which Roman emperor was most like Donald Trump?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Edwell, Associate Professor in Ancient History, Macquarie University

    SvetlanaVV/Shutterstock

    Something tells me US president Donald Trump would love to be a Roman emperor. The mythology of unrestrained power with sycophants doing his bidding would be seductive.

    But in fact, Roman emperors were heavily constrained by institutions, the economy and popular mood. Yes, some challenged and sidelined the institutions of their day – but this often sparked a powerful backlash.

    As someone who’s studied Ancient Rome for years, I’ve recently been asked which Roman emperor was most like Donald Trump. In some ways he’s a pastiche of several Roman leaders.

    Julius Caesar

    Of course, Julius Caesar was never an emperor. He was a military leader and politician when the Roman Republic was in its death throes.

    While Trump has no military experience, some have compared him with Caesar.

    English classicist Mary Beard explains the appeal of this comparison for Trump’s foes and supporters alike.

    The Roman Republic was originally a system of shared political authority. The Senate, the people and elected magistrates shared power.

    But in the first century BC, powerful and charismatic figures became more prominent. The old power-sharing arrangements broke down.

    Caesar was the ultimate populist who overthrew the conventional means of Republican government.
    Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913/The Metropolitan Museum of Art

    Caesar was the most significant of these figures. He was the ultimate populist who overthrew the conventional means of Republican government. Due to his military successes, vast fortune and enormous popular appeal, Caesar broke the system entirely.

    Caesar fast-tracked the development of executive power in one person. This doomed the Roman Republic itself.

    Trump has also sidelined key institutions and increased the powers of singular executive government. Threatening judges and the chair of the Federal Reserve are further examples of over-reach.

    Trump draws on popular appeal to escape ramifications for these actions. His TV career, political rallies and domination of the news cycle contribute to a cult of personality.

    Caesar paid the ultimate price for concentrating executive power in himself. He was stabbed to death by a group of angry senators. The republic, however, was beyond saving.

    Caesar and the Roman Republic were different to Trump and America. Caesar was a blue-blood patrician, which Trump isn’t. Rome had its most powerful centuries ahead of it, while America is in decline.

    Octavian: the man who became Augustus

    Caesar didn’t manage the transition from Republic to autocracy. It was his nephew, Octavian, who did that.

    After more than a decade of civil wars following Caesar’s murder in 44 BCE, Octavian became Augustus (27 BCE–14 CE) or emperor.

    While he claimed to restore the republic, Augustus exercised ultimate power over the army, political institutions and the courts. He finished the process Caesar and others began, dominating the Senate and once-powerful positions such as consulships.

    Augustus’ domination of the entire political system draws parallels with Trump. Some observers liken Trump to Augustus. They see similarities in Trump’s intimidation of institutions (including the courts and media) that provide checks on presidential power.

    Augustus also developed a cult of personality, which is a feature of Trump’s rise.

    Nero: from populist to pariah

    Nero (54–68 CE), a colourful successor of Augustus, employed advisors with no political backgrounds. Epaphroditus, for example, was a former slave who became Nero’s secretary. He controlled the flow of information to and from the emperor. He became very wealthy and was intensely loyal to Nero.

    Trump has shown similar instincts. Think of the wide-ranging powers to cut government programs granted to Elon Musk and his inexperienced team.

    Like Trump, Nero could entertain a crowd. He publicly sang and recited poetry, which previous emperors never did. The elites detested this but the broader population loved it. Nero also put on lavish palace banquets.

    But by the time of his death by suicide aged 30, Nero had isolated everyone.

    It’s too simplistic, though, to say Trump is a Nero, as others have done. Trump remains connected to a large support base, as evidenced by his two presidential election victories.

    Like Trump, Nero could entertain a crowd.
    Ivan Moreno sl/Shutterstock

    Roman emperors were constrained by institutions

    While Roman emperors dominated the institutions of state, they were still constrained by them. Some who fell foul of the army, the most important state institution, met ignominious ends.

    In 217 CE, the unpopular emperor Caracalla was knifed by a soldier while relieving himself.

    Emperor Caracalla was eventually stabbed by a soldier while relieving himself.
    Samuel D. Lee Fund, 1940/The Metropolitan Museum of Art

    Emperor Severus Alexander was murdered in 235 CE by his own troops while clutching his mother’s knees.

    Some speculate the US army might intervene to protect the Constitution against Trump. But the army’s relationship to the US government is more complex than in ancient Rome.

    Some emperors became unpopular due to their arrogance toward the Senate, court officials and their own bodyguards.

    In 96 CE, Domitian was killed in a conspiracy of the court chamberlain. His death was cheered by many due to his autocratic style.

    And Emperor Commodus, once popular due to his eccentric antics and public games, was murdered by a champion wrestler in 192 CE. His mistress, Praetorian prefect and court chamberlain arranged it. The Senate declared Commodus a public enemy.

    The creeping power of executive authority

    The over-reach of executive authority will likely define Trump’s second term. But there are many constraints he can’t ignore. Some of the most powerful operate outside America. Bond-holders, of whom China is the second largest, are a notable example.

    The eventual displeasure of support bases may hasten the demise of the Trump phenomenon. I sincerely hope it doesn’t end with the brutality some of the emperors met with.

    Executive over-reach and intimidation of key institutions may permanently damage America’s reputation. In the case of ancient Rome, we know the outcomes. What comes next in America is the great unknown.

    Peter Edwell receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Which Roman emperor was most like Donald Trump? – https://theconversation.com/which-roman-emperor-was-most-like-donald-trump-254573

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Palau Establishes Steering Committee to Guide Passport Digitalization

    Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

    Ngerekebesang, Palau – The Government of Palau, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and with support from the Government of Japan, has launched its first official meeting under the Enhancing Border Management Capacity through the Introduction of an E-Passport for the Republic of Palau project.

    Launched at the Embassy of Japan in Ngerekebesang on 18 April 2025., the project marks a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to align Palauan passports with international good practices to augment security of the passport issuance system. This shift will not only protect Palauan passport holders from identity theft but also ensure seamless access to passport application for all citizens.

    The meeting convened key stakeholders including Gustav Aitaro, Minister of State, Hiroyuki Orikasa, Ambassador of Japan to Palau, senior officials from the Ministry of State, Finance, Justice and the Judiciary Branch along with representatives from IOM and the Embassy of Japan.

    The USD 4.5 million initiative, funded by the Government of Japan, will transition Palauan passports to electronic, machine-readable passports (e-MRPs) that feature embedded biometric data, significantly improving security and global compatibility. Over the next three years, the project will digitalize Palau’s passport application and issuance systems and introduce new technologies and infrastructure to strengthen the country’s identity management capacity.

    In his opening remarks, Minister Aitaro, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening travel document integrity and enhancing service delivery to Palauan citizens.

    Ambassador Orikasa emphasized Japan’s strong partnership with Palau in building effective border systems.

    Salvatore Sortino, IOM Chief of Mission for Micronesia, highlighted the project’s potential to improve travel convenience, reduce identity fraud, and strengthen regional security.

    A key outcome of the meeting was the formal establishment of the Project Steering Committee, which will provide strategic oversight and ensure inter-agency coordination throughout the life of the project. Chaired by the Minister of State, the Committee comprises senior representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Justice, Judiciary Branch, and Embassy of Japan (as an observer), with IOM serving as the Secretariat.

    The E-Passport Project is a timely intervention that responds to the evolving mobility needs of Palauans and the realities of international travel in a post-pandemic world. It represents a major step forward in strengthening Palau’s border infrastructure and expanding access to secure, reliable travel documents for all its citizens. The members of the Steering Committee will meet again in August to review project progress.

    ***

    For more information, please contact at IOM Micronesia: Yohan Senarath at ysenarath@iom.int in Palau or Haimanot Abebe at haabebe@iom.int, +691 320 8735 in the Federated States of Micronesia

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 30, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 30, 2025.

    Locked up for life? Unpacking South Australia’s new child sex crime laws
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Xanthe Mallett, Criminologist, CQUniversity Australia Melnikov Dmitriy/Shutterstock It’s election time, which means the age old “tough on crime” rhetoric is being heralded by many politicians aiming to score votes. Opposition leader Peter Dutton is pushing for a national public sex offender register. Currently only Western Australia has

    Why do dogs eat poo? A canine scientist explains
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mia Cobb, Research Fellow, Animal Welfare Science Centre, The University of Melbourne nygi/Unsplash When miniature dachshund Valerie was captured after 529 days alone in the wilds of Australia’s Kangaroo Island, experts speculated she survived partly by eating other animals’ poo. While this survival tactic may have saved

    On ‘moral panic’ and the courage to speak – the West’s silence on Gaza
    Palestinians do not have the luxury to allow Western moral panic to have its say or impact. Not caving in to this panic is one small, but important, step in building a global Palestine network that is urgently needed, writes Dr Ilan Pappé ANALYSIS: By Ilan Pappé Responses in the Western world to the genocide

    Sick of eating the same things? 5 ways to boost your nutrition and keep meals interesting and healthy
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle Loquellano/Pexels Did you start 2025 with a promise to eat better but didn’t quite get there? Or maybe you want to branch out from making the same meal every week or the same lunch for work

    Peace in our time? Why NZ should resist Trump’s one-sided plan for Ukraine
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert G. Patman, Professor of International Relations, University of Otago GettyImages Getty Images Is it possible to reconcile increased international support for Ukraine with Donald Trump’s plan to end the war? At their recent meeting in London, Christopher Luxon and his British counterpart Keir Starmer seemed to

    ‘A living collective’: study shows trees synchronise electrical signals during a solar eclipse
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Monica Gagliano, Research Associate Professor in Evolutionary Biology, Southern Cross University Zenit Arti Audiovisive Earth’s cycles of light and dark profoundly affect billions of organisms. Events such as solar eclipses are known to bring about marked shifts in animals, but do they have the same effect on

    Greenpeace slams deep sea mining bid as ‘rogue’ disregard for global law
    By Reza Azam Greenpeace has condemned an announcement by The Metals Company to submit the first application to commercially mine the seabed. “The first application to commercially mine the seabed will be remembered as an act of total disregard for international law and scientific consensus,” said Greenpeace International senior campaigner Louisa Casson. “This unilateral US

    State of the states: the campaign is almost over, so how has it played out across Australia?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Clune, Honorary Associate, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney While many Australians have already voted at pre-poll stations and by post, the politicking continues right up until May 3. So what’s happened across the country over the past five weeks? Here, six experts analyse how

    ‘No compassion… just blame’: how weight stigma in maternity care harms larger-bodied women and their babies
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Briony Hill, Deputy Head, Health and Social Care Unit and Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Kate Cashin Photography According to a study from the United States, women experience weight stigma in maternity care at almost every visit. We expect this experience to be similar in Australia, where

    Renewables, coal or nuclear? This election, your generation’s energy preference may play a surprising role
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magnus Söderberg, Professor & Director, Centre for Applied Energy Economics and Policy Research, Griffith University Christie Cooper/Shutterstock In an otherwise unremarkable election campaign, the major parties are promising sharply different energy blueprints for Australia. Labor is pitching a high-renewables future powered largely by wind, solar, hydroelectricity and

    Trump says diversity initiatives undermine merit. Decades of research show this is flawed
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paula McDonald, Professor of Work and Organisation, Queensland University of Technology Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock US President Donald Trump declared earlier this year he would forge a “colour blind and merit-based society”. His executive order was part of a broader policy directing the US military, federal agencies and other public

    Housing affordability is at the centre of this election, yet two major reforms seem all but off-limits
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Garrow, Editorial Web Developer This federal election, both major parties have offered a “grab bag” of policy fixes for Australia’s stubborn housing affordability crisis. But there are still two big policy elephants in the room, which neither side wants to touch. The first is negative gearing.

    The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago today, yet films about the conflict still struggle to capture its complexities
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scarlette Nhi Do, Sessional Academic, The University of Melbourne Scene from Apocalypse Now (1979) Prime Video The Vietnam War (1955–1975) was more than just a chapter in the Cold War. For some, it was supposed to achieve Vietnam’s right to self-determination. For others, it was an attempt

    Willis warns of a ‘tight’ budget to come, but NZ should be going for productivity, not austerity
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis Wesselbaum, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Otago Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images Finance Minister Nicola Willis has warned her 2025 “Growth Budget” will be “one of the tightest budgets in a decade”, with plans to reduce spending by billions. It’s clear New Zealand is following a

    50 years after the ‘fall’ of Saigon – from triumph to Trump
    30 April 1975. Saigon Fell, Vietnam Rose. The story of Vietnam after the US fled the country is not a fairy tale, it is not a one-dimensional parable of resurrection, of liberation from oppression, of joy for all — but there is a great deal to celebrate. After over a century of brutal colonial oppression

    Labor maintains clear lead in all polls and is likely to win election
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Labor leads by between 52–48 and 53–47 in four new national polls from Resolve, Essential, Morgan and DemosAU. While Labor’s vote slumped from a high 55.5–44.5 in

    Election Diary: Albanese will be encouraged by ‘Trump’ effect in helping Canadian Liberals to victory
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Labor will be encouraged by the Liberals’ victory in Canada’s election, undoubtedly much helped by US President Donald Trump. Trump’s extraordinary attack on the United States’ northern ally, with his repeated suggestion Canada should be the 51st American state, galvanised

    French Minister Valls warns New Caledonia is ‘on a tightrope’, pleads for ‘innovative’ solutions
    By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls, who is visiting New Caledonia this week for the third time in two months, has once again called on all parties to live up to their responsibilities in order to make a new political agreement possible. Failing that, he said

    Did ‘induced atmospheric vibration’ cause blackouts in Europe? An electrical engineer explains the phenomenon
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian, Professor of Electrical Engineering, School of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology The lights are mostly back on in Spain, Portugal and southern France after a widespread blackout on Monday. The blackout caused chaos for tens of millions of people. It shut down traffic lights and

    Tarakinikini appointed as Fiji’s ambassador-designate to Israel
    By Anish Chand in Suva Filipo Tarakinikini has been appointed as Fiji’s Ambassador-designate to Israel. This has been stated on two official X, formerly Twitter, handle posts overnight. “#Fiji is determined to deepen its relations with #Israel as Fiji’s Ambassador-designate to Israel, HE Ambassador @AFTarakinikini prepares to present his credentials on 28 April, 2025,” stated

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey, Huffman, Fitzpatrick Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect the Arctic Refuge

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Washington (April 29, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.), today reintroduced the Arctic Refuge Protection Act, legislation that will restore critical protections to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—the nation’s largest national wildlife refuge—by designating the Coastal Plain ecosystem as wilderness under the National Wilderness Preservation System. This legislation would permanently halt any new oil and gas leasing, exploration, development, and drilling on the Coastal Plain, and would safeguard the subsistence rights of the Arctic Indigenous Peoples who depend upon the Arctic Refuge.
    “Trump’s reopening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas is another attempt to revive his old and failed promise of a fictional financial windfall from leasing the Refuge—all to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. The urgency to protect the wilderness of the Coastal Plain and the Refuge more broadly and reaffirm the sovereignty of Arctic Indigenous peoples is paramount—my Arctic Refuge Protection Act would do just that,” said Senator Markey. “We must put a law on the books to affirm these lands are not for sale and defend the Arctic landscape—a sacred home for Indigenous peoples, including the Gwich’in and Inupait—from Trump’s disastrous business plan.”
    “What we choose to protect says everything about who we are. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is too special to destroy, and we have a responsibility to keep it that way,” said Ranking Member Huffman. “The Refuge is one of the last truly wild places left on the planet — home to caribou herds, polar bears, migratory birds, and breathtaking landscapes. But it’s more than that. It’s about standing with the Gwich’in people, who’ve spent generations protecting this land, living with the caribou herds, and preserving a way of life that predates the fossil fuel industry by thousands of years and continues to this day. Now, President Trump wants to turn the Arctic Refuge into a corporate cash grab, a place where oil companies could frack up the tundra while trampling tribal sovereignty and leaving Americans with nothing but spills and broken promises. This land belongs to the American people and to the Gwich’in, not to Big Oil.”
    “Protecting the Arctic Refuge is not only an environmental imperative—it’s a strategic one. This land holds immense ecological value, cultural significance, and climate importance. Reckless development would endanger wildlife, violate Indigenous rights, and yield little economic return. As Co-Chair of the World Wildlife, Oceanic, Environmental and Biodiversity Caucus, I’m proud to support this legislation to protect one of America’s last wild frontiers—because conservation is not a cost, it’s a long-term investment in our security, economy, and planet,” said Representative Fitzpatrick.
    “The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a pristine, million-year-old ecosystem unlike anything else we have in the United States, which is why it should be permanently protected,” said Senator Cantwell. “The future of the Arctic is in tourism, and with new sea routes opening up the real value of this land is conservation, not exploitation.”
    “The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of our country’s most unique and beautiful areas of land. We must work with our indigenous communities to protect our wildlife, and the environment put at risk by oil and gas development in this spectacular refuge. Rather than catering to the interests of the oil companies, we must focus our efforts on diversifying our energy sources with renewable energy and prevent further harm to the environment,” said Senator Schiff.
    “We commend our congressional champions for taking a stand to protect one of America’s last great wild places. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s Coastal Plain is not only a sanctuary for wildlife—it is sacred land for the Gwich’in and a symbol of our nation’s commitment to conservation. Selling off this land for oil and gas is not only destructive, it’s bad economics. The last Arctic Refuge lease sale was a failure, proving there is no real demand—only a handout to billion-dollar corporations at the expense of taxpayers. This legislation is a crucial step in permanently protecting this irreplaceable landscape from exploitation. Now, more than ever, Congress must prioritize our public lands and Indigenous rights by restoring protections to the Arctic Refuge and ensuring this land remains unexploited for generations to come,” said Kristen Miller, Executive Director, Alaska Wilderness League.
    “We applaud the leadership of Sen. Markey and Reps. Huffman and Fitzpatrick for reintroducing the Arctic Refuge Protection Act,” said Mary Glaves, Alaska Coordinator for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. “For hunters and anglers, the 1.5-million-acre coastal plain is the birth place of wild pursuits of caribou, waterfowl, and iconic fish species including Dolly Varden and Arctic Char. The abysmal interest in both the 2020 and 2025 lease sales demonstrates the bad economics of drilling in the Arctic Refuge. The wetlands and rivers weave together one of the last truly wild landscapes that are essential for the North American heritage of hunting and fishing and subsistence for local Alaskan communities. The Arctic Refuge is a national treasure that should be protected as such through a wilderness designation.”
    “The Arctic Refuge is no place for drilling. It is a sanctuary for caribou, musk oxen, polar bears, wolves, and other wildlife. The Arctic Refuge Protection Act is a clear acknowledgment of that fact. Even the biggest players in the oil industry recognized that drilling in the Refuge was an absurd proposition when they failed to show up for recent lease sales,” said Alexandra Adams, Chief Policy Advocacy Officer at NRDC. “This bill would end an ongoing threat to this treasured place by forever barring industrialization of the Refuge.”
    Background
    The Arctic Refuge is one of the last truly wild places left in America. The Coastal Plain is the calving ground of the Porcupine caribou herd, the source of the Indigenous Gwich’in people’s way of life and subsistence for generations. It also provides a critical denning habitat for threatened Southern Beaufort Sea populations of polar bears. Oil and gas exploration, seismic testing, and all of the infrastructure that comes with oil drilling – from roads to pipelines to pumpjacks – would threaten polar bears in their dens, disrupt caribou and bird migration patterns, and result in significant and irreversible harm to the unique Arctic Refuge habitat and the Indigenous communities who depend on it.
    For the Gwich’in people, who refer to the Coastal Plain as “Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit” or the Sacred Place Where Life Begins, this land is more than wildlife habitat. It is cultural identity, food security, and a foundation for traditions that span millennia into the current day. The caribou herd is central to their traditions and survival, and industrial development in the region threatens not just an ecosystem, but an entire way of life. The Gwich’in, which span across Alaska and Canada, have been united in their opposition to drilling in the Refuge for decades and have called on the federal government to uphold its trust responsibilities and protect these lands permanently.
    Developing the Refuge’s unproven oil and gas reserves would also pose a serious danger to the climate, locking in decades of emissions in a region already warming four times faster than the global average.
    For decades, the Refuge’s coastal plain has been targeted for highly speculative oil and gas drilling. In 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act established an oil and gas leasing program along with a requirement that the Department of the Interior conduct two lease sales in the coastal plain before the end of 2024. According to the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate at the time, these lease sales would result in $1.82 billion in revenue over 10 years. Seven years later, those projections have proven wildly inaccurate.
    The first lease sale brought in only $14.4 million in bids on 11 tracts, a far cry from the nearly $2 billion in estimated revenue. Major oil companies didn’t participate in the sale, and most major financial institutions have pledged not to finance drilling there. The most recent lease sale in January of this year generated no interest. Despite the lack of interest or activity, the risk of development and drilling in the Arctic Refuge remains.
    On his first day in office, President Trump restarted the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program and reinstated seven leases from the state development corporation, which were previously canceled by the Biden administration. Congressional Republicans may once again use oil and gas leasing to pay for tax cuts for billionaires, despite its catastrophic failure to raise revenue in 2017.
    The Senate bill is cosponsored by Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
    The House bill is cosponsored by Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Madeline Dean (D-Pa.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.), Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.), George Latimer (D-N.Y.), Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Rob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Emily Randall (D-Wash.), Dave Min (D-Calif.), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), James McGovern (D-Mass.), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Mike Levin (D-Calif.), Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.).
    The bill was endorsed by National Audubon Society, Gwich’in Steering Committee, Alaska Wilderness League, Trustees for Alaska, The Wilderness Society, League of Conservation Voters, Defenders of Wildlife, National Wildlife Refuge Association, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, World Wildlife Fund, Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Environment America.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: World Games’ first-ever torch relay to take place in China’s Sichuan on July 26

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

    BEIJING, April 29 — With the 100-day countdown to the 2025 Chengdu World Games falling on Tuesday, the event’s organizing committee announced that the World Games’ first torch relay will be held in southwest China’s Sichuan Province on July 26.

    The flame collection and launch ceremony will be held at the Sanxingdui Museum, before the flame is relayed in three cities in Sichuan: Chengdu, Deyang and Meishan, organizers said on Tuesday.

    “It will be the first time in the World Games’ history to organize torch relay activities. 120 torchbearers will cover a total distance of 11 kilometers,” said Wang Fengchao, vice president of the Chengdu World Games organizing committee and mayor of Chengdu.

    “The selection of torchbearers runs through March to June, which includes representatives of athletes, coaches, citizens, international friends, as well as grassroots workers such as couriers, ride-hailing drivers and sanitation workers,” Wang added.

    The torch, named “Zhumeng”, or “Dream Chaser”, is the first-ever torch designed for the World Games, and was unveiled on February 27. Wang said, “The relevant facilities of flame collection and torch relay will be ready in early July.”

    As the highest-level international comprehensive Games for non-Olympic sports, the 2025 Chengdu World Games will be held from August 7 to 17, which is also the first world sports event staged in west China after the Chengdu Universiade in 2023.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At Senate Hearing, Murray Highlights Lack of Transparency and Stonewalling at VA, Efforts to Address MST, and Need for Practical Telework Policies in Health Care Settings

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Senator Murray: “I hope that Secretary Collins—who says he’s running the most transparent VA in history—decides that VA can be transparent enough to let a senator hold a discussion about VA healthcare onsite at the local VA, as I have done for over 30 years and I know other members have as well.”
    ICYMI: After Trump Admin Refuses to Allow VA to Host Discussion on Women Veterans’ Health Care, Senator Murray Meets with Women Veterans and Advocates In Seattle
    ICYMI: At Senate Hearing, Senator Murray Highlights Devastating Cuts to VA Workforce, and Presses Nominees on Willingness to Comply with the Law
    *** VIDEO of Senator Murray’s Remarks and Questioning HERE***
    Washington, D.C. — Today, at a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing to address veterans’ mental health, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Committee, questioned Dr. Thomas O’Toole, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Health and Clinical Services at Veterans Health Administration, on the importance of transparency and communication between veterans and VA after the Trump administration recently prohibited VA Puget Sound from either hosting or participating in a roundtable with Senator Murray and local Seattle area veterans on women’s health. Senator Murray also questioned how the Trump administration’s mass firings might undermine care for veterans who have dealt with sexual trauma and also raised the administration’s return to office policy and its disruptive impact on patients and providers.
    Senator Murray began by emphasizing the importance of hearing directly from the VA and VA providers to improve mental health care outreach and noted that last week, VA Puget Sound was denied the ability to host and participate in a roundtable discussion with Senator Murray in Seattle, asking O’Toole, “Can you explain why having both the VA and veterans together is important for a robust conversation?”
    O’Toole responded, “Thank you Senator, and I appreciate it. I’m not familiar with the situation you’re describing, so unfortunately, I can’t comment to that, and to the specifics or to the approval, or lack of. But absolutely we are informed by our veterans, it helps us be a better agency and a better organization, and it’s something we try to encourage in as many capacities as we can.”
    Murray pressed, “Well do you know if the new policy that prevents elected officials from meeting with veterans at VA facilities comes from within VHA or does it come from political leadership at VA Central Office?”
    “I would have to defer to our leadership in terms of describing it better than I can myself,” O’Toole replied.
    Murray said, “Ok, well Mr. Chairman this is really important and I hope that Secretary Collins—who says he’s running the most transparent VA in history—decides that VA can be transparent enough to let a senator hold a discussion about VA healthcare onsite at the local VA, as I have done for over 30 years and I know other members have as well. So, I am not done with this topic.”
    Murray addressed the fact that women are more likely to seek care through VA, and also more likely to be dealing with depression, anxiety, or sexual trauma. In 2022, suicide rates for women veterans with histories with sexual trauma were 75 percent higher than those without. Murray stressed getting in touch with these veterans can literally mean the difference between life and death, and said, “However, in February, President Trump and Musk fired more than 2,400 VA employees, including dedicated health professionals who staff the phones at VA’s veteran crisis line.”
    “What steps is VA taking now to reach survivors of military sexual trauma?” Murray asked O’Toole.
    O’Toole replied, “Thank you Senator. Well, first in relation to the veteran crisis line—that decision was reversed, and we have actually seen a net increase in staff working in the veteran crisis line, and I’m happy to report that outcome. The outreach and specifically efforts for women who are victims of military sexual trauma has been incorporated into our reach vet, and reach vet algorithm, so that we are specifically identifying and engaging those women to make sure that we are providing better care. I’d like to defer to Mr. Fisher who can also speak specifically to some of the efforts at the veteran resource centers as well.”
    Mr. Fischer added, “Thank you Senator for the question, so vet centers have historically gone out and reached out to any veteran cohort and servicemember cohort that’s eligible for vet center services. That includes women veterans, that includes individuals who experience military sexual trauma. We’ve continued to do this since the change of the administration. Our outreach staff, as well as our counseling staff at vet centers are exempted from any hiring freeze. And what we can say specific to women veterans is that every year we see increases in the number of women veterans that are coming into vet centers. We also see high trust scores with women veterans who receive vet center services. Last year was at 93%.”
    Murray continued by pressing, “I don’t see how 80,000 employees being removed will help the VA provide services.”
    Murray pivoted to how remote work agreements have allowed VA to hire more mental health providers to treat disabled, rural, and geriatric veterans who have difficulty travelling to VA hospitals for in-person appointments. Now, VA providers are being required to work in-person, Murray said, “Those providers have been working remotely since before the pandemic and now, instead of being able to take video calls in private offices, they’re speaking with veteran patients in open floor spaces where there is no privacy. This is a violation of veterans’ privacy, it’s a violation of HIPAA, it is leading doctors and counselors to look elsewhere for work. I am almost out of time, I just want to say that the elimination of telework agreements is really affecting our veterans access to mental healthcare, and we need to have a further conversation with you about how we can fix that.”
    Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee—as the daughter of a World War II veteran, supporting veterans and their families has always been an important priority for her. Senator Murray has been a leading voice in the Senate speaking out forcefully against President Trump and Elon Musk’s mass firing of VA employees and VA researchers across the country and Elon Musk and DOGE’s infiltration of the VA, including accessing veterans’ sensitive personal information. In recent weeks, Senator Murray and her colleagues sent letters to VA Secretary Doug Collins demanding that the VA swiftly reverse moves to cut VA researchers, as well as multiple letters pressing Secretary Collins to sever Elon Musk and DOGE’s access to any VA or other government system with information about veterans, and protect veterans, their families, and VA staff from unprecedented access to sensitive information. Senator Murray grilled Trump’s nominee for VA Deputy Secretary, Dr. Paul Lawrence, on the mass firings of VA employees and VA researchers, and voted against Doug Collins’s nomination to be VA Secretary in early February, sounding the alarm over reports of DOGE at the VA and making clear that the Trump administration’s lawlessness was putting our national security and our veterans at risk.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Orca Energy Group Inc. Announces 2024 Year End Audited Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Orca Energy Group Inc. (“Orca” or “the Company” and includes its subsidiaries and affiliates) (TSX-V: ORC.A, ORC.B) today announced its audited financial results for the fourth quarter (“Q4 2024“) and year ended December 31, 2024. All dollar amounts are in United States dollars unless otherwise stated.

    • Revenue increased by 51% for Q4 2024 and by 1% for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the same prior year periods. Certain volumes were supplied as Protected Gas (defined below) prior to July 31, 2024. After the termination of Protected Gas after July 31, 2024, those volumes were instead supplied as Additional Gas (defined below). These volumes, which were delivered to Songas Limited (“Songas“) in August, September and October 2024 and for which the Company did not receive compensation, have not been recognized in revenue in 2024. These unrecognized gross revenues include 80.5% of sales to Songas in the amount of $6.2 million.
    • On October 30, 2024, PanAfrican Energy Tanzania Limited (“PAET”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, was advised by Songas that the Interim Power Purchase Agreement (“PPA”) between Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (“TANESCO“) and Songas would expire on October 31, 2024, and that it was unknown if a new PPA would be entered into. At midnight on October 31, 2024 Songas shut down the Songas Power Plant. In the event that a new PPA is not entered into, there is a possibility that the Songas Power Plant will be shut down indefinitely. To date the Songas Power Plant remains shutdown. This has adversely impacted demand for production volumes from the Songo Songo gas field.
    • Gas delivered and sold decreased by 3% for Q4 2024 and by 15% for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the same prior year periods. During 2024, Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (“JNHPP”) commenced commercial operations, with progressive commissioning of 5 turbines allowing peak output of over 700 MW. Combined with the early onset of the wet season and rainfall well above seasonal averages for the period, hydro power generation and the Songas Power Plant shutdown have been the primary factors in reduced gas liftings for the power sector.
    • On April 14, 2023, PAET formally requested Tanzanian Petroleum Development Corporation (“TPDC“) apply for an extension of the Songo Songo Development License (the “License”). TPDC is contractually required to make this application promptly upon a request by the Company. There are currently no certainties on the timing, nature and extent of any such extensions. Until such extension has been finalized, a high degree of uncertainty exists with respect to the extent of the Company’s operating activities subsequent to October 2026, when the License is set to expire. In November 2024, TPDC submitted the application for the extension of the License to the Ministry of Energy (“MoE“), however, being uneconomical, the Company informed TPDC that it did not agree with the terms as submitted. Having declined to address PAET’s concerns itself, TPDC has refused to rescind and resubmit the application and has advised PAET to raise any issues directly to the MoE. Our Counsel subsequently submitted a letter to the MoE, requesting a meeting to address the issues, to date we haven’t had a response.
    • On April 15, 2024, contrary to the terms of the Gas Agreement and Production Sharing Agreement (the “PSA”) and in violation of Pan African Energy Corporation (Mauritius) (“PAEM”) and PAET’s expectations, the Permanent Secretary of MoE wrote to TPDC, copying PAET and Songas, directing TPDC to “ensure that Protected Gas continues to be produced to the end of the Development Licence on 10th October 2026”. Consistent with that instruction, TPDC took the position that Protected Gas should continue despite the parties’ contractual agreement that Protected Gas ceased after July 31, 2024.
    • PAET, TPDC and Tanzania Portland Cement PLC (“TPCPLC”) subsequently agreed to the terms of the Supplementary Gas Agreement (“SGA”) to sell volumes after July 31, 2024 as Additional Gas, which, prior to August 1, 2024, were supplied as Protected Gas. TPCPLC has fully paid the Company $10.4 million of the receivable outstanding as at December 31, 2024.
    • Following cessation of Protected Gas after July 31, 2024, despite the absence of an executed contract to do so, Songas continued to lift gas volumes in August, September and October 2024, at an average rate of 20.2 MMcfd. On September 23, 2024, the Company was notified by Songas that it acknowledges it had lifted this volume, but due to TPDC’s refusal to approve a Gas Sales Agreement for this Additional Gas, they would elect to pay for only 19.5% of such volumes. This accords with the payment arrangements for Complex Additional Gas (defined below). Payments were made on this basis by Songas in Q4 2024, in the amount of $1.9 million representing 19.5% of the total invoiced amount of $9.7 million.
    • On August 7, 2024, PAET and PAEM issued a notice of dispute (“Notice of Dispute”) in respect of an investment treaty claim against the GoT for breach of the Agreement on Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investment between the Government of the Republic of Mauritius and the GoT (“BIT”), and a contractual dispute against the Government of Tanzania (“GoT”) and TPDC, for breaches of the: (i) PSA, and (ii) the Gas Agreement. Initial meetings with both the Advisory and Coordinating Committees were held during the week of October 14, 2024 without any resolution on the key issues in dispute. The matters have been further referred to the relevant entity’s chief executive officers and working groups in accordance with the dispute resolution process. Discussions continued with meetings held in March 2025 . Further updates on this matter will be made as appropriate.
    • In February 2025, the Company received a judgment (the “Judgment”) from the Tanzanian High Court (Commercial Division) (the “Court”) for a claim brought by a contractor against PAET. The claim was brought by the contractor for losses arising from PAET’s termination of a contract relating to the Company’s 3D seismic acquisition program. The contract was signed in 2022 and works were due to be completed by the end of 2022. However, work only commenced in 2023 and was never completed. Pursuant to the Judgment, the Court ordered specific and general damages in the aggregate of $23.1 million, plus legal costs and interest at a rate of 7% per annum be paid by PAET to the contractor. PAET respectfully disagrees with the Judgement and has initiated the appeal process. PAET was required to post security for the full amount of the Judgment until the appeal is resolved. The Company has recognised the resulting liability in 2024 based on the Judgement applied. The Company has initiated the appeal process, and if successful in that process, a reversal would be recognized in earnings at that time.
    • The well intervention operations on SS-7 have now concluded. The work program, following a complex mobilization to Songo Songo Island, sought to restore the mechanical integrity of the well to shutoff water production in order to restart production from the southern compartment of the Songo Songo gas field. Following several remedial cement treatments to shut off the lower water producing zone and reperforation of the upper Neocomian sands, limited and unsustained gas flows were observed. The Company, in line with its contingency plans, set a cement plug above the Neocomian interval and perforated the shallower Cenomanian sands. Having completed all possible downhole work, and after an unsuccessful attempt to produce gas from the Cenomanian sands, the Company ceased well intervention operations and demobilized the barge and jack-up from the SS-7 site. The total expected project cost has increased to $25.9 million from $23.5 million, primarily as a result of the significant attempts required to shut off water and reproduce the well. A comprehensive post project analysis will be carried out to evaluate the intervention results, which have not met production expectations. During the year, the Company recorded an asset impairment expense of $25.9 million with respect to the SS-7 well workover program.
    • The Company completed a production and saturation logging program in three wells: SS-3, SS-10 and SS-5. Results indicate that the wells and field are performing in line with expectations, and have been used to update longer term reservoir management plans. The total expected program cost increased to $2.2 million from $1.3 million.
    • Net loss attributable to shareholders amounted to $21.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to net income attributable to shareholders of $7.0 million for the same prior year period. In Q4 2024, the Company recorded an asset impairment expense of $25.9 million with respect to the SS-7 well workover program and a loss allowance of $21.7 million with respect to the ongoing litigation relating to the Judgment in the High Court of Tanzania.
    • Net cash flows from operating activities decreased by 37% for Q4 2024 and by 44% for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the same prior year periods. The decrease for the year ended December 31, 2024 over the comparable prior year period is mainly a result of changes in non-cash working capital.
    • Capital expenditures increased by 635% for Q4 2024 and by 244% for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the same prior year periods. The capital expenditures in 2024 primarily related to the well workover program. The capital expenditures in 2023 primarily related to the initial costs of the well workover program and the 3D seismic acquisition program.
    • The Company exited the period with $21.9 million in working capital (December 31, 2023: $67.3 million), cash and cash equivalents of $90.1 million (December 31, 2023: $101.6 million) and long-term debt of $ nil (December 31, 2023: $30.0 million). Cash held in hard currencies (USD, Euro, GBP, CDN) was $87.1 million, as at December 31, 2024 (December 31, 2023: $60.4 million). The decrease in long-term debt is related to a repayment of principal of $10.0 million in April 2024 and October 2024, representing the fourth and fifth semi-annual repayments of the Company’s long-term debt as well as maturing of the outstanding loan principal.
    • Subsequent to December 31, 2024, the Company fully prepaid the $60 million investment (the “Loan”) made by International Finance Corporation (“IFC”) in PAET, pursuant to a loan agreement dated October 29, 2015 between the IFC, PAET and the Company (the “Loan Agreement”). To effect the foregoing prepayment, the Company paid to IFC $30.6 million, representing the aggregate outstanding principal of the Loan together with all accrued interest thereon and all other amounts owing in connection with the Loan as of February 21, 2025. As of the date hereof, the annual variable participating interest granted by PAET to the IFC under the terms of the Loan Agreement remains outstanding.
    • As at December 31, 2024, the current receivable from TANESCO was $12.7 million (December 31, 2023: $5.9 million). The TANESCO long-term receivable as at December 31, 2024 and as at December 31, 2023 was $22.0 million and has been fully provided for. Subsequent to December 31, 2024, the Company has invoiced TANESCO $14.5 million for Q1 2025 gas deliveries. TANESCO has paid the Company $24.2 million to date which relate to the outstanding amount at December 31, 2024 and payments for a portion of Q1 2025 gas deliveries
    • Total working interest proved conventional natural gas reserves (“1P”) and total proved plus probable conventional natural gas reserves (“2P”) decreased by 53% and 56%, respectively, as at December 31, 2024 compared to the prior year. The decrease was primarily attributed to 26.7 Bcf of production in 2024 and 18.1 Bcf of negative technical revisions. The technical revisions were primarily due to lower forecasted gas sales to the end of the License attributed to increased hydro power use in Tanzania and the removal of Proved Undeveloped reserves due to the unsuccessful well intervention on SS-7. The net present value of lower reserves and estimated future cash flows from 2P reserves at a 10% discount rate decreased by 45% compared to the previous year mainly as a result of lower reserves at year end 2024 and the associated 33% reduction in the number of years outstanding on the current License.
    • We currently forecast average Additional Gas sales for 2025 to be in the range of 70-72 MMcfd for the full year which is estimated to be 4% lower than 2024. Given the uncertainty associated with the extension of the License, capital allocations for development projects will be minimal during 2025 and limited to the implementation of essential safety and maintenance matters only.
    Financial and Operating Highlights for the Three Months and Year Ended December 31, 2024
        Three Months
    ended December 31    		     % Change         Year ended
    December 31        		    % Change           

    (Expressed in $’000 unless indicated otherwise)

    2024

    		  

    2023

    		   Q4/24 vs
    Q4/23

    2024

    		  

    2023

    		 Ytd/24 vs
    Ytd/23    		  
    OPERATING              
    Daily average gas delivered and sold(MMcfd) 78.6   80.8   (3)%   72.9   85.6 (15 )%    
    Industrial 19.7   13.4   47%   16.1   13.7 18 %    
    Power 58.9   67.4   (13)%   56.8   71.9 (21 )%    
    Daily average gas delivered and sold and revenue recognized(MMcfd) 71.8   80.8   (11)%   68.8   85.6 (20 )%    
    Industrial 19.7   13.4   47%   16.1   13.7 18 %    
    Power 52.1   67.4   (23)%   52.7   71.9 (27 )%    
    Average price($/mcf)                
    Industrial 7.35   8.97   (18)% 8.45   8.73   (3)%       
    Power 3.90   3.84   2% 3.88   3.71   5%       
    Weighted average 4.85   4.69   3% 4.95   4.51   10%       
    Operating netback($/mcf)1 3.56   2.28   56% 3.13   2.38   32%       

    FINANCIAL

    		              
    Revenue 36,855   24,448   51% 111,593   110,235 1%       
    Net (loss) / income attributable to shareholders (25,821 ) (438 ) n/m (21,578)   7,014 n/m      
    per share – basic and diluted($) (1.31 ) (0.02 ) n/m (1.09)   0.35 n/m      
    Net cash flows from operating activities 6,254   9,858   (37)% 27,086   48,485 (44)%      
    per share – basic and diluted($)1 0.32   0.50   (36)% 1.37   2.44 (44)%      
    Capital expenditures1 14,869   2,065   620% 27,548   8,103 240%      
    Weighted average Class A and Class B Shares1(‘000) 19,772   19,826   0% 19,780   19,841 0%      
          December 31,

    As at
    December 31,

    		    
          2024   2023 % Change  
    Working capital (including cash)1       21,904     67,323   (67 )%        
    Cash and cash equivalents       90,076     101,566   (11 )%        
    Long-term loan       –   21,961   (100 )%        
    Outstanding shares(‘000)                    
    Class A       1,750     1,750   0 %        
    Class B       18,022     18,051   0 %        
    Total shares outstanding       19,772     19,801   0 %        

    RESERVES2

    		                  
    Gross Reserves(Bcf)                  
    Proved       40   85    (53)%      
    Probable       1   9    (89)%      
    Proved plus probable       41   94    (56)%      
    Net Present Value, discounted at 10%($ million)                    
    Proved                             62           108    (43)%          
    Proved plus probable                             65           119    (45)%          

    1 See Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Ratios.

    Jay Lyons, Chief Executive Officer, commented:

    “Orca remains committed to Tanzania and wants to play a key role in Tanzania’s power generation strategy for the foreseeable future. Although demand for power in Tanzania is growing rapidly, surpassing the country’s current capacity, Orca has been unable to agree with the Government of Tanzania and TPDC with regard to securing a license extension for the Songo Songo gas field.

    Given the limited time remaining on the License, and the lack of a resolution on an extension, Orca has limited capital spending to only essential safety and maintenance activities. At this current moment, further investment is not commercially viable unless the License is extended. Therefore, in order to preserve shareholder value, Orca has focused on reducing costs, operating efficiently, and minimizing expenditures.

    There are currently no certainties on the timing, nature and extent of any such extensions. Until such extension has been finalized, a high degree of uncertainty exists with respect to the extent of the Company’s operating activities subsequent to October 2026. The Company is prepared to invest further in Tanzania. However, this investment depends on resolving the License extension and achieving a sustainable commercial framework. Without a resolution, Orca must act to protect the interests of its shareholders, even as it continues to support Tanzania’s long-term energy goals.”

    The Company’s complete Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes and Management’s Discussion & Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2024 may be found on the Company’s website www.orcaenergygroup.com or on the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

    Orca Energy Group Inc.

    Orca Energy Group Inc. is an international public company engaged in natural gas development and supply in Tanzania through its subsidiary PanAfrican Energy Tanzania Limited. Orca trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbols ORC.B and ORC.A.

    The principal asset of Orca is its indirect interest in the with TPDC and the GoT in the United Republic of Tanzania. This PSA covers the production and marketing of certain gas from the License offshore Tanzania. The PSA defines the gas produced from the Songo Songo gas field as “Protected Gas“ and “Additional Gas“. The Gas Agreement defined “Complex Additional Gas”, to be gas produced from the Songo Songo gas field, which is included in Additional Gas. Under the Gas Agreement, until July 31, 2024, Protected Gas was owned by TPDC and was sold to Songas and TPCPLC. After July 31, 2024, Protected Gas ceased and all production from the Songo Songo gas field constitutes Additional Gas which PAET and TPDC are entitled to sell on commercial terms until the PSA expires in October 2026. Songas is the owner of the infrastructure that enables the gas to be processed and delivered to Dar es Salaam, which includes a gas processing plant on Songo Songo Island. Additional Gas is all gas that is produced from the Songo Songo gas field in excess of Protected Gas.

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

    Abbreviations

    Bcf billion standard cubic feet
    MMcf million standard cubit feet
    MMcfd million standard cubic feet per day

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Ratios
    In this press release, the Company has disclosed the following non-GAAP financial measures, non-GAAP ratios and supplementary financial measures: capital expenditures, operating netback, operating netback per mcf, working capital, net cash flows from operating activities per share and weighted average Class A and Class B Shares.

    These non-GAAP financial measures and ratios disclosed in this press release do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers. These non-GAAP financial measures and ratios should not, therefore, be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, measures and ratios of the Company’s financial performance defined or determined in accordance with IFRS. These non-GAAP financial measures and ratios are calculated on a consistent basis from period to period.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    Capital expenditures
    Capital expenditures is a useful measure as it provides an indication of our investment activities. The most directly comparable financial measure is net cash from (used in) investing activities. A reconciliation to the most directly comparable financial measure is as follows:

      Three Months ended 
    December 31    		    Year ended
    December 31       		  
    $’000 2024   2023     2024   2023  
    Pipelines, well workovers and infrastructure 14,869   2,067     27,233   7,984  
    Other capital expenditures –   (2 )   315   119  
    Capital expenditures 14,869   2,065     27,548   8,103  
    Right of use –   852     57   852  
    Change in non-cash working capital (4,125 ) (708 )   (9,645 ) (161 )
    Net cash used by investing activities 10,744   2,209     17,960   8,794  

    Operating netback

    Operating netback is calculated as revenue less processing and transportation tariffs, TPDC’s revenue share, and operating and distribution costs. The operating netback summarizes all costs that are associated with bringing the gas from the Songo Songo gas field to the market, it is a measure of profitability. A reconciliation to the most directly comparable financial measure is as follows:

      Three Months ended
    December 31    		   Year ended
    December 31    		  
    $’000 2024   2023     2024   2023  
    Revenue 36,855   24,448     111,593   110,235  
    Production, distribution and transportation expenses (5,265 ) (4,576 )   (19,990 ) (19,197 )
    Net Production Revenue 31,590   19,872     91,603   91,038  
    Less current income tax adjustment (recorded in revenue) (8,061 ) (2,896 )   (12,817 ) (16,527 )
    Operating netback 23,529   16,976     78,786   74,511  
    Sales volumes MMcf where revenue is recognized 6,604   7,435     25,185   31,256  
    Netback $/mcf 3.56   2.28     3.13   2.38  

    Non-GAAP Ratios

    Operating netback per mcf

    Operating netback per mcf represents the profit margin associated with the production and sale of Additional Gas and is calculated by taking the operating netback and dividing it by the volume of Additional Gas delivered and sold. This is a key measure as it demonstrates the profit generated from each unit of production.

    Supplementary Financial Measures

    Working capital

    Working capital is defined as current assets less current liabilities, as reported in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. It is an important measure as it indicates the Company’s ability to meet its financial obligations as they fall due.

    Net cash flows from operating activities per share

    Net cash flows from operating activities per share is calculated as net cash flows from operating activities divided by the weighted average number of shares, similar to the calculation of earnings per share. Net cash flow from operations is an important measure as it indicates the cash generated from the operations that is available to fund ongoing capital commitments.

    Weighted average Class A and Class B Shares

    In calculating the weighted average number of shares outstanding during any period the Company takes the opening balance multiplied by the number of days until the balance changes. It then takes the new balance and multiplies that by the number of days until the next change, or until the period end. The resulting multiples of shares and days are then aggregated and the total is divided by the total number of days in the period.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this press release, which address activities, events or developments that Orca expects or anticipates to occur in the future, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements often contain terms such as may, will, should, anticipate, expect, continue, estimate, believe, project, forecast, plan, intend, target, outlook, focus, could and similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. More particularly, this press release contains, without limitation, forward-looking statements pertaining to the following: anticipated average gas sales, including Additional Gas sales, for 2024; ongoing negotiation of new commercial terms and discussion of requirements under the Gas Agreement with Songas and TPCPLC; ongoing discussion of PGSA extension with TANESCO; assessment by the Company of the merits of the claim made by the seismic contractor and the timing of the scheduled hearing; planned intervention in offshore well SS-7 including timing, project costs and the anticipated increased gas delivery; planned installation of a new common well inlet manifold and its anticipated timing, costs and effects; planned production logging program at various wells and its anticipated timing, costs and effects; implementation of a new work program at the Songas plant and forecasted production improvement as a result; the Company’s expectation that capital projects will be funded through the Company’s working capital; the Company’s expectation that all capital allocation decisions will be based upon prudent economic evaluations and returns; extension of the development license and the Company’s expectation to continue to actively engage with the MoE to progress the license extension; maintenance of gas sale contract discipline by the Company in accordance with its gas supply agreements; and the Company’s expectations regarding supply and demand of natural gas. In addition, statements relating to “reserves” are by their nature forward-looking statements, as they involve the implied assessment, based on certain estimates and assumptions that the reserves described can be produced profitably in the future. The recovery and reserve estimates of the Company’s reserves provided herein are estimates only and there is no guarantee that the estimated reserves will be recovered. As a consequence, actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, access to resources and infrastructure, performance or achievement since such expectations are inherently subject to significant business, economic, operational, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies.

    These forward-looking statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the Company’s control, and many factors could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements made by the Company, including, but not limited to: risk that the Company may incur losses and legal expenses as a result of the claim brought forth by the seismic contractor; risk that the cost, timing and anticipated benefits from the Company’s various development programs in 2024 are different than expected; that not all capital allocation decisions will be based upon prudent economic evaluations and returns; inability to extend the development license and inability to maintain gas sale contract discipline; uncertainties with respect to negotiations involving the Gas Agreement; changes to forecasts regarding future development capital spending and source of capital funding; risk of future restrictions on the movement of cash from Jersey, Mauritius or Tanzania; occurrence of circumstance or events which significantly impact the Company’s cash flow and liquidity and the Company’s ability cover its long-term and short-term obligations or fund planned capital expenditures; prolonged foreign exchange reserves deficiency in Tanzania; the lack of availability of US dollars; inability to convert Tanzanian shillings into US dollars as and when required; discontinuation of work by the Company with the GoT on alternative development plan for longer term field development; lack of access to Songas processing and transportation facilities; risk of reduced current and potential production capacity of the Songo Songo gas field; the Company’s expectations regarding the supply and demand of natural gas is incorrect; uncertainty associated with the evolution of Tanzanian legislation; the risk of unanticipated effects regarding changes to the Company’s tax liabilities and its operations as a result of amendments made to existing legislation, the implementation of further legislation and the Company’s interpretation of the same; the impact of general economic conditions in the areas in which the Company operates; civil unrest; the susceptibility of the areas in which the Company operates to outbreaks of disease; industry conditions; changes in laws and regulations including the adoption of new environmental laws and regulations; impact of local content regulations and variances in the interpretation and enforcement of such regulations; the lack of availability of qualified personnel or management; fluctuations in commodity prices, foreign exchange or interest rates; stock market volatility; competition for, among other things, capital, oil and gas field services and skilled personnel and increased competition; failure to obtain required equipment for field development; delays in development plans; effect of changes to the PSA on the Company as a result of the implementation of new government policies for the oil and gas industry; inaccurate reserves estimates; incorrect forecasts in production and growth potential of the Company’s assets; obtaining required approvals of regulatory authorities; risks associated with negotiating with foreign governments; inability to satisfy debt conditions of financing; risk that the Company will not be able to fulfil its contractual obligations; risk that trade and other receivables may not be paid by the Company’s customers when due; the risk that the Company’s Tanzanian operations will not provide near term revenue earnings; reduced global economic activity as a result of the continuing impacts of geo-political conflicts or pandemics. In addition, there are risks and uncertainties associated with oil and gas operations, therefore the Company’s actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by these forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive therefrom. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive.

    Future shareholder returns, including but not limited to the payment of dividends or other distributions to shareholders, if any, and the level thereof is uncertain. Any decision to pay further distributions on the Class A Shares and Class B Shares (including the actual amount, the declaration date, the record date and the payment date in connection therewith) will be subject to the discretion of the Board of Directors of the Company and may depend on a variety of factors, including, without limitation the Company’s business performance, financial condition, financial requirements, growth plans, expected capital requirements and other conditions existing at such future time including, without limitation, contractual restrictions and compliance with applicable laws. There can be no assurance that the Company will pay any distributions in the future.

    Such forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions made by the Company in light of its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors the Company believes are appropriate in the circumstances, including, but not limited to, the anticipated supply and demand of natural gas are in line with the Company’s expectations; the Company’s average Additional Gas sales are in line with forecasts; accurate assessment by the Company of the merit of claims brought forward by the seismic contractor; successful negotiation of the Gas Agreement; successful implementation of various development programs at the budgeted expenditures, including the planned intervention in the SS-7 well; all capital allocation decisions will be based upon prudent economic evaluations and returns; extension of the development license and maintenance of gas sale contract discipline on a go-forward basis pursuant to the Company’s gas supply agreements; that the Company will receive payment of arrears from TANESCO; that the Company will have sufficient cash flow, debt or equity sources or other financial resources required to fund its capital and operating expenditures and requirements as needed; that there will continue to be no restrictions on the movement of cash from Mauritius, Jersey or Tanzania; availability of US dollars and that the Company will continue to be able to convert Tanzanian shillings into US dollars as required; that the Company will successfully negotiate agreements; receipt of required regulatory approvals; the ability of the Company to increase production as required to meet demand; infrastructure capacity; commodity prices will not deteriorate significantly; the ability of the Company to obtain equipment and services in a timely manner to carry out exploration, development and exploitation activities; future capital expenditures; availability of skilled labor; timing and amount of capital expenditures; uninterrupted access to infrastructure; that the impact of increasing competition is consistent with expectations; conditions in general economic and financial markets; effects of regulation by governmental agencies; current or, where applicable, proposed industry conditions, laws and regulations will continue in effect or as anticipated as described herein; the effect of new environmental and climate-change related regulations will not negatively impact the Company; the Company is able to maintain strong commercial relationships with the GoT and other state and parastatal organizations; the current and future administration in Tanzania continues to honor the terms of the PSA and the Company’s other principal agreements; and other matters.

    The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: [Interview] A New and Enhanced Gallery Experience: How Samsung Transformed Photo Searching and Video Editing With the Galaxy S25 Series

    Source: Samsung

    Searching for one specific photo in an endless gallery on a smartphone can often be time-consuming. Editing multiple videos one by one may feel tedious and repetitive as well.
     
    The Galaxy S25 series uses vision AI technology and the understanding of natural language to address these issues and provide a more intuitive mobile experience for users in their daily lives. When searching for a photo in their gallery, users can enter keywords that describe the situation — such as the date or locality, any objects present, any actions taking place and so forth — and Galaxy AI will analyze them to find matching photos. In addition, the flagship series boasts Auto Trim, a new video editing feature that can automatically select key segments from multiple videos and edit them into a separate video.
     
    These features are the result of advanced research in visual technology and close collaboration. Samsung Newsroom met with developers from the Visual Technology Team of Samsung Research and the Visual Solution Team of the Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics to learn how the company developed even smarter photo and video experiences for Galaxy users.
     
    ▲ (From left) Wonwoo Lee, Inho Choi, Hongpyo Lee and Seonghwan Kim
     
     
    Labeling Every Element in a Photo With AI-Powered Classification
    Smartphones store a massive number of photos, with the average user having several thousand — or even tens of thousands — on their devices. As the number grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to find a specific photo right away. On the Galaxy S25 series, the Gallery app automatically tags and categorizes various elements in photos such as objects, people and localities, allowing users to quickly and accurately find the desired images. This is incredibly convenient for users who want to relive past memories or retrieve important information fast.
     
    Keeping in mind that an effective search depends on classification, the developers tripled the number of tag types compared to that of the previous Galaxy series, fine-tuning photo subject recognition and labeling capabilities in the Galaxy S25 series. In addition, they expanded the scope of clustering, a technique that groups data for people recognition.
     
    “By developing an image analysis engine and using zero-shot technology, we improved the performance so that the Galaxy S25 series can recognize object data it encounters for the first time,” said Hongpyo Lee from the Visual Technology Team at Samsung Research. “For people, we expanded analysis beyond facial features to include clothing, time and location, making it easier to group photos of the same person.”
     
    
    ▲ Gallery Search
     
     
    Finding Photos With Conversational, Natural Language Through Gallery Search
    Samsung also focused on enhancing natural language search performance in the Gallery. The company developed a search model that reflects frequently used phrases and various application cases, allowing users to find the photos they want using natural, conversational sentences instead of word-based searches.
     
    “We leveraged a vision-language model that learns by associating images with text and used generative AI to automatically generate a wide range of sentences that users might enter,” Lee shared. “We also optimized and compressed the search model so it runs quickly on-device.”
     
    “Building on our previous research, we successfully applied natural language processing capabilities to our products, including a context-aware image analysis engine and a large language model (LLM),” said Inho Choi from the Visual Solution Team of Samsung Electronics’ MX Business.
     
    The developers also worked to deliver unbiased and more accurate search results. “We wanted to anticipate various usage scenarios and identify potential issues in advance so that malicious search queries wouldn’t lead to inaccurate results,” Choi explained. “Building a database of negative words, profanity and neologisms, and then conducting user tests to improve search accuracy was both the most challenging and rewarding part of the process.”
     
    ▲ Inho Choi from the MX Business and Hongpyo Lee from Samsung Research
     
     
    Editing Multiple Videos at Once With Auto Trim
    Video editing is also becoming an increasingly important part of the gallery experience. While video is a popular form of media consumption, having video editing tools readily available and using them with ease is often not as simple as it seems. To address this, the Galaxy S25 series introduces a feature that makes editing much faster and more convenient through enhanced AI-powered video analytics. The Auto Trim feature extracts key scenes from multiple videos of the user’s choice to create a new short-form video.
     
    It was important for Auto Trim to be able to quickly analyze videos up to 90 minutes long, generate an edited video and adjust the length of that new video. The developers achieved this through close collaboration, seamlessly integrating Samsung Research’s advanced technological expertise with the MX Business’ mobile optimization capabilities.
     
    “Existing video analytics technologies have limitations, such as large model sizes, slow processing speeds and the uniform selection of key video segments,” said Seonghwan Kim from the MX Business’ Visual Solution Team. “We optimized the Galaxy S25 series’ video processing performance by testing and verifying multiple candidate solutions to deliver a fast and easy editing experience based on on-device AI.”
     
    “We’ve introduced a feature that enables users to effortlessly identify key moments in videos, demanding significantly more data processing than photos, and tailor the duration of these edited segments to their preferences” explained Wonwoo Lee from Samsung Research’s Visual Technology Team.
     
    “Getting Galaxy AI to identify highlights in videos with a level of sensitivity comparable to that of humans was a challenge, but by establishing the standards together, Samsung Research and the MX Business were able to significantly improve overall functionality.”
     
    
    ▲ Auto Trim
     
     
    From Analyzing to Generating: Vision AI and Its Endless Possibilities
    Samsung Electronics is researching a wide range of vision AI technologies, ranging from filming and editing technologies for smartphones to multimodal interaction technologies used in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). The core of this research is the ability to quickly and accurately analyze subjects such as people and animals, as well as their surroundings, in videos on-device, and to recognize the meaningful moments in those videos. Through vision AI technology, Samsung aims not only to evolve typical smartphone features like shooting and viewing photos and videos, but also pioneer novel ways to consume content.
     
    “We’re actively utilizing AI technology for fast, easy and high-quality editing in the video domain,” said Kim. “Samsung will focus on further developing the technology so that AI can better understand the context of video content, helping users reduce editing time effectively and generate edited videos that reflect the user’s intent — all without requiring professional editing skills.”
     
    “By continuously advancing video analytics technology, we aim to develop even more innovative features that leverage the power to understand video content — such as video search, intelligent video editing effects and beyond,”said Wonwoo Lee. “Samsung will strive to develop cutting-edge vision AI technology that can be applied across a broad range of use cases.”
     
    ▲ Seonghwan Kim from the MX Business and Wonwoo Lee from Samsung Research
     
    Gallery Search and Auto Trim are prime examples of how Galaxy AI enhances everyday life. As developers continue to advance the company’s image and video analytics technology, Samsung Electronics will deliver an expanding range of new experiences that make it easier and more intuitive for users to find and capture life’s key moments.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: [Interview] A New and Enhanced Gallery Experience: How Samsung Transformed Photo Searching and Video Editing With the Galaxy S25 Series

    Source: Samsung

    Searching for one specific photo in an endless gallery on a smartphone can often be time-consuming. Editing multiple videos one by one may feel tedious and repetitive as well.
     
    The Galaxy S25 series uses vision AI technology and the understanding of natural language to address these issues and provide a more intuitive mobile experience for users in their daily lives. When searching for a photo in their gallery, users can enter keywords that describe the situation — such as the date or locality, any objects present, any actions taking place and so forth — and Galaxy AI will analyze them to find matching photos. In addition, the flagship series boasts Auto Trim, a new video editing feature that can automatically select key segments from multiple videos and edit them into a separate video.
     
    These features are the result of advanced research in visual technology and close collaboration. Samsung Newsroom met with developers from the Visual Technology Team of Samsung Research and the Visual Solution Team of the Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics to learn how the company developed even smarter photo and video experiences for Galaxy users.
     
    ▲ (From left) Wonwoo Lee, Inho Choi, Hongpyo Lee and Seonghwan Kim
     
     
    Labeling Every Element in a Photo With AI-Powered Classification
    Smartphones store a massive number of photos, with the average user having several thousand — or even tens of thousands — on their devices. As the number grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to find a specific photo right away. On the Galaxy S25 series, the Gallery app automatically tags and categorizes various elements in photos such as objects, people and localities, allowing users to quickly and accurately find the desired images. This is incredibly convenient for users who want to relive past memories or retrieve important information fast.
     
    Keeping in mind that an effective search depends on classification, the developers tripled the number of tag types compared to that of the previous Galaxy series, fine-tuning photo subject recognition and labeling capabilities in the Galaxy S25 series. In addition, they expanded the scope of clustering, a technique that groups data for people recognition.
     
    “By developing an image analysis engine and using zero-shot technology, we improved the performance so that the Galaxy S25 series can recognize object data it encounters for the first time,” said Hongpyo Lee from the Visual Technology Team at Samsung Research. “For people, we expanded analysis beyond facial features to include clothing, time and location, making it easier to group photos of the same person.”
     
    
    ▲ Gallery Search
     
     
    Finding Photos With Conversational, Natural Language Through Gallery Search
    Samsung also focused on enhancing natural language search performance in the Gallery. The company developed a search model that reflects frequently used phrases and various application cases, allowing users to find the photos they want using natural, conversational sentences instead of word-based searches.
     
    “We leveraged a vision-language model that learns by associating images with text and used generative AI to automatically generate a wide range of sentences that users might enter,” Lee shared. “We also optimized and compressed the search model so it runs quickly on-device.”
     
    “Building on our previous research, we successfully applied natural language processing capabilities to our products, including a context-aware image analysis engine and a large language model (LLM),” said Inho Choi from the Visual Solution Team of Samsung Electronics’ MX Business.
     
    The developers also worked to deliver unbiased and more accurate search results. “We wanted to anticipate various usage scenarios and identify potential issues in advance so that malicious search queries wouldn’t lead to inaccurate results,” Choi explained. “Building a database of negative words, profanity and neologisms, and then conducting user tests to improve search accuracy was both the most challenging and rewarding part of the process.”
     
    ▲ Inho Choi from the MX Business and Hongpyo Lee from Samsung Research
     
     
    Editing Multiple Videos at Once With Auto Trim
    Video editing is also becoming an increasingly important part of the gallery experience. While video is a popular form of media consumption, having video editing tools readily available and using them with ease is often not as simple as it seems. To address this, the Galaxy S25 series introduces a feature that makes editing much faster and more convenient through enhanced AI-powered video analytics. The Auto Trim feature extracts key scenes from multiple videos of the user’s choice to create a new short-form video.
     
    It was important for Auto Trim to be able to quickly analyze videos up to 90 minutes long, generate an edited video and adjust the length of that new video. The developers achieved this through close collaboration, seamlessly integrating Samsung Research’s advanced technological expertise with the MX Business’ mobile optimization capabilities.
     
    “Existing video analytics technologies have limitations, such as large model sizes, slow processing speeds and the uniform selection of key video segments,” said Seonghwan Kim from the MX Business’ Visual Solution Team. “We optimized the Galaxy S25 series’ video processing performance by testing and verifying multiple candidate solutions to deliver a fast and easy editing experience based on on-device AI.”
     
    “We’ve introduced a feature that enables users to effortlessly identify key moments in videos, demanding significantly more data processing than photos, and tailor the duration of these edited segments to their preferences” explained Wonwoo Lee from Samsung Research’s Visual Technology Team.
     
    “Getting Galaxy AI to identify highlights in videos with a level of sensitivity comparable to that of humans was a challenge, but by establishing the standards together, Samsung Research and the MX Business were able to significantly improve overall functionality.”
     
    
    ▲ Auto Trim
     
     
    From Analyzing to Generating: Vision AI and Its Endless Possibilities
    Samsung Electronics is researching a wide range of vision AI technologies, ranging from filming and editing technologies for smartphones to multimodal interaction technologies used in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). The core of this research is the ability to quickly and accurately analyze subjects such as people and animals, as well as their surroundings, in videos on-device, and to recognize the meaningful moments in those videos. Through vision AI technology, Samsung aims not only to evolve typical smartphone features like shooting and viewing photos and videos, but also pioneer novel ways to consume content.
     
    “We’re actively utilizing AI technology for fast, easy and high-quality editing in the video domain,” said Kim. “Samsung will focus on further developing the technology so that AI can better understand the context of video content, helping users reduce editing time effectively and generate edited videos that reflect the user’s intent — all without requiring professional editing skills.”
     
    “By continuously advancing video analytics technology, we aim to develop even more innovative features that leverage the power to understand video content — such as video search, intelligent video editing effects and beyond,”said Wonwoo Lee. “Samsung will strive to develop cutting-edge vision AI technology that can be applied across a broad range of use cases.”
     
    ▲ Seonghwan Kim from the MX Business and Wonwoo Lee from Samsung Research
     
    Gallery Search and Auto Trim are prime examples of how Galaxy AI enhances everyday life. As developers continue to advance the company’s image and video analytics technology, Samsung Electronics will deliver an expanding range of new experiences that make it easier and more intuitive for users to find and capture life’s key moments.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Locked up for life? Unpacking South Australia’s new child sex crime laws

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Xanthe Mallett, Criminologist, CQUniversity Australia

    Melnikov Dmitriy/Shutterstock

    It’s election time, which means the age old “tough on crime” rhetoric is being heralded by many politicians aiming to score votes.

    Opposition leader Peter Dutton is pushing for a national public sex offender register. Currently only Western Australia has a registry that is open to the public.

    In South Australia, Premier Peter Malinauskas brought in tougher child sex offender laws earlier this week.

    What are these new laws in SA?

    Under these new laws, serious child sex offenders are to be permanently locked up or electronically monitored, if they reoffend.

    Automatic indefinite detention is a significant change.

    Previously, the South Australian attorney-general could apply to the Supreme Court to request an offender be indefinitely detained, if the offender was considered to remain a danger to children and could not be rehabilitated.

    The courts would then decide if they would grant the request, basing their decision on medical and other expert evidence.

    The changes in SA mean those found guilty of a second serious sexual offence against anyone younger than 17 now receive automatic indefinite detention.

    To be considered for release under the new law, an offender needs to show they can control their sexual instincts – so the onus is on them to prove they are not at risk of reoffending.

    To achieve this, two court-selected psychologists would have to provide reports demonstrating the offender was both willing and able to resist committing further sex offences.

    And if they are ever released, they will be electronically monitored for the rest of their lives.

    In addition, registered child sex offenders would be banned from working with anyone under 18.

    The new law also strengthens “Carly’s Law”, which focuses on reducing the sexual grooming of children online by adult predators.

    Inconsistencies across Australia

    The age of legal consent is 16 across Australia, except SA and Tasmania, where it is 17.

    In 2024, an Australian Institute of Criminology report highlighted many of the inconsistencies across the country, including terminology and definitions of sexual offences, despite efforts to achieve national regularity.

    Each state and territory approaches the problem of child sexual abuse differently.

    In NSW, for example, sentencing for child sexual offences has increased over time. This reflects societal expectations given what we know now about the long-term, traumatic consequences of victimisation.

    However, one consideration in sentencing in NSW is whether the sentence could have a “crushing” effect on the offender, and whether they may be entitled to an “element of mercy”.

    Certainly, a full life sentence is a significant departure from this position.

    Why now?

    There is little doubt this is a political move, as these changes were first promised by Labor in the build-up to the 2022 SA election.

    Then in January 2025, Labor announced it planned to introduce them in March – right before the federal election.

    On the face of it, toughening laws aimed at reducing sexual violence against children is a good thing. No one would argue.

    However, the legislation has been fast-tracked in the wake of a number of cases where those previously convicted of a sexual offence against a child reoffended.

    One such case is Dylan Lloyd, who is alleged to have assaulted a 12-year-old girl while she travelled alone on a train. Lloyd had previously been convicted of assaulting a 10-year-old girl in 2021, and since then more alleged victims have come forward to police.

    Cases such as Lloyd’s are preventable, as in this case Lloyd should still be imprisoned. This is one step forward. But consistency across states is needed and the long-term consequences need considering more fully.

    Whether these laws will have the desired deterrent effect has not been answered.

    We need to ensure personal and societal factors affecting crime rates, and which influence peoples’ attitudes and behaviours, are not overlooked.

    Will the laws be good for the community?

    These changes do have the potential to have a meaningful impact, but changing the behaviour of potential offenders is far more complex.

    Potential offenders usually don’t consider the law. At a micro level, their behaviour is most affected by biological and psychological factors, including alcohol, drug addiction and mental health issues, as well as social and environmental factors.

    In addition, there are numerous human rights and constitutional issues with permanent detention or lifelong monitoring, and the SA government may be walking into a legal minefield now they have removed the possibility of parole.

    It would be better to allow judges options for discretion, as the context in which the offending happened is crucial in determining the likelihood of someone being successfully rehabilitated.

    Mandatory full life sentences ignore the fact many sex offenders can be successfully rehabilitated.

    One study in Queensland, which considered local and global evidence, indicated sexual recidivism can be significant reduced when offenders complete sex offender treatment programs.

    Although it costs money to run these programs, the savings outweigh the costs of ongoing incarceration – particularly if we consider indefinite detention.

    Black-and-white laws with little room for movement produce unintended and harmful outcomes.

    It will be interesting to see how the new laws in SA play out in court and if any other states and territories follow suit.

    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. Locked up for life? Unpacking South Australia’s new child sex crime laws – https://theconversation.com/locked-up-for-life-unpacking-south-australias-new-child-sex-crime-laws-255429

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: On ‘moral panic’ and the courage to speak – the West’s silence on Gaza

    Palestinians do not have the luxury to allow Western moral panic to have its say or impact. Not caving in to this panic is one small, but important, step in building a global Palestine network that is urgently needed, writes Dr Ilan Pappé

    ANALYSIS: By Ilan Pappé

    Responses in the Western world to the genocide in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank raise a troubling question: why is the official West, and official Western Europe in particular, so indifferent to Palestinian suffering?

    Why is the Democratic Party in the US complicit, directly and indirectly, in sustaining the daily inhumanity in Palestine — a complicity so visible that it probably was one reason they lost the election, as the Arab American and progressive vote in key states could, and justifiably so, not forgive the Biden administration for its part in the genocide in the Gaza Strip?

    This is a pertinent question, given that we are dealing with a televised genocide that has now been renewed on the ground. It is different from previous periods in which Western indifference and complicity were displayed, either during the Nakba or the long years of occupation since 1967.

    During the Nakba and up to 1967, it was not easy to get hold of information, and the oppression after 1967 was mostly incremental, and, as such, was ignored by the Western media and politics, which refused to acknowledge its cumulative effect on the Palestinians.

    But these last 18 months are very different. Ignoring the genocide in the Gaza Strip and the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank can only be described as intentional and not due to ignorance.

    Both the Israelis’ actions and the discourse that accompanies them are too visible to be ignored, unless politicians, academics, and journalists choose to do so.

    This kind of ignorance is, first and foremost, the result of successful Israeli lobbying that thrived on the fertile ground of an European guilt complex, racism and Islamophobia. In the case of the US, it is also the outcome of many years of an effective and ruthless lobbying machine that very few in academia, media, and, in particular, politics, dare to disobey.

    The moral panic phenomenon
    This phenomenon is known in recent scholarship as moral panic, very characteristic of the more conscientious sections of Western societies: intellectuals, journalists, and artists.

    Moral panic is a situation in which a person is afraid of adhering to his or her own moral convictions because this would demand some courage that might have consequences. We are not always tested in situations that require courage, or at least integrity. When it does happen, it is in situations where morality is not an abstract idea, but a call for action.

    This is why so many Germans were silent when Jews were sent to extermination camps, and this is why white Americans stood by when African Americans were lynched or, earlier on, enslaved and abused.

    What is the price that leading Western journalists, veteran politicians, tenured professors, or chief executives of well-known companies would have to pay if they were to blame Israel for committing a genocide in the Gaza Strip?

    It seems they are worried about two possible outcomes. The first is being condemned as antisemites or Holocaust deniers. Secondly, they fear an honest response would trigger a discussion that would include the complicity of their country, or Europe, or the West in general, in enabling the genocide and all the criminal policies against the Palestinians that preceded it.

    This moral panic leads to some astonishing phenomena. In general, it transforms educated, highly articulate and knowledgeable people into total imbeciles when they talk about Palestine.

    It disallows the more perceptive and thoughtful members of the security services from examining Israeli demands to include all Palestinian resistance on a terrorist list, and it dehumanises Palestinian victims in the mainstream media.

    Lack of compassion
    The lack of compassion and basic solidarity with the victims of genocide was exposed by the double standards shown by mainstream media in the West, and, in particular, by the more established newspapers in the US, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post.

    When the editor of The Palestine Chronicle, Dr Ramzy Baroud, lost 56 members of his family — killed by the Israeli genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip — not one of his colleagues in American journalism bothered to talk to him or show any interest in hearing about this atrocity.

    On the other hand, a fabricated Israeli allegation of a connection between the Chronicle and a family, in whose block of flats hostages were held, triggered huge interest by these outlets.

    This imbalance in humanity and solidarity is just one example of the distortions that accompanies moral panic. I have little doubt that the actions against Palestinian or pro-Palestinian students in the US, or against known activists in Britain and France, as well as the arrest of the editor of the Electronic Intifada, Ali Abunimah, in Switzerland, are all manifestations of this distorted moral behaviour.

    A similar case unfolded just recently in Australia. Mary Kostakidis, a famous Australian journalist and former prime-time weeknight SBS World News Australia presenter, has been taken to the federal court over her — one should say quite tame — reporting on the situation in the Gaza Strip.

    The very fact that the court has not dismissed this allegation upon its arrival shows you how deeply rooted moral panic is in the Global North.

    But there is another side to it. Thankfully, there is a much larger group of people who are not afraid of taking the risks involved in clearly stating their support for the Palestinians, and who do show this solidarity while knowing it may lead to suspension, deportation, or even jail time. They are not easily found among the mainstream academia, media, or politics, but they are the authentic voice of their societies in many parts of the Western world.

    The Palestinians do not have the luxury of allowing Western moral panic to have its say or impact. Not caving in to this panic is one small but important step in building a global Palestine network that is urgently needed — firstly, to stop the destruction of Palestine and its people, and second, to create the conditions for a decolonised and liberated Palestine in the future.

    Dr Ilan Pappé is an Israeli historian, political scientist, and former politician. He is a professor with the College of Social Sciences and International Studies at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, director of the university’s European Centre for Palestine Studies, and co-director of the Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies. This article is republished from The Palestine Chronicle, 19 April 2025.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Energy – The U.S.-Africa Energy Forum (USAEF) to Spotlight African Energy Opportunities, U.S.-Africa Collaboration

    SOURCE: Energy Capital & Power

    U.S. and African energy leaders will gather at the U.S.-Africa Energy Forum in Houston this August to drive investment, forge strategic partnerships and deepen American engagement in key African markets

    HOUSTON, United States of America, April 29, 2025 – The U.S.-Africa Energy Forum (USAEF) returns to Houston with a bold agenda focused on catalyzing American investment and innovation across Africa’s most dynamic energy markets. Designed as a high-impact platform for government and private sector dialogue, USAEF brings together African energy stakeholders and leading U.S. companies to accelerate project development, capital deployment and technology transfer across the continent.

    The forum is set to open with a High-Level U.S.-Africa Energy Dialogue, bringing together senior policymakers, energy ministers and private sector leaders to set the tone for deeper cooperation and alignment on mutual priorities. This flagship session will be followed by a forward-looking panel discussion on Private Equity Driving a New Wave of African Business, exploring how U.S.-based investment firms are shaping Africa’s next chapter of energy growth. The agenda will also spotlight frontier opportunities; overlooked plays across the Middle East, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa; and bold strategies to grow the U.S. footprint in Africa’s critical minerals and energy assets.

    Libya, the Republic of Congo, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will take center stage during a series of Country-Focused Sessions highlighting strategic priorities, reform agendas and concrete investment opportunities. African governments and national oil companies will present their latest projects and policy frameworks, while American firms such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, SLB and ConocoPhillips will explore avenues to deepen partnerships in established markets like Nigeria and Libya, and tap into emerging opportunities in the Republic of Congo and the DRC.

    With major reforms and investment drives underway, these markets are fast becoming focal points for American engagement. Libya, North Africa’s powerhouse, has launched a 22-block licensing round as it works to revitalize its upstream sector and reach a production target of 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd), alongside multi-billion-dollar gas monetization and export projects.

    The Republic of Congo is aiming to scale production to 500,000 bpd, while advancing gas monetization under a new Gas Master Plan that invites international collaboration. In the DRC, reforms to the hydrocarbons code and a potential minerals-for-security agreement with the U.S. signal new entry points for American firms. Nigeria continues to stand out as a top-tier investment destination, targeting $10 billion in deepwater gas projects through new tax incentives and a planned auction of undeveloped blocks to boost exploration and production.

    With participation from key industry players and high-level delegations, USAEF affirms a shared commitment by African stakeholders to attract American capital and technology to bolster their respective energy markets. U.S. companies, in turn, are ready to expand their footprint, forge new alliances and unlock the full potential of Africa’s energy future.

    For tickets, sponsorship opportunities and more information, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com. Join us in Houston this August to connect with the leaders shaping Africa’s energy landscape and experience the momentum that drives ECP’s events worldwide.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Asia Pacific – Tiny nation targets climate investors to become citizens and help it change the world

    Source: Nauru Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program

    Tiny nation targets climate investors to become citizens and help it change the world

    “We will not wait for the waves to wash away our homes and infrastructure”, was the declaration by the leader of the world’s smallest republic, just after the nation had used COP29 as a launchpad for the world’s most innovative climate resilience project.

    “While the world debates climate action, we must take proactive steps to secure our nation’s future,” continued President of Nauru David Adeang.

    A member of the Climate Vulnerable Forum made up of developing nations on the front line of climate change, Nauru’s government is challenging investors from across the world to be a part of a bold solution not just for the nation, but globally.

    The country is embarking on a project that will reform their nation in the face of climate change, which as well as dealing with issues like food and water security, includes the “Higher Ground Initiative” – relocating almost their entire population from the coast to higher ground.

    This project is huge. Some may call it audacious. And it’s expensive.

    Yet the man leading the charge to raise a large portion of the funds through a unique citizenship program targeting climate investors and entrepreneurs says there is already interest from around the world.

    New Zealander Edward Clark has an extensive background in international banking, financial crime and compliance, which is exactly why the Government of Nauru appointed him as CEO of the Nauru Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program.

    Mr Clark said unlike some citizenship by investment programs that have been the subject of controversy, the tightly managed Nauru program was about “flipping the narrative for climate vulnerable countries.”

    “We want those who are passionate about the global future to become citizens because our goal is to transform Nauru from being a passive recipient of climate funding into an incubator for climate innovation.”

    By that he means Nauru can become a model for how truly sustainable communities and their underlying infrastructure can be developed.

    “Climate entrepreneurs can partner with Nauru to develop new solutions,” he said.

    “Ecopreneurs can benefit from the necessary seed funding to develop new technologies and solutions, and Nauru will benefit from being a testing ground for new and cost-effective solutions.”

    Mr Clark said while the citizenship program is new, he’s elated at the interest.

    “The first new citizenships are close to being granted and these are people from across the world who want to invest in climate resilience and be part of a higher purpose,” he said.

    Further information:

    The Program – https://www.ecrcp.gov.nr
    The Higher Ground Initiative and other Nauru climate resilience initiatives https://www.climatechangenauru.nr

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Appointments – Three Fellows Selected for 2025 Melvin MS Goo Writing Fellowship

    Source: East-West Center

    HONOLULU (Apr. 29, 2025) – The East-West Center is pleased to announce that historian John Delury and journalists Mengyu Dong and Sylvie Zhuanghave been selected as the 2025 recipients of the Melvin MS Goo Writing Fellowship. Supported by a generous endowment from the Melvin MS Goo Memorial Fund, the fellowship awards financial support via the East-West Center Foundation to individuals for projects that enhance understanding between the United States and China. 2025 projects will cover Chinese migration to the US via Central America, technological competition between the two nations, and US-China relations through a Roman Empire lens.

    About the Fellows

    John Delury, visiting professor of political science at John Cabot University in Rome

    An American historian of modern China and East Asian affairs, John Delury has authored two books and contributed numerous essays featured in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, New Statesman, and The New York Times. As a Goo Fellow, Delury is developing a longform feature piece examining US-China relations through the lens of the Roman Empire. Delury is hopeful this piece “can enhance mutual understanding between the peoples of China and the United States at a critical moment in their relationship. Written from the vantage point of Rome, it’s an ambitious essay, and I am grateful for the fellowship’s support to make it possible.”
     
    Mengyu Dong, senior editor for China Digital Times

    Based in Northern California, journalist Mengyu Dong’s reporting on migrant communities has appeared in the BBC, Radio Free Asia, and Initium Media, among others. As part of the Goo Fellowship, Dong is writing a book chronicling the personal stories behind the latest wave of Chinese migration to the United States via Central America, known within the Chinese community as zouxian, or “the walk route.”
     
    Sylvie Zhuang, China desk reporter for South China Morning Post

    A Beijing-based journalist and former research consultant at the World Bank, Sylvie Zhuang reports on Chinese politics and US-China technological rivalry. Through the Goo Fellowship, she will explore how advancements in AI and space exploration impact human society and geopolitical power. Zhuang said she will also be examining tech rivalries “from the perspective of Chinese science fiction, which presents a unique set of philosophies, pointing to the hopes and fears of a shared future.”  

    “These projects mark an exciting and meaningful continuation of the Fellowship’s mission,” said East-West Center Goo Fellowship Coordinator Devon Grandy. “The selection committee was particularly pleased by the breadth of topics and distinctive approaches offered by this year’s cohort. We’re confident that their stories will resonate with audiences in the United States, China, and beyond.”

    “We are very pleased that we were able to award three excellent writing fellowships this year,” said Susan Kreifels, East-West Center Journalism Program Manager. “We believe each unique story will help serve Melvin MS Goo’s legacy of understanding between the people of China and the United States.”

    About the Melvin MS Goo Memorial Fund

    The Melvin MS Goo Memorial Fund was established through a gift of the Melvin MS Goo Revocable Living Trust to memorialize Mr. Goo’s intent for his legacy gift to enhance understanding between the United States and China. Melvin MS Goo was a veteran journalist who led a 34-year career in the United States and Asia prior to his passing in 2016. Born in Macau and graduating high school in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, Mr. Goo worked for 18 years as a reporter, editor, and editorial writer at The Honolulu Advertiser. In 1977 he was awarded the prestigious Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University. Mr. Goo continued his career in Asia, rising to Chief News Editor at The Nikkei Weekly and later Editor-in-Chief at Taiwan News.
     
    The East-West Center, established by the US Congress in 1960, promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative research, study, and dialogue. The Center is an independent, public, nonprofit organization with funding from the US government, and additional support provided by individuals, foundations, corporations, and governments in the region. The East-West Center Foundation is a private non-profit organization, established in 1982 to broaden and diversify private support for the Center.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Human Rights – “People in Gaza do not have the luxury of waiting for the ICJ process” – MSF

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)

    30th April, 2026. “The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has begun advisory proceedings on the obligations of Israel as an occupying power to facilitate the entry of aid to Palestinians in Gaza, this decision however will take time. People in Gaza do not have that luxury.

    Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has recently raised the alarm that the Gaza Strip is becoming a mass grave for Palestinians and those trying to provide aid to them.

    Waiting for any kind of legal recourse to end Israel’s intentional choking of aid, food and medicine into Gaza will condemn yet more Palestinians to avoidable death, while the world watches on impassively, doing nothing to avoid this indiscriminate and abhorrent cruelty.

    The situation in the Gaza Strip is dire on every level. The Israeli authorities’ full ban on all humanitarian aid and supplies since 2 March is having deadly consequences for civilians in Gaza and is severely limiting our capacity as humanitarians and medical workers to respond in any meaningful or effective way.

    Israeli authorities are not only using aid as a bargaining chip but as a weapon of war and a means of collective punishment for over 2 million people living in the Strip. MSF teams are witnessing shortages of medical supplies and food. States need to do more to pressure Israeli authorities into lifting the siege and letting aid enter the war-torn enclave at scale to prevent more suffering and death.”

    Claire Nicolet, MSF Head of Emergencies.

    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 –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 04/29/2025 Blackburn, Budd, Ricketts Introduce Bill to Make President Trump’s United States Investment Accelerator Permanent

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), andPete Ricketts (R-Neb.) introduced the Investment Accelerator Act to codify President Trump’s Executive Order establishing the United States Investment Accelerator, which will help facilitate and accelerate investments above $1 billion. During the first 100 days of his second administration, President Trump has already spurred trillions of dollars of investment in U.S. manufacturing, production, and innovation.  
    “President Trump’s Investment Accelerator is supercharging capital investment in the United States, and he has already secured trillions of dollars in private investments during his second term,” said Senator Blackburn. “Our bill would make President Trump’s United States Investment Accelerator permanent by codifying his Executive Order into law, helping to secure our economic future, slash bureaucratic red tape, and make certain America remains the top destination for foreign and domestic investment.”
    “For far too long bureaucratic hurdles have limited our economic potential. Instead, we need to reduce regulatory barriers to facilitate and accelerate investment here at home,” said Senator Budd. “That’s why I am proud to stand with Senator Blackburn in introducing the Investment Accelerator Act. This bill will unleash economic prosperity by streamlining processes for foreign and domestic investment in the United States.”
    “President Trump wants to make America prosperous again. The Investment Accelerator Act will help him accomplish that goal,” said Senator Ricketts. “This legislation will cut bureaucratic red tape. It will support American workers and businesses that want to invest in our country.”
    INVESTMENT ACCELERATOR ACT
    The Investment Accelerator Act would permanently establish the United States Investment Accelerator to attract large investments in America by:
    Reducing regulatory burdens;
    Speeding up permitting;
    Coordinating responses to investor issues across federal agencies;
    Increasing access to national resources of the United States;
    Facilitating research collaborations with national labs;
    Working with state governments in all 50 states to reduce regulatory barriers;
    Overseeing the activity of the CHIPS Program Office; and
    Identifying any opportunity to assist foreign and domestic investors.
    Click here for bill text.
    RELATED

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: RecycLiCo Battery Materials Mutual Termination of Taiwan Joint Venture with Zenith Chemical Corporation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SURREY, British Columbia, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — RecycLiCo Battery Materials Inc. (“RecycLiCo” or the “Company”) (TSX.V: AMY | OTCQB: AMYZF | FSE: ID4), a pioneer in sustainable lithium-ion battery recycling and upcycling technologies, today announced that the Company and its joint venture partner Zenith Chemical Corporation (“Zenith”) have jointly determined to abandon the construction of a battery recycling facility in Taiwan and have entered into a definitive Mutual Release and Termination Agreement (the “Agreement”) to unwind their previously established joint venture Company.

    Under the terms of the Agreement, RecycLiCo will sell to Zenith its entire interest in 3,000,000 common shares of the joint venture company, RecycLiCo Zenith Battery Materials Technology Co., for gross proceeds of USD $581,114.08. As additional consideration, Zenith will return to RecycLiCo 4,000,000 RecycLiCo common shares and 6,000,000 share purchase warrants previously issued under the Agreement. RecycLiCo has retained ownership of its technology. The Agreement was executed on April 28, 2025, and will close following receipt of required regulatory approval from the Department of Investment Review in Taiwan.

    The Agreement provides for the full and final settlement of all rights and obligations between the parties relating to the joint venture. Effective as of the closing date, Zenith will assume full ownership of the joint venture and will take steps to discontinue the use of the RecycLiCo name and dissolve the joint venture company pursuant to applicable Taiwanese regulations.

    “This decision reflects a mutual recognition by both Zenith and the Company of the evolving world economic and geopolitical environment,” said Richard Sadowsky, Interim Chief Executive Officer of RecycLiCo. “Market conditions are not what they were in 2022 when the original joint venture feasibility study was conducted. There have been changes in battery material supply streams and increased capitalization costs relative to the initial projections, which were prepared during a period of elevated lithium prices. We thank our partners at Zenith for their support and collaboration.”

    “The Company remains firmly committed to its global commercialization strategy and focus on flexible, capital-efficient growth. By eliminating the capital commitments associated with the joint venture, we have significantly strengthened our cash position and extended our financial runway to nearly a decade at current spending levels. We can now direct more resources toward enhancing our scientific and technical capacity and exploiting opportunities in our core growth markets, including potential strategic investments in companies with complementary technology.“

    About RecycLiCo        

    RecycLiCo Battery Materials Inc. is a battery materials company specializing in sustainable lithium-ion battery upcycling and materials production. RecycLiCo has developed advanced technologies that efficiently recover battery-grade materials from lithium-ion batteries, addressing the global demand for environmentally friendly solutions in energy storage. With minimal processing steps and up to 99% extraction of lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese. RecycLiCo’s hydrometallurgical process turns lithium-ion battery waste into battery-grade cathode precursor, lithium hydroxide, and lithium carbonate for direct integration into the re- manufacturing of new lithium-ion batteries.

    For more information, please contact:
    Paola Ashton
    PRA Communications
    Telephone: 604-681-1407
    Email: pashton@pracommunications.com

    Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain “forward-looking statements”, which are statements about the future based on current expectations or beliefs. For this purpose, statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward–looking statements by their nature involve risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate or true. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by law.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy Op-ed For The Roosevelt Institute: A Good Life Starts In A Good Hometown

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    April 29, 2025

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Tuesday authored an op-ed for the Roosevelt Institute examining how the American economic system’s consolidation of corporate power and economic opportunity in a handful of big cities has hollowed out local communities and disconnected millions of people from the relationships that give life meaning. Murphy argues that progressives must start rebuilding power, connection, and identity in the neighborhoods and hometowns where most Americans actually live and stand up to concentrated corporate power.
    “Study after study finds that, far more than money or career success, the quality of our relationships makes the most impact on our likelihood to feel happy and fulfilled. Those relationships start in our hometowns. At their best, the physical places we live—the town, the neighborhood, the block—are places where people are embedded in a thick web of ties to family and friends that helps form the core of their identity and builds community,” Murphy wrote. “The world is becoming more connected, and lots of opportunity comes with having immediate access to anything and everything, anywhere and everywhere. But it can also feel overwhelming to have no limits on your existence. The flood of never-ending inputs can be dizzying and disabling. Being identified as a “global citizen”—one grain of sand in a desert of 8 billion—feels empty and meaningless to many.”
    Murphy argued that most people want the ability to live a meaningful and secure life in their hometowns, without having to relocate to a few major cities to find success: “Most Americans are not willing to simply give up their local identity and become citizens of the world. And not everyone sees value in chasing professional achievement across the country. Many Americans say our culture should define success as building a decent life in the place you were raised—the place your family has roots—rather than being forced to move to find career reward. More than half of young adults live within 10 miles of where they grew up, but increasingly the base of the progressive movement is higher income and more mobile. As a result, we’ve become disconnected from what most Americans want—an economy and culture built around thousands of independent healthy places, rather than a nationalized economy and culture where opportunity is concentrated in a few major cities.”
    Murphy underscored how concentrated corporate power is destroying the social and economic ties that hold communities together: “Rebuilding local communities is less about turning the dials of government spending and more about unrigging the system of concentrated economic power that holds them down. Big companies are easily able to move money, markets, and jobs overseas, giving them an advantage over workers and families who cannot move so readily. Business leaders who use accounting gimmicks to raise profits are not focusing on the innovation and investment that creates good jobs and raises living standards. Monopolies drive the small shops that help form local commercial identity out of business. Big Tech firms tilt their platforms to accumulate more power and profits at the expense of small business, in-person connection, and local journalism. Corporations fight tooth and nail to keep local workers from forming connection through labor unions.”
    Murphy concluded: “Where are we left when so many Americans feel they have to choose between their hometowns and economic opportunity and increasingly cannot find connection through a meaningful relationship to the place they live? Americans have fewer friends than we used to. We spend more time alone. Roughly half of American adults say they are lonely. We trust each other less than before, and we are losing faith in each other as partners in democratic governance. In 1997, Pew found that 64 percent of Americans trusted the wisdom of the American people to make political choices; only 39 percent felt the same by 2019. Creating a society where more Americans can live a good life starts by rebuilding power, vitality, connection, and unique identity at the neighborhood and community level. That means standing up to concentrated power and instead siding with the people in neighborhoods and towns across America who are working to build a better life for their families and communities.”
    Read the full op-ed HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wicker, Feenstra Introduce Legislation to Continue Safe Exports of Agricultural Products in Event of Foreign Animal Disease Outbreak

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., joined Congressman Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, in introducing the Safe American Food Exports (SAFE) Act. This legislation would codify USDA’s role in negotiating regionalization agreements that allow livestock, poultry, and other animal products from unaffected areas of the country to be exported in the event of an animal disease outbreak. Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) already works with the United States Trade Representative to develop these agreements, this legislation would establish regionalization agreements and promoting robust agricultural trade policies before any animal disease impacts our nation.
    This bill would also create a notification system within the Import and Export Library to prevent our producers from being impacted by changes in trade status of agricultural commodities and alert the proper agencies, organizations, and State Departments of Agriculture that there have been changes in import or export status.
    “Mississippi’s poultry exporters and producers have suffered during the bird flu. Animal diseases often cause trade disruptions, and the government should help protect American agriculture exports in these situations,” said Senator Wicker. “The Safe American Food Exports Act would help do that. The bill would give the USDA authority to negotiate regionalization agreements to ensure America’s agricultural producers are not shut off from the global market.”
    “Iowa farmers are the backbone of our economy and the breadbasket of our country and the world. However, an animal disease outbreak can be devastating for our producers, majorly disrupt trade with foreign countries, and close important export markets that our farmers depend on,” said Congressman Feenstra. “Understanding the dire financial and animal health consequences of a disease outbreak, I introduced the Safe American Food Exports Act so that we can negotiate comprehensive agreements with our trading partners and ensure that a disease outbreak in one part of the country does not impact Iowa’s ability to produce and export our agricultural goods. By working proactively on regionalization agreements and prioritizing farm biosecurity, we can safely ship our agricultural commodities around the globe, prevent massive trade disruptions, and mitigate the negative impacts of animal disease on our farmers, producers, and rural communities.”
    Joining Senator Wicker and Congressman Feenstra in introducing the SAFE Act are Senators Katie Britt, R-Ala., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Chris Coons, D-Del., and Congressman Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif. 
    Click HERE for bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After Years of Persistent Advocacy and Work to Secure New Fighter Mission, Senator Peters Welcomes Announcement to Base 21 F-15EX Fighters at Selfridge Air National Guard Base

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) released the following statement after President Trump announced that Selfridge Air National Guard will receive a new fighter mission. At an event in Macomb County, the President confirmed that Selfridge would receive 21 F-15EXs – a next-generation fighter aircraft. This announcement follows years of advocacy and efforts by Peters to secure a new fighter mission for Selfridge and protect the future of the base. Peters, who served in the U.S. Navy Reserve and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, drilled at Selfridge for more than a decade. 
    “After years of persistent work and advocacy, and as someone who had the privilege to drill alongside the dedicated men and women who serve at Selfridge, I am thrilled to welcome this exciting announcement. I have long said that Selfridge Air National Guard Base is a top-tier asset to our nation’s military and the ideal location for an advanced fighter mission. Selfridge is located close to the world-class training venues we have in Northern Michigan and home to highly skilled pilots, crews, and maintainers. Selfridge has the capabilities and the generational expertise needed to keep our military ready and our nation safe. 
    “I have repeatedly fought and secured investments to prepare for bringing F-15EX fighters to Selfridge, and this decision is going to help ensure the base, Macomb County, and our entire state remain central to U.S. defense strategy and operations for decades to come. Michigan has always stepped up when our country needed us, and as we stare down an increasingly dangerous world with escalating military aggression from our adversaries, Selfridge is the best choice to base these new, next-generation aircraft. I look forward to continue working with our delegation and the Administration to bring these fighters home.” 
    Selfridge supports approximately 5,000 military and civilian jobs and generates an estimated $850 million in economic impact statewide. Selfridge also supports an estimated 30,000 jobs in Michigan. 
    Peters has made securing a future fighter mission and strengthening the future of Selfridge Air National Guard Base a top priority. In 2021, Peters held up the confirmation of former-U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, as well as nine other Department of Defense (DOD) nominees being considered by the Senate, in response to the Air Force’s decision to pass over Selfridge for its planned international F-35 training center. Peters ended his hold on the nominees after receiving strong, written commitmentsfrom the Air Force that Selfridge will continue to play a “critical and ongoing role for our national security.”  
    Peters has led the Michigan delegation in meeting with and urging top Defense Department officials to replace Selfridge’s A-10 mission with a new, long-term fighter mission. Peters has also hosted numerous DOD and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials at Michigan’s military installations, including Selfridge, to showcase the base and our state’s robust defense capabilities. Peters secured language in the most recent national defense bill encouraging the Air Force to plan for replacement of the 25 Air National Guard fighter aircraft squadrons across the country with advanced fighter aircraft – including the A-10 squadron based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Peters has also leveraged his position on the Senate Appropriations Committee to push for the funding needed to procure additional F-15EX fighter jets in the Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Appropriations Act, which passed committee in August 2024. In 2023, Peters urged the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee to include funding for a F-15EX Fighter Mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.  
    To ensure Selfridge was equipped to house a future fighter mission, Peters secured $28 million in federal funding for a new aircraft hangar on the base. The new 41,900 square-foot facility will transform two hangars into a new hangar equipped for fighter maintenance and help to better position the base to be selected for a new, long-term fighter mission.  
    As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Peters has consistently made the case for Selfridge to host a new fighter mission, stressing how a new mission is not only essential to the ongoing sustainability of Selfridge, but also a cost-effective opportunity for the Air Force and critical for America’s defense strategy. During numerous Armed Services Committee hearings, Peters pushed former-U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and other top DOD officials to deliver a new fighter mission to the base, including most recently President Trump’s current nominee to serve as Air Force Secretary, Troy Meink. 
    In addition to securing a new fighter mission, in January 2024, Peters announced that the U.S. Air Force selected Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County to host a new squadron of twelve KC-46A refueling tankers. This announcement came shortly after Peters led a bipartisan, bicameral group of Michigan delegation members in urging then-U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall to select Selfridge for a new squadron of these next-generation tankers, which will be deployed by the U.S. Air Force for the next 50 years. Earlier this year, Peters introduced bipartisan legislation seeking to preserve the U.S. Air Force’s fighter force structure and support the recapitalization of Air National Guard fighter missions, including at Selfridge. In March, he also led a bipartisan, bicameral resolution to honor the 108th anniversary of Selfridge Air National Guard Base and commemorate the thousands of men and women who have worked and trained and Selfridge since its inception.   
    To further strengthen Selfridge’s role in U.S. national and homeland security efforts, Peters established the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Northern Border Mission Center at the base last year. Peters also secured $3 million in March 2024 to operate this Center at Selfridge, where it is collocated with current DHS components. The Center, which DHS is already working to set up, will coordinate with state, local, and Tribal governments, and other key stakeholders, to ensure DHS and its operational components are able to fulfill their security mission at the Northern Border.     
    Peters has also been pushing to position Selfridge for additional investments that will keep the base at the forefront of national security efforts for years to come. In recent government funding legislation that was signed into law, Peters secured language authorizing a report that will clarify the basing criteria for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) and evaluate whether existing Air National Guard units, such as Selfridge, are appropriate basing candidates for CCA. These types of unmanned aircraft are the future of warfare, and this report will help Selfridge better position itself as an installation that has significant long-term value for the Air Force. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Joins Sanders and Over 100 Lawmakers in Reintroduction of Medicare for All

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla Joins Sanders and Over 100 Lawmakers in Reintroduction of Medicare for All

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and over 100 lawmakers in reintroducing the Medicare for All Act, historic legislation that would guarantee health care as a fundamental human right to all people in the United States regardless of income or background.

    Despite spending twice as much per person on health care as other wealthy nations, more than 85 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured, one out of every four Americans cannot afford their prescription drugs, over half a million people go bankrupt due to medically-related debt, and more than 60,000 die because they cannot afford to go to a doctor.

    “Every American deserves access to high quality, affordable health care, regardless of their zip code or tax bracket,” said Senator Padilla. “As the Trump Administration recklessly attacks essential public health services that millions of Californians and Americans across the country depend on, guaranteeing the fundamental right to health care is more important than ever. No American should go bankrupt because of medical costs, and Congress must do better to ensure that everyone has equitable access to care.”

    “The American people understand, as I do, that health care is a human right, not a privilege and that we must end the international embarrassment of the United States being the only major country on earth that does not guarantee health care to all of its citizens,” said Senator Sanders. “It is not acceptable to me, nor to the American people, that over 85 million people today are either uninsured or underinsured. Today, there are millions of people who would like to go to a doctor but cannot afford to do so. This is an outrage. In America, your health and your longevity should not be dependent on your wealth. Health care is a human right that all Americans, regardless of income, are entitled to and they deserve the best health care that our country can provide.”

    Under this legislation, Medicare would provide comprehensive health care to every American with no premiums, no co-payments, and no deductibles. It would also expand Medicare to include dental, hearing, and vision care, and it would give every American the freedom to choose their doctors without endless paperwork or fighting their insurance company. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that Medicare for All would save our health care system $650 billion a year. Further, researchers at Yale University have estimated that Medicare for All would save 68,000 lives a year.

    Senator Sanders, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.-06) lead the legislation. Including Senator Padilla, the legislation has 16 cosponsors in the Senate and 104 cosponsors in the House. The total number of cosponsors represents an increase from last Congress and also includes Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

    “Nurses see the failure of our country’s profit-driven health care system every time we clock in to work,” said Nancy Hagans, President of National Nurses United. “In the richest country on earth, nobody should be forced to choose between taking their medications and putting food on the table. Yet countless families are pushed to the breaking point while greedy corporations charge astronomical, ludicrous fees for care that our patients have every right to receive. Nurses are fighting for a future in which our patients’ health is put first always and that’s why we are proud to continue our support for Medicare for All. When we guarantee health care for all, corporations and billionaires will no longer be able to deny anyone the care that they need.”

    “We are long overdue for a universal health care system that guarantees care for all — free of copays, deductibles, and job-based coverage restrictions,” said Dr. Diljeet K. Singh, M.D., Dr.P.H., and President of Physicians for a National Health Program. “With the passage of the Medicare for All Act, physicians can focus on healing patients, not battling insurers over denials and delays. Patients will finally be able to seek care without the constant fear of crushing medical bills. Physicians for a National Health Program proudly stands with our legislators in the fight to make excellent health care a reality for everyone in America.”

    “As Donald Trump, Robert Kennedy and Congressional Republicans rush to strip health care from millions of Americans, we know this: We must not only block their cruel cuts but move America to a system that provides health care to everyone as a matter of right,” said Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen. “America spends much more than other wealthy countries on health care only to have the worst health outcomes. The system works for health insurers, Big Pharma, hospital chains and private equity firms – but no one else. Medicare for All would ensure everyone in America can get the care they need throughout their lives. It is the realistic, humane, just and efficient reform we need.”

    “Postal workers know the value of affordable, universal services, grounded in a commitment to putting people over profits. That’s the type of service we are committed to provide communities across the country, day in and day out,” said Mark Dimondstein, President of American Postal Workers Union. “For too long, greedy corporations and their Wall Street investors have been able to deny the people of the country the quality, affordable, universal health care working people deserve. Medicare for All, health care as a human right, will make us all healthier and financially better off. A health care system that works for working people, not the profits of the insurance companies, is long overdue. It’s time for Medicare for All.”

    “Health care should be a human right. But every time we negotiate with a boss for the right to see a doctor, they nickel and dime us until people have to choose between their health and putting food on the table,” said Shawn Fain, President of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW). “We’re sick of having to go on strike just to have decent health care. We’re sick of corporate America asking us to give up raises, retirement security, or work-life balance at the bargaining table so working-class people can avoid medical bankruptcy. Our current health care system is a con job that only works for the billionaire class. Medicare for All is common sense, and it’s what the working class needs. The UAW is proud to support this bill.”

    “If you want to renew the public’s faith in our political system, pass the Medicare for All Act of 2025,” said Alan Minsky, Executive Director, Progressive Democrats of America. “This one piece of legislation will instantly end the era, which has lasted far too long, when profits and wealth accumulation are more important than human life, including yours. MFA will return the general welfare, and the well-being of every individual, to the heart of our social contract. That will renew faith in America.”

    “Health care is a right, not a privilege. The reintroduction of the Medicare for All Act is a crucial step toward ending a system that profits from people’s pain,” said Analilia Mejia and DaMareo Cooper, Co-Executive Directors of Popular Democracy. “Too many Americans are forced to choose between paying their rent and paying for life-saving medication, while corporations rake in billions. Medicare for All isn’t just a policy—it’s the lifeline working families desperately need. Our communities deserve a health care system that prioritizes people over profits. We will fight until we win the health care we deserve.”

    “Health care is a human right and a basic need. Yet instead of getting health care, Americans get delays, denials, and bills they cannot afford. Today, predatory insurance CEOs are poised to reap the windfall from the tax scam giveaways earmarked for billionaires and corporations. The oligarchs that put Donald Trump and Dr. Oz in power want everything we have. We get sicker, make impossible choices, and go broke. They boost the stock prices of corporations – like UnitedHealth – that profit off our pain, and buy more mansions and yachts. We can put an end to those warped priorities through Medicare for All,” said Sulma Arias, executive director of People’s Action Institute. “Working people have made this the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, and there is more than enough if we don’t let the corporate crooks and billionaires steal it. So it’s time to choose: Our health care or their greed?”

    Senator Padilla has long been a leader in the fight to make health care more equitable in the United States. Last year, Padilla, Senator Hirono, and Senator Booker introduced the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA) of 2024 to address health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities as well as women, the LGBTQ+ community, rural populations, and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities across the United States. Additionally, Padilla and Booker introduced the Equal Health Care for All Act, bicameral legislation that would make equal access to medical care a protected civil right to help address the racial inequities and structural failures in America’s health care system.

    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Solomon Islands

    Source:

    We continue to advise exercise a high degree of caution in Honiara. Political unrest can occur in Honiara during Parliament sittings, elections and times of political uncertainty. A motion of no confidence may be moved in Parliament from 6 May. Demonstrations can turn violent quickly. Avoid protests and political gatherings.

    Petty crime, break-ins, robbery and more serious offences including sexual assault can occur (see ‘Safety’).

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Insurance Sector – ICNZ Annual Review 2024 released

    Source: Insurance Council of NZ

    The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has released its annual review for 2024.
    “2024 has been an important year for insurance even as New Zealand experienced fewer major events, ” ICNZ chief executive Kris Faafoi said.
    “The cost of living remains top of mind for New Zealanders. Following the impact of the extreme North Island weather events, there are signs premiums are stabilising as some pressures such as global reinsurance rates and inflation have been easing. Insurers are continuing to look at ways to help their customers manage their own cover as cost-effectively as possible.
    “The long overdue Contracts of Insurance Bill was passed in November and will make insurance legislation fit for purpose in a modern world. The new law strikes a balance of consumers having much clearer rights at critical times and allows the fundamentals of insurers to be maintained.
    “While 2024 has been relatively calm for major events In New Zealand, the opportunities and challenges for the insurance industry mirror those for New Zealand – how we collectively manage the risks from a changing climate and protect Kiwis against unexpected events.
    “We are committed to leading and elevating the conversation on identifying and reducing risk to safeguard our communities and ensure insurance is affordable and accessible.
    “By prioritising and embedding resilience in decision making processes and making sure we don’t build in dumb places while also investing in adaptation, New Zealand can reduce natural hazard risks and protect the wellbeing of our communities.
    “There will be some complex and difficult conversations ahead and it will require a collaborative approach led by government to protect our communities from the impact of climate change.
    “The insurance sector supports the Government’s pledge to introduce legislation on climate adaptation this year. We are committed to working in partnership with government and other groups to find solutions to ensure better outcomes for Kiwis.
    By reducing the insurance protection gap we can keep communities safe, reduce the costs to taxpayers and ratepayers, and maintain insurance capacity and affordability,” Kris Faafoi said.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Advocacy – Voting ban “undermines democratic principles” says justice group

    Source: People Against Prisons Aotearoa

    The Government has announced the total disenfranchisement of people incarcerated in New Zealand prisons. This replaces a partial ban, and will see all prisoners prevented from participating in elections. The move violates a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that stripping prisoners of the right to vote violated the Bill of Rights. People Against Prisons Aotearoa spokesperson and University of Auckland criminologist Dr. Emmy Rākete says the ban is undemocratic.

    “The right to vote is the basis of democratic government. Legitimate governments cannot arbitrarily remove people from the pool that elects them. If the Government strips New Zealanders of the right to vote, it is attacking the democratic principles it claims to be founded on.”

    “The Supreme Court has already ruled that banning prisoners from voting is unlawful. The Government is spitting on the rule of law.”

    Corrections data show that the prison population is currently more than 50% Māori.

    “Aotearoa has been subjected to months of racist meltdowns from Government ministers over hysterical claims that co-governance or abiding by Te Tiriti unfairly favours Māori. Now, on a whim, those same teary-eyed ministers will arbitrarily ban thousands of primarily Māori people from participating in their precious democratic institutions.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Greenpeace slams deep sea mining application as a ‘total disregard for international law’

    Source: Greenpeace

    Greenpeace has slammed an announcement by The Metals Company to submit the first application to commercially mine the seabed.
    Greenpeace International Senior campaigner Louisa Casson said: “The first application to commercially mine the seabed will be remembered as an act of total disregard for international law and scientific consensus.
    “This unilateral US effort to carve up the Pacific Ocean already faces fierce international opposition. Governments around the world must now step up to defend international rules and cooperation against rogue deep sea mining.
    “Leaders will be meeting at the UN Oceans Conference in Nice in June where they must speak with one voice in support of a moratorium on this reckless industry.”
    Greenpeace Aotearoa spokesperson Juressa Lee said: “The disastrous effects of deep sea mining recognise no international borders in the ocean. This will be another case of short-term profits for a very few, from the Global North, with the Pacific bearing the destructive impacts for generations to come.”
    The Metals Company announcement follows President Donald Trump’s Executive Order fast-tracking deep sea mining in US and international waters, which Greenpeace says threatens Pacific sovereignty.
    Trump’s action bypasses the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the regulatory body which protects the deep sea and decides whether deep sea mining can take place in international waters.
    Lee adds: “The Metals Company and Donald Trump are wilfully ignoring the rules-based international order and the science that deep sea mining will wreak havoc on the oceans.
    “Pacific Peoples have deep cultural ties to the ocean, and we regard ‘home’ as more ocean than land. Our ancestors were wayfarers and ocean custodians who have traversed the Pacific and protected our livelihoods for future generations. This is the Indigenous knowledge we should be led by, to safeguard our planet and our environment. Deep sea mining is not the answer to the green transition away from carbon-based fossil fuels – it’s another false solution.”
    Donald Trump’s order follows negotiations in March at the ISA, at which governments refused to give wannabe miners The Metals Company a clear pathway to an approved mining application via the ISA.
    32 countries around the world publicly support a moratorium on deep sea mining. Millions of people have spoken out against this dangerous emerging industry.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fact Check- DHS is NOT Deporting American Children

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    WASHINGTON – Once again, the media is shamefully peddling a false narrative in an attempt to demonize our ICE enforcement agents, who are already facing a 300% surge in assaults again them. The media and Democrat politicians are force-feeding the public false information that US citizen children are being deported.  

    This is false and irresponsible. In both of these cases the mothers had a final order of deportation. Rather than separate their families, ICE asked the mothers if they wanted to be removed with their children or if they wanted ICE to place the children with someone safe the parent designates. Both mothers choose to deport with their children.  

    Jenny Carolina Lopez-Villela illegally entered this country three times in September 2019, March of 2021, and August 2021. She and her older daughter were deemed inadmissible to the United States the first time she entered the country and both her and her daughter were given final orders of removal in March 2020. When she was taken into ICE custody in April 2025, she chose to bring her younger daughter, who is an American Citizen, with her to Honduras and presented a valid United States passport.  

    Reachel Alexas Morales-Valle entered this country illegally and was released into the interior in 2013. She was given a final order of deportation in 2015. In February of 2025, she was arrested by Kenner Police Department in Louisiana for speeding, driving without insurance, and driving without a license. When she was taken into ICE custody in April 2025, she chose to bring both children, who are American citizens, with her to Honduras and presented a valid United States passport for each child.  

    DHS takes its responsibility to protect children seriously and will continue to work with federal law enforcement to ensure that children are safe and protected. Parents, who are here illegally, can take control of their departure. Through the CBP Home App— the Trump Administration is giving parents illegally in the country a chance to take full control of their departure and self-deport, with the potential ability to return the legal, right way and come back to live the American dream. It is free and available for all mobile devices. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Peace in our time? Why NZ should resist Trump’s one-sided plan for Ukraine

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert G. Patman, Professor of International Relations, University of Otago

    GettyImages Getty Images

    Is it possible to reconcile increased international support for Ukraine with Donald Trump’s plan to end the war? At their recent meeting in London, Christopher Luxon and his British counterpart Keir Starmer seemed to think so.

    Starmer thanked New Zealand for its “support” for a “coalition of the willing” that would safeguard the implementation of a potential peace deal concluded by the Trump administration.

    But unless something drastically changes in the near future, all the signs point to the US president envisaging a Ukraine peace settlement on Russian president Vladimir Putin’s terms.

    According to that view, peace can only be achieved if Ukraine is prepared to accept that territories wholly or partially annexed by Russia now belong to Moscow.

    In 2014, Russia seized Crimea on the Black Sea. Following the illegal 2022 invasion, Russia claimed four parts of eastern and southern Ukraine as its own – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and the Zaporizhzhia region.

    At the same time, Trump’s peace deal includes a provision that rules out NATO membership for Ukraine. This meets a key Russian demand that seeks to deny Ukraine’s sovereign right to choose its own security arrangements.

    According to Trump, Putin’s major concession is the promise that Russia will not annex the rest of Ukraine – something Moscow has been trying to do for the past three years.

    To accept this, however, liberal democracies such as New Zealand and Britain would be tacitly signalling they share common values and interests with the Trump administration and its apparent enthusiasm for a geopolitical partnership with Putin’s dictatorship.

    And in some ways, Trump’s Ukraine peace initiative is a bigger challenge for New Zealand than it is for Britain.

    Keir Starmer and Christopher Luxon speak to the media during a visit to a UK military base training Ukrainian troops, April 22.
    Getty Images

    Lessons of the past

    Like Britain, New Zealand fought in two world wars in the 20th century to advance, among other things, certain key international principles. These included state sovereignty and a prohibition on the use of force to change borders, principles subsequently enshrined in the United Nations Charter.

    But unlike Britain, New Zealand is a relatively small state that does not have a veto in the UN Security Council to protect its interests. Consequently, it is even more dependent on an international rules-based order for its security and prosperity.

    For New Zealand, Trump’s current Ukraine peace plan is a clear and present danger because it would set such a terrible precedent.

    Under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons (left over from when it was part of the Soviet Union) in return for assurances from Russia, the US and UK that recognised Ukrainian independence and the inviolability of its existing borders.

    The Trump administration’s plan, however, insists Ukraine must accept the illegal and partial dismemberment of its territory to attain peace with Russia.

    Rewarding Russian aggression in this way is tantamount to a failure to learn the historical lessons of the 20th century. In particular, it seems to forget the period during the 1930s when Britain tried in vain to appease an expansionist Nazi regime in Germany.

    Trump’s peace plan basically endorses the idea that “might is right” and that it is fine for great powers or big countries to steal land from smaller countries.

    Adjusting NZ foreign policy

    In Trump’s top-down world view, multilateral institutions and international law are regarded as superfluous at best and an enemy at worst.

    In such a world, relatively small powers such as New Zealand, with “no cards to play” at the top table, must either submit to the dominance of great powers (including the US) or suffer the consequences.

    Moreover, there is a real risk that Trump’s stance toward Putin’s regime will be viewed as weakness by China, Russia’s most important backer. This could embolden Beijing to increasingly assert itself in the Indo-Pacific, including the Pacific Islands region, where New Zealand has core strategic interests.

    Trump’s plan for Ukraine brings into sharp focus what has already been evident from other recent trends: a domestic slide toward autocracy in Washington, the unilateral imposition of tariffs, and territorial threats against close allies Canada and Denmark.

    As European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen put it, “The West as we knew it no longer exists.”

    The transactional nature of Trump’s leadership – including that peace in Ukraine can be bought with mineral rights and territorial trade-offs – suggests the US can no longer be relied on to provide a security guarantee for liberal democracies in Europe or elsewhere.

    The current New Zealand government needs to find the self-confidence and resolve to admit Trump is backing Putin’s imperial project in Ukraine. And it needs to adjust its foreign policy accordingly.

    This does not mean Wellington should weaken its traditional friendship with the US.

    On the contrary, many Americans might expect and welcome the prospect of New Zealand clearly and publicly standing against their president’s dangerous alignment with an authoritarian regime at Ukraine’s expense.

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

    – ref. Peace in our time? Why NZ should resist Trump’s one-sided plan for Ukraine – https://theconversation.com/peace-in-our-time-why-nz-should-resist-trumps-one-sided-plan-for-ukraine-255495

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Financial education will help disadvantaged kids succeed

    Source: ACT Party

    ACT’s Education spokesperson Laura McClure has welcomed the Government’s move to embed financial education into the school curriculum for Years 1 to 10, saying it will make a real difference – especially for disadvantaged students.

    “Every young Kiwi should leave school equipped to navigate a market economy. Knowing how to earn, save, budget, and invest is an essential part of being successful in a civilised society,” says McClure.

    “For students who don’t learn these lessons at home, financial education can be life-changing. It gives every student, no matter their background, a better footing to succeed later in life.

    “These curriculum changes are part of a broader shift to refocus education on real-world skills instead of ideology. I’m proud to be part of a Government that is taking politics out of the classroom and putting practical skills back in.

    “Financial literacy is a great equaliser. The left should welcome a reform that lifts disadvantaged students up, rather than dragging everyone else down.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Capito Highlights Improvements to Secure the Border During President Trump’s First 100 Days

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, at a Senate Republican Leadership Press Conference, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Republican Policy Committee (RPC) Chairman, highlighted President Donald Trump’s historic results securing the Southern Border during the first 100 days of his second administration. Click here to watch Senator Capito’s full remarks. 
    “The American people demanded a secure border, and President Trump is delivering, just like he promised. Under President Trump, our communities are safer, drugs are no longer pouring in, and violent criminals are off the streets. I look forward to seeing more historic results from the President in the next 100 days,” Senator Capito said.
    President Trump and Senate Republicans’ border accomplishments:
    When President Trump took office, he promised to end the chaos at the Southern Border and put the safety and security of American families first. With border encounters down 95% from March of last year, it is clear that President Trump is delivering on that promise. 
    In addition to rapidly decreasing border encounters, illegal immigrant “gotaways,” considered the top threat to public safety, are down 99%. That means fewer threats are slipping into the country. President Trump has also deported 139,000 illegal immigrants since taking office. These numbers are the direct result of President Trump’s decisive action to restore policies that work.
    Senate Republicans also worked hand-in-hand with President Trump to make the Laken Riley Act law. The Laken Riley Act, which Senator Capito co-sponsored, requires the detention of illegal immigrants accused of theft-related crimes, as well as assaults on law enforcement officers. It also empowers state Attorneys General to sue the federal government for harm caused by illegal immigration. This law is working to keep violent criminals off the streets. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Miami Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Leading Payment Protection Program Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – Lazaro Verdecia Hernandez, 37, of Miami, was sentenced today to 15 years in federal prison for leading a scheme that involved obtaining fraudulent loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and laundering the proceeds. 

    Verdecia and co-conspirator Heidi Cid submitted over 63 fraudulent PPP loan applications. In the loan paperwork, they made the applicants appear eligible for pandemic relief by falsifying the number of company employees and forging documents. As a result of the fake submissions, lenders disbursed over $14.5 million to bank accounts controlled by individuals who then withdraw the money and gave Verdecia, Cid, and another co-coconspirator, Yadier Rodriguez Arteaga, their cut.

    During earlier proceedings, Arteaga and Cid were adjudicated guilty and sentenced to federal prison terms: Arteaga to almost six years and Cid to 26 months.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros for the U. S. Secret Service (USSS); Special Agent in Charge Edwin S. Bonano for the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General (FHFA OIG); and Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Eastern Region, made the announcement.

    USSS Miami and FHFA OIG investigated the case with the assistance of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Eastern Region. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Haggerty and Eli Rubin prosecuted the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Klco is handling asset forfeiture.

    The following cases were previously charged in relation to the fraud scheme:

    • U.S. v. Roberto Lopez, Kenia Carrillo, Lester Hedman Safont, Oreste Ruiz Linares, Honolio Navarro Caballero, Barbara Alvarez, Javier Pico, Alfredo Contrera, and Erisbel Gonzalez Gomez, Case No. 22-cr-20368; 

    • U.S. v. Nancy Bahos Serna, Case No. 23-cr-20310;

    • U.S. v. Jorge Trueba Lopez, Case No. 21-cr-20382;

    • U.S. v. Nancy Saavedra Torres, Case No. 21-cr-20225;

    • U.S. v. Giraldo Caraballo, Case No. 21-cr-20264;

    • U.S. v. Felix Martinez and Yailin Perez, Case No. 21-cr-20276;

    • U.S. v. Yoliesse Sarmiento Carrion, Case No. 22-cr-20530;

    • U.S. v. Osiel Rodriguez Furgel, Case No. 21-cr-20251; and

    • U.S. v. Leonardo Gonzalez Lopez, Case No. 23-cr-20113.

    Each of these defendants pled guilty, except for Javier Pico and Erisbel Gonzalez Gomez who are fugitives.

    Approximately 22 people were charged and convicted in the conspiracy.

    In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    On Sep. 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-20421.

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    MIL Security OSI –