NewzIntel.com

Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Update – Man arrested after stabbing at Elizabeth Park

    Source: New South Wales – News

    A man has been arrested following a serious assault at Elizabeth Park.

    Police and paramedics were called to Billing Street about 1pm on Tuesday 1 April by reports of a violent altercation.

    A suspect was seen leaving the scene in a Ford SUV which collided with a tree.

    When police arrived, they located a 36-year-old man from Elizabeth Grove with serious stab wounds. The man was treated at the scene by paramedics before being rushed to hospital. His injuries are considered life threatening.

    A 35-year-old man from Elizabeth Park was arrested at the scene and is currently being interviewed by police.

    Billing Street and parts of Alexander Street has been closed to all traffic while emergency services are at the scene.

    Northern District Police advise that the incident is not random and both men are known to each other.

    Anyone who witnessed this incident, has dashcam or CCTV footage that may assist the investigation, or has any other information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Reserve Bank holds rates steady, cautious about the economic outlook

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra

    The Reserve Bank of Australia left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4.1% today, stressing the uncertainty in the economic outlook.

    As the Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock told a media conference, “since February there has been a lot more uncertainty introduced in the international context”.

    The on-hold decision was widely expected and Bullock described it as a “consensus decision” by the board.

    The decision to hold was not because the election campaign is underway. It was because there has not been enough new economic data to change materially its view on inflation. The governor said the board had never mentioned the election in its discussions.

    In a statement, the central bank said:

    Recent announcements from the United States on tariffs are having an impact on confidence globally and this would likely be amplified if the scope of tariffs widens.

    As the Reserve Bank Governor put it, “we’re paid to worry” and they are discussing with peer central banks the response to global uncertainties.

    Decline in inflation is welcome

    The volatile monthly inflation series fell marginally, from 2.5% to 2.4%, in February.

    The more trustworthy quarterly consumer price index (CPI) will come out on April 30 and will be an important factor in the Reserve Bank’s decision at its next meeting, on May 20.

    The CPI report is likely to show the “trimmed mean” underlying inflation returning to the 2–3% target band for the first time since 2021. Headline inflation could be in the lower half of the band.

    The unemployment rate has been steady at 4.1%. This is below what the Reserve Bank had regarded as the level consistent with steady inflation. But it has not been associated with an acceleration in wages. Indeed, wages have slowed to 3.2% growth, less than the Reserve Bank was forecasting for 2025.

    This could all give the Reserve Bank the confidence to make another cut to the cash rate. Financial markets are predicting a cut in May.

    The board itself said the current level of rates “remains restrictive”. So they will cut rates further once inflation is sustainably around the middle of the target band.

    The (lack of) impact of the budget

    The main impact of last week’s federal budget will be to delay the bounceback in electricity prices, after the end of the current rebates, for another six months. If there is a change in government, there will be a temporary fall in petrol prices for a year.



    Read more:
    We calculated how much Dutton’s excise cut would save you on fuel – and few will save as much as promised

    But both of these have only temporary effects on the “headline” inflation rate. The Reserve Bank is more concerned about sustained movements in underlying inflation.

    Labor’s proposed income tax cuts, which will be cancelled if the Coalition wins power, are only “modest” (in the treasurer’s own words) and do not come into effect until July 2026. They are also unlikely to have a material impact on the Reserve Bank’s inflation forecasts.

    The governor suggested as much, commenting that the forecasts following the budget would be similar to those made in February. She described increasing government spending as “filling a gap” in relatively weak private demand.

    The fallout from tariffs

    We will not know the extent of the new tariffs being announced by United States President Donald Trump until later in the week. And even then he may change them within days – or even on the same day.

    The US tariffs will push up prices there. But if they trigger a trade war, the global economy will weaken and this may lead to lower prices globally. The governor pointed out that trade diversion prompted by tariffs could lower the price of some imports.

    Bullock said the central bank was assessing the potential impact of tariffs on Australia’s trading partners including China. If Chinese authorities boosted support for their economy, then the economic impact on Australia might be “muted”.

    The Reserve Bank’s 0.25% interest rate cut in February to 4.1% was the first change in the cash rate since November 2023 and marked the first small reversal of 13 rate increases that began in the closing days of the Morrison government.



    Read more:
    The Reserve Bank has cut rates for the first time in four years. But it is cautious about future cuts

    The Reserve Bank and the election

    The heightened attention placed on the Reserve Bank in an election campaign is not that unusual. With Australian parliamentary terms limited to three years, but with no fixed duration, we are often approaching a possible election.

    While cutting interest rates will suit one side of politics, not cutting benefits the other. The impartial approach taken by the Reserve Bank is to make the same decision as they would if no election were looming.

    The new board

    This is the first meeting of the new monetary policy board, which is now separate from the central bank’s governance board.

    This specialisation was a recommendation of the 2023 Reserve Bank review commissioned by the treasurer. But seven of the nine member remain from the previous board. The two new members, including one of the authors of the review, are not expected to hold markedly different views to the continuing members.

    John Hawkins was formerly a senior economist with the Reserve Bank.

    – ref. Reserve Bank holds rates steady, cautious about the economic outlook – https://theconversation.com/reserve-bank-holds-rates-steady-cautious-about-the-economic-outlook-253434

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU scientists discover new bird species

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    Teacher Humanitarian Institute of NSU and amateur ornithologist Lyudmila Viktorovna Budneva discovered a new species of birds of the crow family. It was found in the forest of the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok. The new species differs from ordinary crows in its pink plumage, which is why it was named the pink crow.

    — There is a tall pine tree in my yard, where birds often stop to rest. I have seen woodpeckers, kites, waxwings on it many times, but this time I was lucky enough to see two pink crows. Since I had a camera with me, I recorded the unusual birds. I sent the pictures to my scientist friends, and they confirmed that this is not a species described by science, — said Lyudmila Budneva.

    Scientists do not rule out that this species of bird is the result of a successful genetic experiment. Scientific research in the field of genetics has been conducted in the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok for many years, so it is not surprising that this pair of birds was found here.

    — Earlier we discussed the fundamental possibility of such an experiment. It seems that it was carried out by some capable postgraduate student: the birds were given genes of bullfinches that give them a red color. If we add genes of attractants and aphrodisiacs, then all the birds in the forest will be red, — commented the scientific director of the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Igor Fedorovich Zhimulev.

    The new species has already been given the Latin name Corvus barbicorus. In the future, ornithologists plan to describe the new species in more detail, collect and analyze morphological data, and conduct a genetic analysis. This will allow them to more accurately establish the origin of the new species, its relationship with other species of the crow family, assess the possible population, etc.

    — There are more than 200 species of birds in the Akademgorodok and its environs. It is amazing that there is still a possibility and opportunity to discover new species of birds in this beautiful place, — added Lyudmila Budneva.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why do I get headaches when I exercise, even when I drink lots of water?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia

    Jacob Lund/Shutterstock

    Getting a headache during or after exercise can be seriously frustrating – especially if you have kept hydrated to try and stop them from happening.

    But why do these headaches occur? And does keeping hydrated make any difference?

    What are exercise headaches?

    Exercise headaches (also known as “exertional headaches”) are exactly what they sound like: headaches that occur either during, or after, exercise.

    French doctor Jules Tinel first reported these headaches in the medical literature in 1932 and they’ve been a regular point of discussion since.

    Exercise headaches commonly present as a throbbing pain on both sides of the head. They most often occur after strenuous exercise – although what is considered “strenuous” can differ between people, depending on their fitness levels. They can last anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of days.

    Exercise headaches are thought to impact about 12% of adults, although this number varies from 1% all the way up to 26% across individual studies.

    In most circumstances, these headaches are harmless and will resolve on their own, over time. Some research suggests you will stop getting them after a few months of starting a new type of workout.

    But while they are usually harmless, they can sometimes signal an underlying condition that requires medical attention.

    What causes exercise headaches?

    Despite a good amount of research looking at exertional headaches, we don’t know their exact cause, but we do think we know why they occur.

    The leading theory suggests they are caused by changes in blood flow to the brain. During intense exercise, blood vessels in the brain dilate, increasing blood flow and pressure, leading to pain.

    Because long-term exercise improves our cardiovascular health, including our ability to dilate and constrict our blood vessels, this theory makes sense when we consider that exercise headaches tend to resolve themselves over time. This might explain why research suggests fitter people are less likely to get exercise headaches.

    People with migraines appear more likely to experience exercise headaches, which are thought to be caused by this same mechanism.

    Does heat and dehydration cause exercise headaches?

    There is evidence suggesting that exercise headaches are more likely to occur in the heat.

    Your brain cannot dissipate heat by sweating like the rest of your body can. So when it’s hot, your body has to increase blood flow to the brain to help bring down its temperature, which can increase pressure.

    Exercise headaches might not be as bad when you’re hydrated.
    ME Image/Shutterstock

    Similarly, exercise headaches also seem to get worse, and occur more often, when people are dehydrated.

    However, we are not sure why this happens. Some research has shown that dehydration results in increased strain during exercise. As such, dehydration might not necessarily cause the headache, but make it more likely to occur.

    Red flags: when to see a doctor

    Most exercise headaches resolve themselves after a few hours and result in no lasting negative effects.

    In some rare instances, they could be sign of something more serious occurring in the brain, such as a subarachnoid haemorrhage (a bleed between the brain and the tissues that cover it), reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (a spasming of blood vessels), cervical artery dissection (or tear), intracranial hypertension (pressure in the brain), or an infection.

    See a doctor to rule out anything serious if:

    • it’s your first exercise headache
    • the headache is severe and sudden (also known as a thunderclap headache)
    • it’s accompanied by other symptoms such as vision changes, confusion, or sensations of weakness
    • you experience a stiff neck, nausea, or vomiting with your headache
    • it lasts for more than 24 hours and doesn’t seem to be getting better.

    Can you prevent exercise headaches?

    There is no surefire way to prevent exercise headaches.

    But a recent review suggests that ensuring you’re adequately hydrated and gradually warm-up to your desired exercise intensity can make them less likely to occur.

    Give your body time to adapt.
    Gorgev/Shutterstock

    Beyond this, you may wish to keep your exercise intensity in a light-to moderate range for a couple of months. This will give your cardiovascular system some time to adapt before trying more strenuous exercise, hopefully reducing the likelihood of getting exercise headaches at all.

    Exercise headaches are annoying, but are generally harmless and should subside on their own over time.

    Hunter Bennett 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. Why do I get headaches when I exercise, even when I drink lots of water? – https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-get-headaches-when-i-exercise-even-when-i-drink-lots-of-water-253039

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Torrential rains created inland seas in outback Queensland. Soon, they will supersize Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia

    The small Queensland town of Eromanga bills itself as Australia’s town furthest from the sea. But this week, an ocean of freshwater arrived.

    Monsoon-like weather has hit the normally arid Channel Country of inland Queensland. Some towns have had two years’ worth of rain in a couple of days. These flat grazing lands now resemble an inland sea. Dozens of people have been evacuated. Others are preparing to be cut off, potentially for weeks. And graziers are reporting major livestock losses – more than 100,000 and climbing. In some areas, the flooding is worse than 1974, the wettest year on record in Australia.

    Why so much rain? Tropical, water-laden air has been brought far inland from the oceans to the north and east. This can happen under normal climate variability. But our ocean temperatures are the highest on record, which supercharges the water cycle.

    In coming weeks, this huge volume of water will wend its way through the channels and down to fill Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, the ephemeral lake which appears in the northern reaches of South Australia. It’s likely this will be a Lake Eyre for the ages.

    In the first three months of the year, deadly record-breaking floods hit northern Queensland before Cyclone Alfred tracked unusually far south and made landfall in southeast Queensland, bringing widespread winds and rains and leaving expensive repair bills. Now the rain has come inland.

    Why so much rain in arid areas?

    Some meteorologists have dubbed this event a pseudo-monsoon. That’s because the normal Australian monsoon doesn’t reach this far south – the torrential rains of the monsoonal wet season tend to fall closer to the northern coasts.

    Because the Arafura and Timor Seas to the north are unusually warm, evaporation rates have shot up. Once in the air, this water vapour makes for very humid conditions. These air masses are even more humid than normal tropical air, because they have flowed down from the equator. Many Queenslanders can vouch for the intense humidity.

    But there’s a second factor at work. At present, Australia’s climate is influenced by a positive Southern Annular Mode. This means the belt of intense westerly winds blowing across the Southern Ocean has been pushed further south, causing a ripple effect which can lead to more summer rain in Australia’s southeast, up to inland Queensland. This natural climate driver has meant easterly winds have blown uninterrupted from as far away as Fiji, carrying yet more humid air inland.

    Many inland rivers in Queensland are in major flood (red triangles) as of April 1.
    Bureau of Meteorology, CC BY

    These two streams of converging humid tropical air were driven up into the cooler heights of the atmosphere by upper and surface low pressure troughs, triggering torrential rain over wide areas of the outback

    While these humid air masses have now dumped most of their water, more rain is coming in the aftermath of the short-lived Cyclone Dianne off northwest Australia. These rains won’t be as intense but may drive more flood peaks over already saturated catchments.

    This is why it has been so wet in what is normally an exceptionally dry part of Australia.

    What is this doing to the Channel Country?

    Many Australians have never been to the remote Channel Country. It’s a striking landscape, marked by ancient, braided river channels.

    Even for an area known for drought-flood cycles, the rainfall totals are extreme. This is a very rare event.

    People who live there have to be resilient and self-sufficient. But farmers and graziers are bracing for awful losses of livestock. Livestock can drown in floodwaters, but a common fate is succumbing to pneumonia after spending too long in water. After the water moves down the channels, it will leave behind notoriously boggy and sticky mud. This can be lethal to livestock and native animals, which can find themselves unable to move.

    Where will the water go next?

    Little of these temporary inland seas will ever reach the ocean.

    Some of the rain has fallen in the catchment of the Darling River, where it will flow down and meet the Murray. The Darling is often filled by summer rains, while the Murray gets more water from autumn and winter rains. This water will eventually reach the Southern Ocean.

    But most of the rain fell further inland. The waters snaking through the channels will head south, flowing slowly along the flat ground for weeks until it crosses the South Australian border and begins to fill up Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre. Here, the waters will stop, more than 300 km from the nearest ocean at Port Augusta, and fill what is normally a huge, salty depression and Australia’s lowest point, 15 metres below sea level.

    When Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre fills, it creates an extraordinary spectacle. Millions of brine shrimp will hatch from eggs in the dry soil. This sudden abundance will draw waterbirds in their millions, while fish carried in the floodwaters will spawn and eat the shrimp. Then there are the remarkable shield shrimps, hibernating inland crabs and salt-adapted hardyhead fish.

    It’s rare that Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre fills up – but when it does, life comes to the desert.
    Mandy Creighton/Shutterstock

    The rain event will send enough water to keep Lake Eyre full for many months and it usually takes up to two years for it to dry out again. We can expect to see a huge lake form – the size of a small European country. Birdwatchers and biologists will flock to the area to see the sight of a temporary sea in the desert.

    Eventually, the intense sun of the outback will evaporate every last drop of the floodwaters, leaving behind salted ground and shrimp eggs for the next big rains.

    As the climate keeps warming, we can expect to see more sudden torrential rain dumps like this one, followed by periods of rapid drying.

    Steve Turton has previously received funding from the federal government.

    – ref. Torrential rains created inland seas in outback Queensland. Soon, they will supersize Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre – https://theconversation.com/torrential-rains-created-inland-seas-in-outback-queensland-soon-they-will-supersize-kati-thanda-lake-eyre-253529

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Global warming of more than 3°C this century may wipe 40% off the world’s economy, new analysis reveals

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Neal, Senior lecturer in Economics / Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney

    The damage climate change will inflict on the world’s economy is likely to have been massively underestimated, according to new research by my colleagues and I which accounts for the full global reach of extreme weather and its aftermath.

    To date, projections of how climate change will affect global gross domestic product (GDP) have broadly suggested mild to moderate harm. This in part has led to a lack of urgency in national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

    However, these models often contain a fundamental flaw – they assume a national economy is affected only by weather in that country. Any impacts from weather events elsewhere, such as how flooding in one country affects the food supply to another, are not incorporated into the models.

    Our new research sought to fix this. After including the global repercussions of extreme weather into our models, the predicted harm to global GDP became far worse than previously thought – affecting the lives of people in every country on Earth.

    Weather shocks everywhere, all at once

    Global warming affects economies in many ways.

    The most obvious is damage from extreme weather. Droughts can cause poor harvests, while storms and floods can cause widespread destruction and disrupt the supply of goods. Recent research has also shown heatwaves, aggravated by climate change, have contributed to food inflation.

    Heat also makes workers less productive. It affects human health, and disease transmission, and can cause mass migration and conflict.

    Most prior research predicts that even extreme warming of 4°C will have only mild negative impacts on the global economy by the end of the century – between 7% and 23%.

    Such modelling is usually based on the effects of weather shocks in the past. However, these shocks have typically been confined to a local or regional scale, and balanced out by conditions elsewhere.

    For example, in the past, South America might have been in drought, but other parts of the world were getting good rainfall. So, South America could rely on imports of agricultural products from other countries to fill domestic shortfalls and prevent spikes in food prices.

    But future climate change will increase the risk of weather shocks occurring simultaneously across countries and more persistently over time. This will disrupt the networks producing and delivering goods, compromise trade and limit the extent to which countries can help each other.

    International trade is fundamental to the global economic production. So, our research examined how a country’s future economic growth would be influenced by weather conditions everywhere else in the world.

    What did we find?

    One thing was immediately clear: a warm year across the planet causes lower global growth.

    We corrected three leading models to account for the effects of global weather on national economies, then averaged out their results. Our analysis focused on global GDP per capita – in other words, the world’s economic output divided by its population.

    We found if the Earth warms by more than 3°C by the end of the century, the estimated harm to the global economy jumped from an average of 11% (under previous modelling assumptions) to 40% (under our modelling assumptions). This level of damage could devastate livelihoods in large parts of the world.

    Previous models have asserted economies in cold parts of the world, such as Russia and Northern Europe, will benefit from warmer global temperatures. However, we found the impact on the global economy was so large, all countries will be badly affected.

    A warm year across the planet causes lower global growth. Pictured: wilted corn crops during drought.
    wahyusyaban/Shutterstock

    Costs vs benefits

    Reducing emissions leads to short-term economic costs. These must be balanced against the long-term benefits of avoiding dangerous climate change.

    Recent economic modelling has suggested this balance would be struck by reducing emissions at a rate that allows Earth to heat by 2.7°C.

    This is close to Earth’s current warming trajectory. But it is far higher than the goals of the Paris Agreement, and global warming limits recommended by climate scientists. It is also based on the flawed assumptions discussed above.

    Under our new research, the optimal amount of global warming, balancing short-term costs with long-term benefits, is 1.7°C – a figure broadly consistent with the Paris Agreement’s most ambitious target.

    Avoiding climate change has short-term costs and long-term benefits.
    Dany Bejar/Shutterstock

    Changing course

    Our new research shows previous forecasts of how such warming will affect the global economy have been far too optimistic. It adds to other recent evidence suggesting the economic impacts of climate change has been badly underestimated.

    Clearly, Earth’s current emissions trajectory risks our future and that of our children. The sooner humanity grasps the calamities in store under severe climate change, the sooner we can change course to avoid it.

    Timothy Neal 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. Global warming of more than 3°C this century may wipe 40% off the world’s economy, new analysis reveals – https://theconversation.com/global-warming-of-more-than-3-c-this-century-may-wipe-40-off-the-worlds-economy-new-analysis-reveals-253032

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ELIZA LANE, ROBE (Grass Fire)

    Source: South Australia County Fire Service

    More posts

    Homes that have been built to withstand a bushfire, and are prepared to the highest level, may provide safety.

    You may lose power, water, phone and data connections.

    Fire crews are responding but you should not expect a firefighter at your door.

    What you should do

    • Check and follow your Bushfire Survival Plan.
    • Protect yourself from the fire’s heat – put on protective clothing.
    • Tell family or friends of your plans.

    If you are leaving

    • Leave now, don’t delay.
    • Roads may become blocked or access may change. Smoke will reduce visibility.
    • Secure your pets for travel.
    • If you become stuck in your car, park away from bushes, cover yourself, get onto the floor as the windows may break from the intense heat.

    If you are not leaving – prepare to defend

    • Identify a safe place inside, with more than one exit, before the fire arrives. Keep moving away from the heat of the fire.
    • Bring pets inside and restrain them.
    • Move flammable materials such as doormats, wheelie bins and outdoor furniture away from your house.
    • Close doors and windows to keep smoke out.
    • If you have sprinklers, turn them on to wet the areas.
    • If the building catches fire, go to an area already burnt. Check around you for anything burning.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: NFP governing documents

    Source:

    What is a governing document?

    Governing documents are the formal documents that set out your organisation’s:

    • purpose
    • NFP character
    • requirements for how long it is governed, operates and makes decisions.

    Governing documents can also be called:

    • rules or articles of association
    • constitutions
    • rule books
    • deeds of trust.

    NFP organisations seeking access to tax concessions, either by ATO endorsement or self-assessment, must have appropriate clauses in governing documents to reflect their NFP character.

    It’s important that your NFP’s administrators, both current and incoming, know where your NFP keeps its governing documents so they can access them when needed.

    Governing document requirements

    To demonstrate to us that it operates on an NFP basis, an NFP is required to have clauses in its governing documents that prohibit distribution of income or assets for the benefit of specific people – both while it operates and when it winds up.

    The organisation needs to have sufficient controls in place to ensure members and other private persons do not receive the income, property or assets of the organisation (other than as reimbursement for services they have provided or for expenses incurred on behalf of the organisation).

    Example: acceptable clauses for governing documents

    Not-for-profit clause

    ‘The assets and income of the organisation shall be applied solely in furtherance of its above-mentioned objects and no portion shall be distributed directly or indirectly to the members of the organisation except as bona fide compensation for services rendered or expenses incurred on behalf of the organisation.’

    Dissolution clause

    ‘In the event of the organisation being dissolved, the amount that remains after such dissolution and the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall be transferred to another organisation with similar purposes which is not carried on for the profit or gain of its individual members.’

    End of example

    When should you review your governing documents?

    To confirm your organisation is operating for purpose, you should review its governing documents:

    • annually, and
    • whenever there is a major change to structure or activities.

    Most income tax exempt entities:

    You may need to update your NFP’s governing documents if:

    • its purposes have changed since being established
    • they don’t have appropriate clauses that prohibit the distribution of income or assets to members.

    An annual general meeting (AGM) can be the ideal time to review your NFP’s governing documents, so any amendments can be noted in the AGM minutes.

    How to update your governing documents

    Your state or territory government may have specific requirements when updating your governing documents. For further information, refer to How to make changes to your rules or constitutionExternal Link.

    An NFP self-assessing its eligibility for income tax exemption must not distribute income or assets to members.

    This must be demonstrated by including clauses in the NFP’s governing documents that prohibit the distribution of income or assets to members both:

    • while it operates, and
    • when it winds up.

    NFP self-review return requirement

    Non-charitable NFPs with an active Australian business number (ABN) need to lodge an annual NFP self-review return to notify us of their eligibility to self-assess as income tax exempt.

    When completing the NFP self-review return, NFPs are required to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question: ‘Does the organisation have and follow clauses in its governing documents that prohibit the distribution of income or assets to members while it is operating and winding up?’

    This is an important requirement that must be met to self-assess as income tax exempt.

    NFPs must review their governing documents before completing the self-review return, to ensure they are answering this question accurately.

    If an NFP’s governing documents do not have this clause, the governing documents must be updated to include the clause.

    If your NFP doesn’t have and follow these clauses in its governing documents, it can still self-assess as income tax exempt for the 2023–24 income year provided it has not distributed any assets or income to members.

    As a transitional arrangement, we’ve provided NFPs up to 30 June 2025 to update their governing documents. Failure to do so will mean they cannot self-assess as income tax exempt from 1 July 2024, for the 2024–25 income year. They will be taxable organisations and required to lodge an income tax return or non-lodgment advice.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s rapid AI growth sparks hiring boom

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Job seekers attend a job fair held in Shanghai, east China, Feb. 14, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    As China’s job market grows increasingly competitive, college graduates are discovering that mastering artificial intelligence (AI) skills could be their key to success.

    At a recent job fair in south China’s Guangdong, a company specializing in brain-computer interface research and development made its ambitions clear, expressing a strong desire to hire algorithm engineers while noting that “there is no cap on hiring!”

    “We offer a complimentary two-bedroom apartment and an annual salary of 400,000 to 700,000 yuan,” said Zheng Hui, founder of the startup NeuroDance. That’s roughly 55,000 to 96,000 U.S. dollars, a highly competitive package for new job seekers.

    As China prioritizes boosting graduate employment, roles in emerging sectors like AI and robotics remain in critically short supply.

    Official data shows that a record 12.22 million college graduates are expected to enter the job market in 2025. This year’s government work report has pledged to expand employment and business startup opportunities for students and other young people.

    At the job fair that concluded on Monday, AI-related positions in electronics, IT and advanced manufacturing emerged as some of the most in-demand roles.

    Tech firms like BYD, Pony.ai and UBTECH are actively recruiting for positions such as autonomous driving algorithm engineers and AI engine R&D engineers, drawing significant interest from job seekers.

    Liu Silei, who is studying robotics, cognition and intelligence at the Technical University of Munich, returned to China for the recruitment event. “China’s AI boom is providing ample career opportunities,” Liu said.

    At a similar job fair held in east China’s Hangzhou recently, 830 companies offered 21,000 positions, with half of them in AI algorithms and large models.

    Chinese firm Unitree Robotics posted 10 AI-related roles, with monthly salaries reaching up to 70,000 yuan, underscoring the lucrative opportunities emerging in this sector.

    “DeepSeek’s explosive growth is driving AI integration across sectors, and the intensifying competition for AI professionals is pushing companies to increase salaries,” said Li Qiang, executive vice president of Zhaopin, an online recruitment platform in China.

    Data from the platform shows that job postings for algorithm engineers and machine learning roles in February grew by 46.8 percent and 40.1 percent year on year, respectively, with average monthly salaries surpassing 20,000 yuan.

    The AI talent shortage deepened in Q1 2025, with demand outpacing supply by a ratio of 3:1, according to a report by Liepin, a Chinese job-seeking service provider. Specifically, there are nine job openings for every search algorithm engineer and seven for each recommendation algorithm specialist.

    Demand for AI education and talent development is also surging. Job openings for AI trainers after this year’s Chinese New Year soared by 112 percent, with positions offering a monthly salary of over 15,000 yuan, according to Zhaopin.

    “The most urgent needs are fundamental scientists and cross-disciplinary experts,” said Wang Liang, a researcher from the Institute of Automation under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “They are crucial for advancing home-grown AI chip development and original algorithms while also accelerating AI’s adoption across industries.”

    The DeepSeek phenomenon has sparked an AI race among China’s tech giants, including Alibaba and Tencent. At the same time, their models are being rapidly adopted across government services, manufacturing, healthcare, consumer goods and urban management, creating an unprecedented demand for professionals who can blend AI expertise with industry-specific knowledge.

    AI only became an official undergraduate major in China in 2019. Currently, most AI professionals transition from backgrounds in computer science, software engineering, electronics, or mechanical engineering. These fields require a strong foundation in advanced linear algebra, probability theory, statistics and programming skills.

    China’s higher education system has introduced AI programs at over 500 universities, marking one of the fastest disciplinary expansions in its history.

    Leading Chinese universities such as Tsinghua University, Wuhan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have announced plans to expand their enrollments in AI and related interdisciplinary fields to meet the growing demand for talent.

    Industry reports indicate that by 2030, China is expected to face a shortage of 4 million AI professionals.

    AI entrepreneurs are urging working professionals to upskill in AI. “AI competency must become a core citizen skill,” said Liu Qingfeng, chairman of iFLYTEK. “Free AI training initiatives targeting low-income and disadvantaged groups should also be considered.”

    “Young professionals should dedicate weekly time to track global AI advancements across industries,” said Wang Xingxing, founder of Unitree Robotics. “This will be the opportunity multiplier.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff Urge Attorney General Bondi to Reverse Course on Unjustified Firings of Immigration Judges

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Schiff Urge Attorney General Bondi to Reverse Course on Unjustified Firings of Immigration Judges

    The unjustified firings come as immigration courts are already under immense pressure to adjudicate roughly 3.6 million backlogged cases, with further strains expected with Trump’s mass deportation agenda

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined 64 House and Senate Democrats in urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to reverse the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) alarming decision to fire immigration judges even as the immigration courts currently face a staggering backlog of immigration cases. In February, EOIR abruptly fired 20 immigration judges, removed all nine Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) judges appointed during the Biden Administration, and terminated four individuals in senior EOIR leadership positions, with indications they may remove even more judges.

    “We write with great concern regarding the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) decision to fire numerous immigration judges as the immigration courts face a staggering backlog of cases and a likely influx of new cases pursuant to President Trump’s mass-deportation agenda,” wrote the lawmakers.

    The lawmakers highlighted the resource gaps left by these unjustified firings, citing data exclusively provided to the Committees, writing: “The termination of the [Assistant Chief Immigration Judges] (ACIJs) left roughly 25 percent of immigration courts without appropriate or established leadership or additional judges to preside over immigration matters. The fired ACIJs oversaw 18 of the 71 immigration courts and supervised 135 of approximately 700 immigration judges and over 400 staff members.”

    The lawmakers emphasized that these judges helped supervise other immigration judges, and firing them will lessen the quality and slow down immigration case decisions amid preexisting large case backlogs. Immigration courts are under pressure to adjudicate roughly 3.6 million immigration cases, and a recent analysis found that 700 additional immigration judges would be needed to clear the case backlog by FY 2032.

    “The absence of experienced ACIJs will impact immigration court dockets, in particular by further contributing to backlogs at courts with priority dockets, such as the detained dockets, juvenile dockets, Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) dockets, and credible fear dockets,” continued the lawmakers. “The firings also will directly impact the Migration Protection Protocols (MPP) docket, a purported priority of the Trump Administration, which has commenced at the San Diego and El Paso courts. The two ACIJs with the most experience managing the MPP docket were among those fired.”

    The lawmakers further underscored the lack of notice or justification provided for the firings, suggesting they were politically motivated. They noted the harmful caseload impacts of the BIA judge removals, which unlawfully reduced the size of the BIA from 28 to 15 appellate immigration judges.

    The lawmakers concluded by outlining the grave consequences of continuing to threaten the EOIR workforce and making a series of information requests.

    “Further jeopardizing the immigration courts’ ability to address the case backlog are EOIR’s efforts to reduce the overall size of the EOIR workforce,” concluded the lawmakers. “Despite the impact on adjudications and court efficiency, it appears EOIR leadership may continue to fire immigration judges. … Alarmingly, the Trump Administration also has not indicated any plans to replace the recently fired judges—a process that requires intensive training that can take upwards of one year.”

    The letter was led by U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-08), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee. In addition to Padilla and Schiff, the letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    U.S. Representatives Yassamin Ansari (D-Ill.-01), Becca Balint (D-Vt.-AL), Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.-02), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.-01), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio-11), Sean Casten (D-Ill.-06), Gerald Connolly (D-Va.-11), Lou Correa (D-Calif.-46), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas-30), Danny Davis (D-Ill.-07), Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas-07), Jesús García (D-Ill.-04), Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.-10), Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.-05), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.-02), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.-01), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07), Henry Johnson (D-Ga.-04), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.-08), George Latimer (D-N.Y.-06), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.-08), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.-04), James McGovern (D-Mass.-02), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.-06), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-AL), Frank Pallone (D-N.J.-06), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.-02), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.-02), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.-05), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.-01), Thomas Suozzi (D-N.Y.-03), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.-02), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii-02), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.-07), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.-23), and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.-43) also signed the letter.

    Senator Padilla is a leading voice in Congress opposing President Trump’s anti-immigrant actions and rhetoric. He’s led efforts to highlight the rising challenges at immigration courts including court backlogs, due process issues, and the importance of legal representation.

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Attorney General Bondi:

    We write with great concern regarding the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) decision to fire numerous immigration judges as the immigration courts face a staggering backlog of cases and a likely influx of new cases pursuant to President Trump’s mass-deportation agenda.

    On February 14, 2025, EOIR abruptly terminated 20 immigration judges via email without prior notice or stated cause, including 13 judges who had not yet been sworn in and seven of EOIR’s approximately 40 assistant chief immigration judges (ACIJs). Additionally, EOIR removed nine Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) members, all of whom were appointed during the Biden Administration. These removals followed the termination of four individuals in senior EOIR leadership positions. The termination of the ACIJs left roughly 25 percent of immigration courts without appropriate or established leadership or additional judges to preside over immigration matters. The fired ACIJs oversaw 18 of the 71 immigration courts and supervised 135 of approximately 700 immigration judges and over 400 staff members. They played key roles in ensuring immigration judges under their supervision adjudicated cases properly and efficiently. These changes will lessen the quality of immigration case decisions and the speed at which immigration cases are adjudicated.

    There have been valid criticisms in the past regarding the politicized hiring of immigration judges. Under President George W. Bush’s Administration, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales improperly considered political affiliations when selecting immigration judges. In addition, under the first Trump Administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions changed the hiring process to quickly add six new BIA members who were immigration judges with among the highest asylum denial rates in the country. There is no indication, however, that the hiring process for the recently fired immigration judges and ACIJs was politicized. The immigration judges and ACIJs had varied backgrounds and had previously worked as ICE attorneys, prosecutors, DHS officials, and members of the private immigration bar. In addition, two of the fired ACIJs are veterans; one is a disabled veteran, and the other is a combat veteran with a pending disability claim.

    The decision to terminate these experienced ACIJs is particularly baffling, given the immense pressure the immigration courts are under to adjudicate roughly 3.6 million immigration cases. A recent analysis found that 700 additional immigration judges would be needed to clear the case backlog by FY2032.11 The absence of experienced ACIJs will impact immigration court dockets, in particular by further contributing to backlogs at courts with priority dockets, such as the detained dockets, juvenile dockets, Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) dockets, and credible fear dockets. The firings also will directly impact the Migration Protection Protocols (MPP) docket, a purported priority of the Trump Administration, which has commenced at the San Diego and El Paso courts. The two ACIJs with the most experience managing the MPP docket were among those fired.

    EOIR terminated the ACIJs with no warning, and in at least one case, an ACIJ received the termination email during an asylum hearing and had to abruptly depart the hearing, leaving the status of the case unclear. The termination emails did not cite any legal provision or basis for the removals, stating only that the ACIJs’ “employment was no longer in the best interest of the agency.” Like the EOIR leadership terminated shortly after President Trump took office, the ACIJs who were fired apparently had no conduct or performance issues prior to their termination.

    EOIR also forced out every BIA member appointed during the Biden Administration through threats of demotion or reduction in force notices. This occurred despite the governing regulation stating the BIA shall consist of 28 members. Reducing the size of the BIA from 28 to 15 members will have practical repercussions on the Board’s caseload and quality of decisions.

    Further jeopardizing the immigration courts’ ability to address the case backlog are EOIR’s efforts to reduce the overall size of the EOIR workforce. According to the union representing immigration judges, about 85 immigration court professionals, including 18 judges, accepted the Trump Administration’s deferred resignation offer or early retirement. Despite the impact on adjudications and court efficiency, it appears EOIR leadership may continue to fire immigration judges. Acting Director Owen recently issued a memo stating that EOIR may decline in the future to recognize restrictions for removing “inferior officers,” including the director, deputy director, all immigration judges, all appellate immigration judges, all administrative law judges, the chief administrative hearing officer, the general counsel, and the assistant director for policy. Another memo indicated that EOIR could not be “confident” that judges hired during the Biden Administration were hired in a “merit-based” and “appropriate” manner. Alarmingly, the Trump Administration also has not indicated any plans to replace the recently fired judges—a process that requires intensive training that can take upwards of one year.

    We call on you to respond to the following questions at your earliest possible convenience, and no later than April 11, 2025.

    1. Between January 20, 2025 and the date of the Department’s response to this letter, please provide the number of people in the following positions that have been dismissed, fired, reassigned, or otherwise let go, including by resignation or accepting an early retirement:

    a. Immigration judges;

    b. ACIJs;

    c. BIA members; and

    d. Immigration court staff, including legal assistants, attorneys, and administrative staff.

    2. What are the locations of the immigration courts where the departed personnel, including immigration judges, ACIJs, and immigration court staff, were located?

    3. Please provide the individual justifications, including indications of bias or impropriety, for the removal of immigration judges, ACIJs, and BIA members between January 21, 2025 and the date of the Department’s response to this letter?

    4. What is your plan to hire immigration court staff, immigration judges, and ACIJs by the end of FY 2025 and by the end of FY 2026?

    5. What is your plan to reduce the immigration court backlog? As part of that plan, have you conducted any assessment regarding how reducing immigration court staff and immigration judges will impact the backlog of cases?

    6. What is your plan to apply expedited removal to people currently in removal proceedings under section 240 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)? Have you provided any related instructions to immigration judges to block terminations of cases where the individual has demonstrated prima facie eligibility for a benefit and has an application pending for relief under the INA?

    7. How do you plan to reduce the number of BIA members through regulation?

    8. What, if any, plans do you have to convert IJs and/or ACIJs to “Special Inquiry Officers”?

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: LA Times: ‘Misguided mission’: Senators blast detaining migrants at Guantanamo

    US Senate News:

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

    ICYMI: LA Times: ‘Misguided mission’: Senators blast detaining migrants at Guantanamo

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — In case you missed it, in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, discussed the Trump Administration’s unlawful detention of migrants at Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, Cuba (GTMO) following his visit to the base. Last week, Padilla joined a delegation of U.S. Senators in traveling to Guantánamo Bay to conduct oversight of the ongoing Department of Defense activities to support the Department of Homeland Security in the unlawful relocation of migrants. The Senators blasted the Trump Administration for its unlawful relocation of migrants and waste of taxpayer dollars and military resources.

    In his interview, Padilla reiterated the “enormous” costs to taxpayers of the “misguided” Guantánamo Bay mission, emphasizing the Trump Administration’s lack of preparation and lack of reasoning for detaining migrants at Guantánamo Bay as opposed to within the United States. He also stressed that there is “no clear authority” for the Administration to take these unlawful actions, and underscored that many of the migrants being detained here are considered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be “low-risk.”

    Padilla previously denounced Trump’s relocation of immigrants from the United States to Guantánamo Bay as unlawful and demanded answers earlier this year.

    Key Excerpts:

    • Senators who visited the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where the Trump administration has flown hundreds of migrants for deportation, on Saturday called on the Trump administration to “immediately cease this misguided mission.”
    • “After examining the migrant relocation activities at Guantánamo Bay, we are outraged by the scale and wastefulness of the Trump Administration’s misuse of our military,” the senators wrote. “It is obvious that Guantanamo Bay is a likely illegal and certainly illogical location to detain immigrants. Its use is seemingly designed to undermine due process and evade legal scrutiny.”
    • Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said his biggest takeaways were that the administration didn’t properly prepare for the operation and that the cost to taxpayers is “enormous.” “It was sort of a ready-fire-aim approach to this whole thing,” he said.
    • In an interview with The Times, Padilla said officials could not adequately explain why the migrants had to be held at Guantanamo, not some facility in the United States. …  “We asked repeatedly, you mean to tell me that across the 48 states in the continental U.S., there’s not space for [around 40 low-level detainees]?” Padilla said, adding that he has issues with Trump’s detention and deportation operation. “But even recognizing that, there’s a much more cost-effective way of doing it than this.”
    • Among the senators’ questions Friday, Padilla said, was what authorities are doing to meet the minimum standards for detention conditions, and which set of standards they are aiming to meet, such as those pertaining to the Navy or to ICE. There was no clear response, he said. “A lot of it seemed to be still very much a work in progress because this is unique, in terms of it being an ICE mission at a foreign location,” he said. “That in and of itself is extremely concerning because there’s no clear authority for anything they are doing at Guantanamo.”
    • At times, Padilla said, officials gave contradictory information. For example, he said the answer to some questions was “it depends on their conviction.” But Padilla pointed out that some detainees haven’t been convicted of anything, and are being held based on an arrest or charge.

    Full text of the article is available here and below:

    LA Times: ‘Misguided mission’: Senators blast detaining migrants at Guantanamo

    By Andrea Castillo

    • Sen. Alex Padilla, after visiting Guantanamo, said the Trump administration didn’t properly prepare for the operation and that the cost to taxpayers is “enormous.”
    • Eighty-seven migrants from primarily Latin American countries were held at the facility as of Friday, 42 of them considered “low risk.”

    Senators who visited the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where the Trump administration has flown hundreds of migrants for deportation, on Saturday called on the Trump administration to “immediately cease this misguided mission.”

    The delegation of senators — four Democrats and one Independent — said they were angered that they had to fly to Cuba on Friday for answers to questions they’ve been asking administration officials for months.

    “After examining the migrant relocation activities at Guantanamo Bay, we are outraged by the scale and wastefulness of the Trump Administration’s misuse of our military,” the senators wrote. “It is obvious that Guantanamo Bay is a likely illegal and certainly illogical location to detain immigrants. Its use is seemingly designed to undermine due process and evade legal scrutiny.”

    Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said his biggest takeaways were that the administration didn’t properly prepare for the operation and that the cost to taxpayers is “enormous.”

    “It was sort of a ready-fire-aim approach to this whole thing,” he said.

    In an interview with The Times, Padilla said officials could not adequately explain why the migrants had to be held at Guantanamo, not some facility in the United States.

    The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Guantanamo is best known for holding suspected terrorists and the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks, but some of the migrants held there are classified as “low-level” detainees.

    “We asked repeatedly, you mean to tell me that across the 48 states in the continental U.S., there’s not space for [around 40 low-level detainees]?” Padilla said, adding that he has issues with Trump’s detention and deportation operation. “But even recognizing that, there’s a much more cost-effective way of doing it than this.”

    Padilla traveled to Guantanamo with Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee; Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee; Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee; and Sen. Angus King of Maine, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee.

    The delegation was led by Reed. King, an Independent, caucuses with the Democrats.

    Padilla is a member of the Judiciary Committee and chairs its immigration subcommittee.

    Upon arrival Friday, the senators were briefed by Homeland Security officials, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Navy personnel. They visited three sites: lower-level detainees, higher-level detainees and the final 15 suspected foreign terrorists held in connection to the 9/11 attacks.

    Eighty-seven migrants were held at the facility as of Friday, primarily from Latin American countries: 42 in a dormitory at the Migrant Operations Center and 45 at Camp 6, on a separate part of the base. Camp 6 is a medium-security military prison.

    On March 11, the Trump administration flew 40 migrants held at Guantanamo back to the U.S., a few days ahead of a court hearing in a pair of lawsuits challenging whether it is legal to hold detainees there for civil immigration purposes.

    A federal District Court judge in Washington, D.C., declined to block the administration from sending more migrants to Guantanamo. Afterward, the administration began sending more migrants there.

    The Trump administration has broadly portrayed migrants sent to Guantanamo as dangerous, though many had no criminal record in the U.S. Officials have claimed without evidence that some have ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

    President Trump issued an executive order in January to expand the Migrant Operations Center “to full capacity.” He suggested 30,000 migrants could be housed on the base.

    Among the senators’ questions Friday, Padilla said, was what authorities are doing to meet the minimum standards for detention conditions, and which set of standards they are aiming to meet, such as those pertaining to the Navy or to ICE. There was no clear response, he said.

    “A lot of it seemed to be still very much a work in progress because this is unique, in terms of it being an ICE mission at a foreign location,” he said. “That in and of itself is extremely concerning because there’s no clear authority for anything they are doing at Guantanamo.”

    At times, Padilla said, officials gave contradictory information. For example, he said the answer to some questions was “it depends on their conviction.” But Padilla pointed out that some detainees haven’t been convicted of anything, and are being held based on an arrest or charge.

    Padilla said officials kept using the phrase “the worst of the worst” to describe the migrants.

    “If they’re all the worst of the worst, they should all be in the high-risk or violent-offender category,” he said.

    Padilla said officials “did everything they could” to keep the visitors from speaking with detainees. He said he managed to ask a couple of detainees held in the low-level area when they had arrived, and they told him Thursday.

    Detainees have had scarce access to phone calls. Padilla said officials recognized the need and have planned for equipment to be shipped to accommodate private attorney calls. He took that as a sign of the lack of preparation.

    Padilla said he fears some detainees will be deported to their country of origin and face persecution or death because of the lack of access to counsel.

    Some of the officials expressed frustration with the continuously evolving operational instructions, Padilla said. Military personnel told him they had received short notice before being transferred to Guantanamo.

    Those moves leave critical missions short-staffed, Padilla said.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Government seeks to simplify Fringe Benefit Tax rules

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Inland Revenue is launching public consultation on proposals to make the Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) rules easier and to reduce compliance costs for taxpayers, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says.

    FBT is a tax payable when the following benefits are supplied to employees or shareholder-employees:

    • low interest/interest-free loans
    • free, subsidised, or discounted goods and services
    • employer contributions to sick, accident or death funds, superannuation schemes and specified insurance policies
    • motor vehicles available for private use
    • unclassified fringe benefits.

    “Public feedback will help shape final proposals which Government will consider this year. The proposals have also been designed to be broadly fiscally neutral as the changes will focus on enhancing the integrity of the tax system,” Mr Watts says.

    “Inland Revenue has been working with private sector experts to develop practical options for modernising the rules and to reduce compliance costs. We have already heard a lot of feedback from small businesses, and therefore, Inland Revenue has incorporated a proposal to move away from a focus on absolute accuracy of usage and instead adopting a ‘close enough is good enough’ approach which could take a lot of the compliance cost sting out of FBT.

    “The focus of the proposals in the consultation document relates to motor vehicles and other small benefits and aims to simplify requirements and ease the compliance cost burden.

    “The Fringe Benefit Tax was launched 40 years ago and, in that time, only a limited number of minor adjustments have been made to the rules.

    “It is a quite fitting coincidence that consultation is being launched on the 40th anniversary of fringe benefit tax coming into effect.”

    The consultation document is available at https://www.taxpolicy.ird.govt.nz/consultation/2025/fbt-options-for-change with consultation closing on 5 May.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Serious assault at Elizabeth Park

    Source: New South Wales – News

    Police are at the scene of a serious assault at Elizabeth Park.

    Police and paramedics were called to Billing Street, Elizabeth Park about 1pm on Tuesday 1 April by reports of a violent altercation.

    One person has sustained serious, potentially life-threatening injuries, and has been rushed to hospital.

    Another person has been taken into police custody.

    Billing Street has been closed to all traffic while emergency services are at the scene.

    There is no threat to the public.

    Anyone who witnessed this incident, has dashcam or CCTV footage that may assist the investigation, or has any other information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Philadelphia Man Sentenced for Role in Drug Trafficking Operation

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Rodney Johnson, 48, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 188 months in federal prison for his leadership of a drug trafficking organization that sold large amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in North Central West Virginia.

    According to court documents, Johnson recruited others to distribute in Morgantown, West Virginia, paying the distributors a salary to transport and sell the drugs. He supplied significant quantities of illicit drugs to be sold.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government.

    This case was investigated by the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative. The task force consists of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the West Virginia State Police; the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office; the Monongalia County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office; the Morgantown Police Department; the WVU Police Department; the Granville Police Department; and the Star City Police Department.

    This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: CORRECTION: First National Bank Alaska announces unaudited results for fourth quarter and full year 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska, March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a release issued under the same headline on February 19, 2025, by First National Bank Alaska (OTCQX:FBAK), please note that in the third paragraph, the value of nonperforming loans as of Dec. 31, 2023 should be $4.6 million, rather than $4.7 million as originally issued. In turn, this resulted in changes to several values in the “Total Interest And Loan Fee Income” and “Total Interest Expense” rows, and the “Nonperforming Loans and OREO” and “Nonperforming Loans and OREO/Tier 1 Capital” rows, of the included financial table. The corrected release follows:

    First National Bank Alaska announces unaudited results for fourth quarter and full year 2024

    First National Bank Alaska’s (OTCQX:FBAK) net income for the fourth quarter of 2024 was $19.9 million, or $6.29 per share. This compares to a net income of $16.6 million, or $5.24 per share, for the same period in 2023.

    “Fourth quarter results concluded another year of strong financial performance in 2024,” said First National Board Chair and CEO/President Betsy Lawer. “Growth in both loans and customer deposits along with repositioning efforts in the securities portfolio enhanced the balance sheet. Growth in noninterest income along with outstanding expense management resulted in record-high net income. As we build on the momentum generated in 2024, I’m excited about where our recently expanded leadership team will take us to further help Alaskans shape a brighter tomorrow.”

    Loans totaled $2.5 billion as of Dec. 31, 2024, an increase of $24.3 million during fourth quarter 2024, and an increase of $196.6 million compared to the same period in 2023. Fourth quarter loan quality was strong with nonperforming loans of $4.3 million, 0.17% of outstanding loans compared to $4.6 million and 0.20% as of Dec. 31, 2023. The provision for credit losses totaled $0.7 million for the year ended Dec. 31, 2024, compared to a $0.9 million benefit for year ended Dec. 31, 2023. The allowance for credit losses as of Dec. 31, 2024 totaled $18.0 million, or 0.73% of total loans.

    Fourth quarter total interest and loan fee income was $63.4 million, a 6.2% increase from $59.8 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2023. The yield on loans increased to 6.67% compared to 6.25% on Dec. 31, 2023. Interest and fees on loans and interest and dividends on investment securities increased in the fourth quarter on rate and volume improvements.

    Assets totaled $5.0 billion as of Dec. 31, 2024, decreasing by $559.5 million due to the repayments during the fourth quarter of the December 2023 advance under the Federal Reserve Bank Term Funding Program and the July 2024 Federal Home Loan Bank borrowing. Return on assets on Dec. 31, 2024, was 1.22%, fifteen basis points higher compared to 2023.

    Deposits and repurchase agreements totaled $4.4 billion as of Dec. 31, 2024, an increase of $47.1 million during the fourth quarter, and an increase of $13.1 million since Dec. 31, 2023. Seasonal outflow was offset by new customer deposits during the fourth quarter of 2024.

    Interest expense for the quarter decreased by $0.2 million compared to the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2023, due to repayments of borrowed funds offset by mix changes in interest-bearing deposits. Net interest margin through Dec. 31, 2024, was 3.12% compared to 2.82% for the year ended Dec. 31, 2023.

    Noninterest income for fourth quarter 2024 was $7.0 million, an increase of 7.5% compared to fourth quarter 2023. Quarterly income improvement occurred within fiduciary activities and mortgage loan servicing. Noninterest expenses for the fourth quarter of 2024 increased 12.4% compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to an increase in salaries and benefits driven by the competitive labor market and health care costs. The efficiency ratio for Dec. 31, 2024, was 53.51% and remains better than First National’s peer groups, both in Alaska and across the nation.

    Provision for income taxes was reduced $2.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, reflecting certain state income tax benefits achieved in the securities portfolio.

    Shareholders’ equity was $516.6 million as of Dec. 31, 2024, compared to $464.8 million as of Dec. 31, 2023. This $51.8 million increase resulted from a decrease in the net unrealized loss position of the securities portfolio and net income retained in excess of dividends paid. Return on equity as of Dec. 31, 2024, was 13.60% compared to 13.97% as of Dec. 31, 2023. Book value per share as increased to $163.11, compared to $146.77 as of Dec. 31, 2023. The bank’s Dec. 31, 2024, Tier 1 leverage capital ratio of 10.54% remains above well-capitalized standards.

    ABOUT FIRST NATIONAL BANK ALASKA

    First National Bank Alaska files a quarterly financial report with the Federal Financial Institution Examination Council. The bank’s latest Consolidated Report of Condition and Income (Call Report) is filed by the 30th of the month following quarter-end and is subsequently posted at FNBAlaska.com and OTCMarkets.com.

    Alaska’s community bank since 1922, First National proudly meets the financial needs of Alaskans with ATMs and 28 locations in 19 communities throughout the state, and by providing banking services to meet their needs across the nation and around the world.

    In 2025, Forbes selected First National as the sixth bank in the country on their America’s Best Banks list. In 2024, Alaska Business readers voted First National “Best of Alaska Business” in the Best Place to Work category for the ninth year in a row, Best Bank/Credit Union for the fourth time running, and Best Customer Service. The bank was also voted “Best of Alaska” in 2024 in the Anchorage Daily News awards, ranking as one of the top three in the Bank/Financial category for the sixth year in a row. American Banker again recognized First National as a “Best Bank to Work For” in 2024, for the seventh consecutive year.

    For more than a century, the bank has been committed to supporting the communities it serves. In 2024, for the eighth consecutive reporting period, over a span of twenty-four years, First National Bank Alaska received an Outstanding Community Reinvestment Act performance rating from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Our dedicated team strives to provide exceptional customer service to meet the banking needs of our neighbors and fellow Alaskans across the state to help shape a brighter tomorrow.

    First National Bank Alaska is a Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender, and recognized as a Minority Depository Institution by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, as it is majority-owned by women.

    CONTACT: Corporate Communications, 907-777-3409

               
    Financial Overview (Unaudited)  
    ($ in thousands, except per common share amounts)        
      Three months ended
    		   Year ended
      Dec. 31,
    		   Sep. 30,
    		   Dec. 31,
    		   December 31,
      2024
    		   2024
    		   2023
    		   2024
    		   2023
    Income Statement          
    Total Interest And Loan Fee Income $ 63,439     $ 64,615     $ 59,761     $ 244,320     $ 214,518  
    Total Interest Expense $ 18,591     $ 21,319     $ 18,803     $ 77,599     $ 60,039  
    Provision for Credit Losses $ (118 )   $ (432 )   $ (344 )   $ 721     $ (930 )
    Total Noninterest Income $ 7,011     $ 7,293     $ 6,522     $ 28,233     $ 25,426  
    Total Noninterest Expense $ 27,696     $ 25,928     $ 24,651     $ 104,346     $ 98,168  
    Provision for Income Taxes $ 4,350     $ 7,099     $ 6,593     $ 22,839     $ 22,657  
    Net Income $ 19,931     $ 17,994     $ 16,580     $ 67,048     $ 60,010  
    Earnings per common share $ 6.29     $ 5.68     $ 5.24     $ 21.17     $ 18.96  
    Dividend per common share $ 6.40     $ 3.20     $ 6.40     $ 16.00     $ 16.00  
               
    Financial Overview (Unaudited) Quarter Ended
      12/31/2024 9/30/2024 6/30/2024 3/31/2024 12/31/2023
    Balance Sheet          
    Total Assets $ 4,997,767     $ 5,557,306     $ 5,116,066     $ 5,212,976     $ 5,730,835  
    Total Securities $ 1,928,625     $ 2,602,519     $ 2,197,788     $ 2,404,078     $ 2,384,951  
    Total Loans $ 2,469,935     $ 2,445,596     $ 2,391,593     $ 2,369,282     $ 2,273,311  
    Total Deposits $ 3,679,155     $ 3,728,181     $ 3,698,631     $ 3,665,066     $ 3,780,018  
    Repurchase Agreements $ 743,193     $ 647,043     $ 615,096     $ 571,463     $ 629,280  
    Total Deposits and Repurchase Agreements $ 4,422,348     $ 4,375,224     $ 4,313,727     $ 4,236,529     $ 4,409,298  
    Total Borrowing under the Federal Reserve Bank Term Funding Program $ –     $ 249,868     $ 249,868     $ 430,000     $ 780,000  
    Unrealized loss on marketable securities, net of tax $ (62,985 )   $ (52,020 )   $ (86,857 )   $ (95,809 )   $ (98,378 )
    Total Shareholders’ Equity $ 516,562     $ 527,864     $ 485,167     $ 470,702     $ 464,791  
               
    Financial Measures          
    Return on Assets   1.22 %     1.15 %     1.08 %     0.95 %     1.07 %
    Return on Equity   13.60 %     12.90 %     12.30 %     11.52 %     13.97 %
    Net Interest Margin   3.12 %     3.04 %     2.98 %     2.76 %     2.82 %
    Yield on Loans   6.67 %     6.65 %     6.55 %     6.40 %     6.25 %
    Yield on Securities   2.55 %     2.49 %     2.33 %     2.36 %     1.66 %
    Cost of Interest Bearing Deposits   1.57 %     1.62 %     1.60 %     1.55 %     1.02 %
    Efficiency Ratio   53.51 %     53.59 %     54.94 %     56.00 %     54.28 %
               
    Capital          
    Shareholders’ Equity/Total Assets   10.34 %     9.50 %     9.48 %     9.03 %     8.11 %
    Tier 1 Leverage Ratio   10.54 %     10.39 %     11.12 %     9.96 %     9.85 %
    Regulatory Well Capitalized Minimum Ratio – Tier 1 Leverage Ratio   5.00 %     5.00 %     5.00 %     5.00 %     5.00 %
    Tier 1 (Core) Capital $ 579,547     $ 579,884     $ 572,024     $ 566,511     $ 563,169  
               
    Credit Quality          
    Nonperforming Loans and OREO $ 4,313     $ 4,186     $ 4,731     $ 28,634     $ 4,623  
    Nonperforming Loans and OREO/Total Loans   0.17 %     0.17 %     0.20 %     1.21 %     0.20 %
    Nonperforming Loans and OREO/Tier 1 Capital   0.74 %     0.72 %     0.83 %     5.05 %     0.82 %
    Allowance for Credit Losses $ 18,025     $ 18,550     $ 19,000     $ 18,800     $ 17,750  
    Allowance for Credit Losses/Total Loans   0.73 %     0.76 %     0.79 %     0.79 %     0.78 %
               
    Net interest margin, yields, and efficiency ratios are tax effected.      
    Financial measures are year-to-date.          
               

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Durbin, Kelly Introduce Legislation to Increase Youth Employment Opportunities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    March 31, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today,  U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) reintroduced two bills to expand and increase access to employment opportunities for underserved youth. The Helping to Encourage Real Opportunity (HERO) for Youth Act and the Assisting in Developing (AID) Youth Employment Act will increase federal resources for communities seeking to create or grow employment programs and provide tax incentives to businesses and employers to hire and retain youth from economically distressed areas. 

    “Far too many young Americans live in neighborhoods that lack good job opportunities and struggle with all-too-commonplace violence and danger,” said Duckworth.  “It doesn’t have to be that way, but it’s not going to get better unless we work together to do something about it. I’m so proud to join Senator Durbin and Congresswoman Kelly to reintroduce these bills that would help open up new economic opportunities for every American, no matter where they live or what community they grew up in.”

    “To invest in our future, we must invest in the next generation.  Increasing youth employment opportunities can address poverty and crime across Illinois while setting up our state’s youngest residents for a brighter future,” said Durbin.  “Congresswoman Kelly, Senator Duckworth, and I are reintroducing the HERO for Youth Act and the AID Youth Employment Act to boost federal resources for youth employment programs and incentivize businesses to hire, retain, and mentor youth.”

    “Our youth is our future,” said Kelly.  “I’m proud to partner with Senators Durbin and Duckworth once again to introduce two pieces of legislation that will invest in economic opportunities for our youth.  Better job options can help break a cycle of poverty and address roadblocks that prevent young people from reaching their full potential.”

    For many young people, lack of job experience is a prohibitive disadvantage for potential employers, which perpetuates vicious cycles of unemployment and poverty in their communities, further limiting potential for further economic growth.  In 2022, 13 percent of youth between the ages of 18-24 were neither employed nor in school, and Native American, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, and Black youth, as well as youth with disabilities, were disproportionately impacted.  Barriers to employment at a young age have devastating consequences on the long-term employment prospects of opportunity youth, including lower lifetime earnings, higher rates of incarceration, and opioid addiction. 

    There is clear evidence of a correlation in communities where high rates of poverty, gun violence, and chronic unemployment among youth are prevalent.  A 2017 study found that among youth participating in Chicago’s youth summer employment program, violent crime arrests decreased by nearly 33 percent.  Providing employment opportunity to youth can have a considerable impact in lowering recidivism and violent crime among youth while improving their long-term health, and economic and educational outcomes. 

    When youth are provided a pathway to employment and the workforce, employers benefit too because they are able to train and hire skilled workers.  It is estimated that between 2022 and 2032, there will be an average of 20 skilled roles with job openings for every one new worker. 

    The HERO for Youth Act would encourage the business community to become a partner in addressing youth unemployment by hiring underserved youth who reside in communities with high rates of poverty. Specifically, the bill would provide a Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) of up to $2,400 for businesses that hire and train youth ages 16 to 24 who are out of school and out of work and youth ages 16 to 21 that are currently in foster care or have aged out of the system. The legislation would expand the summer youth program under WOTC, which provides a tax credit to businesses that hire for summer employment youth ages 16 to 17 who are enrolled in school and live in highly distressed rural and urban communities known as Empowerment Zones, by doubling the amount of the credit to $2,400 and expanding the program to include year-round employment.

    The AID Youth Employment Act will make it easier for local governments and community organizations to apply directly for federal funding to create and expand summer and year-round employment programs for young people.  The legislation would establish a five-year competitive grant program for youth summer employment that also incorporate access to trauma-informed mentorship as well as job coaches.  The program would provide planning grants of up to $250,000 for 12 months or implementation grants of up to $6 million over three years.

    The HERO for Youth Act has been endorsed by National Grocers Association, National Small Business Association, National Recreation and Park Association, National Association of Convenience Stores, National Youth Employment Coalition, Young Invincibles, Food Industry Association, and Youth Guidance.

    The AID Youth Employment Act has been endorsed by Young Invincibles, Youth Guidance, and Chicago Urban League.

    A one-pager for the HERO for Youth Act can be found here.

    A one-pager for the AID Youth Employment Act can be found here.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU launches course on cybersecurity basics for seniors

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    A course of lectures on financial and computer literacy “Basics of Cybersecurity for the Senior Generation” was launched at Novosibirsk State University on March 28. Its students were pensioners from the Sovietsky District of Novosibirsk. This course on financial literacy is conducted by Sber specialists with the support of Faculty of Economics, NSU. It is organized within the framework of the mandatory course “Service Learning”, which is being implemented in various formats in all universities of the country and is aimed at developing citizenship, responsibility, leadership qualities and patriotism in combination with professional competencies through the implementation of socially oriented projects. The tasks for students are set by social partners. They also supervise the activities of students throughout the academic semester.

    — The mandatory course “Service Learning” is an important platform for revealing the potential of young people in solving project tasks that have practical significance, and the social focus helps to more accurately build internal motivation for their solution. This is a subtle educational approach that develops the idea of volunteering, adding to it the experience of team solutions, reflection at all stages and mentoring from curators from both the university and the social partner. As part of the course, students receive a project result and reflect it on the Dobro.RF platform. It is open to everyone and can also be implemented by other regions in the course of solving similar problems, — said Elena Obukhova, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor of the Department of Management of the Faculty of Economics of NSU.

    One of such projects was a course of lectures on financial and computer literacy for pensioners, organized jointly with the Administration of the Sovietsky District of Novosibirsk with the support of State Duma deputy Alexander Aksenenko. The course consists of 4 lectures and three practical classes.

    — In the modern world of technological progress, fraudsters are moving into the category of cyberspace, that is, pickpocket fraud and apartment thefts are becoming less common, because people have stopped keeping paper money at home and carrying it in their wallets. Now it is a cashless world and fraudsters are already trying to steal non-cash money, so it is important to protect yourself in cyberspace, — said Nadezhda Volkova, Head of Financial Literacy and Sales Efficiency at Sberbank Siberian Bank.

    Unfortunately, the most vulnerable category of citizens to cyber fraudsters are people of retirement and pre-retirement age. Our lectures are aimed at telling about the methods of cyber fraudsters and teaching the population to identify fraudsters and not fall for their tricks.

    The information campaign about recruiting students for the 2025 course was held among the active pensioners of the Sovetsky District who had previously participated in various educational programs, including the Silver Age University, Our Favorite Front Garden, and 20 Meetings with Interesting People, which had been held since 2022. The course on cybersecurity interested the audience, and almost 200 people signed up for it.

    — The topics covered in the course are particularly relevant given the growing statistics of fraudulent actions against citizens of our country. People of retirement age are in a particularly vulnerable position. In Novosibirsk, the level of defrauded citizens is especially high in the Sovetsky District — this is noted by representatives of the local government. And the issues of financial stability and savings strategy are relevant in our unstable times. The accelerated pace of digitalization poses challenges for us and pushes us to continuous learning. The older generation is faced with new tasks, not only related to performing everyday activities using various devices and programs, but also more complex ones, such as promoting communities on social networks, preparing materials and data, — Elena Obukhova explained.

    The first part of the course of 4 lectures from Sber experts will be held at NSU. It is dedicated to financial literacy and protection from fraudsters. On April 28, Nadezhda Volkova gave a lecture on “Cybersecurity Basics for the Older Generation”. On April 4, there will be a lecture on “Data Protection on the Internet. Drops”. It will continue the topic of cybersecurity. Representatives of the older generation will be told how to protect themselves on the Internet, how to create passwords correctly so that they are memorable only to you and at the same time meet the requirements of reliability and security. Listeners will learn who drops are (this is what attackers call people with the help of whom they hide stolen funds) and how not to become a dropper yourself. On April 11, the lecture will be dedicated to digital financial assets. It will be about a new type of money, as well as what it was created for and how to handle it correctly. The first part of the course will end on April 18 with a lecture on a long-term savings program for senior citizens.

    The second part of the classes, dedicated to computer literacy, will be conducted by a team of first-year students from the Business Informatics department: Mark Roninson, Artem Kuleshov and Alexander Zhuravlev. It was developed taking into account questions and wishes from the pensioners participating in the program. It will cover topics such as storing and sending data (between devices/applications), booking tickets and hotels, shopping on marketplaces, working with messengers, a short course in preparing content for social networks, including video editing, etc.

    The first lecture was met with great interest by the audience. Its listeners left the following comments:

    “Thanks to all the organizers! The guys met us, quickly checked the lists, saw us off, and met us. A very interesting lecture! The students are great! They prepared, waited for us, cared, and tried! Thank you very much!”

    “The lecture went by in one breath. Thanks to Nadezhda Volkova – she presented the information in an interesting, accessible way and with real examples. Thanks to the organizers of this lecture course. Special thanks to the students of the NSU Economics Department for meeting us and paying attention to us until the very end of the lecture.”

    “What an interesting lecture on cybersecurity was today! Nadezhda Volkova enthusiastically shared her knowledge in this area. The hall was full, young students helped, showed the way, were attentive and polite. It was very nice!”

    “A great start to the course. Organized in a very modern way: fast, comfortable, friendly, high-quality presentation. An unexpected pleasant bonus was a tour of NSU. Thank you!”

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: South Africa

    Source:

    We’ve reviewed our advice and continue to advise exercise a high degree of caution in South Africa. South Africa is hosting the G20 in 2025. During the year there will be multiple meetings across the country, which may result in increased traffic and police presence.

    Protests and large gatherings can occur anywhere. Avoid areas affected by protests, demonstrations or large public gatherings. Monitor media for updates and follow advice from local authorities. Use major roads where it’s safe to do so and verify that alternate routes recommended by your GPS are safe prior to travel. Express kidnappings happen in South Africa. Always be alert to your personal security and surroundings (see ‘Safety’).

    You may not be allowed to enter or exit South Africa on an Australian passport if you’re an Australian-South African dual national (see ‘Full advice/Dual citizenship’).

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Hotel-like tourist train gearing up for April launch

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    The customized tourist train featuring hotel-like services parks in a facility in Qingdao, Shandong province, on Friday. [Photo/China Daily]
    A new customized tourist train featuring hotel-like services rolled off the production line on Friday in Qingdao, Shandong province, ahead of its planned launch in mid-April.
    Developed by CRRC Sifang and China Railway Zhengzhou Group in Henan province, the train is themed around the Yellow River and will connect scenic destinations in Henan, including Luoyang, Anyang and Sanmenxia.
    “The upgraded train adopts the style design of electric multiple units and provides hotel-like accommodations in terms of infrastructure, cabin layout, sanitation facilities and special accessibility,” said Zhan Weipeng, a technical expert at CRRC Sifang.
    The train is managed with hotel-style service standards and offers gourmet meals by renowned chefs, interactive cultural activities and a multifunctional car with a tea lounge, game room and karaoke zone, Zhan said.
    Designed for comfort, particularly for elderly passengers, the train includes safety features such as fluorescent handrails, anti-slip flooring and stepladders. A dedicated medical area is equipped with emergency supplies and senior care items.
    The train consists of 14 soft sleeper cars with double, triple and quadruple bed compartments, a dining car, a multifunctional car and a personnel car. Each compartment has an independent dry-wet-separation bathroom with a temperature-regulated toilet, anti-pinch door handles and an SOS emergency call system.
    “In the double-bed compartments, the two single beds can be reconfigured as twin or king-size options, while quadruple-bed compartments feature privacy curtains. Triple and double-bed compartments both include multifunctional storage and minibars,” Zhan said.
    Advanced soundproofing ensures privacy, while double-decker windows maximize natural light, he said.
    The train’s exterior features wavelike patterns flowing dynamically along its body, inspired by ancient painted pottery techniques. The design captures the surging waves of the Yellow River, which flows through nine provinces and regions, including Henan and Shandong.
    Inside, the train’s decor incorporates cultural elements from Henan’s heritage, creating a mobile exhibition of the province’s history. Signs blending Chinese characters with modern visual elements provide intuitive guidance for passengers, offering a fresh cultural and tourism experience.
    The launch of the customized train underscores the railway sector’s role in driving regional economic and tourism growth.
    “With elevated service standards, the train is expected to boost the integration of railway and tourism, injecting new vitality into the industries,” China Railway Zhengzhou Group said in a statement.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese teams, local rescuers race against time in Myanmar quake relief

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Members from the China Search and Rescue Team and the Rescue Team of Ramunion jointly transfer a pregnant survivor at a quake site in Mandalay city, Myanmar, March 31, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Following the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, multiple Chinese rescue teams have arrived in the disaster-stricken areas, working with local responders around the clock to search for survivors.

    So far Chinese teams have rescued six survivors in severely-hit Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay. The rescuers combed through the ruins of apartments, hotels and hospitals to find signs of life. Continuous aftershocks, power cuts, destroyed roads and communication interruptions made their rescue work even harder.

    Meanwhile, more Chinese rescue teams are heading to Myanmar, bringing in earthquake experts, structural engineers, medical personnel and canine units, as well as life detectors, demolition equipment and field hospital systems.

    According to Myanmar’s State Administration Council, by Sunday about 1,700 people have been reported killed, 3,400 injured, and 300 missing in the massive 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the country and its neighbors on Friday.

    Survivors rescued

    Early on Monday, the China Search and Rescue Team found a woman at a collapsed hotel in Mandalay city after more than five hours of intense work. The survivor had been trapped for nearly 60 hours and had good vital signs when rescued.

    At another site, members of China’s Blue Sky Rescue Team worked with local volunteers and recovered a survivor on Sunday.

    Satellite images showed that countless buildings were reduced to rubble in the city, located less than 20 km from the epicenter.

    In the capital Nay Pyi Taw, a 37-member rescue and medical team from China’s Yunnan Province arrived on Saturday evening with emergency supplies such as full-function life detectors, earthquake early warning systems, portable satellite phones and drones.

    The team, alongside local rescuers, rescued an elderly man trapped for nearly 40 hours under the rubble of Ottara Thiri Private Hospital after an emergency rescue operation overnight.

    On Sunday morning, Myanmar’s State Administration Council Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing visited the hospital and expressed his appreciation to members of the Chinese rescue team for their timely assistance.

    Challenges ahead

    Mandalay’s Sky Villa is among the most severely affected structures in the city. Two apartment buildings have completely collapsed, and another 12-story building was reduced to six stories by the earthquake, burying many.

    Among the anxious onlookers was Daw Nan Mya Aye, a 65-year-old retired high school teacher. She stood with a composed yet weary expression, her hands tightly clasped in front of her.

    “Our house had 11 people. When the quake struck, I wasn’t home — I had just returned from a meditation center and was staying at my daughter’s place. My niece and nephew were also at work,” she recalled.

    As of Sunday evening, two of her family members had been pulled from the rubble. One of them was her 76-year-old sister. Her 14-year-old niece, badly injured with broken hip bones, was sent to hospital.

    “We have lost so many family members. There aren’t many of us left,” she said softly.

    At dawn on Monday, a woman was pulled out from the rubble of a condominium after hours of rescue efforts by the China Search and Rescue Team and a civilian team from RAMUNION RESCUE.

    A girl and a pregnant survivor were also pulled out at the Sky Villa quake scene soon after.

    Despite challenges like confined working areas, frequent aftershocks, residual fires and dense smoke, local and international rescuers are racing against time, hoping to save more people as the crucial 72-hour window of earthquake rescue closes.

    Hope endures

    Among the brave rescuers is 19-year-old Pyae Phyo Aung, a member of Myat Thada Rescue. Since 2016, he has dedicated himself to saving lives, but he said nothing has tested him like this disaster.

    “We are rescuing people trapped in the rubble — some with their legs pinned, some buried up to their waists, and others completely covered,” he said. “We prioritize saving the living before retrieving the dead.”

    His team alone has saved 11 people so far, he said.

    In Mandalay, more than 100 young overseas Chinese volunteers in Myanmar have started providing technical, information and logistical support such as collecting information under the guidance of the professional rescue team.

    Officials from the Myanmar rescue department also briefed the rescue team on Myanmar’s arrangements for international rescue efforts.

    Li Wenyang, a member of the China Blue Sky Rescue Team, said they plan to divide the city into several search areas to let volunteers collect information on missing persons, survivors and casualties, so as to facilitate planning and assessment for the incoming rescue forces.

    On Sunday afternoon, a chartered flight took off from Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan Province, carrying approximately 7.3 tons of relief supplies for Myanmar, including clothes, medicines, instant noodles, tents and other daily necessities. This was the second batch of provincial-level relief supplies that Yunnan has sent to Myanmar.

    On Sunday night, 118 members of the China International Search and Rescue Team arrived in Nay Pyi Taw, while on Monday morning, the first batch of emergency humanitarian earthquake relief supplies provided by the Chinese government to Myanmar departed from Beijing.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: A tribute to craftsmanship

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Exquisite bronze artifacts, ranging from tall, slender wine vessels to large, ornate wine containers, along with their elaborate production illustrations, give visitors a chance to appreciate the intricate patterns and technical mastery of ancient Chinese artisans.

    About 20 of those ancient relics highlight the Marvel of Bronze section of the ongoing Technological Archaeology and Heritage Protection Exhibition that will last through to June 2 at the Chinese Archaeological Museum in Beijing. The section vividly showcases how those works of art were made, beginning with ore processing to metal and then casting with piecemolds.

    “Modern tools like X-ray imaging and metallographic analysis have helped us study bronze artifacts in detail,” says Liu Yu, a researcher of the technological archaeology and cultural heritage protection lab, of the Chinese Academy of History.

    Traditional and modern methods were then applied to restore the bronzes, ensuring they retain their historical integrity, she adds.

    This unit provides a comprehensive look at the entire life cycle of ancient Chinese bronze production, from mining and alloying to casting, as well as modern restoration, Liu says.

    Visitors can appreciate the sophistication of ancient Chinese metallurgy, such as intricate patterns and artisans’ precision.

    “One of the most distinctive features of Chinese bronze craftsmanship is the use of piece-mold casting. Unlike Western traditions, which relied on forging and lost-wax casting, ancient Chinese artisans used clay molds to create intricate ritual vessels,” Liu explains.

    Piece-mold casting allowed for the creation of highly detailed and complex ritual vessels, which played a central role in Chinese ceremonial and political life, she adds.

    A model of the vessel was made, and clay molds were pressed around it. These molds were assembled into a whole before molten bronze was poured in. Once cooled, the mold was broken away, and the vessel was cleaned and polished.

    “The ancient craft was so extraordinary that you can barely find the traces of assembly, such as pouring gates and risers (a reservoir built into a metal casting mold to prevent cavities), or mold lines on the surface,” Liu adds.

    The domination of the complex bronze production in ancient China, especially during the Shang (c.16th century-11th century BC) and Zhou (c.11th century-256 BC) dynasties, was due to the fact that bronze vessels weren’t just functional but came to symbolize political power and were used in rituals, she explains.

    Bronze is among the five thematic sections, along with ancient pottery, jade artifacts, textile and modern lab restoration, at the exhibition hosted by the Chinese Academy of History with inputs from archaeological facilities in Gansu, Jiangxi and Henan provinces, as well as the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

    A small but extraordinary piece of pottery, unearthed from the Xianren Cave site in Wannian county, Jiangxi province, took center stage at the exhibition. Dating back 20,000 to 19,000 years, this fragment is not only the oldest known pottery in China but also the earliest evidence of pottery used for cooking food in the world.

    According to Liu Guoxiang, director of the Chinese Archaeological Museum, the age of the pottery was determined through stratigraphic analysis and carbon-14 dating. “In recent years, the integration of technology into archaeology — from excavation and preservation to interpretation and display — has become increasingly vital,” he says.

    The Xianren Cave pottery fragment reveals that ancient Chinese communities were already crafting and using pottery. Over the following millennia, Chinese ceramics evolved through remarkable technological advancements, artistic diversity, and continuous production, becoming a unique phenomenon in ceramic history worldwide.

    Painted pottery includes double-handled pots and jars that were rooted in the Majiayao culture, which boasts more than 5,000 years of history and is based in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and its tributaries.

    Despite the passage of thousands of years, the intricate and unique patterns on these artifacts remain strikingly vivid.

    Painted pottery fragments dating back around 9,000 years have been unearthed at the Shangshan site in Pujiang county, Zhejiang province. It suggests prehistoric potters had mastered the technique of painting mineral pigments onto pottery surfaces before firing, experts say.

    This innovation gave rise to painted pottery, where vibrant designs contrasted beautifully with the unadorned clay, creating a distinct aesthetic, they add.

    Another treasure showcased at the exhibition is a remarkable painted pottery jar unearthed from the Dadianzi site in Aohan Banner, Inner Mongolia. This artifact is a stunning example of the Lower Xiajiadian culture, which dates back between 4,000 and 3,400 years.

    “Painted pottery is one of the most representative inventions of the Lower Xiajiadian culture,” Liu Guoxiang says.

    At the Dadianzi cemetery, a total of 420 painted pottery pieces have been discovered, accounting for about 25 percent of the burial pottery. Analysis shows that these painted pottery pieces used carbon-infused black or dark gray surfaces as the base, adorned with patterns in white, red, and orange-yellow, Liu notes.

    The clay surface was polished to a smooth finish, which, after firing, proved ideal for painting, while the dark base enhanced the visibility and aesthetic appeal of the bright-colored designs, he explains.

    Experts highlight that the invention of painted pottery marked a groundbreaking innovation that spread from the East to the West, serving as a primary channel for early cultural exchanges between East and West and is considered a precursor to the Silk Road.

    The jade unit features 70 artifacts, tracing nearly 10,000 years of craftsmanship in China. Highlights include a set of three hooks from different eras, including the late Neolithic Hongshan culture, around 6,500 to 4,900 years ago, marked by its use of delicate jade ware.

    They illustrate the evolution and cultural exchange of jade artifacts across millennia.

    The Splendor of Textiles section presents five artifacts, focusing on ancient textile craftsmanship, featuring advanced braiding, twisting, and weaving skills of textile artisans.

    Toward the end of the exhibition is the laboratory archaeology display area, where a glass-enclosed workspace offers visitors a rare opportunity to witness the meticulous process of artifact restoration up close.

    Inside, Fan Rongnan is focusing on the virtual 3D reconstruction of a Tang Dynasty (618-907) dragon head, unearthed from the ancient city of Xiongzhou, located in what is today’s Xiong’an New Area, Hebei province. Fragments of the dragon head are carefully arranged on the table, showcasing the painstaking effort required to piece together history.

    “The dragon head artifact we’re showcasing is a classic example of laboratory archaeology,” says Fan, a second-year graduate student under the researcher Liu Yong from the archaeological science and cultural heritage protection lab, at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

    “Based on stratigraphic and typological analysis, we’ve determined that it dates back to the Tang Dynasty. This artifact is a ceramic architectural component, originally placed on a roof,” Fan explains.

    The dragon head isn’t just a dull gray — it retains traces of colorful paint. For example, the left eye is black, surrounded by a faint green eyeliner, Fan adds.

    Archaeologists have employed a variety of advanced techniques to study the dragon head, including 3D laser scanning, multi-angle 3D imaging, and surface fluorescence analysis, which captured detailed information about the fragments’ morphology and painted components.

    The data collected provided a scientific foundation for the preservation and restoration of the dragon head, Fan says.

    She has been demonstrating the piecing together of fragments at the exhibition. “The numbered fragments in the tray show the initial condition of the artifact. These pieces have already been cleaned and desalinated, and now the task is to assemble them,” Fan explains.

    Liu Yu says the exhibition not only celebrates “the ingenuity of our ancestors” but also highlights the transformative role of technology in “preserving and understanding our shared heritage”.

    “Through the power of technological archaeology and cultural heritage preservation, we can decode the fragments of the past, unlocking the secrets of the past and bringing their brilliance back to life,” Liu says.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Grand Canal stars in hit TV show

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    All the main characters reside in a neighborhood in Huajie (Flower Street) along the bank of a section of the Grand Canal. [Photo/China Daily]

    More than 700 years ago, Italian merchant and explorer Marco Polo trekked to China, leaving a deep impression of the Grand Canal — the country’s major waterway artery — and providing the detailed portrayal in the famous book, The Travels of Marco Polo, that stirred Europeans’ curiosity about the Eastern world.

    This also became the inspiration for writer Xu Zechen’s best-selling novel Northward, which won the 10th Mao Dun Literature Award thanks to its epic recounting of the canal and riverside people over a turbulent span of more than one century.

    In the novel, an Italian explorer who regards Polo as his idol ventures to China during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to search for his missing younger brother, embarking on a fate-intertwining journey with several Chinese individuals. Narrated in two parallel lines that switch between ancient and modern times, the skillfully structured tale also recounts the stories of their descendants.

    For director Yao Xiaofeng, a native of Jiangsu province — where 687 kilometers of the canal flow through eight cities — the novel captivated him in 2018. The veteran had previously spent years searching for a proper story about the water and people residing along its banks.

    With award-winning scriptwriter Zhao Dongling on board to pen the tale, the novel was adapted into a 38-episode, eponymous TV series that began airing on China Central Television’s CCTV-1 and streaming site iQiyi earlier last month.

    Starring actress Bai Lu and actor Ou Hao, the series — which is set between 2000 and 2014 — has attracted audiences, as evidenced by its related topics garnering 2.26 billion views on the social platform Weibo.

    Centering on six neighboring families residing near one section of the canal in Huai’an, Jiangsu province, the drama chronicles their ups and downs, following their children as they move to Beijing to seek education or startup opportunities, riding the wave of the country’s unprecedented internet business expansion.

    “It’s like a destined encounter that led me to helm this drama. The canal was part of my childhood memories. I was a self-taught swimmer, and many of the mischievous acts by the children in the drama are inspired by my own experiences,” Yao told China Daily during a telephone interview.

    In 2014, the Grand Canal was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, inspiring Yao to read several books and watch documentaries about the world’s longest artificial waterway.

    Delving deeper into Xu’s canal-centered novels, such as Stories of Beijing Western Suburbs and Jerusalem, Yao gained a profound understanding of how the canal — which stretches nearly 3,200 km and flows through 35 cities — serves as an economic and cultural artery for the country, influencing the livelihoods of numerous local residents.

    Captivated by the spiritual core of Xu’s tales, which depict themes of homesickness and destiny, Yao, alongside major creators, including screenwriter Zhao and chief producer Zhang Shuwei, took a road trip along the section of the canal in Jiangsu province. They collected firsthand information by interviewing nearly 100 boatmen who live and work on barges.

    “The journey took around half a month. Many boatmen’s families, consisting of parents and one or two children, live, sleep, and entertain themselves on their boats. They rarely go ashore, unless they need to purchase daily necessities from supermarkets,” Yao recalls.

    However, what has touched Yao the most is the boatmen who had to leave the water due to the fishing ban in certain sections to protect the local ecosystem. “On the boat, they are like fish in water. But when they are relocated to life on land, you can sense their deep sense of loss, even though their new life is more comfortable and stable,” Yao remarks.

    Having to leave the environment they know best due to societal changes, many boatmen struggle with feelings of uselessness and a loss of confidence. These experiences inspired the character played by actor Hu Jun — a once-successful barge operator who faces a personal crisis after the decline of his water transportation business.

    Zhang, the chief producer, tells China Daily that she also feels impressed by how boatmen take the boats as their “moving houses”.

    “The core of their lives revolves around boats, and when they discuss buying a boat, the gravity is akin to how we city dwellers talk about buying an apartment,” says Zhang.

    During their survey journey through cities such as Huai’an and Yangzhou, Zhao recalls meeting young people who had graduated from foreign colleges and returned to their hometowns to start small businesses, such as opening bookstores.

    “We heard many interesting stories and incorporated some of their elements into the drama,” Zhang adds.

    The series’ major scenes are set in Huajie (Flower Street), a riverside community home to 18 characters from six families. To find the perfect filming location, the crew surveyed multiple sites before selecting Bacheng Old Street in Kunshan — a 200-meter-long, narrow street lined with densely packed, gray-tiled houses.

    “Although filming on a sound-stage makes it easier to control lighting and the surrounding environment — such as avoiding onlookers — we chose to embrace the challenges of shooting on location and built the characters’ homes directly on the street,” says Zhang.

    This also makes the filming feel more authentic, and full of everyday life. In some long takes, the scenes capture lively children joyfully running from their own courtyards to their neighbors’, a bustling wonton stall opening for breakfast and residents sitting on small stools, enjoying their morning meals.

    Interestingly, the construction work was kept on to ensure that the props and room decorations updated according to economic and societal development of the times, especially as local families’ lives improved following the canal’s successful bid for UNESCO’s list, which has boosted local tourism and cultural businesses, according to Zhang.

    The drama also explores the theme of root-seeking, according to the director.

    Ma Siyi, one of six children living in Huajie, is a descendant of the Italian explorer’s brother and his Chinese wife. After years of struggling with her appearance and background, she embarks on a journey to Italy in one episode to trace her roots. Raised by her Chinese grandmother after losing her father at a young age, her story highlights the quest for identity.

    Similarly, in the final episodes, her five close friends, who mostly move to Beijing after growing up, return to their hometown, symbolizing their own journeys to reconnect with their roots.

    “It has been a timeless literary theme revolving around ‘who I am’ and ‘where I come from’. Until the end of the drama, the audience will see how all the characters’ fates are bound to their ancestors from over 100 years ago,” says Yao.

    “Personally, this is the most captivating part of the tale and the reason it has drawn me to adapt it into a TV drama,” he adds.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: From Rongelap to Mejatto – how Rainbow Warrior helped move nuclear refugees

    The second of a two-part series on the historic Rongelap evacuation of 300 Marshall islanders from their irradiated atoll with the help of the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior crew and the return of Rainbow Warrior III 40 years later on a nuclear justice research mission. Journalist and author David Robie, who was on board, recalls the 1985 voyage.

    SPECIAL REPORT: By David Robie

    Mejatto, previously uninhabited and handed over to the people of Rongelap by their close relatives on nearby Ebadon Island, was a lot different to their own island. It was beautiful, but it was only three kilometres long and a kilometre wide, with a dry side and a dense tropical side.

    A sandspit joined it to another small, uninhabited island. Although lush, Mejatto was uncultivated and already it was apparent there could be a food problem.Out on the shallow reef, fish were plentiful.

    Shortly after the Rainbow Warrior arrived on 21 May 1985, several of the men were out wading knee-deep on the coral spearing fish for lunch.

    Islanders with their belongings on a bum bum approach the Rainbow Warrior. © David Robie/Eyes of Fire

    But even the shallowness of the reef caused a problem. It made it dangerous to bring the Warrior any closer than about three kilometres offshore — as two shipwrecks on the reef reminded us.

    The cargo of building materials and belongings had to be laboriously unloaded onto a bum bum (small boat), which had also travelled overnight with no navigational aids apart from a Marshallese “wave map’, and the Zodiacs. It took two days to unload the ship with a swell making things difficult at times.

    An 18-year-old islander fell into the sea between the bum bum and the Warrior, almost being crushed but escaping with a jammed foot.

    Fishing success on the reef
     The delayed return to Rongelap for the next load didn’t trouble Davey Edward. In fact, he was celebrating his first fishing success on the reef after almost three months of catching nothing. He finally landed not only a red snapper, but a dozen fish, including a half-metre shark!

    Edward was also a good cook and he rustled up dinner — shark montfort, snapper fillets, tuna steaks and salmon pie (made from cans of dumped American aid food salmon the islanders didn’t want).

    Returning to Rongelap, the Rainbow Warrior was confronted with a load which seemed double that taken on the first trip. Altogether, about 100 tonnes of building materials and other supplies were shipped to Mejatto. The crew packed as much as they could on deck and left for Mejatto, this time with 114 people on board. It was a rough voyage with almost everybody being seasick.

    The journalists were roped in to clean up the ship before returning to Rongelap on the third journey.

    ‘Our people see no light, only darkness’
     Researcher Dr Glenn Alcalay (now an adjunct professor of anthropology at William Paterson University), who spoke Marshallese, was a great help to me interviewing some of the islanders.

    “It’s a hard time for us now because we don’t have a lot of food here on Mejatto — like breadfruit, taro and pandanus,” said Rose Keju, who wasn’t actually at Rongelap during the fallout.

    “Our people feel extremely depressed. They see no light, only darkness. They’ve been crying a lot.

    “We’ve moved because of the poison and the health problems we face. If we have honest scientists to check Rongelap we’ll know whether we can ever return, or we’ll have to stay on Mejatto.”

    Kiosang Kios, 46, was 15 years old at the time of Castle Bravo when she was evacuated to “Kwaj”.

    “My hair fell out — about half the people’s hair fell out,” she said. “My feet ached and burned. I lost my appetite, had diarrhoea and vomited.”

    In 1957, she had her first baby and it was born without bones – “Like this paper, it was flimsy.” A so-called ‘jellyfish baby’, it lived half a day. After that, Kios had several more miscarriages and stillbirths. In 1959, she had a daughter who had problems with her legs and feet and thyroid trouble.

    Out on the reef with the bum bums, the islanders had a welcome addition — an unusual hardwood dugout canoe being used for fishing and transport. It travelled 13,000 kilometres on board the Rainbow Warrior and bore the Sandinista legend FSLN on its black-and-red hull. A gift from Bunny McDiarmid and Henk Haazen, it had been bought for $30 from a Nicaraguan fisherman while they were crewing on the Fri. (Bunny and Henk are on board Rainbow Warrior III for the research mission).

    “It has come from a small people struggling for their sovereignty against the United States and it has gone to another small people doing the same,” said Haazen.

    Animals left behind
     Before the 10-day evacuation ended, Haazen was given an outrigger canoe by the islanders. Winched on to the deck of the Warrior, it didn’t quite make a sail-in protest at Moruroa, as Haazen planned, but it has since become a familiar sight on Auckland Harbour.

    With the third load of 87 people shipped to Mejatto and one more to go, another problem emerged. What should be done about the scores of pigs and chickens on Rongelap? Pens could be built on the main deck to transport them to Mejatto but was there any fodder left for them?

    The islanders decided they weren’t going to run a risk, no matter how slight, of having contaminated animals with them. They were abandoned on Rongelap — along with three of the five outriggers.

    Building materials from the demolished homes on Rongelap dumped on the beach at arrival on Mejatto. Image: © David Robie/Eyes of Fire

    “When you get to New Zealand you’ll be asked have you been on a farm,” warned French journalist Phillipe Chatenay, who had gone there a few weeks before to prepare a Le Point article about the “Land of the Long White Cloud and Nuclear-Free Nuts”.

    “Yes, and you’ll be asked to remove your shoes. And if you don’t have shoes, you’ll be asked to remove your feet,” added first mate Martini Gotjé, who was usually barefooted.

    The last voyage on May 28 was the most fun. A smaller group of about 40 islanders was transported and there was plenty of time to get to know each other.

    Four young men questioned cook Nathalie Mestre: where did she live? Where was Switzerland? Out came an atlas. Then Mestre produced a scrapbook of Fernando Pereira’s photographs of the voyage. The questions were endless.

    They asked for a scrap of paper and a pen and wrote in English:

    “We, the people of Rongelap, love our homeland. But how can our people live in a place which is dangerous and poisonous. I mean, why didn’t those American people test Bravo in a state capital? Why? Rainbow Warrior, thank you for being so nice to us. Keep up your good work.”

    Each one wrote down their name: Balleain Anjain, Ralet Anitak, Kiash Tima and Issac Edmond. They handed the paper to Mestre and she added her name. Anitak grabbed it and wrote as well: “Nathalie Anitak”. They laughed.

    Greenpeace photographer Fernando Pereira and Rongelap islander Bonemej Namwe on board a bum bum boat in May 1985. Fernando was killed by French secret agents in the Rainbow Warrior bombing on 10 July 1985. Image: © David Robie/Eyes of Fire

    Fernando Pereira’s birthday
     Thursday, May 30, was Fernando Pereira’s 35th birthday. The evacuation was over and a one-day holiday was declared as we lay anchored off Mejato.

    Pereira was on the Pacific voyage almost by chance. Project coordinator Steve Sawyer had been seeking a wire machine for transmitting pictures of the campaign. He phoned Fiona Davies, then heading the Greenpeace photo office in Paris. But he wanted a machine and photographer separately.

    “No, no … I’ll get you a wire machine,” replied Davies. ‘But you’ll have to take my photographer with it.” Agreed. The deal would make a saving for the campaign budget.

    Sawyer wondered who this guy was, although Gotjé and some of the others knew him. Pereira had fled Portugal about 15 years before while he was serving as a pilot in the armed forces at a time when the country was fighting to retain colonies in Angola and Mozambique. He settled in The Netherlands, the only country which would grant him citizenship.

    After first working as a photographer for Anefo press agency, he became concerned with environmental and social issues. Eventually he joined the Amsterdam communist daily De Waarheid and was assigned to cover the activities of Greenpeace. Later he joined Greenpeace.

    Although he adopted Dutch ways, his charming Latin temperament and looks betrayed his Portuguese origins. He liked tight Italian-style clothes and fast sports cars. Pereira was always wide-eyed, happy and smiling.

    In Hawai`i, he and Sawyer hiked up to the crater at the top of Diamond Head one day. Sawyer took a snapshot of Pereira laughing — a photo later used on the front page of the New Zealand Times after his death with the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior by French secret agents.

    While most of the crew were taking things quietly and the “press gang” caught up on stories, Sawyer led a mini-expedition in a Zodiac to one of the shipwrecks, the Palauan Trader. With him were Davey Edward, Henk Haazen, Paul Brown and Bunny McDiarmid.

    Clambering on board the hulk, Sawyer grabbed hold of a rust-caked railing which collapsed. He plunged 10 metres into a hold. While he lay in pain with a dislocated shoulder and severely lacerated abdomen, his crewmates smashed a hole through the side of the ship. They dragged him through pounding surf into the Zodiac and headed back to the Warrior, three kilometres away.

    “Doc” Andy Biedermann, assisted by “nurse” Chatenay, who had received basic medical training during national service in France, treated Sawyer. He took almost two weeks to recover.

    But the accident failed to completely dampen celebrations for Pereira, who was presented with a hand-painted t-shirt labelled “Rainbow Warrior Removals Inc”.

    Pereira’s birthday was the first of three which strangely coincided with events casting a tragic shadow over the Rainbow Warrior’s last voyage.

    Dr David Robie is an environmental and political journalist and author, and editor of Asia Pacific Report. He travelled on board the Rainbow Warrior for almost 11 weeks. This article is adapted from his 1986 book, Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior. A new edition is being published in July to mark the 40th anniversary of the bombing. 

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese peacekeepers participate in UNIFIL’s first multinational airborne MEDEVAC drill since Lebanon-Israel ceasefire 2025-04-01 09:08:39 The Chinese Peacekeeping Level One Plus Hospital to the UNIFIL on March 24 conducted a multinational airborne medical evacuation drill with Spain’s Level One Hospital, the Aeromedical Evacuation Team, and UNIFIL Medical Branch.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense

      The UNIFIL organizes a multinational airborne medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) exercise on March 24, 2025.

      By Gao Yan

      BEIRUT, Lebanon, Apr. 1 — The Chinese Peacekeeping Level One Plus Hospital to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on March 24 conducted a multinational airborne medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) drill with Spain’s Level One Hospital, the Aeromedical Evacuation Team (AMET), and UNIFIL Medical Branch.

      The scenario simulated the treatment and evacuation of a blast victim. After initial treatment at the Spain’s Level One Hospital, the patient was transferred to China’s Level One Plus Hospital for further care. Once stabilized, the patient was transported to a helipad and airlifted by AMET to St. George’s Hospital in Beirut.

      This is the first airborne MEDEVAC drill organized by UNIFIL since the armistice between Lebanon and Israel and it aimed to enhance the emergency medical coordination among multinational troops. The UNIFIL plans to continue similar training to enhance emergency medical response level in the mission area.

      The UNIFIL organizes a multinational airborne medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) exercise on March 24, 2025.

      The UNIFIL organizes a multinational airborne medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) exercise on March 24, 2025.

      The UNIFIL organizes a multinational airborne medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) exercise on March 24, 2025.

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    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Team CFA finds success at mine rescue competition

    Source:

    CFA’s Oscar 1 Emergency Response Mine Rescue Brigade has brought home a podium finish at the Victorian Mine Rescue Competition (VMRC) over the weekend (28-30 March).

    VMRC is an annual safety training exercise, which pits mine rescue and emergency response teams from Victoria and New South Wales against each other in a series of simulated emergency situations.       

    Organised by the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), it also allows teams to share knowledge and experience in a challenging but fun environment. 

    Teams gathered on Friday in Heathcote to compete in eight realistic, high pressure, scenario-based challenges including firefighting, first-aid, underground search and rescue, and a ropes exercise.  

    CFA’s team Oscar 1 claimed a win in the fire exercise scenario and third place in the Breathing Apparatus exercise.  

    First Lieutenant of the team Karl Shay said the other teams put up some tough competition.  

    “It was an excellent weekend,” Karl said. “You get six months of training in just one weekend. 

    “On the Friday night our crew actually got a call-out to a job with a man stuck down a mine shaft, so it was a great chance to use our skills and assist them to safety.” 

    The firefighting exercise included one of CFA’s gas prop cars and required participants to run through the scenario of a large car fire.  

    Tom Heather, a member of the Oscar 1 team, said the weekend provided a good opportunity to train and get together with all the rescue brigades.  

    “It puts us head-to-head, but we treat it like real-life training,” Tom said.  

    “We are all bouncing off one another. You really come together as a team. 

    “I am definitely proud to be part of CFA and to show people what we can do and what we are here for.”  

    Members of Oscar 1 unit also compete with other teams including Central Victorian Mutual Aid. Oscar 1 member Darcy Mcclure-Wallace won the overall individual skills category and was part of the overall winning team, Foster Gold Mine, with other members of the Oscar 1 unit. 

    Submitted by CFA Media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI: POET Technologies Reports Fourth Quarter 2024 Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — POET Technologies Inc. (“POET” or the “Company”) (TSX Venture: PTK; NASDAQ: POET), the designer and developer of Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), light sources and optical modules for the AI and data center markets, today reported its audited consolidated financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2024. The Company’s financial results as well as the Management Discussion and Analysis have been filed on SEDAR+. All financial figures are in United States dollars (“USD”) unless otherwise indicated.

    Management Commentary:

    “In Q4 2024, we strategically positioned our company for accelerated growth by strengthening our financial foundation, advancing critical technology developments, and implementing a new manufacturing strategy designed for rapid, profitable scaling,” stated POET Chairman & CEO, Dr. Suresh Venkatesan. “The market is experiencing unprecedented demand for photonic solutions, particularly in AI data center applications, and we’re still at the early stages of what industry experts anticipate will be a multi-year demand cycle. Despite challenging equity markets, we successfully raised an additional US$25 million through a registered direct offering, with robust investor support reflecting the market opportunity and POET’s positioning as a potential leader in the space.”

    Dr. Venkatesan continued, “Every strategic move we have made over the past several months is to ensure that POET is positioned to scale and to optimize our supply chain as we approach a revenue inflection point later this year. based on the trajectory of existing customer relationships. Our acquisition of SPX gives us full control of our technology while enabling us to shift manufacturing toward Malaysia and away from China, reducing geopolitical risk to growth, while building on our established foundry relationship with Silterra Malaysia in a familiar and friendly market. For 2025, we’re focused on developing our wafer-level manufacturing in Malaysia, expanding into telecom systems and chip-to-chip data communications applications, and leveraging the solid financial foundation we set in 2024 to accelerate both our customer pipeline, deliveries and revenue realization. POET continues to receive attention from notable industry analysts, including Lightwave+BTR and we expect this momentum, along with existing contracts and relationships with industry leaders and partners like LuxshareTech, Foxconn and Mitsubishi Electric, to lead to significant revenue acceleration in the second half of 2025.”

    The Company intends to pursue its voluntary delisting from the TSX Venture Exchange immediately following the closing of its planned US$25M financing with L5 Capital, which is expected to close within the next few weeks.

    Notable Business Highlights:

    • The Company was recognized publicly for outstanding technical leadership, receiving multiple prestigious awards, including:
      • “Elite Score” Lightwave+BTR Innovation Reviews (February 27, 2025)
      • “Best in Artificial Intelligence” 2024 Global Tech Awards (October 16, 2024)
      • “AI Innovator of the Year Gold Prize” 2024 Merit Awards (October 1, 2024)
      • “Best Optical AI Solution, 2024 AI Breakthrough Awards (June 26, 2024)
      • “Runner-Up Award for Most Innovative Hybrid PIC/Optical Integration” ECOC (October 1, 2024)
    • Closed a non-brokered private placement offering on November 26, 2024 of 5,555,556 common shares at an offering price of $4.50 and accompanying warrants to purchase 2,777,778 additional common shares at $6.00 per share for a period of five years from issuance. The Company raised gross proceeds of $25,000,002 from this offering, bringing the total equity capital raised during 2024 to $82.2 million.
    • Appointed Robert “Bob” Tirva to the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee. Mr. Tirva brings over 30 years of executive experience in technology and semiconductors, having held management positions at IBM, Broadcom Corporation, Dropbox and Intermedia Cloud Communications Inc. Most recently, he was President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Sonim Technologies, Inc. until it was acquired by AJP Holding Company in 2022. Mr. Tirva currently serves on the board of Skyworks Aeronautics and was recently on the boards of Costar Technologies and Resonant, Inc.
    • Completed the acquisition of 100% of Super Photonics Xiamen Co., Ltd (“SPX”), establishing full control over SPX, for a total of $6.5 million to be paid out over five years beginning in Q1 of 2025, enabling POET to establish manufacturing outside of China independent of the JV. The Company has subsequently decided to liquidate and close the SPX operation within the next few months.
    • Established a major wafer-level assembly and test facility for optical engines in Penang, Malaysia with the signing of several agreements with Globetronics Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd., a leading semiconductor manufacturer and contractor, equipping Globetronics with the capacity to manufacture an initial 1 million POET optical engines annually.

    Non-IFRS Financial Summary
    The Company reported non-recurring engineering (“NRE”) and product revenue of $29,032 in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to $107,551 for the same period in 2023 and $3,685 in the third quarter of 2024. Historically the Company provided NRE services to multiple customers for unique projects that are being addressed utilizing the capabilities of the POET Optical Interposer. No billable NRE services were provided in the period. The Company only had small product revenue in Q4 2024.

    The Company reported a net loss of $30.2 million, or ($0.48) per share, in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared with a net loss $5.5 million, or ($0.13) per share, for the same period in 2023 and a net loss of $12.7 million, or ($0.20) per share, in the third quarter of 2024. The net loss in the fourth quarter of 2024 included research and development costs of $3.4 million compared to $2.1 million for the same period in 2023 and $1.8 million in the third quarter of 2024. Fluctuations in R&D for a Company of this size and this stage of growth is expected on a period-over-period basis as the Company transitions from technology development to product development.

    The largest component of the Company’s loss was from the non-cash fair value adjustment to derivative warrant liability of $12.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $25,000 in the same period in 2023 and $6.2 million in the third quarter of 2024. This non-cash item relates to warrants issued in a foreign currency and is periodically remeasured. The increase was a result of the issuance of warrants and the increase in the Company’s stock price during the third quarter.

    Other non-cash expenses in the fourth quarter of 2024 included stock-based compensation of $1.4 million and depreciation and amortization of $0.5 million. Non-cash stock-based compensation and depreciation and amortization in the same period of 2023 were $1.0 million and $0.5 million, respectively. Third quarter 2024 stock-based compensation and depreciation and amortization were $1.5 million and $0.5 million, respectively. The Company had non-cash finance costs of $32,000 in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to non-cash finance costs of $14,000 in the fourth quarter of 2023 and non-cash costs of $30,000 in the third quarter of 2024.

    The Company recognized other income, including interest of $511,000 in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $54,000 in the same period in 2023 and $216,000 in the third quarter of 2024.

    During the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company acquired the remaining 24.8% interest of SPX from SAIC. The acquisition of this interest resulted in a non-cash loss to the Company of $6,852,687.

    Cash flow from operating activities in the fourth quarter of 2024 was ($8.7) million compared to ($2.9) million in the fourth quarter of 2023 and ($5.5) million in the third quarter of 2024.

    The Company raised gross proceeds of $25.9 million, including $25 million from the issuance of units from a non-brokered private placement and $0.9 million from the exercise of warrants and stock options.

    Summary of Financial Performance
    The following is a summary of the Company’s operations over the five quarters ending December 31, 2024. This information should be read in conjunction with the Company’s financial statements filed on Sedar + on Marcy 31, 2025.

    POET TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    PROFORMA – NON-IFRS AND IFRS PRESENTATION OF OPERATIONS
    (All figures are in U.S. Dollars)
     
      Dec 31/24 Sep 30/24 Jun 30/24 Mar 31/24 Dec 31/23
               
    Revenue $29,032   $3,685   $ –   $8,710   $107,551  
    Research and development   3,437,683     1,765,481     2,117,828     1,922,066     2,142,003  
    Depreciation and amortization   475,281     525,955     509,699     509,260     505,869  
    Professional fees   679,156     480,871     366,839     409,726     902,368  
    Wages and benefits   758,883     667,963     780,146     768,496     676,539  
    Loss on acquisition of SPX   6,852,687     –     –     –     –  
    Stock-based compensation (1)   1,404,995     1,525,131     1,591,741     947,502     1,050,088  
    General expense, rent and facility   474,937     465,448     448,357     570,819     317,333  
    Interest expense   31,605     30,482     20,833     19,753     13,547  
    Finance advisory fees   4,239,831     1,319,392     942,576     –     –  
    Derivative liability adjustment   12,444,661     6,179,836     1,376,761     629,824     24,865  
    Other (income), including interest   (511,448 )   (216,337 )   (174,911 )   (52,558 )   (54,047 )
    Net loss, before taxes $30,259,239   $12,740,537   $7,979,869   $5,716,178   $ 5,471,014  
    Net loss per share $(0.48 ) $(0.20 ) $(0.14 ) $(0.13 ) $(0.13 )
                                   
                                   

    About POET Technologies Inc.
    POET is a design and development company offering high-speed optical modules, optical engines and light source products to the artificial intelligence systems market and to hyperscale data centers.  POET’s photonic integration solutions are based on the POET Optical Interposer™, a novel, patented platform that allows the seamless integration of electronic and photonic devices into a single chip using advanced wafer-level semiconductor manufacturing techniques. POET’s Optical Interposer-based products are lower cost, consume less power than comparable products, are smaller in size and are readily scalable to high production volumes. In addition to providing high-speed (800G, 1.6T and above) optical engines and optical modules for AI clusters and hyperscale data centers, POET has designed and produced novel light source products for chip-to-chip data communication within and between AI servers, the next frontier for solving bandwidth and latency problems in AI systems.  POET’s Optical Interposer platform also solves device integration challenges in 5G networks, machine-to-machine communication, self-contained “Edge” computing applications and sensing applications, such as LIDAR systems for autonomous vehicles.  POET is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with operations in Allentown, PA, Shenzhen, China, and Singapore.  More information about POET is available on our website at www.poet-technologies.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This news release contains “forward-looking information” (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws) and “forward-looking statements” (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Such statements or information are identified with words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “potential”, “estimate”, “propose”, “project”, “outlook”, “foresee” or similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding any potential outcome. Such statements include expectations of industry analysts and experts with respect to industry growth, the Company’s own expectations with regard to the success of the Company’s product development efforts, the performance of its products, the expectation for revenue, including continued guidance for robust demand provided by current customers, the expected results of its operations, meeting revenue targets, and the expectation of continued success in the financing efforts, the capability, functionality, performance and cost of the Company’s technology as well as the market acceptance, inclusion and timing of the Company’s technology in current and future products and expectations for approval of proposals at the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders.

    Such forward-looking information or statements are based on a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions which may cause actual results or other expectations to differ materially from those anticipated and which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, forecasts of industry analysts and experts with respect to industry growth, the Company’s own expectations with regard to management’s expectations regarding the success and timing for completion of its development efforts, the introduction of new products, its sales efforts and revenue generation, its financing activities, future growth, recruitment of personnel, opening of offices, the form and potential of its joint venture, plans for and completion of projects by the Company’s consultants, contractors and partners, availability of capital, and the necessity to incur capital and other expenditures. Actual results could differ materially due to a number of factors, including, without limitation, the failure of its products to meet performance requirements, lack of sales in its products, once released, the failure to generate sales and revenue, the failure of continued robust guidance from customers to materialize, operational risks in the completion of the Company’s anticipated projects, lack of performance of its joint venture, risks affecting the Company’s ability to execute projects, the ability of the Company to generate sales for its products, the ability to attract key personnel, and the ability to raise additional capital if needed. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information or statements are reasonable, prospective investors in the Company’s securities should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because the Company can provide no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information and statements contained in this news release are as of the date of this news release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise this forward-looking information and statements except as required by law.

    Neither 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.
    120 Eglinton Avenue, East, Suite 1107, Toronto, ON, M4P 1E2- Tel: 416-368-9411 – Fax: 416-322-5075

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Carbon Streaming Announces Financial Results for the Year Ended December 31, 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Carbon Streaming Corporation (Cboe CA: NETZ) (OTCQB: OFSTF) (FSE: M2Q) (“Carbon Streaming” or the “Company”) today reported its financial results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. All figures are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise indicated. The Company will host a live audio call at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. In addition, the Company is also pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Sam Wong to the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) effective April 1, 2025.

    Carbon Streaming Chief Executive Officer Marin Katusa stated: “In the fourth quarter of 2024, Carbon Streaming focused on its restructuring efforts and evaluating strategic alternatives while taking significant steps to reduce costs and improve financial sustainability. We successfully reduced the number of individuals receiving full-time salaries from 24 at the start of 2024 to 4 by January 2025, resulting in significant savings to ongoing operating expenses. With cost reductions complete, our priority in 2025 is to maximize value from our existing portfolio while continuing to explore all strategic options to enhance shareholder value.  More specifically, we will evaluate all potential acquisitions, divestments, corporate transactions, and strategic partnerships. While the voluntary carbon market continues to experience difficult market conditions and many economic uncertainties exist, we are committed to adapting to market conditions and ensuring the best path forward for our shareholders. With respect to the Rimba Raya, Magdalena Bay and Sustainable Community Streams, the Company remains focused on protecting our investments and preserving our rights as we will with all our investments.”

    Annual Highlights

    • Ended the year with $37.4 million in cash and no corporate debt.
    • Reduced the number of individuals receiving full-time salaries at the Company – including employees, consultants, and directors – from 24 at the start of 2024 to 8 by year-end, with a further decrease to 4 full time employees by January 2025, resulting in significant savings in ongoing operating expenses.
    • Recognized a net loss on revaluation of carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements of $58.2 million (net loss on revaluation of $32.9 million in 2023). The net loss on revaluation for each period was driven by reductions in the carbon credit production and sales profiles and carbon credit pricing assumptions, and an increase to the risk-adjusted discount rate.
    • Continued the previously-announced corporate restructuring plan, which resulted in a non-recurring restructuring charge of $2.6 million.
    • Generated $1.6 million in settlements from carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements (settlements of $55 thousand in 2023).
    • Operating loss of $68.3 million (operating loss of $45.0 million in 2023).
    • Recognized net loss of $67.4 million (net loss of $35.5 million in 2023).
    • Adjusted net loss was $5.2 million (adjusted net loss of $7.6 million in 2023) (see the “Non-IFRS Accounting Standards Measures” section of this news release).
    • Paid $8.1 million in upfront deposits for carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements (paid $7.6 million in upfront deposits in 2023).

    Fourth Quarter Highlights

    • Recognized a net loss on revaluation of carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements of $13.2 million (net loss on revaluation of $24.0 million in Q4 2023). The net loss on revaluation for each period was driven by reductions in the carbon credit production and sales profiles and carbon credit pricing assumptions, and an increase to the risk-adjusted discount rate.
    • Generated $0.5 million in settlements from carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements (settlements of $nil in Q4 2023).
    • Operating loss of $14.9 million (operating loss of $26.8 million in Q4 2023).
    • Recognized net loss of $16.9 million (net loss of $26.1 million in Q4 2023).
    • Adjusted net loss was $0.9 million (adjusted net loss of $2.2 million in Q4 2023) (see the “Non-IFRS Accounting Standards Measures” section of this news release).
    • Paid $2.2 million in upfront deposits for carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements (paid $2.1 million in upfront deposits in Q4 2023).

    Financial Highlights Summary

      Three months ended
    December 31, 2024    		 Three months ended
    December 31, 2023    		 Year ended December 31, 2024 Year ended December 31, 2023
    Carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements        
    Revaluation of carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements $ (13,190)   $ (23,952)   $ (58,155)   $ (32,897)  
    Settlements from carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements1   513     –     1,550     55  
    Other financial highlights        
    Other operating expenses   1,760     2,691     10,340     12,035  
    Operating loss   (14,923)     (26,784)     (68,335)     (45,002)  
    Net loss   (16,932)     (26,092)     (67,369)     (35,501)  
    Loss per share (Basis and Diluted) ($/share)   (0.32)     (0.55)     (1.34)     (0.75)  
    Adjusted net loss2   (884)     (2,225)     (5,214)     (7,586)  
    Adjusted net loss per share (Basic and Diluted) ($/share)2   (0.02)     (0.05)     (0.10)     (0.16)  
    Statement of financial position        
    Cash3   37,350     51,416     37,350     51,416  
    Carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements3   9,081     60,122     9,081     60,122  
    Total assets3   48,683     117,111     48,683     117,111  
    Non-current liabilities3   112     1,083     112     1,083  
    1. Relates to the net cash proceeds generated from the Company’s carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements.
    2. “Adjusted net loss”, including per share amounts, is a non-IFRS® Accounting Standards (the “IFRS Accounting Standards”) financial performance measure that is used in this news release. This measure does not have any standardized meaning under the IFRS Accounting Standards and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. For more information about this measure, why it is used by the Company, and a reconciliation to the most directly comparable measure under the IFRS Accounting Standards, see the “Non-IFRS Accounting Standards Measures” section of this news release.
    3. Cash, carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements, total assets and non-current liabilities are presented as at the relevant tabular reporting date.

    Portfolio Updates

    Rimba Raya Stream: On April 26, 2024, the Company announced that it was informed that PT Rimba Raya Conservation (“PT Rimba”), the local concession holder for the Rimba Raya project, had its Forest Utilization Business License (the “Concession License”) revoked by the Indonesian Government’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry (the “MOEF”). PT Rimba challenged the MOEF’s revocation of the Concession License, and in July 2024, the State Administrative Court of Jakarta (the “Court of Jakarta”) reached a decision on PT Rimba’s claim and declared that the revocation by the MOEF of the Concession License is void. The MOEF appealed the decision of the Court of Jakarta and in September 2024, the State Administrative High Court of Jakarta (the “High Court of Jakarta”) upheld the Court of Jakarta’s decision declaring that the revocation by the MOEF of the Concession License is void. The MOEF submitted an appeal of the decision of the High Court of Jakarta and as such, the decision of the High Court of Jakarta upholding that the revocation by the MOEF of the Concession License is void does not yet have permanent legal force. While the appeal process is underway, the interlocutory decision issued by the Court of Jakarta on May 16, 2024, requiring the MOEF to suspend the implementation of its decree in respect of the revocation of the Concession License, will remain in place.

    In October 2024, InfiniteEARTH Limited and its Indonesian subsidiary PT InfiniteEARTH Nusantara, the project operators of the Rimba Raya project (collectively “InfiniteEARTH”) delivered a notice of intent to abandon the project (the “RR Notice of Abandonment”). Pursuant to the RR Notice of Abandonment, InfiniteEARTH claims that a Regulation entitled Regulation of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Number 7 Year of 2023 issued on June 14, 2023 by the Indonesian Government (“Regulation No. 7 2023”), prohibits the issuance and transfer of carbon rights from PT Rimba to InfiniteEARTH. InfiniteEARTH claims that as a result of Regulation No. 7 2023, it has been unable to economically develop or continue to operate the Rimba Raya project and that this is a force majeure event under the Rimba Raya Stream. The Company has notified InfiniteEARTH that it rejects the assertion that Regulation No. 7 2023 is an event of force majeure and has commenced an arbitration seeking, among other things, an order that the RR Notice of Abandonment is invalid or void.

    In October 2024, the Company commenced an arbitration administered by the International Centre of Dispute Resolution against InfiniteEARTH in accordance with the Rimba Raya Stream; and against the shareholders of InfiniteEARTH Limited in accordance with the Strategic Alliance Agreement (the “SAA“). The arbitration has since been bifurcated into two arbitration proceedings, dealing with (i) the Rimba Raya Stream; and (ii) the SAA.

    In October 2024, the Company also issued a Notice of Action in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice seeking declaratory relief against the principals of InfiniteEARTH Limited and their related entities, seeking to enforce its rights in relation to guarantees and non-competition agreements related to the Rimba Raya Stream and the SAA. Some of the defendants have counterclaimed. The dispute between the Company and InfiniteEARTH arises out of acts and omissions that the Company alleges are improper and in breach of the Rimba Raya Stream, the SAA and related agreements. Management of the Company believes that delivering the Notice of Arbitration and issuing the Notice of Action in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice were important steps in preserving the Company’s legal and contractual rights.

    As a result of the uncertainty of the duration and outcome of the appeal process in respect of the Concession License and the ongoing legal dispute between the Company, InfiniteEARTH and the founders of InfiniteEARTH, the Company has reclassified the status of the Rimba Raya Stream to “Expired”. As at December 31, 2024, the Company has determined the fair value of the Rimba Raya Stream to be $nil.

    Magdalena Bay Blue Carbon Stream: In the third quarter of 2024, Fundación MarVivo Mexico, A.C. and MarVivo Corporation (collectively, “MarVivo”) delivered a notice of intent to abandon the project (the “MarVivo Notice of Abandonment”). Pursuant to the MarVivo Notice of Abandonment, MarVivo claims that the failure to transfer the concession rights from the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (“SEMARNAT”), Mexico’s environment ministry, to the jurisdiction of Mexico’s National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (“CONANP”), constitutes an event of force majeure and that it is no longer economical to develop or continue to operate the project. The Company’s position is that the attempt to abandon the project constitutes a breach of the terms of the Magdalena Bay Blue Carbon Stream. The Company has notified MarVivo that it rejects the assertion that the failure to transfer the concession rights constitutes an event of force majeure and that if MarVivo abandons the project or takes steps to wind-down, this will amount to a breach of the terms of the Magdalena Bay Blue Carbon Stream. As a result of the MarVivo Notice of Abandonment and the assertions of MarVivo, the Company has determined the fair value of the Magdalena Bay Blue Carbon Stream to be $nil as at December 31, 2024. The Company reserves all rights with respect to the agreements between the parties and intends to strictly enforce its legal and contractual rights under the Magdalena Bay Blue Carbon Stream.

    Sustainable Community Stream: In the third quarter of 2024, the Company exercised its contractual rights to terminate the Sustainable Community Stream as a result of, among other things, the failure of the project operator, Will Solutions Inc., to meet its milestone related to the registration of its Ontario project and its failure to develop and implement the project in accordance with the project plan (including continued delays in project development activities and lower-than-expected project enrollments). As a result of the Sustainable Community Stream being terminated, the fair value of the Sustainable Community Stream was determined to be $nil as at December 31, 2024. The Company intends to strictly enforce its legal and contractual rights under the Sustainable Community Stream.

    Cerrado Biome Stream: At the time of project registration, the project planned to expand the project to 80,000 hectares by incorporating more land parcels, and to generate approximately 13 million carbon credits over a 30-year project life. Enrollment of additional land parcels has been slower than anticipated, primarily due to declining demand and lower pricing for REDD+ carbon credits. As a result, the expected revenue from carbon credit sales has decreased, reducing the financial incentive for landholders to transition from agricultural production to REDD+ project enrollment. Currently, the project consists of two land parcels covering approximately 11,000 hectares, expected to generate 1.2 million carbon credits over 30 years; however, the actual number of carbon credits issued will depend on the project’s ability to attract additional landholders. Revenue shortfalls have been driven by delays in the Verra verification process and price volatility for credits issued by REDD+ projects.

    Waverly Biochar Stream and Royalty: Following the accelerated payment of the final milestone payments in the second quarter of 2024, the project reached mechanical completion and first biochar production in the third quarter of 2024. However, additional technical challenges prevented continuous operation of the facility and have continued to delay full production capacity. The project is currently focused on securing additional funding to support commissioning, the initial facility audit, and the first output audit with Puro.earth. Verification was anticipated in the third quarter of 2025, with first issuance of carbon credits to follow immediately thereafter, but is now expected to be delayed.

    In 2023, the Company announced an agreement to provide Microsoft Corporation with carbon credits from the Waverly Biochar Stream of up to 10,000 carbon credits per year. Under this agreement, the Company is committed to delivering a minimum quantity of credits on specified future dates. If the Company is unable to fulfill this commitment, Microsoft Corporation may request that credits be sourced from an alternative project of their choosing.

    Community Carbon Stream: In 2024, the projects under the Community Carbon Stream issued over 1,600,000 carbon credits from the Mozambique cookstove project, the Uganda cookstove project, the Tanzania cookstove project, and the Uganda household safe water project. Additionally, the Community Carbon Stream generated $1.1 million in cash settlements for the year ended December 31, 2024.

    On May 8, 2024, the Company amended the terms of the Community Carbon Stream resulting in, among other things, revising the Company’s economic interest to provide for a tiered streaming structure which is adjusted as certain return on invested capital thresholds are achieved, and adjusting the portfolio composition and milestone payments to focus on the five strongest projects, three cookstove projects in Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda and two water purification projects in Malawi and Uganda.

    Following the May 2024 amendment, the Company anticipates that the project’s actual emission reductions will be materially lower than previously expected due to methodological changes and declining prices, which have reduced forecasted creditable unit deployments. Concerns over emissions reduction overestimation, additionality, and verification challenges have raised questions about cookstove credit quality, prompting methodological revisions as the market adapts to evolving buyer expectations. While these changes aim to enhance credibility, they have also reduced demand and driven down prices.

    Nalgonda Rice Farming Stream: In December 2024, the Company delivered a notice to Core CarbonX Pte. Ltd. and its services provider, Core CarbonX Solutions Private Limited that an event of default occurred and is continuing due to the failure of the project to reach development completion prior to June 30, 2024. While no further action has been taken at this time, the Company reserves all rights under its agreements.

    The project was registered with Verra on February 10, 2025, using the UNFCCC Clean Development Mechanism Methodology AMS-III.AU: Methane emission reduction by adjusted water management practice in rice cultivation in the VCS program (“AMS-III.AU”). Registration and first validation of the project was delayed when Verra temporarily inactivated AMS-III.AU as part of a broader review of validation and verification quality and began developing a revised rice-specific methodology to replace AMS-III.AU. During this review, Verra determined that certain projects identified as having quality issues with validations and/or verifications would remain on hold, but Core CarbonX’s projects, including the Nalgonda Rice Farming project, were approved for registration under AMS-III.AU.

    Verra released the new VCS Methodology VM0051 (Improved Management in Rice Production Systems v1.0) on February 27, 2025, which the project plans to transition to for the second monitoring period. However, the project has already applied the guidelines required under the VCS Methodology VM0051. At this time, it is not known how the transition to the new methodology will impact the project, if at all.

    As of December 31, 2024, approximately 32,000 landholders were enrolled in the project, covering 36,548 hectares of farmland. Enrollment remains ongoing, with a target of expanding to approximately 62,000 hectares. However, progress has been slower than expected due to registration delays, which have also postponed farmer compensation and, in turn, affected enrollment. The project was registered with Verra on February 10, 2025.

    Enfield Biochar Stream: In April 2024, Standard Biocarbon Corporation (“Standard Biocarbon”) achieved its first biochar production. However, technical challenges have delayed the commissioning process. Standard Biocarbon is working with PYREG GmbH, the engineer and builder of the PYREG Machines, to resolve these issues as it scales toward full operating capacity. The project continues to collect operational data required for a facility audit and official registration with the Puro.earth carbon credit standard. Currently, the project is on care and maintenance while seeking additional funding to support commissioning, the initial facility audit, and the first output audit.

    Azuero Reforestation Stream: On May 21, 2024, the Company, Microsoft Corporation and Rubicon Carbon Capital LLC (“Rubicon”) entered into a carbon credit streaming agreement, as amended on November 23, 2024 (the “Azuero Reforestation Stream”) with Azuero Reforestation Colectiva, S.A. (“ARC”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ponterra Ltd. (“Ponterra”), for a reforestation project located on Azuero Province, Los Santos Province, Republic of Panama. Under the terms of the Azuero Reforestation Stream, ARC will deliver 13.5% of the carbon credits created by the project to the Company. Additionally, Microsoft Corporation has entered into an offtake agreement to purchase 100% of the Company’s carbon credits delivered under the terms of the Azuero Reforestation Stream through to 2040. Carbon Streaming will also act as the sole marketer of ARC’s carbon credits not already committed to the co-investors under the Azuero Reforestation Stream.

    Under the terms of the Azuero Reforestation Stream, Carbon Streaming, alongside Rubicon and Microsoft Corporation, will fund 100% of project costs over seven years. The Company agreed to make an upfront deposit of up to $7.1 million with $0.3 million paid on closing, and additional milestone payments made as the project achieves planting and sapling survival milestones, and will receive 13.5% of total credits, which is expected to be approximately 438,000 carbon credits through 2052.

    Sheep Creek Reforestation Stream: In January 2025, the Company received a Notice of Adverse Impact from Mast Reforestation SPV I, LLC (“Mast”) and the parent company of Mast, Droneseed Co. d/b/a Mast Reforestation under the Sheep Creek Reforestation Stream pursuant to which, among other things, Mast advised the Company that the Sheep Creek project has experienced significantly higher than expected mortality rates and that the surviving seedlings had exhibited slower than expected growth rates. As a result, Mast indicated to the Company that it no longer expects to deliver the Company the agreed-upon 286,229 carbon removal credits, referred to as forecast mitigation units (“FMUs”) under the Climate Action Reserve’s Climate Forward program under the Sheep Creek Reforestation Stream, as Mast no longer considers the existing Sheep Creek project plan and budget to be viable. The Company has formally responded to the Notice of Adverse Impact and requested that Mast respond to the Company’s significant concerns regarding, among other things, the timing of the delivery of the Notice of Adverse Impact, and the characterization of the cause of the adverse impact. The Company is continuing to evaluate all legal avenues available under the Sheep Creek Reforestation Stream. As a result, the Company no longer anticipates generating cash flow from the Sheep Creek Reforestation Stream and has determined its fair value to be $nil as of December 31, 2024.

    Feather River Reforestation Stream: In 2024, carbon credit market demand has generally shifted towards lower risk carbon credits. FMUs, which are designed to facilitate forward financing, inherently carry higher risk, leading to supply that has exceeded demand. FMU issuance is expected in 2025. However, given the uncertainties surrounding FMU sales, the Company has determined the fair value of the Feather River Reforestation Stream to be $nil as of December 31, 2024.

    Baccala Ranch Reforestation Stream: In March 2025, Mast delivered the Company a notice of termination of the Baccala Ranch Reforestation Stream and the Baccala Ranch project, thereby confirming it will forego any plantings. The Company had not advanced any funds for the Baccala project and the closing of the Baccala Ranch Reforestation Stream remained subject to customary closing conditions.

    Amazon Portfolio Royalty: Following a corporate reorganization, Future Carbon assigned its interests in the Yellow Ipe, ABC Norte and Gairova projects (collectively the “Ecologica Portfolio”) to Ecological Assessoria Ltda. and its affiliates (collectively “Ecologica”), and retained the Rio Madeira Project, (the “Future Carbon Portfolio”). To reflect this restructuring, the Original Amazon Royalty was replaced on April 17, 2024, by two new royalty agreements: one between the Company and Future Carbon for the Future Carbon Portfolio (the “FC Amazon Royalty”), and another between the Company and Ecologica on the Ecologica Portfolio (the “Ecologica Amazon Royalty”). Each agreement carried a purchase price of $1.5 million, maintaining the original $3.0 million investment. No additional funds were advanced by the Company as part of Future Carbon’s reorganization.

    Bonobo Peace Forest Royalty: The royalty agreement was originally intended to convert into a stream agreement upon successful validation and verification of the project. However, due to political instability in the DRC, weakened market sentiment for REDD+ projects, and a significant decline in demand for REDD+ carbon credits, Carbon Streaming decided to halt further investment. The Company currently has no plans to proceed with a stream agreement.

    The project has been seeking additional investment to support a renewed technical effort for registration under the new Verra VM0048 methodology. Given the material uncertainty surrounding fundraising for REDD+ project development, the early-stage nature of the project’s technical development, and persistent weakness in demand for REDD+ carbon credits, the Company has determined the fair value of the Bonobo Peace Forest Royalty to be $nil as at December 31, 2024.

    Strategy

    Carbon Streaming is currently focused on maximizing value from the existing portfolio of investments and pursuing all options to achieve that goal. During 2024, the Company has undergone changes to the Board and management, including the termination of certain consulting contracts, which reduced ongoing cash expenditure and streamlined decision-making. The Company continues to focus on its previously announced evaluation of strategic alternatives with a focus on maximizing value for all shareholders. These alternatives could include acquisitions, divestments, corporate transactions, financings, other strategic partnership opportunities or continuing to operate as a public company.

    The Company’s carbon credit streaming agreements are structured to retain a portion of the cash flows from carbon credit sales, with stream-specific retention varying. Project partners typically receive the balance through ongoing delivery payments under the terms of each agreement. Cash flows are subject to fluctuations based on realized carbon credit prices and agreement terms. As the Company continues to evaluate its strategic direction, it remains focused on optimizing portfolio economics and managing exposure to market volatility.

    Outlook

    Carbon Streaming continues to reposition itself for success and for maximizing shareholder value amid ongoing challenges. In May 2024, as part of its ongoing corporate restructuring first initiated in 2023, the Company announced changes to its senior management and Board after constructive discussions with certain shareholders. The Company continues to evaluate strategic alternatives for the business and remains focused on cash flow optimization through the reduction of operating expenses and a reassessment of its existing streams and royalties. Building on the previous measures implemented by the Company to reduce ongoing operating expenses, further steps have been taken in recent months, including significantly reducing employee headcount, renegotiating and amending vendor agreements to lower costs, eliminating cash-settled director’s fees to the Board and terminating certain consulting contracts. As the Company’s broader strategy continues to evolve, these recent steps are expected to result in significant reductions to annualized ongoing operating expenses when compared to 2024.

    While the Company aims to increase cash flow generation through the sale of carbon credits from several streaming agreements over the next year, there remains ongoing uncertainty regarding the evolving nature of carbon markets, including potential registry delays, project-specific issues, and methodology-related risks, in addition to impacts the industry may face as a result of general economic, political and regulatory conditions. In 2024, the Company has recognized a decrease in the fair values of the Rimba Raya Stream, the Magdalena Bay Blue Carbon Stream, the Sustainable Community Stream, and the Sheep Creek Reforestation Stream to $nil as a result of the failure of the respective projects to meet their obligations under the stream agreements and ongoing legal disputes. The Company is actively pursuing all available legal remedies to protect its investments and enforce its contractual rights. Given the multiple ongoing litigation matters, the outcomes remain uncertain and could materially impact the Company’s financial position and strategic direction. Please refer to the “Legal Proceedings” section of the Company’s most recently filed MD&A for further information.

    Given the evolving nature of carbon markets and ongoing legal considerations, Carbon Streaming is focussed on maximizing value from the existing portfolio of investments and pursuing all options to achieve that goal.

    For a comprehensive discussion of the risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could impact the Company’s strategy and outlook, including without limitation, changes in demand for carbon credits and Indonesian developments described herein, investors are urged to review the section of the Company’s most recently filed AIF entitled “Risk Factors” a copy of which is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

    2024 Results Conference Call Details

    The Company’s management team will host a conference call on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. ET to provide a brief company update. Participants may join by dialing +1 289-514-5100 or toll free from North America at +1 800-717-1738. A replay of the conference call will be available on the Company website until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 1, 2025.

    About Carbon Streaming

    Carbon Streaming’s focus is on projects that generate high-quality carbon credits and have a positive impact on the environment, local communities, and biodiversity, in addition to their carbon reduction or removal potential. This approach aligns our strategic interests with those of project partners to create long-term relationships built on a shared commitment to sustainability and accountability and positions us as a trusted source for buyers seeking high-quality carbon credits.

    ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY:
    Marin Katusa, Chief Executive Officer
    Tel: 365.607.6095
    info@carbonstreaming.com
    www.carbonstreaming.com

    Investor Relations
    investors@carbonstreaming.com

    Media
    media@carbonstreaming.com

    Non-IFRS Accounting Standards Measures

    Adjusted Net Loss and Adjusted Loss Per Share

    The term “adjusted net loss” in this news release is not a standardized financial measure under the IFRS Accounting Standards and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies where similar terminology is used. These non-IFRS Accounting Standards measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance, cash flows and financial position as prepared in accordance with the IFRS Accounting Standards. Management believes that these non-IFRS Accounting Standards measures, together with performance measures and measures prepared in accordance with the IFRS Accounting Standards, provide useful information to investors and shareholders in assessing the Company’s liquidity and overall performance.

    Adjusted net loss is calculated as net and comprehensive loss and adjusted for the revaluation of carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements, the revaluation of warrant liabilities, the impairment loss on early deposit interest receivable, the revaluation of derivative liabilities, the revaluation of the convertible note, the impairment loss on investment in associate, the gain on dissolution of associate, and the corporate restructuring which the Company views as having a significant non-cash or non-continuing impact on the Company’s net and comprehensive loss calculation and per share amounts. Adjusted net loss is used by the Company to monitor its results from operations for the period.

    The following table reconciles net and comprehensive (loss) income to adjusted net loss:

      Three months ended 
    December 31, 2024
    		   Three months ended 
    December 31, 2023
    		   Year ended
    December 31, 2024
    		   Year ended
    December 31, 2023
    		  
    Net loss and comprehensive loss $ (16,932)   $ (26,092)   $ (67,369)   $ (35,501)  
    Adjustment for non-continuing or non-cash settled items:        
    Revaluation of carbon credit streaming and royalty agreements   13,190     23,952     58,155     32,897  
    Revaluation of warrant liabilities   (43)     (79)     (642)     (6,530)  
    Impairment of early deposit interest receivable   –     –     307     –  
    Revaluation of derivative liabilities   –     –     (680)     (686)  
    Revaluation of Convertible Note   –     –     –     (558)  
    Revaluation of preferred shares   2,558     –     2,558     –  
    Impairment of investment in associate   –     –     –     1,044  
    Gain on dissolution of associate   –     –     (104)     –  
    Corporate restructuring   343     (6)     2,561     1,748  
    Adjusted net loss   (884)     (2,225)     (5,214)     (7,586)  
    Loss per share (Basic and Diluted) ($/share)   (0.32)     (0.55)     (1.34)     (0.75)  
    Adjusted net loss per share (Basic and Diluted) ($/share)   (0.02)     (0.05)     (0.10)     (0.16)  
                             

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

    This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, “forward-looking information”) within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, are forward-looking information, including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated impact of changes to the Company’s Board and management; the impact of the Company’s restructuring strategies, including evaluation of strategic alternatives; the ability of the Company to execute on expense reductions and savings from operating cost reduction measures; statements with respect to cash flow optimization and generation; its sales strategy; supporting the Company’s carbon streaming and royalty partners; timing and the amount of future carbon credit generation and emission reductions and removals from the Company’s existing streaming and royalty agreements; statements with respect to the projects in which the Company has streaming and royalty agreements in place; statements with respect to the Company’s growth objectives and potential and its position in the voluntary carbon markets; statements with respect to execution of the Company’s portfolio and partnership strategy; statements with respect to the ongoing legal process to protect the Company’s investment in the Rimba Raya project and to enforce its legal and contractual rights; statements ; and statements regarding the Company’s intention to strictly enforce its legal and contractual rights under the Sustainable Community Stream and the Magdalena Bay Blue Carbon Stream and the Sheep Creek Reforestation Stream.

    When used in this news release, words such as “estimates”, “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “will”, “believes”, “intends” “should”, “could”, “may” and other similar terminology are intended to identify such forward-looking information. This forward-looking information is based on the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. They should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be an accurate indication of whether or not such results will be achieved. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: general economic, market and business conditions and global financial conditions, including fluctuations in interest rates, foreign exchange rates and stock market volatility; volatility in prices of carbon credits and demand for carbon credits; change in social or political views towards climate change, carbon credits and environmental, social and governance initiatives and subsequent changes in corporate or government policies or regulations and associated changes in demand for carbon credits; the Company’s expectations and plans with respect to current litigation, arbitration and regulatory proceedings; limited operating history for the Company’s current strategy; concentration risk; inaccurate estimates of project value, which may impact the ability of the Company to execute on its growth and diversification strategy; dependence upon key management; impact of corporate restructurings; the inability of the Company to optimize cash flows or sufficiently reduce operating expenses; reputational risk; risks arising from competition and future acquisition activities failure or timing delays for projects to be registered, validated and ultimately developed and for emission reductions or removals to be verified and carbon credits issued (and other risks associated with carbon credits standards and registries); foreign operations and political risks including actions by governmental authorities, including changes in or to government regulation, taxation and carbon pricing initiatives; uncertainties and ongoing market developments surrounding the validation and verification requirements of the voluntary and/or compliance markets; due diligence risks, including failure of third parties’ reviews, reports and projections to be accurate; dependence on project partners, operators and owners, including failure by such counterparties to make payments or perform their operational or other obligations to the Company in compliance with the terms of contractual arrangements between the Company and such counterparties; failure of projects to generate carbon credits, or natural disasters such as flood or fire which could have a material adverse effect on the ability of any project to generate carbon credits; volatility in the market price of the Company’s common shares or warrants; the effect that the issuance of additional securities by the Company could have on the market price of the Company’s common shares or warrants; global health crises, such as pandemics and epidemics; and the other risks disclosed under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the Company’s Annual Information Form dated as of March 31, 2025 filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

    Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date of this news release. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: REMAINING THE REVEREND: Senator Reverend Warnock Discusses Faith in Lawmaking During Speech to Seminary Alma Mater

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    REMAINING THE REVEREND: Senator Reverend Warnock Discusses Faith in Lawmaking During Speech to Seminary Alma Mater

    Senator Reverend Warnock provided inspiration and a path forward for people of faith in this trying political in a speech to students, alumni of his alma mater, Union Theological Seminary
    Senator Reverend Warnock earned two Master’s Degrees and a Doctorate from Union Theological Seminary
    Senator Reverend Warnock’s remarks were given during Union Theological Seminary’s Faith and Public Policy Event
    Senator Reverend Warnock: “In this moment that feels empty and void, I want us to trust the promise. Habakkuk said, ‘there is a time, an appointed time, but at the end, it shall speak and not lie, though it tarries, wait for it, because it will surely come.’ So, let’s wait and work for the vision. God bless all you”
    Washington, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), provided guidance and inspiration to Union Theological Seminary students and alumni on navigating this political climate as a person of faith. The audience included students, religious leaders, nonprofit representatives and Reverend Dr. Serene Jones, the 16th President of the historic theological school.
    During the speech, which was given during the seminary’s Faith and Public Policy event, Senator Warnock highlighted the importance of his motto of “keeping the faith” during these unprecedented times.
    “I’m going to keep fighting the good fight, but I don’t want you to forget about your own power and the one who empowers you. Selma was about ordinary citizens creating the context for change,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “I’m not waiting on the midterms to get some change. I need some folk who are going to shake it up right now, and if ever, we needed voices of faith. We need those voices right now.”
    “In this moment that feels empty and void, I want us to trust the promise. Habakkuk said ‘There is a time, an appointed time, but at the end, it shall speak and not lie, though it tarries, wait for it, because it will surely come. So, let’s wait and work for the vision. God bless all you,” Senator Warnock concluded.
    Read the full transcript of Senator Reverend Warnock’s remarks below:
    “It’s wonderful to be here with men and women, people of faith, particularly at a time like this, it is impossible to overstate the importance of your witness at a time like this.
    “So, I got my start in the work of trying to live out what it means to be a person of faith engaged in the work of social change at Morehouse College and at Union Seminary. Morehouse, of course, the home of Martin Luther King, Jr. If you’ve ever been on that campus, there’s a statue of Dr. King standing in front of the King Chapel where we were required to go twice a week as freshmen – when I was there in the dark ages – that statue is Dr. King pointing with his finger, resolutely pointing into the future. And every time I passed that statue, I felt like Dr. King was pointing me somewhere, that I was there to get more than just an education, that my education needed to be for something.
    “Then I went to Union Seminary, a place that takes seriously the platform of a Palestinian Jewish rabbi who said, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, to center the work of the poor.’ And I had a great journey there. I went just to get an MDiv, ended up staying in New York for a decade, and the impact of that on my vision of the world, is again, difficult to overstate.
    “I had a running train between Union Seminary and Abyssinia Baptist Church, between Morningside Heights and Harlem, between Jerusalem and Athens, between ivory towers and ebony trenches, and the conversation between those two things is what I have tried to live out in all of my years and in all of my work in ministry.
    “James Cohen, who was my mentor and tormentor, would say ‘You’ve got to apply yourself. You’ve got to put your mind to the task. You’ve got to love Jesus with your mind!’ And it is that discipline that is also so deeply needed in this moment in which we are seeing a church that is allergic to critical reflection and self-awareness, which then allows it to stomach such deep contradictions to insist on putting the 10 Commandments in a church while refusing to stand up to provide lunch and breakfast to those kids in that very same school. If that’s your Christianity, you’re worshiping something other than Jesus.
    “So thank you, Union Seminary for being who you are, for doing the work that you are doing. I continue to fight for voting rights because as Serena said, democracy is a spiritual practice. It takes great faith to be a democracy, right? Because, let’s face it, the people can break your heart too. We’re fighting against despots, but it’s not like the people always get it right. But we’re on this journey because we do believe that our best chances are with each other. So, let’s stay on the journey. Let’s keep doing the work.
    “I was in Selma a few weeks ago to observe the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. I was there that Sunday morning preaching at the Tabernacle Church, one of the historic churches there that was at the center of that movement. And as I was preparing to preach and spend that day in Selma, I thought about a story that Reverend, Mayor, Ambassador, Andrew Young told me – the great thing about living in Atlanta is you literally walk among giants every day – Andy Young told me this story, he said that after they had passed the civil rights law in 1964 following that March on Washington, in ’63, Dr. King made his way to the White House to meet with President Johnson, and he said, ‘I’m glad we got that done, glad we passed civil rights law, but we need a voting rights law.’ LBJ said, ‘I agree with you, you’re right, but I can’t get that done right now. There’s no way I can get a voting rights law through the Congress. Martin, are you kidding? Do you know how much political capital I had to spend to get that civil rights law done? I had to get it through all the Dixiecrat all of the resistance. We got that done, and now you coming to me just a few months later saying, now you want a voting rights law. It’s not that I’m against it. I just don’t have the power to get that done. Certainly not right now.’
    “And so staff left feeling no doubt, all dejected. And someone turned to Dr. King and said, ‘Doc, what are we going to do now?’, – that’s how preachers talk to each other. He said, ‘Well, I guess we’re going to have to get the President some power.’
    “I love that story. A lowly Baptist preacher without office, position says regarding the most powerful man on the planet who said, I don’t have the power to do that right now, but this preacher, speaking from a different tradition and hearing the sound of a different drummer, hearing what Howard Thurman called the sound of the genuine, says ‘I guess we’re going to have to go and get the President some power’.
    “So I know that there are a lot of folk in this moment looking to those of us who are on Capitol Hill, saying, what are they going to do? I know there were frustrations around what happened with the CR, and trust me, that was a fierce debate.
    […]
    “Well, they’re looking at folks like us who are on Capitol Hill, and they’re like, ‘What are you going to do?’ And I want you to know that I’m committed. There are those of us who are committed. I’m going to keep fighting the good fight, but I don’t want you to forget about your own power and the One who empowers you. Selma was about ordinary citizens creating the context for change, and they went to Selma to give the President some power.
    “I’m not waiting on the midterms to get some change. That’s how politicians think, I need some folk who are going to shake it up right now, and if ever, we needed voices of faith. We need those voices right now.
    “They are busy trying to cut Medicaid by nearly a billion dollars. Two out of five children in Georgia count on Medicaid. I think one in 10 veterans in our country. A whole lot of people need Medicaid, and they’re looking to cut Medicaid, they’re cutting veterans, you name it, for the noble project of giving the wealthiest people in America a tax cut. And by the way, the folks will talk about the deficit and the debt and the need to deal with government waste, they’re blowing a hole in the debt! Do you understand that? Like they’re not going to even cut the debt, they’re going to add to the debt, in order to do it. If you’re going to add to the debt, you ought to at least do it to help some students, to help some workers, to help some senior citizens get health care. If you’re going to add to the debt, it ought to be for something noble and worthwhile. They’re adding to the debt to give the wealthiest people in the country a tax cut out of some theory that has long been disproven, of trickledown economics. I’ve been hearing that story since 1980 and we still waiting on it to trickle down.
    “So, we need your voice, and your voice is [needed] now more than ever. And if you make some noise in the streets, there’ll be those of us who’ll be fighting in the suites, and I’m still not above getting arrested. I moved from being agitator to being a legislator, I get the write laws. Last time they were passing their last reconciliation bill during the Trump first administration, I was out there in the rotunda of the Capitol standing up with the clergy, and they were passing the $2 trillion tax cut then, and I got arrested that day, and what they didn’t understand was that I had already been arrested. I’ve been arrested before. I got arrested, first time as a student at Union. That’s what Union teaches you, but in a real sense, my spirit and my soul has been arrested by a vision, and that was in 2017, I had no idea that four years later, the same Capitol Police that arrested me, would escort me to my office or to my next meeting.
    “So keep the faith. Let me close in this way. Nobody believes a preacher when he says, ‘As I close.’ But I woke up this morning and because I lead a prayer call every Tuesday morning at 7:14 AM, Second Chronicles 7:14. ‘Is my people who are called by my name.’ I woke up this morning and for my own time of devotion, I said, let me see what the lectionary reading is this morning. And I pulled up the lectionary reading, and it was the reading in the Gospel of Luke, where the angel Gabriel comes to tell Mary that […] she’s about to experience a holy hijacking. That God is getting ready to disrupt her life in an unimaginable way, that a baby is to be born, and that the promise is going to come through her.
    “[…] Because I didn’t grow up in high church traditions, felt a little bizarre to me to be reading that passage at this time. I grew up in Pentecostal and Baptist circles. When I’m hearing this, the reading about Gabriel coming to Mary, I’m expecting to hear some Christmas carols in the background. I’m expecting to see some lights and some trees. But you all know, you always I’m talking to clergies today. Today is the Annunciation, March 25, nine months before the birth, the angel comes and speaks to Mary about that for which there is little or no evidence.
    “And so, in this moment that feels empty and void, I want us to trust the promise. Habakkuk said ‘There is a time, an appointed time, but at the end, it shall speak and not lie, though it tarries, wait for it, because it will surely come.’ So, let’s wait and work for the vision. God bless all of you.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Brookfield Business Corporation Completes 2024 Annual Filings

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BROOKFIELD, NEWS, March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Brookfield Business Corporation (NYSE, TSX: BBUC) today announced that it has filed its 2024 annual report on Form 20-F, including its audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024, with the SEC on EDGAR as well as with the Canadian securities authorities on SEDAR+. These documents are also available on our website at https://bbu.brookfield.com/bbuc in the Reports & Filings section and a hard copy will be provided to shareholders free of charge upon request.

    Brookfield Business Partners is a global business services and industrials company focused on owning and operating high-quality businesses that provide essential products and services and benefit from a strong competitive position. Investors have flexibility to invest in our company either through Brookfield Business Partners L.P. (NYSE: BBU; TSX: BBU.UN), a limited partnership or Brookfield Business Corporation (NYSE, TSX: BBUC), a corporation. For more information, please visit https://bbu.brookfield.com.

    Brookfield Business Partners is the flagship listed vehicle of Brookfield Asset Management’s Private Equity Group. Brookfield Asset Management is a leading global alternative asset manager with over $1 trillion of assets under management.

    Please note that Brookfield Business Corporation’s previous audited annual and unaudited quarterly reports have been filed on SEDAR+ and EDGAR, and are available at https://bbu.brookfield.com/bbuc under Reports & Filings. Hard copies of the annual and quarterly reports can be obtained free of charge upon request.

    For more information, please contact:

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sens. Markey and Capito, Reps. Cammack and Magaziner Reintroduce Legislation to Alleviate Administrative Burden for Caregivers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Family caregivers provide $600 billion in unpaid care every year
    Bill Text (PDF)
    Washington (March 31, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), and Representatives Seth Magaziner (RI-02), and Kat Cammack (FL-03) today reintroduced the Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers (ABC) Act, legislation that would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Social Security Administration (SSA), and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to review their eligibility, processes, procedures, forms, and communications to reduce the administrative burden on family caregivers. The legislation would then require CMS, SSA, and CHIP to report to Congress after two years about any issues they are facing and any next steps they are taking to support family caregivers.
    Family caregivers serve as a primary source of support for seniors and people with disabilities of all ages. In the United States alone, there are more than 48 million family caregivers. More than half of family caregivers act as an advocate for their loved one with care providers, community services, or government agencies. However, one in four family caregivers say they want help with forms, paperwork, and eligibility for services. Many report competing responsibilities while experiencing serious emotional, physical, and finance challenges.
    “Caregivers, like my father was, serve on the frontlines of our nation’s health care system by giving our families and friends the care and support they need to remain in their homes and communities with their loved ones,” said Senator Markey. “But caregivers are struggling needlessly to navigate complex, burdensome, and stressful processes each and every day while also still managing day-to-day family and professional responsibilities. The Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act will help lift the weight off caregivers by clearing the red tape that so often gets in their way. I thank Senator Capito and Representatives Magaziner and Cammack for their partnership on this critical legislation.”
    “More than 1 in 4 Americans over 50 are now caregivers. I was one of these caregivers for my parents during their struggle with Alzheimer’s disease and know personally how hard it can be to balance all of the responsibilities put on individuals caring for their loved ones,” Senator Capito said. “One of the most common frustrations I hear from caregivers in West Virginia is how difficult it is to navigate federal processes and procedures. The Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act would attempt to ease this often-stressful time by requiring federal agencies, such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Social Security Administration, to review their processes, procedures, forms, and communications to reduce the administrative burden on family caregivers.”
    “Family caregivers have a lot on their plates, devoting their lives to support others,” said Representative Magaziner. “They shouldn’t have to struggle with confusing paperwork and delays on top of their essential work. The bipartisan ABC Act will make it easier for families to get the support they need so caregivers can focus on what matters most — caring for their loved ones.”
    “America’s family caregivers work around-the-clock to provide essential care for their loved ones, and over half act as advocates on behalf of their family members. The last thing these caregivers need is more red tape that distracts from their support for those in their care,” said Representative Cammack. “I’m honored to introduce this bipartisan and bicameral ABC Act with my colleagues to lower the burden around the important medical decisions caregivers must make every day. Together we can support the 48 million caregivers that make up a critical part of our health care landscape in the U.S.”
    Cosponsors in the Senate include John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.).
    Cosponsors in the House include Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Nick Langworthy (NY-23), Sharice Davids (KS-03), Rob Wittman (VA-01), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Jen Kiggans (VA-02), Jared Golden (ME-02), Greg Steube (FL-17), Deborah Ross (NC-02), August Pfluger (TX-11), Ed Case (HI-01), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Darren Soto (FL-09), and Vern Buchanan (FL-16).
    The ABC Act is endorsed by: AARP, ADA Watch/Coalition for Disability Rights & Justice, Aging Life Care Association, Alliance for Aging Research, Alliance for Retired Americans, Allies for Independence, ALS Association, Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, American Academy of Nursing, American Association on Health and Disability, American Heart Association, American Network of Community Organizations and Resources (ANCOR), American Psychological Association Services, American Society for Transportation and Cellular Therapy, American Society on Aging, Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Autism Society of America, Autism Speaks, Caregiver Action Network, Caring Across Generations, Child Neurology Foundation, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), Diverse Elders Coalition, Elder Services of Berkshire County Inc., Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Family Caregiver Alliance, National Center on Caregiving, Fight Colorectal Cancer, Gerontological Society of America, Grayce, Greater Lynn Senior Services, Hispanic Federation, Huntington’s Disease Society of America, Japanese American Citizens League, Justice in Aging, Lakeshore Foundation, LeadingAge, LifePath, Lymphoma Research Foundation, Massachusetts Councils on Aging, Medical Alley, Mystic Valley Elder Services, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, National Adult Day Services Association, National Alliance on Caregiving, National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA), National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, National Council on Aging, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, National Disability Rights Network, National Down Syndrome Congress, National Federation of Filipino American Associations, National Fragile X Foundation, National Health Council, National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation, National Patient Advocate Foundation, National Respite Coalition, NMDP, OCA- Asian Pacific American Advocates, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, Senior Connection, Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services, Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC), Speak Foundation, the Arc of the United States, The ERISA Industry Committee, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Third Way, USAging, Village to Village Network, and Well Spouse Association.
    “Family caregivers are the backbone of our nation’s long-term care system, and they are overwhelmed managing their loved ones’ care,” said AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer Nancy LeaMond. “This bill would help alleviate bureaucratic red tape for family caregivers. AARP urges Congress to swiftly pass this important legislation.”
    “Millions of Americans struggle to care for loved ones while also navigating the red tape of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. The Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers (ABC) Act will cut through that red tape, making it easier for families to access these vital programs. This means caregivers can spend less time fighting paperwork and more time providing essential care and taking care of themselves,” said Jason Resendez, President & CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving.
    “Family caregivers provide over $600 billion in care each year, greatly benefiting the system and the person needing care, but are overburdened by navigating the health care system and all the paperwork that comes with it. Simplifying these processes improve the caregiver’s well-being, allow them more quality time with the person they care for, and could improve coordination with health and benefits systems,” said Christina Irving, Client Services Director at Family Caregiver Alliance.
    “Caregiver Action Network (CAN) strongly supports the Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act. CAN’s mission is to improve the quality of life for tens of millions of family caregivers, and this Act could help reduce their stress by making it easier to access the resources and information they need while caring for their loved ones,” said Marvell Adams Jr., CEO of Caregiver Action Network.
    “USAging is proud to support the Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act, a vital step in recognizing the selfless contributions of caregivers by addressing the challenges they face when providing care to their loved ones. This bill will help reduce stress and time spent helping loved ones access important benefits, supporting the overall well-being of caregivers. With the numbers of older Americans rising at a historic rate, family caregivers need more support, and they need it now,” said Sandy Markwood, CEO of USAging.
    “As an organization founded by a family caregiver, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) is pleased to support the Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act. Caring for a loved one with dementia is a 24/7 responsibility, and it becomes even more stressful trying to navigate the complexities of accessing benefits. Cutting administrative red tape and making it easier for caregivers to connect with programs, services, and assistance would alleviate a major stressor and expedite vital support to caregivers. AFA is grateful to Sen. Markey, Sen. Capito, Rep. Cammack, Rep. Magaziner, and all who support this legislation in Congress for working together to help family caregivers,” said Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr., President & CEO of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.
    “Caregivers of the Autism community frequently reach out to the Autism Society’s helpline, citing the complex navigation of critical services like Medicaid and Social Security as major obstacles to receiving care. The ABC Act would reduce this burden, allowing caregivers to focus on what matters most — supporting their loved ones,” said Christopher Banks, President and CEO of the Autism Society of America.
    “Helping older adults understand and complete documents for caregiver support is not only the right thing to do from a community perspective, but it is also significantly more cost-effective. Leveraging caregiver support avoids or delays more expensive long-term care options, such as nursing homes or assisted living facilities,” said Bill Zagorski, Board Chair for the National Adult Day Services Association. “Moreover, Adult Day Services play a significant role to caregivers. It assists with access to and reduces barriers to these vital programs as well as providing caregiver respite in order to allow aging adults, seniors and individuals with cognitive, physical, intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to age in place in their communities.”
    “Caregivers are the true backbone of our nation, offering unwavering support to those in need and often sacrificing their own well-being in the process. By supporting caregivers through this act, we are taking a vital step toward providing the long-overdue assistance they so desperately need. This legislation will help to alleviate the administrative burdens that many caregivers face on a daily basis, making their challenging roles more manageable. By reducing the overwhelming paperwork, navigating complex systems, and offering additional resources, we can ensure caregivers are able to focus more on the well-being of their loved ones, while receiving the support they need. This step is essential in recognizing and honoring the incredible work that caregivers do and ensuring they are equipped with the tools necessary to continue providing care with dignity and compassion,” said Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Connell, Executive Director of Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging (MCOA).
    In July 2024, Senator Markey celebrated the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee passage of his caregiving and Alzheimer’s provisions in the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2024. Earlier that month, Senator Markey announced his “Caring for Caregivers” agenda, a comprehensive legislative agenda which calls for the economic security, support and resources, and protection and promotion of family caregivers and their loved ones’ health and wellbeing. In June 2024, Senator Markey introduced the Elder Pride Act, legislation to establish an Office of LGBTQI Inclusion within the Department of Health and Human Services to advocate, coordinate activities, recommend policies for, and collect data on LGBTQI+ older adults.

    MIL OSI USA News –