Latest news with #DCO
Express Tribune
13-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Punjab held back Rs2b sugarcane fund
An audit report has revealed that Punjab's finance department did not release over Rs2 billion fund earmarked for the development of sugarcane sector in the last provincial budget in violation of the Punjab Sugarcane (Development) Cess Rules, 1964. As per the rules, a fund — the Sugarcane Development Fund — is created in each district of the province. The fund of each district is operated by the concerned DCO. The Finance Department releases funds to the respective DCO after deduction of 10% of the total collection of the cess for the Sugarcane Research and Development Board and deduction of 2% collection charges. According to the Auditor General of Pakistan report, it transpired during the audit of the finance department's civil accounts of June, 2023 that there existed a liability of Rs20,335,026,047 under "G-11212-Deposits on Sugarcane Development Cess Fund". "The Cane Commissioner of Punjab had deposited an amount of Rs5,090,152,163 in Account-I for the purpose of subsequent distribution of funds. "Although the Finance Department had not released the authority for payment, the DAO Faisalabad and Vehari made payments of 55,286,766 and Rs. 28,682,577 respectively." Additionally, 2% collection charges were also not incorporated in the budget. The auditor said it is of the view that lapse occurred due to weak administrative and financial controls. It said the matter was further reported to the Administrative Department and during a departmental account committee (DAC) meeting held on January 30, 2025, it was decided that the para should be kept pending until the SOPS/policy are formulated in consultation with stakeholders. "As regards the remaining paras, neither any reply was received nor a DAC meeting convened till the finalization of this report despite issuance of reminders in November and December 2024." The audit recommended proper allocation and utilization of the Sugarcane Development Cess Fund, in accordance with the specified rules. "[These allocations and utilizations] are imperative to ensure the intended developmental projects are carried out efficiently and transparently," it added.
Business Wire
10-06-2025
- Business Wire
OpenVPN DCO Added to Linux Kernel for Built-In Speed and Security
PLEASANTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OpenVPN announced today that Data Channel Offload (DCO) has been officially green-lit for inclusion in the Linux kernel and will be part of the official distribution starting with version 6.16. This always-on kernel module named 'ovpn' was designed to deliver faster speeds without negatively impacting security, and is part of OpenVPN's mission to make Zero Trust VPN a reality for any business, regardless of size. 'After thorough review by the Linux community, maintainers, and experts, DCO is now included in the mainline kernel, which results in higher code quality, better security, and more robust implementation." Share OpenVPN DCO implements the Linux kernel module which handles the OpenVPN data channel. As such, OpenVPN no longer sends data traffic between the user and kernel space for routing and encryption/decryption. Operations on payloads take place in the Linux kernel, optimizing performance, reducing latency, and cutting the cost of the payload transfer between user and kernel space. Additionally, DCO operation is multi-threaded. Multi-threading is the process of splitting up tasks or jobs into smaller units and assigning them to different CPUs. This improves speed and performance up to 300% when compared with configurations not using DCO. 'OpenVPN DCO gives businesses superior performance, flexibility, and security,' said Francis Dinha, OpenVPN CEO. 'After thorough review by the Linux community, maintainers, and experts, DCO is now included in the mainline kernel, which results in higher code quality, better security, and more robust implementation. Users of OpenVPN can now enjoy broad adoption and know that DCO will automatically benefit from ongoing kernel updates, including bug fixes, security patches, and support for new features.' Linux networking tree (or netdev) maintainers accepted OpenVPN DCO for inclusion on April 17, 2025 as part of a patch set submission, resulting in OpenVPN DCO code being included in the Linux kernel itself from version 6.16 onwards — it will now be present by default. This means everyone will experience the performance boost of DCO without the need to install external components. Additionally, embedded devices like router platforms and development boards that run on Linux will have OpenVPN DCO — ensuring fast performance for years to come. 'Whether your company needs a self-hosted solution like Access Server or a cloud-delivered offering like CloudConnexa, OpenVPN products feature the battle-tested security that businesses of all sizes have relied on for over 20 years,' said Dinha. 'The integration directly within Linux ensures speed and performance remain obtainable for businesses without extra steps, keeping productivity and security for all at the forefront.' To learn more about OpenVPN DCO, visit About OpenVPN OpenVPN's network security solutions provide scalable, secure remote access as a Zero Trust VPN — giving complete freedom to your employees to work outside the office while securely accessing SaaS platforms, the web, and private company resources. OpenVPN's self-hosted VPN, Access Server, and cloud-delivered CloudConnexa are built on the high-performance, trusted open-source OpenVPN protocol. With over 60 million downloads and nearly 20,000 business customers, OpenVPN products connect your team and resources with security, speed, simplicity.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How drones & AI are changing the defense sector & warfare
The growing frequency of wartime drone attacks is causing a shift in the nature of both the defense sector and modern warfare. Tony Bancroft, Gabelli Funds portfolio manager, joins Asking for a Trend with Josh Lipton to discuss the outlook for the use of drone technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation in warfare. Bancroft also shares some of his top stock picks in the defense sector, including parts-makers like Textron (TXT), Honeywell (HON), L3Harris (LHX), and Ducommun (DCO). To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Asking for a Trend here. There's a shift on the horizon in modern warfare. Ukraine recently dealt a blow to several Russian air bases with the use of drone attacks. As of February 2025, tactical unmanned aerial vehicles account for 60 to 70% of damaged and destroyed Russian systems. That's according to the Royal United Services Institute. For more on the changes to modern warfare and ripple effects for the defense sector, we have Gubelli Funds portfolio manager Tony Bancroft. Tony, it is always good to see you and the reason, of course, Tony, you are the perfect guest for this segment, is not only are you well-known analyst, you are in fact Lieutenant Colonel, uh, Tony Bancroft, United States Marine Corps. So, we we are lucky to have you. And I want to start, Tony, with those reports we saw, uh, Ukraine's really unprecedented drone operation striking deep inside Russian territory. When you saw that, Tony, when you saw those reports, what was your reaction? Thanks, Josh. Always great to be back. And you know, I think, you know, Ukraine, uh, one-upped, um, Israel on on next, uh, next level next generation, uh, warfare and you know, the US Department of Defense has taken notes, uh, and this is how things are going to be going, uh, going forward. Uh, you're going to see a lot of, uh, asymmetric warfare, obviously a lot of use of of drones and and, uh, you know, artificial intelligence and, um, cyber, you know, cyber attacks, uh, you name it. Uh, however you can imagine it is going to be how it's going to be done. And you know, that was just sort of a case in point the fact that, you know, 117, you know, how many or $1,000 drones took out a third of the, uh, third, second or third largest air forces' um, uh, strategic bomber capability is is legitimate. So, you're going to see drones, you know, be be a lot of DOD and European spending going forward. I think right now it's about 15 billion in the US DOD budget, um, and it's probably going to go to 25 billion as expected about by 2030 and and doubling that almost in 2035. So I think we we we like the industry, we like the, uh, companies that are going to supply parts to them and, uh, we're we're definitely, you know, bullish on it. What are some of those companies, Tony? Yeah, you know, we we sort of like the the parts maker. I mean, you know, I know there's a lot of drone suppliers out there but, uh, you know, companies like, um, Textron and Honeywell and L3 Harris, um, Ducommun, uh, all make, you know, all sort of make these parts that go into all these, you know, these systems that are obviously, you know, they're pretty, you know, they're pretty, uh, intricate, uh, high technology systems that need certain structures and certain, uh, electronics in them and we sort of like those those guys. And they're diversified as well because they're on multiple programs and they're also on the commercial side. And, uh, they're they're good cash flow businesses with, you know, long secular tailwinds. I have to ask you a broader question, maybe, you know, as as you talk about how you you think maybe the the future battlefield changes and yes, it'll still involve tanks and fighter jets and battleships that more increasingly rely on AI and autonomous systems. Is the US well prepared for that shift, Tony, in your opinion? You know, I think they are. I think the US is actually, um, I I I I I think sometimes, you know, the the narrative is that the US is is fighting the last battle and and and and it's somewhat true. And that's somewhat true always when you talk about, you know, warfare. I'm sure all the way back to to Sun Tzu and and you name it. Uh, but the US is pretty capable and the weapon systems we have are are are lethal and you know, we're still by far the largest drone builder in the world. I mean there's, you know, as far as for military drones. Um, you know, uh, the US is is the most dominant. Always have been and I think will we will continue to be. And we'll we'll we'll sort of we'll pair that with, uh, you know, with our with our manned systems that are able to control it. You know, a lot of this is going to come down to as as we go further into it, you know, who is going to be able to essentially out hack who or who is going to be able to jam out jam who. And at some point you're probably going to need, you are going to need some type of, uh, manned manned system that can be closest, you know, the node they would they would call it, be closest to, uh, you know, the the autonomous systems or or things that are are capable of being jammed. And you're you're going to need the systems that the US has like the F-35 along with our, you know, the collaborative, uh, collaborative combat aircraft and other and other systems. There's a lot that we have and our long-range fires are by far dominant, you know, when when it comes to, um, being able to reach out and touch somebody. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How drones & AI are changing the defense sector & warfare
The growing frequency of wartime drone attacks is causing a shift in the nature of both the defense sector and modern warfare. Tony Bancroft, Gabelli Funds portfolio manager, joins Asking for a Trend with Josh Lipton to discuss the outlook for the use of drone technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation in warfare. Bancroft also shares some of his top stock picks in the defense sector, including parts-makers like Textron (TXT), Honeywell (HON), L3Harris (LHX), and Ducommun (DCO). To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Asking for a Trend here. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Iraqi News
03-06-2025
- Business
- Iraqi News
Iraq to set up AI data center to support Arab countries
Baghdad ( – Iraq is working to establish an artificial intelligence center in Baghdad as part of a project serving Arab countries. The Prime Minister's Advisor for Artificial Intelligence Affairs, Diaa Al-Jumaili, revealed on Tuesday that the technical and organizational steps have already started and that a meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, will be held soon to finalize all of the discussions, as Iraq will be required to lay the groundwork for the center, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA). The step follows the approval of the Iraqi Prime Minister and Arab leaders during the Arab Summit held recently in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, according to Al-Jumaili. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) previously said that Iraq's digital transformation is critical to the country's digital business and artificial intelligence strategy. During his meeting last November with Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), Al-Sudani stressed that the government has included digital transformation into its economic and administrative reforms, as well as electronic payments. Al-Sudani emphasized the government's potential to make a big change in this area, as well as its willingness to collaborate with the DCO on initiatives that benefit Iraq and the region in the context of digital transformation and artificial intelligence. In March, Ali Al-Alaq, governor of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), disclosed that the government is working on a comprehensive digital transformation strategy. In a statement to INA, Al-Alaq highlighted that the government is following a plan aimed at transitioning to digital governance. He stated that Iraqi ministries would take a leading role since steps have already been taken, initiatives have been implemented, and a data center has been constructed.
