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  • MIL-OSI Security: Miske Enterprise Member Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy, Robbery, and Drug Trafficking

    Source: US FBI

    HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Lance L. Bermudez, 34, of Honolulu, Hawaii was sentenced yesterday in federal court by U.S. District Chief Judge Derrick K. Watson to 360 months of imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, racketeering conspiracy, and Hobbs Act Robbery. Bermudez is the last defendant to be sentenced for his role in the Miske Enterprise.

    As part of his 2022 plea agreement, Bermudez admitted that he and other members of the Enterprise participated in a murder-for-hire conspiracy with codefendant Michael J. Miske and other Enterprise members. Miske put a murder contract out on an individual he believed was cooperating with law enforcement. Bermudez agreed to commit the murder for $60,000 and laid in wait outside of the victim’s home on multiple occasions, waiting for the right opportunity to kill the victim. The murder did not ultimately occur because Miske eventually rescinded the contract. Bermudez also admitted to taking part in multiple attempted murders where he shot victims from his vehicle. Further, Bermudez admitted to burning a van at Miske’s direction that Bermudez later discovered was utilized in the abduction and murder of 21-year-old Johnathan Fraser. Bermudez also admitted to committing several armed robberies of Honolulu area drug dealers and then selling the stolen drugs to others in the community.

    Bermudez was charged alongside twelve other defendants, all of whom pled guilty except for Michael J. Miske who proceeded to trial and was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy, murder, and 11 other felony charges on July 18, 2024.

    Seven other members and associates of the Miske Enterprise pled guilty to various offenses in related cases.

    “You terrorized this city and this county to a greater extent than anyone I can remember,” Judge Watson advised Bermudez during today’s sentencing before reciting the litany of racketeering acts for which the Court found Bermudez responsible.  Judge Watson called out the “brazenness” and “unprecedented” nature of Bermudez’s acts of violence, noting that he had never seen the same level of violence even collectively among multiple coconspirators that here was attributed solely to Bermudez.

    “For his grisly work in pummeling victims with his fists, Lance Bermudez was coined with the nickname, ‘The Hammah.’  Yesterday, Bermudez was at the business end of the federal justice hammer as U.S. District Chief Judge Derrick Watson sentenced him to a lengthy 30-year sentence for his violent role in promoting the nefarious and illicit activities of the Miske organization.  Bermudez’s sentence is the final one to be handed down against the members of the Miske Enterprise and is the capstone of our investigation into the violent and corrupt activities of Michael Miske and his henchmen,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson.  “Our decade-long effort with our outstanding law enforcement partners has now resulted in the federal convictions of 20 Miske confederates who now can no longer victimize Hawaii’s citizens and communities.  While the work against the Miske Enterprise is done, the people of Hawaii can rest assured that the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii and our dedicated and resolute law enforcement partners at the Honolulu Division of the FBI, Internal Revenue Service, and Homeland Security Investigations, among others, will continue to tirelessly hunt down and prosecute those who operate violent criminal enterprises in our state and endanger our citizens.”

    “Mr. Bermudez was a key member of the Miske Enterprise, actively participating in a longstanding pattern of violence and racketeering activity involving murder-for-hire, armed robbery, and drug trafficking,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter.  “This sentencing reflects years of collaboration between FBI Honolulu and our law enforcement partners.  The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to dismantle violent criminal enterprises, hold their members accountable, and pursue justice for victims.” 

    “Mr. Bermudez’s account of attempted murder-for-hire reminds us that even the worst crimes have a price,” said Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office. “IRS-CI follows the money to uproot organizations that profit from violence.”

    “Today’s sentencing marks a significant step towards justice for the victims and the community terrorized by the Miske Enterprise.  The severity of the crimes committed by Lance L. Bermudez underscores the necessity of our relentless collaborative efforts to dismantle such criminal organizations and ensure the safety and security of our citizens,” said Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas.  “We remain steadfast in our commitment to holding accountable those who engage in such egregious acts of violence and criminal conduct.”

    This prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Honolulu Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, the Cybercrime Lab of the Department of Justice Criminal Division Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center, the Honolulu Fire Department, the Hawaii National Guard, 93rd Civil Support Team, the Office of Investigations–Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Inciong, Michael Nammar, KeAupuni Akina, and Aislinn Affinito prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Staff Guidance Note on The Implementation of The IMF Strategy for Fragile and Conflict-Affected States (FCS)

    Source: International Monetary Fund

    Preview Citation

    Format: Chicago

    Staff Guidance Note on The Implementation of The IMF Strategy for Fragile and Conflict-Affected States (FCS), (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2023) accessed July 16, 2025

    Summary

    This note provides operational advice and information to help staff implement the IMF Strategy for Fragile and Conflict-Affected States (FCS) approved by the Executive Board on March 9, 2022. Topics covered include (i) the new IMF FCS classification methodology, which is aligned with that of the World Bank; (ii) the preparation of Country Engagement Strategies (CES) that will be rolled out across FCS to ensure that Fund engagement is appropriately tailored to country-specific manifestations of fragility and/or conflict; (iii) advice on tailoring the thematic focus of Article IV consultations and Fund analytics to FCS, as well as on the prioritization, design, and implementation of capacity development (CD) projects in fragile contexts; (iv) guidance on making full use of the flexibilities of the lending toolkit; (v) guidance on engaging in specific FCS situations, including building accountable institutions to exit fragility, cases of rising fragility risks, active conflict, post-conflict, and addressing the impact of external shocks and spillovers; and (v) strengthening partnerships with humanitarian, development, and peace actors, in accordance with the Fund’s mandate. Dedicated annexes provide additional information on the CES process, addressing good governance in FCS, program design, and country examples of Fund engagement in FCS.

    Subject: Monetary policy, Political economy

    Keywords: Absorptive capacity, Balance of payments, Capacity development, Conflict, Country engagement strategies, Fragile and conflict-affected states, Fragility, Governance, Inclusive growth, Macroeconomic policy, Partnerships, Political economy, Surveillance

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: DfE Update: 16 July 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Correspondence

    DfE Update: 16 July 2025

    Latest information and actions from the Department for Education about funding, assurance and resource management, for academies, local authorities and further education providers.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    DfE Update further education: 16 July 2025

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    DfE Update academies: 16 July 2025

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    DfE Update local authorities: 16 July 2025

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    Details

    Latest for further education

    Article Title
    Information How to report fraud or financial irregularity
    Information Apprenticeships technical funding guide 2025 to 2026
    Information Interactive post-16 school census tool
    Information Grant funding for the early career teacher entitlement (ECTE) year 2 time off timetable and mentor support: conditions of grant
    Information Early career training programme for mentors (ECTPM): conditions of grant for 2025 to 2026 academic year
    Information R10 in-year qualification achievement rates (QARs) 2024 to 2025
    Information Enter learning data
    Information FE senior pay approval
    Information Further education mastery specialists programme

    Latest information for academies

    Article Title
    Information Grant funding for the early career teacher entitlement (ECTE) year 2 time off timetable and mentor support: conditions of grant
    Information Early career training programme for mentors (ECTPM): conditions of grant for 2025 to 2026 academic year
    Information How to report fraud or financial irregularity
    Information Interactive post-16 school census tool
    Reminder Budget forecast return: update to guidance and reminder
    Events and webinars Financial Management Service comparison matrix

    Latest information for local authorities

    Article Title
    Information Grant funding for the early career teacher entitlement (ECTE) year 2 time off timetable and mentor support: conditions of grant
    Information Early career training programme for mentors (ECTPM): conditions of grant for 2025 to 2026 academic year
    Information How to report fraud or financial irregularity
    Information Apprenticeships technical funding guide 2025 to 2026
    Information Interactive post-16 school census tool
    Information R10 in-year qualification achievement rates (QARs) 2024 to 2025

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 July 2025

    Sign up for emails or print this page

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Minister Sidhu speaks with Philippines’ Secretary of Trade and Industry

    Source: Government of Canada News

    July 16, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

    Today, the Honourable Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, spoke with Cristina A. Roque, Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines.

    Minister Sidhu and Secretary Roque discussed the continued growth of the Canada-Philippines trade relationship, building on enduring people-to-people ties, as highlighted by the launch of a Vancouver-Manila Air Canada route in April 2025. They noted the importance of increasing opportunities and support to businesses and workers in the 2 countries and promoting free trade.

    The Minister and Secretary reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to accelerating the pace of negotiations for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Canada free trade agreement to make as much progress as possible this year. They also committed to advancing the exploratory discussions on a potential Canada-Philippines free trade agreement, with the hopes to begin negotiations soon.

    Associated links

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FDA to Revoke 52 Obsolete Standards of Identity for Food Products

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    For Immediate Release:
    July 16, 2025

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it is revoking, or proposing to revoke, 52 food standards after concluding they are obsolete and unnecessary. The 52 standards are for canned fruits and vegetables, dairy products, baked goods, macaroni products and other foods.
    Today’s actions are the first results from the agency’s ongoing analysis of its portfolio of over 250 food Standards of Identity (SOI) to make sure they are useful, relevant and serve consumers in the best possible way. The removal of these standards is in alignment with broader efforts to ensure that HHS is directing resources to where they’re most needed – delivering better outcomes for the American people.
    “I’m eliminating outdated food regulations that no longer serve the interests of American families,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “Today marks a crucial step in my drive to cut through bureaucratic red tape, increase transparency and remove regulations that have outlived their purpose.”
    The FDA began establishing food standards in 1939 to promote “honesty and fair dealing” and to ensure that the characteristics, ingredients and production processes of specific foods were consistent with what consumers expect. However, advances in food science, agriculture and production practices, and additional consumer protections have made many of these older, rigid “recipe standards” unnecessary.
    “The FDA’s Standards of Identity efforts have helped ensure uniformity, boost consumer confidence and prevent food fraud. But many of these standards have outlived their usefulness and may even stifle innovation in making food easier to produce or providing consumers healthier choices,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “Antiquated food standards are no longer serving to protect consumers. It is common sense to revoke them and move to a more judicious use of food standards and agency resources.”
    Today’s actions include publication of the following:

    A direct final rule revoking standards for 11 types of canned fruits and vegetables that are no longer sold in U.S. grocery stores, including seven standards for fruits artificially sweetened with saccharin or sodium saccharin. The agency is issuing a companion proposed rule in the same issue of the Federal Register in case the direct final rule is withdrawn because significant adverse comments are received, and the agency needs to move forward with a proposed rule to put these changes in place.
    A proposed rule that would revoke standards for 18 types of dairy products – including certain milk and cream products, cheeses and related cheese products and frozen desserts.
    A proposed rule that would revoke standards for 23 types of food products –including bakery products, macaroni and noodle products, canned fruit juices, fish and shellfish, and food dressings and flavorings.

    Many of the standards listed in the two proposed rules predate more recent consumer protections such as requirements about ingredient safety, ingredient labeling, food packaging, safe food production and manufacturing practices and nutrition labeling information and claims.
    On May 13, HHS and FDA issued a Request for Information to identify and eliminate outdated or unnecessary regulations. This initiative supports a broader federal effort to reduce regulatory burdens and increase transparency, in alignment with President Trump’s Executive Order 14192 “Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation.”
    Related Information

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    The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, radiation-emitting electronic products, and for regulating tobacco products.

    Content current as of:
    07/16/2025

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Helps Secure Over $200 Million from Gilead Sciences for Paying Illegal Kickbacks

    Source: US State of California Department of Justice

    California will receive more than $4 million from multistate settlement in principle

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined a coalition of 48 other attorneys general in securing $202 million from Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Gilead), for running an illegal kickback scheme to promote its HIV medications. Gilead allegedly violated federal law by illegally providing incentives – including awards, meals, and travel expenses – to healthcare providers to prescribe Gilead’s medications, resulting in millions of dollars of false claims submitted to government health care programs, including Medi-Cal. The settlement in principle, reached in coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice and approved by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, provides $49 million for Medicaid programs nationwide, including $4,118,184 for California, with the remainder going to Medicare, Tricare, and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).   

    “The best interests of patients must always come first,” said Attorney General Bonta. “At this time of unprecedented funding cuts to Medicaid, it is particularly important to protect the program from illegal kick-back schemes that harm the program and patients alike. Today’s settlement returns critical funding to our communities and programs like Medicaid that keep them healthy.” 

    From January 2011 to November 2017, Gilead allegedly violated federal anti-kickback laws by providing gifts to healthcare providers who attended and spoke at promotional speaker programs for Gilead’s HIV drugs: Stribild, Genvoya, Complera, Odefsey, Descovy, and Biktarvy. Gilead paid high-volume prescribers tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars to present as “HIV Speakers.” The company also covered travel expenses for speakers, including those traveling long distances and to attractive destinations, such as Hawaii, Miami, and New Orleans, and hosted dinners at high-end restaurants.

    Gilead’s internal compliance mechanisms failed to halt these violations. The company’s internal policies and procedures failed to prevent its sales representatives from improperly offering incentives to induce prescriptions.

    Joining Attorney General Bonta in securing settlements with Gilead are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

    The Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $69,244,976 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2025. The remaining 25 percent is funded by the State of California. FY 2025 is from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: South Bend Man Sentenced to 262 Months in Prison

    Source: US FBI

    SOUTH BEND – Yesterday, Quadir Quiroz, 20 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.

    Quiroz was sentenced to 216 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.

    According to documents in the case, Quiroz robbed a person at gunpoint and stole the person’s car. Ten days later, Quiroz robbed a gas station in South Bend.  During the robbery, Quiroz struck a gas-station employee in the head with his gun.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the South Bend Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joel Gabrielse.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ship Manager Pleads Guilty to Dumping Oily Waste into U.S. Waters Off Coast of New Orleans

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    Note: View factual basis here.

    Eagle Ship Management LLC (ESM), based in Stamford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty yesterday to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) by deliberately polluting U.S. waters off the coast of New Orleans from the M/V Gannet Bulker, a foreign-flagged bulk carrier. If approved by the court, ESM would pay a criminal fine of $1,750,000 and serve a four-year term of probation that includes external audits by an independent technical expert.

    The chief engineer of the Gannet Bulker was prosecuted in a separate case and sentenced to serve a year and a day in prison for his role in the discharge of oil and obstructing justice.

    The Coast Guard launched its investigation after a crew member sent a message via social media on March 14, 2021, indicating that the engine room had flooded and that the resulting oil-contaminated bilge waste had been deliberately pumped overboard at night. Flooded bilges can pose a serious threat to the safety of the ship and crew, including creating a risk of electrocution, loss of power, and inability to steer.

    At the time, the Gannet Bulker was at an anchorage near the Southwest Passage of the Port of New Orleans, near the mouth of the Mississippi River. According to court records, the intentional overboard oily discharge into U.S. waters involved approximately 39 cubic meters (approximately 10,303 gallons), and was done without the use of required pollution prevention equipment or required recordkeeping

    “The Department of Justice vigorously prosecutes violations of the laws that protect U.S. ports and waters,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “The criminal conduct involved here was serious, including intentional pollution and a deliberate coverup.”

    “Today’s announcement sends a clear message intended to deter deliberate pollution,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “This office will continue to work with our agency partners to enforce the laws that were designed to protect U.S. ports and waters.”

    “The United States Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Investigative Service remain steadfast in our commitment to enforcing maritime environmental laws to protect U.S. waters and ensure compliance with international regulations,” said Special Agent in Charge Damon J. Youmans of the Coast Guard Investigative Service’s Gulf Field Office. “We will continue to hold accountable those who violate these laws and endanger our marine environment.”

    In pleading guilty, ESM admitted that its crew engaged in a variety of obstructive acts to conceal the internal flooding that was caused by a botched repair. The obstructive acts included retaliation against the whistleblower whose identity was known. Senior ship officers and crew also lied to the Coast Guard and destroyed evidence including a printout from the engine control room computer that contained key information. Additionally, senior ship officers created false and backdated personnel evaluations intended to discredit the whistleblower.

    Sentencing has been scheduled for Oct. 16.

    The Coast Guard Criminal Investigations Division and the Coast Guard Heartland District investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Dall Kammer for the Eastern District of Louisiana and Senior Litigation Counsel Richard A. Udell of the ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: When big sports events expand, like FIFA’s 2026 World Cup matches across North America, their climate footprint expands too

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Brian P. McCullough, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Michigan

    Lionel Messi celebrates with fans after Argentina won the FIFA World Cup championship in 2022 in Qatar. Michael Regan-FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

    When the FIFA World Cup hits North America in June 2026, 48 teams and millions of soccer fans will be traveling to and from venues spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

    It’s a dramatic expansion – 16 more teams will be playing than in recent years, with a jump from 64 to 104 matches. The tournament is projected to bring in over US$10 billion in revenue. But the expansion will also mean a lot more travel and other activities that contribute to climate change.

    The environmental impacts of giant sporting events like the World Cup create a complex paradox for an industry grappling with its future in a warming world.

    A sustainability conundrum

    Sports are undeniably experiencing the effects of climate change. Rising global temperatures are putting athletes’ health at risk during summer heat waves and shortening winter sports seasons. Many of the 2026 World Cup venues often see heat waves in June and early July, when the tournament is scheduled.

    There is a divide over how sports should respond.

    Some athletes are speaking out for more sustainable choices and have called on lawmakers to take steps to limit climate-warming emissions. At the same time, the sport industry is growing and facing a constant push to increase revenue. The NCAA is also considering expanding its March Madness basketball tournaments from 68 teams currently to as many as 76.

    Park Yong-woo of team Al Ain from Abu Dhabi tries to cool off during a Club World Cup match on June 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C., which was in the midst of a heat wave. Some players have raised concerns about likely high temperatures during the 2026 World Cup, with matches scheduled June 11 to July 19.
    AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson

    Estimates for the 2026 World Cup show what large tournament expansions can mean for the climate. A report from Scientists for Global Responsibility estimates that the expanded World Cup could generate over 9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, nearly double the average of the past four World Cups.

    This massive increase – and the increase that would come if the NCAA basketball tournaments also expand – would primarily be driven by air travel as fans and players fly among event cities that are thousands of miles apart.

    A lot of money is at stake, but so is the climate

    Sports are big business, and adding more matches to events like the World Cup and NCAA tournaments will likely lead to larger media rights contracts and greater gate receipts from more fans attending the events, boosting revenues. These are powerful financial incentives.

    In the NCAA’s case, there is another reason to consider a larger tournament: The House v. NCAA settlement opened the door for college athletic departments to share revenue with athletes, which will significantly increase costs for many college programs. More teams would mean more television revenue and, crucially, more revenue to be distributed to member NCAA institutions and their athletic conferences.

    When climate promises become greenwashing

    The inherent conflict between maximizing profit through growth and minimizing environmental footprint presents a dilemma for sports.

    Several sport organizations have promised to reduce their impact on the climate, including signing up for initiatives like the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework.

    However, as sports tournaments and exhibition games expand, it can become increasingly hard for sports organizations to meet their climate commitments. In some cases, groups making sustainability commitments have been accused of greenwashing, suggesting the goals are more about public relations than making genuine, measurable changes.

    For example, FIFA’s early claims that it would hold a “fully carbon-neutral” World Cup in Qatar in 2022 were challenged by a group of European countries that accused soccer’s world governing body of underestimating emissions. The Swiss Fairness Commission, which monitors fairness in advertising, considered the complaints and determined that FIFA’s claims could not be substantiated.

    Alessandro Bastoni, of Inter Milan and Italy’s national team, prepares to board a flight from Milan to Rome with his team.
    Mattia Ozbot-Inter/Inter via Getty Images

    Aviation is often the biggest driver of emissions. A study that colleagues and I conducted on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament found about 80% of its emissions were connected to travel. And that was after the NCAA began using the pod system, which is designed to keep teams closer to home for the first and second rounds.

    Finding practical solutions

    Some academics, observing the rising emissions trend, have called for radical solutions like the end of commercialized sports or drastically limiting who can attend sporting events, with a focus on fans from the region.

    These solutions are frankly not practical, in my view, nor do they align with other positive developments. The growing popularity of women’s sports shows the challenge in limiting sports events – more games expands participation but adds to the industry’s overall footprint.

    Further compounding the challenges of reducing environmental impact is the amount of fan travel, which is outside the direct control of the sports organization or event organizers.

    Many fans will follow their teams long distances, especially for mega-events like the World Cup or the NCAA tournament. During the men’s World Cup in Russia in 2018, more than 840,000 fans traveled from other countries. The top countries by number of fans, after Russia, were China, the U.S., Mexico and Argentina.

    There is an argument that distributed sporting events like March Madness or the World Cup can be better in some ways for local environments because they don’t overwhelm a single city. However, merely spreading the impact does not necessarily reduce it, particularly when considering the effects on climate change.

    How fans can cut their environmental footprint

    Sport organizations and event planners can take steps to be more sustainable and also encourage more sustainable choices among fans. Fans can reduce their environmental impact in a variety of ways. For example:

    • Avoid taking airplanes for shorter distances, such as between FIFA venues in Philadelphia, New York and Boston, and carpool or take Amtrak instead. Planes can be more efficient for long distances, but air travel is still a major contributing factor to emissions.

    • While in a host city, use mass transit or rent electric vehicles or bicycles for local travel.

    • Consider sustainable accommodations, such as short-term rentals that might have a smaller environmental footprint than a hotel. Or stay at a certified green hotel that makes an effort to be more efficient in its use of water and energy.

    • Engage in sustainable pregame and postgame activities, such as choosing local, sustainable food options, and minimize waste.

    • You can also pay to offset carbon emissions for attending different sporting events, much like concertgoers do when they attend musical festivals. While critics question offsets’ true environmental benefit, they do represent people’s growing awareness of their environmental footprint.

    Through all these options, it’s clear that sports face a significant challenge in addressing their environmental impacts and encouraging fans to be more sustainable, while simultaneously trying to meet ambitious business and environmental targets.

    In my view, a sustainable path forward will require strategic, yet genuine, commitment by the sports industry and its fans, and a willingness to prioritize long-term planetary health alongside economic gains – balancing the sport and sustainability.

    Brian P. McCullough does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. When big sports events expand, like FIFA’s 2026 World Cup matches across North America, their climate footprint expands too – https://theconversation.com/when-big-sports-events-expand-like-fifas-2026-world-cup-matches-across-north-america-their-climate-footprint-expands-too-259437

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: The golden oyster mushroom craze unleashed an invasive species – and a worrying new study shows it’s harming native fungi

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Aishwarya Veerabahu, Ph.D. Candidate in Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison

    Golden oyster mushrooms can be cultivated, but they can also escape into the wild. DDukang/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    Golden oyster mushrooms, with their sunny yellow caps and nutty flavor, have become wildly popular for being healthy, delicious and easy to grow at home from mushroom kits.

    But this food craze has also unleashed an invasive species into the wild, and new research shows it’s pushing out native fungi.

    In a study we believe is the first of its kind, fellow mycologists and I demonstrate that an invasive fungus can cause environmental harm, just as invasive plants and animals can when they take over ecosystems.

    A scientist documents golden oyster mushrooms growing wild in a Wisconsin forest, where these invasive fungi don’t belong. DNA tests showed the species had pushed out other native fungi.
    Aishwarya Veerabahu

    Native mushrooms and other fungi are important for the health of many ecosystems. They break down dead wood and other plant material, helping it decay. They cycle nutrients such as carbon and nitrogen from the dead tissues of plants and animals, turning it into usable forms that enter the soil, atmosphere or their own bodies. Fungi also play a role in managing climate change by sequestering carbon in soil and mediating carbon emissions from soil and wood.

    Their symbiotic relationships with other organisms also help other organisms thrive. Mycorrhizal fungi on roots, for example, help plants absorb water and nutrients. And wood decay fungi help create wooded habitats for birds, mammals and plant seedlings.

    However, we found that invasive golden oyster mushrooms, a wood decay fungus, can threaten forests’ fungal biodiversity and harm the health of ecosystems that are already vulnerable to climate change and habitat destruction.

    The dark side of the mushroom trade

    Golden oyster mushrooms, native to Asia, were brought to North America around the early 2000s. They’re part of an international mushroom culinary craze that has been feeding into one of the world’s leading drivers of biodiversity loss: invasive species.

    As fungi are moved around the world in global trade, either intentionally as products, such as kits people buy for growing mushrooms at home, or unintentionally as microbial stowaways along with soil, plants, timber and even shipping pallets, they can establish themselves in new environments.

    Where golden oyster mushrooms, an invasive species in North America, have been reported in the wild, including in forests, parks and neighborhoods. Red dots indicate new reports each year. States in yellow have had a report at some point. Aishwarya Veerabahu

    Many mushroom species have been cultivated in North America for decades without becoming invasive species threats. However, golden oyster mushrooms have been different.

    No one knows exactly how golden oyster mushrooms escaped into the wild, whether from a grow kit, a commercial mushroom farm or outdoor logs inoculated with golden oysters – a home-cultivation technique where mushroom mycelium is placed into logs to colonize the wood and produce mushrooms.

    As grow kits increased in popularity, many people began buying golden oyster kits and watching them blossom into beautiful yellow mushrooms in their backyards. Their spores or composted kits could have spread into nearby forests.

    Evidence from a pioneering study by Andrea Reisdorf (née Bruce) suggests golden oyster mushrooms were introduced into the wild in multiple U.S. states around the early 2010s.

    Species the golden oysters pushed out

    In our study, designed by Michelle Jusino and Mark Banik, research scientists with the U.S. Forest Service, our team went into forests around Madison, Wisconsin, and drilled into dead trees to collect wood shavings containing the natural fungal community within each tree. Some of the trees had golden oyster mushrooms on them, and some did not.

    We then extracted DNA to identify and compare which fungi, and how many fungi, were in trees that had been invaded by golden oyster mushrooms compared with those that had not been.

    We were startled to find that trees with golden oyster mushrooms housed only half as many fungal species as trees without golden oyster mushrooms, sometimes even less. We also found that the composition of fungi in trees with golden oyster mushrooms was different from trees without golden oyster mushrooms.

    For example, the gentle green “mossy maze polypore” and the “elm oyster” mushroom were pushed out of trees invaded by golden oyster mushrooms.

    Mossy maze polypore growing on a stump. This is one of the native species that disappeared from trees when the golden oyster mushroom moved in.
    mauriziobiso/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    Another ousted fungus, Nemania serpens, is known for producing diverse arrays of chemicals that differ even between individuals of the same species. Fungi are sources of revolutionary medicines, including antibiotics like penicillin, cholesterol medication and organ transplant stabilizers. The value of undiscovered, potentially useful chemicals can be lost when invasive species push others out.

    The invasive species problem includes fungi

    Given what my colleagues and I discovered, we believe it is time to include invasive fungi in the global conversation about invasive species and examine their role as a cause of biodiversity loss.

    That conversation includes the idea of fungal “endemism” – that each place has a native fungal community that can be thrown out of balance. Native fungal communities tend to be diverse, having evolved together over thousands of years to coexist. Our research shows how invasive species can change the makeup of fungal communities by outcompeting native species, thus changing the fungal processes that have shaped native ecosystems.

    There are many other invasive fungi. For example, the deadly poisonous “death cap” Amanita phalloides and the “orange ping-pong bat” Favolaschia calocera are invasive in North America. The classic red and white “fly agaric” Amanita muscaria is native to North America but invasive elsewhere.

    The orange ping-pong bat mushroom is invasive in North America. These were photographed in New Zealand.
    Bernard Spragg. NZ/Flickr Creative Commons

    The golden oyster mushrooms’ invasion of North America should serve as a bright yellow warning that nonnative fungi are capable of rapid invasion and should be cultivated with caution, if at all.

    Golden oyster mushrooms are now recognized as invasive in Switzerland and can be found in forests in Italy, Hungary, Serbia and Germany. I have been hearing about people attempting to cultivate them around the world, including in Turkey, India, Ecuador, Kenya, Italy and Portugal. It’s possible that golden oyster mushrooms may not be able to establish invasive populations in some regions. Continued research will help us understand the full scope of impacts invasive fungi can have.

    What you can do to help

    Mushroom growers, businesses and foragers around the world may be asking themselves, “What can we do about it?”

    For the time being, I recommend that people consider refraining from using golden oyster mushroom grow kits to prevent any new introductions. For people who make a living selling these mushrooms, consider adding a note that this species is invasive and should be cultivated indoors and not composted.

    If you enjoy growing mushrooms at home, try cultivating safe, native species that you have collected in your region.

    Most mushrooms you see in the grocery store are grown indoors.

    There is no single right answer. In some places, golden oyster mushrooms are being cultivated as a food source for impoverished communities, for income, or to process agricultural waste and produce food at the same time. Positives like these will have to be considered alongside the mushrooms’ negative impacts when developing management plans or legislation.

    In the future, some ideas for solutions could involve sporeless strains of golden oysters for home kits that can’t spread, or a targeted mycovirus that could control the population. Increased awareness about responsible cultivation practices is important, because when invasive species move in and disrupt the native biodiversity, we all stand to lose the beautiful, colorful, weird fungi we see on walks in the forest.

    Aishwarya Veerabahu receives funding from UW-Madison Dept. of Botany, the UW Arboretum, the Society of Ecological Restoration, and the Garden Club of America. Aishwarya Veerabahu was an employee of the USDA Forest Service.

    – ref. The golden oyster mushroom craze unleashed an invasive species – and a worrying new study shows it’s harming native fungi – https://theconversation.com/the-golden-oyster-mushroom-craze-unleashed-an-invasive-species-and-a-worrying-new-study-shows-its-harming-native-fungi-259006

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Paolo Borsellino: the murder of an anti-mafia prosecutor and the enduring mystery of his missing red notebook

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Felia Allum, Professor of Comparative Organised Crime and Corruption, University of Bath

    It has been 33 years since anti-mafia prosecutor Paolo Borsellino was blown up by Cosa Nostra in front of his mother’s home in Palermo, Sicily. His death on July 19 1992 came 57 days after the murder of his colleague, Giovanni Falcone. This was the peak of Cosa Nostra’s attack on state representatives.

    A vital document was lost that day – a red notebook believed to have been in Borsellino’s work bag. This loss has hampered attempts to understand how deep into the Italian state Cosa Nostra’s activities run.

    The early 1990s were a turbulent time in Italy. The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 broke the Italian party system and wiped out the traditional political parties, which had been based around the opposing forces of the Christian Democrats (supported by the US and the Vatican) and the Communist party.

    The Christian Democrats, in power during the post-war period, had often protected Cosa Nostra. But losing power meant an inability to honour its “pact” with mafiosi. This led to the mafia attacking anyone who got in its way.

    Falcone and Borsellino, as anti-mafia prosecutors, had got under the skin of Cosa Nostra. Their work zoned in on its mentality and activities. They were the driving force behind the 1986 “maxi trial” that saw hundreds of mafiosi prosecuted. This was the first time important mafia bosses were imprisoned. Falcone and Borsellino had brought a new understanding to the internal workings of the mafia, including its links with politics and money laundering operations.

    The mafia was deploying terrorist tactics against state representatives and institutions in the early 1990s in what appears to have been an attempt to get the state to negotiate with it. Borsellino, it is believed, was investigating this when he was murdered.

    The red notebook

    Crucially, on the day Borsellino was murdered, his work bag, which contained his red notebook (“l’agenda rossa”) disappeared from the wreckage of his car.

    He carried his red notebook around with him everywhere, making copious notes of his investigations and ideas. Had it been recovered, l’agenda rossa could have revealed the possible links between state representatives (including with the police and judiciary), businessmen and Cosa Nostra.

    It could, in effect, have mapped out how and to what extent Cosa Nostra had infiltrated the Italian state and the nature of its relationships with the new political class, the business elite, freemasons and other covert actors.

    A photograph of a police officer walking off with what looks very much like the bag that presumably contained the notebook has circulated ever since. But this is where the trail ends. The bag – minus the notebook – was later found in the office of the head of the flying squad, with no explanation as to how and why it got there.

    The disappearance of the red notebook remains a persistent enigma – and one which continues to haunt contemporary Italy because of what it might suggest about the nation’s underworld and political class.

    This photo could even suggest that the goal of killing Borsellino was not just to eliminate a zealous public prosecutor but to remove a pantheon of knowledge about organised crime and its infiltration into the public realm as part of a more orchestrated plan.

    Then, in 1993, Cosa Nostra suddenly and inexplicably ceased its terrorist tactics against the state. It was as though a truce had been reached. Could this be the case?

    Many have speculated that there was a secret dialogue and a trattativa – a state-mafia negotiation entered and a deal struck between state representatives and Cosa Nostra leaders to stop the violence. In exchange for an end to the violence, it was suggested that state representatives promised softer anti-mafia laws. It’s possible that the disappearance of Borsellino’s red notebook could have been part of the deal.

    Interpreting history

    The history of these dynamics between state and the mafia has since been written and re-written, dividing Italians and mafia scholars.

    At the heart of all these disagreements lie two questions: was the notebook taken intentionally and why did Cosa Nostra stop its attacks on the state at the specific moment that it did?. The answer to these would essentially establish whether or not there was a negotiated peace between the mafia and the state.

    In 2014, high-profile politicians, police officers and mafiosi were put on trial, accused of playing a role and enabling these negotiations. This was, in effect, the Italian state putting itself on trial.

    Some legal experts and historians have argued that the theory of coordinated action by state representatives and mafiosi was always an absurd hypothesis. While there might have been some random informal contacts, they contest that there was never a formal pact. The end of Cosa Nostra‘s violence, they argue, was due to a combination of other factors, including greater enforcement of the law.

    Others argue that there is evidence of a pact. These include first-hand accounts from former criminals. But of course it is hard to make these stories stick because all evidence of a relationship of this kind would, by definition, be covert and off the books. As with many trials and in particular, mafia trials, there are no facts, just interpretations of facts.

    In 2018, some state representatives and mafiosi were found guilty. But in 2023, the Italian supreme court overturned the 2018 ruling and concluded that there was no pact and no state-mafia negotiation.

    All involved were cleared for different reasons as the court attempted to draw a line under the intrigue by articulating a clear position. But with the mafia, answers are rarely that simple. And history is not only written in the courtroom.

    Borsellino’s legacy is celebrated in Italy to this day – but the unresolved matter of his missing notebook haunts the country more profoundly. His bag – minus the notebook – has recently been put on show at the Italian senate to celebrate his life. The display is also a reminder of how much remains unresolved from that period.

    Felia Allum 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. Paolo Borsellino: the murder of an anti-mafia prosecutor and the enduring mystery of his missing red notebook – https://theconversation.com/paolo-borsellino-the-murder-of-an-anti-mafia-prosecutor-and-the-enduring-mystery-of-his-missing-red-notebook-259101

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Deluzio Fights Price Gouging, Secures Wins for Western PA in Annual Defense Bill

    Source: US Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) with colleagues on the powerful House Armed Services Committee, marked up the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)—the large, annual defense bill that creates the policies related to our armed services and other national security-related efforts. Congressman Deluzio voted for the measure, which passed out of committee by a vote of 55-2.

    “The United States faces tremendous strategic challenges across the globe, including the war in Ukraine, intensifying competition with Communist China, and instability in the Middle East. All this activity is stressing the highly consolidated defense industrial base,” said Congressman Deluzio. “For too long, our government has neglected America’s manufacturing competitiveness and power. We need stronger accountability, transparency, and competition in government contracting to beef up our defense industrial base and to protect public money. While not a perfect bill, the 2026 NDAA takes on many of these important issues and more, and that’s why I voted yes last night.”  

    Specifically, the NDAA included Congressman Deluzio’s amendment to fight defense industry price gouging by requiring defense contractors to report when their products under sole source contracts increase by more than 25% of the price specified in the contract bid, over 25% more than the price of the product the preceding year, or by 50% more than the government paid for the product at any time over the last five years.   

    During the NDAA markup, Congressman Deluzio successfully secured several important wins, including some that will specifically benefit the people and economy of Western Pennsylvania. 

    This legislation: 

    • Implements an assessment and evaluation of the use of inland waterways for national defense purposes, and an assessment of vulnerabilities in our Marine Transportation Systems and associated infrastructure.
    • Authorizes an additional two and a half million dollars in funding to improve long range precision fires technology. This kind of research is ongoing at Western Pennsylvania institutions like the University of Pittsburgh.
    • Requires a new report about the technology and disposal methods of Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). This is important because the Defense Department has previously considered incinerating PFAS “forever chemicals” in East Liverpool, Ohio—just across the border from Pennsylvania’s 17th District.
    • This year’s NDAA also includes the text of Congressman Deluzio’s bill, the Depot Investment Reform Act. This bill strengthens federal investment in military depots, including those in Pennsylvania, like the Letterkenny and Tobyhanna Army Depots.   

    Congressman Deluzio secured additional national priorities in this defense bill. This legislation:

    • Strengthens the “right to repair,” requiring contractors to give access to tools, parts, and information for major weapon systems so that our military and servicemembers can repair their own equipment.
    • Adjusts annual reporting on the U.S. Navy’s shipyard modernization efforts at the four public shipyards to include efforts related to the incorporation of digital hardware, software, and cloud storage.
    • Extends the number of days that national guardsmen can be activated by a governor of a state to respond to an emergency like a natural disaster from 3 to 14 days, with possible extensions of 7 and up to 46 days.
    • Requires a report on the Department of Defense’s efforts to incorporate artificial intelligence data centers on Department of Defense land. This report will analyze the risks, benefits, impacts, and footprint of those facilities.
    • Requires the Department of Defense to identify shortfalls and propose solutions for shortfalls of critical minerals and other materials in the National Defense Stockpile. This will better inform the United States’ current readiness and preparedness for any future conflict.
    • Fights consolidation in the defense industry by requiring the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate impacts of mergers and acquisitions on the defense industrial base and competition in the defense industry.
    • Requires that contractors who are negotiating sole-source contracts with the government provide timely and critical pricing data to the government. This will assist the military in getting the best deal for our servicemembers and will steward good use of American public dollars.
    • Requires the Department of Defense to assess the current competitive environment for contracts under $10 million. This will help the military and Congress assess whether recent policy changes have been effective in uplifting small businesses and growing the defense industrial base. 

    A full summary of the Fiscal Year 2026 NDAA as prepared by Democratic committee staff can be found here. 

    The NDAA now goes to the House Floor for a vote, and the final bill will be negotiated with the Senate. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Heinrich, Luján Demand Answers on Trump Admin Re-Adding Medical Debt onto Credit Reports

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Senator for New Mexico Ben Ray Luján

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Banking Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D- Mass.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and 24 other Senators in pushing the Trump administration for answers regarding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) decision to vacate the medical debt rule finalized in January 2025. The letter demands CFPB share any data the agency relied on in deciding to petition a court to vacate the rule and any communications it had with entities during the process that would profit from its decision.

    “On April 30, 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) asked a court to vacate the agency’s recently released rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports. We write to request the information you relied on in making that determination, including any communications with collection agencies that stand to profit from it,” the Senators said.

    “Medical debt collections information is often inaccurate, and studies show that it is not useful in determining a consumer’s ability to repay other debts…Almost half of all medical bills contain at least one error, and almost half of nonprofit hospitals have routinely and mistakenly billed patients who were eligible for free or discounted care,” they continued.

    At the conclusion of the letter, the Senators emphasize the need for transparency into the agency’s decision-making process.

    “On April 30, the CFPB filed a joint motion with the industry groups that oppose the rule, petitioning the court to vacate it – lining the pockets of corporations off the backs of American consumers. Given the substantial evidence that the CFPB’s rule was well-considered and would help consumers without reducing the accuracy of their credit scores, we write to request that the CFPB make public all information relied on by the agency in its decision to drop the rule, including any communications with the debt collection industry,” the Senators closed.

    Senator Luján has long worked to support Americans facing medical debt. In March 2024, Senator Luján called on CFPB Director Rohit Chopra to eliminate reporting of all medical debt in consumers’ credit reports. In November 2024, Senator Lujánintroduced the Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act to ease the burden on Americans forced into bankruptcy because of unforeseen medical expenses. Senator Luján continues to stand up in defense of New Mexicans by holding the CFPB under President Trump accountable.

    In addition to Senators Heinrich, Lujan, Warnock, Warren, Schumer, and Merkley, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Adam Schiff (D-CA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Angus King (I-ME), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).

    Read the full letter HERE, and the text is below

    Dear Acting Director Vought,

    On April 30, 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) asked a court to vacate the agency’s recently released rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports. We write to request the information you relied on in making that determination, including any communications with debt collection agencies that stand to profit from it.

    Medical debt collections information is often inaccurate, and studies show that it is not useful in determining a consumer’s ability to repay other debts. One major credit scoring company, VantageScore, has stopped using medical debt in its newer models entirely. Almost half of all medical bills contain at least one error, and almost half of nonprofit hospitals have routinely and mistakenly billed patients who were eligible for free or discounted care. People often receive collection notices for debts they did not owe, in the wrong amount, or that should have been covered by insurance—but still end up experiencing long-lasting damage to their credit scores.

    Listing medical debt on a person’s credit report drives down their credit score, which hurts their ability to purchase a car, buy a home or rent an apartment, get utility service, start a business, or access other banking services. This has profound effects on families that can last generations. To make matters worse, medical debt is the most common reason debt collectors contact consumers; the debt collection industry makes one-fourth of its annual revenue from health care debt. Including medical debt on credit reports makes consumers more vulnerable to predatory debt collection practices.

    Medical debt on credit reports also blocks working families from access to credit that they would be able to repay.The CFPB found that people who had all their medical debts completely removed from their credit reports experienced an average credit score increase of 20 points, in some cases elevating families into a higher credit score tier.

    In response to growing data that medical debt is not a good indicator of creditworthiness, states across the country have acted to ban the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports. And on January 7, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a final rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports. The rule would remove an estimated $49 billion in medical bills from the credit reports of 15 million Americans, prohibit credit reporting companies from sharing medical debt information with lenders, and bar lenders from considering medical debt in underwriting decisions. It was designed to help the millions of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet, by lowering costs and increasing access to affordable credit for working families without affecting the predictive value of their credit reports. The rule would also help reduce the effects of structural racism and other prejudices. People of color are disproportionately harmed by the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports. Meanwhile, adults with a disability and new moms are more than twice as likely to carry medical debt.

    Despite the critical importance of the medical debt rule, on April 30, the CFPB filed a joint motion with the industry groups that oppose the rule, petitioning the court to vacate it—lining the pockets of corporations off the backs of American consumers. Given the substantial evidence that the CFPB’s rule was well-considered and would help consumers without reducing the accuracy of their credit scores, we write to request that the CFPB make public all information relied on by the agency in its decision to drop the rule, including any communications with the debt collection industry, by July 28, 2025. We specifically request that CFPB publicly publish all data about how medical debt relates to key economic indicators, including:

    • Barriers to home and car ownership, including challenges getting loans or not being approved to rent or lease,
    • Paying higher premiums for auto, homeowner’s and other types of insurance,
    • Losing job opportunities as a result of credit reporting on background checks,
    • Obstacles to starting small businesses because of challenges with securing loans,
    • Paying more for everyday services such as household utilities or cell phone contracts

    We are particularly concerned about the outsize impact that medical debt has on the credit scores of seniors, veterans, new parents, people with disabilities, cancer patients and survivors, and small business owners.

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Passing of Jean-Pierre Azéma

    Source: Universities – Science Po in English

    It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Jean-Pierre Azéma, historian and professor at Sciences Po, who died on Monday, 14 July 2025, in his eighty-seventh year.

    Alongside Serge Berstein, Jean-Noël Jeanneney, Pierre Milza, and Michel Winock, Jean-Pierre Azéma was one of the founding members of the group of historians at Sciences Po who, under the benevolent guidance of René Rémond, brought together scholars of contemporary history with a particular focus on modern political developments.

    A specialist in the Second World War, the Occupation, the Resistance and the Vichy regime, he established himself from the 1970s onwards as one of France’s foremost experts on the period. He authored numerous landmark publications — including De Munich à la Libération, 1938–1944 (Seuil, 1979) and Jean Moulin: Le politique, le rebelle, le résistant (Perrin, 2003) — and contributed to major collective volumes such as Vichy et les Français (Fayard, 1992).

    After teaching in secondary education, notably at the Lycées Lakanal and Henri IV, Jean-Pierre Azéma joined Sciences Po in 1973 as an assistant professor. There, he rejoined Serge Berstein and Pierre Milza, who had arrived a few years earlier, and was later followed by his lifelong friend and former schoolmate Michel Winock. A few years later, he was promoted to full professor – among the very first in the field of history at Sciences Po.

    Over the course of thirty-five years, Jean-Pierre Azéma taught with unwavering dedication and intellectual rigour across all levels of instruction at Sciences Po. As lecturer of the first-year general history course, he trained and inspired generations of students in the “année préparatoire” (undergraduate programme), his deep erudition and colourful temperament leaving a lasting impression.

    He was also a key figure in Sciences Po’s graduate programme in history, mentoring numerous master’s and doctoral students with both generosity and high standards (among them Alya Aglan, Anne Simonin, Guillaume Piketty, and Florent Brayard).

    “In history, you need the real stuff,” (by which he meant sources), he would often remind his students, regardless of their level — as recalled by historian Nicolas Offenstadt, one of his former undergraduate and postgraduate students.

    A committed member of the academic community, Jean-Pierre Azéma also served the institution in other capacities. For over a decade, he co-chaired Sciences Po’s Joint Committee, a university body established in the wake of May 1968, bringing together faculty and students in equal numbers — the forerunner of today’s Student Life and Education Committee (CVEF). In this role, he played a vital part in mediating between interests, always with integrity and without demagoguery.

    Beyond Sciences Po, his scholarly reputation led to frequent public engagement. He was notably cited by the civil parties during the Maurice Papon trial. He also brought historical insight to wider audiences through his contributions to L’Histoire magazine, his collaboration with Claude Chabrol on the documentary L’œil de Vichy, and his role as historical advisor for the acclaimed television series Un village français.

    For years, students, faculty, and staff at Sciences Po encountered the instantly recognisable figure of Jean-Pierre Azéma — often distinguished by his trademark scarf, long a vivid red, which never left his neck. Many will retain the memory of a professor whose mischievous gaze and intellectual passion brought history vividly to life.

    Our thoughts are with his family, his loved ones, and all those at Sciences Po who knew, respected, and loved him.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Call for bids: Building peaceful interethnic relations in Mostar

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    Call for bids: Building peaceful interethnic relations in Mostar

    British Embassy Sarajevo is inviting bids by 6 August 2025 for a project to strengthen peaceful interethnic relations in Mostar and surrounding areas.

    Old Bridge, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Introduction

    A stable and less divided Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is a top priority of the UK government. Recent scoping and engagement across the country has identified that ethnic tensions remain high, often localised and in some instances, communities are severely divided.

    Mostar, the largest city in the Herzegovina region, is a stark example of this division with communities living in de facto segregation. For this reason, the UK has invested in peace and reconciliation efforts in Mostar – including a flagship project to support the rejuvenation of public spaces between 2022 and 2024.

    The project achieved significant engagement from the public, and ‘increased interpersonal connections through establishing a participatory process to identify which and how public spaces should be rejuvenated. (This was the most cited reason for why citizens believed that relations between citizens was better than they were a year ago in the end of line survey).

    Building on this success, we are now commissioning for a short-term follow-on project (until 31 March 2026) that uses public spaces to bring individuals together, across ethnic divisions through activities that directly support peaceful interethnic relation, community cohesion and societal resilience.

    Activities should deliver for Mostar but can additionally work with neighbouring areas (for example Stolac) if it supports the project objective. Proposals must focus on one or several of the following goals and clearly identify which ones they are seeking to address:

    • using sport as a method to bring people, including women and girls, together from all backgrounds, particularly those more resistant to inter-ethnic engagement, and promote common values and undermine divisive narratives
    • using music as a method to bring people together from all backgrounds, particularly those more resistant to inter-ethnic engagement, and promote common values and undermine divisive narratives
    • addressing and countering inter-ethnic tensions in Mostar related to football hooliganism
    • enabling inter-religious cooperation in promoting interfaith and interethnic cooperation and collaboration to reduce tensions and divided living

    Detailed information

    Only not-for-profit organisations are invited to bid. This includes international organisations (IOs), international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) and local civil society organisations (CSOs), who can also apply in a consortium of CSOs.

    Successful projects should have sustainable outcomes and should clearly identify their intended impact. They may also build on projects by other organisations, complementing their efforts. All bids should make clear how they complement existing activities in Mostar supported by other donors and international partners.

    The minimum indicative funding for projects is £120,000 and maximum £250,000. This may be in addition to co-funding and self-funding contributions. Co-funded projects will be regarded favourably.

    Projects must be completed by the 31 March 2026. Where appropriate, bidders are encouraged to describe how their project could be further scaled up if additional funding became available.

    All project management, project administration, and overhead costs should be detailed and not to exceed 12% of total budget. Budgeting overheads as a flat percentage is not supported, and any such costs should be fully detailed in the budget.

    We are unable to fund academic courses or English language courses. The purchase of IT and other equipment over £500 per item will require prior approval of the embassy, but such procurement should not constitute a significant part of the overall project budget.

    The British Embassy Sarajevo will carry out due diligence of potential grantees, including seeking references, as part of the selection process.

    Bidding is competitive and only selected project/s will receive funding. The embassy reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids without incurring any obligation to inform the affected applicant(s) of the grounds of such acceptance or rejection. Due to the volume of bids expected we will not be able to provide feedback on unsuccessful bids.

    Bidding process

    Bidders should fill in a standard project proposal form (Annex A) and include a breakdown of project costs in the activity-based budget (ABB) (Annex B).

    Annex A: Project Proposal Form

    ODT, 29.2 KB

    This file is in an OpenDocument format

    Annex B: Activity-Based Budget (ABB)

    ODS, 12.5 KB

    This file is in an OpenDocument format

    Budgets must be Activity Based Budgets (ABB), all costs should be indicative, in GBP. Successful implementers should be able to receive project funding in either BAM or GBP.

    Successful bids must have a clear Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) objective explicit in the project documentation and an explanation of a positive impact of the project on advancing gender equality and social inclusion.

    All projects or activities must align with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and assess climate and environmental impact and risks, taking steps to ensure that no environmental harm is done and, where relevant, support adaptation.

    An information session will be held at at 10am (BiH time) on 23 July 2025. Email meliha.muherina@fcdo.gov.uk to receive the meeting invitation.

    Proposals should be emailed to emma.fowler@fcdo.gov.uk by 5pm (BiH time) on 6 August 2025. Include the name of the bidder in the email subject line.

    Successful bids are expected to start on 1 September 2025 and conclude on 31 March 2026. Successful shortlisted bidders will be informed by mid-August.

    Evaluation criteria

    • the proposal should clearly state which of the listed goals it is seeking to address and how it will measure whether the activity is contributing to the goal
    • quality of project: how well defined and relevant the outcome is and how outputs will deliver this change; ability to leverage bigger funding would be an advantage
    • value for money: the value of the expected project outcomes, the level of funding requested and institutional contribution
    • local knowledge and previous experience: evidence of the project team’s understanding the context, socio-political challenges, previous experience of implementing similar activities/related fields with evidenced results, ability to manage and deliver a successful project. Evidence of how the project will learn from tested experiences, respond to opportunities and changing political circumstances
    • fluent understanding of the local language
    • gender-sensitive approach
    • alignment with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change
    • demonstrated experience of working with conflict affected communities
    • ability for the project to engage and leverage relationships with all societal tracks (including but not limited to local authorities, civil society actors, academia, law enforcement agencies, the private sector and media)

    Background information

    The UK’s commitment

    The successful project will be funded via British Embassy Sarajevo, from the Western Balkans Freedom and Resilience Programme (FRP). The FRP has 2 outcomes.

    • improved reconciliation and peacebuilding outcomes for conflict-affected communities, with a focus on building connections across conflict divides and strengthening access to transitional justice processes
    • empowerment of women and girls through tackling CRSV, GBV and promoting women’s meaningful participation in decision-making processes

    The embassy in BiH commits to delivering for these outcomes by supporting initiatives which put BiH on a positive pathway to achieve long term and inclusive peace for all citizens. It acknowledges this can only be achieved by locally owned activities that ultimately contribute to conflict prevention, reconciliation and peacebuilding.

    Thematic background

    The demographic of BiH was fundamentally changed by the war in the 1990s, with many communities now ethnically homogenous. Mostar remains one of the few genuinely multi-ethnic cities.

    Yet true peace and reconciliation has not been achieved, memories and traumas of the conflict endure, with deeply held engrained views of accepting a divided reality. Assessment shows the divided school system is fostering further societal division, together with external influences stoking tensions within the city.

    To reverse the trend of division, group activities like football or music have an opportunity to facilitate interethnic engagement. Moreover, whilst there are activities for young people, groups engaged with are not including the hardest to reach factions. Participants in cross community activities are predominantly those who have public will for a multi-ethnic way of life, failing to reach the truly divided and problematic elements within the community.

    Activities of hooligan groups can be major trigger points for destabilisation in general, but in BiH this is exacerbated by an unresolved conflict. In Mostar, the two football clubs have long had distinct ethnic links, playing into tribalism and identity politics. There is a live risk of individuals being manipulated to extend behaviour to violence and political extremism. This is then multiplied with social media through the spreading of hate speech and extremist behaviours and ideologies.

    Religion is woven within ethnic divides in BiH. Despite this, religious leaders in Mostar have pioneered their own initiatives and demonstrate positive engagement both as a group and as a unifying voice with key decision makers. This has supported progress in supporting minority voices and facilitating increased dialogue across ethnicities.

    Building on success

    The project should build on the success of ‘Project Mostar’ which worked with local communities to rebuild public spaces and which addressed shared civic, social, and economic needs. Project sites include various open public spaces, such as Bunica and Trimuša park, as well as numerous indoor spaces, such as museums, cultural centres, puppet theatres etc.

    The project contributed to integration of marginalised groups, including persons with disabilities and women and girls, into mainstream cultural and social life, breaking down barriers and normalising their participation. While evidence of cross-community engagement in cultural spaces is still emerging, the project did demonstrate other impacts such as job creation through women’s empowerment, improved work conditions in cultural institutions and care centres, and potential boosts to tourism.

    The initial ‘project Mostar’ focused on providing spaces and using a participatory process to ensure increased community ownership of public spaces. This call for bids seeks to reinforce the success of the previous project by supporting activity in public spaces which facilitates interethnic interaction and understanding of shared principles.

    Successful projects will have time bound and realistic outputs that focus on engaging communities across the divide through activity whilst being underpinned by a clear understanding of how activity is contributing to the relevant outcome. Implementers are required to apply conflict sensitivity to all elements of project design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: HSE and NEFU graduate first bachelors in the double degree program “Economics and Data Analysis”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University “Higher School of Economics” –

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: HSE and NEFU graduate first bachelors in the double degree program “Economics and Data Analysis”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University “Higher School of Economics” –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The site may not display correctly in older browser versions. For optimal site experience, we recommend using a modern browser.

    We use cookies to improve the HSE website and make it more convenient to use. More detailed information about the use of cookies can be foundHere, our rules for processing personal data are –Here. By continuing to use the site, you confirm that you have been informed of the use of cookies by the HSE website and agree with our rules for processing personal data. You can disable cookies in your browser settings.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Sudan: UNICEF condemns weekend attacks that killed 35 children

    Source: United Nations 2

    At least 24 boys, 11 girls and two pregnant women reportedly were among the victims of the violence, which occurred over the weekend in communities around the city of Bara, including the villages of Shag Alnom and Hilat Hamid. 

    UNICEF fears that with dozens more injured and many still missing, the number of child casualties could rise further.

    ‘A complete disregard for human life’

    “These attacks are an outrage,” Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

    “They represent a terrifying escalation of violence, and a complete disregard for human life, international humanitarian law, and the most basic principles of humanity.”

    Former allies turned rivals – the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – have been battling for control of the country since April 2023 and fighting has intensified recently in the Kordofan region which encompasses three states.

    End the violence now

    “UNICEF condemns the attacks in the strongest possible terms,” said Ms. Russell.

    She called on all parties to end the violence immediately and to uphold their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, as well as the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.

    The UNICEF chief stressed that civilians – particularly children – must never be targeted. Furthermore, all alleged violations must be independently investigated, and those responsible held to account.

    “Impunity cannot be tolerated for violations of international law, especially when children’s lives are at stake,” she said.

    Ms. Russell extended the agency’s deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and to anyone impacted by this heinous violence.

    “No child should ever experience such horrors,” she said. “Violence against children is unconscionable and must end now.” 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Subsurface Mineral Public Offering Generates $1 Million in Revenue

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on July 16, 2025

    The Government of Saskatchewan’s first subsurface mineral public offering of the fiscal year, held on Monday, July 7, 2025, generated $1,023,670.98 in revenue, primarily due to interest in lithium.

    Out of the 11 subsurface permits listed for this offering, four received bids covering a total area of 22,910.998 hectares. All the permits are prospective for lithium in formation water.

    The highest bid was $984,452.07 from Millennium Land Ltd. for a 2,852.327 hectare block north of Estevan. Millennium Land Ltd. bid $27,044.83 on a second block, covering 12,697.104 hectares, in the Weyburn area.  

    Inland Country Earth Consulting acquired the remaining two permit blocks. One block, covering 3,854.236 hectares and located in the Estevan area, received a bid of $6,286.56. The second block, covering 3,507.332 hectares and situated southeast of Radville, received a bid of $5,887.52.  

    Lithium is one of the 27 critical minerals found in Saskatchewan and several companies are actively pursuing lithium exploration and production in the province. Lithium will play a key role in the province achieving the goals outlined in Saskatchewan’s Critical Minerals Strategy, including doubling the number of critical minerals being produced in Saskatchewan and increasing Saskatchewan’s share of Canadian mineral exploration spending to 15 per cent, all by 2030.

    The July public offering is the first of three planned for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The next public offering is scheduled for November.  

    For more information about the Government of Saskatchewan’s subsurface mineral offering process, visit this link.  

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Supporting Families of Missing, Murdered Indigenous People

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    A renewed partnership between the Province of Nova Scotia and Government of Canada will ensure that more families of missing and murdered Indigenous people have help when they need it most.

    The agreement provides more funding for Nova Scotia’s Family Information Liaison Unit, a program co-ordinated through provincial Victim Services. A portion of funding also goes to the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association for its work on community outreach and prevention.

    With the additional funding, the unit will add a full-time case co-ordinator with Victim Services and a full-time community outreach position at the association.

    “Through Nova Scotia’s Victim Services, we strive to provide supports that are culturally responsive and easy to navigate so that people can access justice and move toward healing,” said Attorney General and Justice Minister Becky Druhan. “The Family Information Liaison Unit is an important resource for Indigenous families, and I’m so pleased to see it continue and expand.”

    The unit provides specialized support services to families of missing and murdered Indigenous people in a family-centred, culturally grounded and trauma-informed manner. It helps gather information from government sources about the family’s loved one, including assistance in addressing unanswered questions, and also makes connections between family members and cultural advisors, Elders and other culturally grounded community supports.

    The funding is provided by Justice Canada through the Federal Victims Strategy’s Victims Fund. The new agreement provides a total of almost $2.2 million over five years, an increase of almost $800,000 from the previous five-year agreement.

    Quotes:

    “For many families, getting information about a missing or murdered loved one is an essential part of the healing process. This support will help more families in Nova Scotia get the answers they deserve. It means more staff on the ground to guide families, stronger outreach in Mi’kmaw communities across Nova Scotia, and services that are grounded in culture, compassion and trust.”
    — Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

    “Too many Mi’kmaw families in Nova Scotia have faced barriers when searching for answers about their loved ones. This funding will ensure they’re met with compassion, understanding and culturally grounded care when it matters most.”
    — Leah Martin, Minister of L’nu Affairs

    “We are committed to empowering women, girls and two-spirit people and providing them with vital resources and safe spaces for growth. This new funding is essential in our work towards improving safety, implementing preventative measures and raising awareness of the FILU program. The addition of an outreach and prevention worker will also enable us to provide direct support and resources to MMIWG2S families and survivors.”
    — Dawn McDonald, Executive Director, Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association

    Quick Facts:

    • family information liaison units were established in 2016 and support the government of Canada’s commitments made in the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People
    • they are also a key mechanism to implement victims’ right to information under the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights
    • in 2023, the Government of Canada increased support to allow the units to serve families of all missing and murdered Indigenous people, including men and boys
    • there are units in all provinces and territories, funded through the federal Victims Fund

    Additional Resources:

    National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1448633299414/1534526479029

    Nova Scotia’s Family Information Liaison Unit: https://novascotia.ca/just/victim_services/_docs/17-46137_Family_Info_Liaison_Unit_Fact_Sheet.pdf

    Nova Scotia Victim Services: https://novascotia.ca/just/victim_services/

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Water incident probe report accepted

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Drinking Water Safety Advisory Committee (DWSAC) today accepted an investigation report by the Water Supplies Department (WSD) concerning a recent water quality incident at Queen’s Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court.

     

    It asked the WSD to expedite implementation of improvement measures and said it expected the department to provide further progress updates before the end of this year.

     

    At a meeting today, the DWSAC received a briefing from the WSD on the report, outlining the department’s tracing of the entire fresh water supply network from the Ping Che Fresh Water Service Reservoir to Queen’s Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court, along with related analysis and findings, and recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.

     

    DWSAC Chairman Chan Hon-fai said the tracing work was objective and scientific.

     

    The DWSAC agreed with the WSD’s findings that black sediments in the water supply, identified as bituminous materials, originated from a 400m-long steel pipe with internal bituminous protective lining at Ping Che Road, which is located upstream of the estates.

     

    The sediments also contained a trace amount of blue fragments, which were identified as resin from the internal protective coating on valves in the pipelines. A source of the fragments was found to be a valve located at Lung Ma Road, outside the estates.

     

    The DWSAC agreed to continue the identification and replacement of any defective valves in the estates.

     

    It also noted that the WSD and the Housing Department had carried out a series of joint operations over the past month.

     

    These included increasing the frequency of flushing underground fresh water pipes along Lung Ma Road and within the estates, cleansing the water tanks in each building on the estates, and installing additional strainers on existing filtering devices within the estates.

     

    The DWSAC said that the prevailing water quality had been restored to normal.

     

    Meanwhile, the WSD will explore whether new technologies can be adopted to ensure effective cleansing and eliminate the possibility of sediment in water pipes.

     

    In addition, the DWSAC agreed with several recommendations put forward by the WSD, including the gradual replacement of steel water pipes with bituminous protective lining, which can effectively prevent recurrence of similar incidents in the future.

     

    The department also reported to the DWSAC that it had promptly replaced a section of the underground water pipe with bituminous protective lining at Ping Che Road with an exposed temporary water pipe, and would strive to complete the laying of a new permanent underground water pipe by the end of this year.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: ‘Handling of security case smeared’

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today said it strongly condemned organisations in the US and other Western countries for slandering and smearing the Hong Kong SAR Government for its handling, in accordance with the law, of the case of Lai Chee-ying and related custodial arrangements.

     

    In a press statement, the Government said such slanders had fully exposed the malicious and despicable intentions of anti-China organisations and media to undermine the rule of law in Hong Kong.

     

    The Government highlighted that it has emphasised time and again that as legal proceedings involving Lai Chee-ying are ongoing, it is inappropriate for anyone to comment on the case in an attempt to interfere with the court’s exercise of independent judicial power and to pervert the course of justice.

     

    It said foreign organisations have nevertheless continued to distort the truth, discredit Hong Kong’s judicial system and trials, and make false and misleading statements about the treatment provided to Lai Chee-ying during his custody, in an attempt to glorify criminal behaviour and exert pressure on Hong Kong’s courts.

     

    In addition, it stressed that while Lai Chee-ying’s legal representative has clarified that he has received suitable treatment and care in prison, foreign organisations have turned a blind eye to this in order to carry out malicious political manoeuvres and pursue ulterior motives.

     

    The Hong Kong SAR Government stressed that it opposes all such actions.

     

    Separately, the Correctional Services Department said that it handles matters relating to Lai Chee-ying no differently from those regarding any other persons-in-custody.

     

    It also reiterated that Lai Chee-ying’s removal from association from other persons-in-custody has been in accordance his own request and was approved by the department after considering all relevant factors in accordance with the law.

     

    The department remarked that remarks by organisations from the US and other Western countries regarding Lai Chee-ying’s solitary confinement therefore deliberately twist the facts, reflecting a malicious intention to smear and attack the Hong Kong SAR Government.

     

    The Government also stressed that all cases in Hong Kong, including Lai Chee-ying’s case, are handled strictly on the basis of evidence and in accordance with the law. It said the Department of Justice controls criminal prosecutions, free from any interference and that all defendants in Hong Kong receive a fair trial under the safeguards of the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Repairs bring daytime closures of westbound US 12 Wishkah River Bridge in Aberdeen

    Source: Washington State News 2

    Crews will repair steel beams on iconic, 100-year-old bridge while travelers detour using nearby Heron Street Bridge 

    ABERDEEN – Daytime travelers who both walk and roll across the 100-year-old US 12 Wishkah River Bridge in Aberdeen will want to plan for additional travel time.

    From 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday, July 21, and Tuesday, July 22, Washington State Department of Transportation crews will close the westbound bridge to all traffic. 

    During the closure, the eastbound US 12 Heron Street Bridge will be reconfigured to accommodate two-way travel for most vehicles and pedestrians. Travelers can expect congestion and some delays while the detour is in place.

    Due to restrictions on the Heron Street Bridge, overweight vehicles will need to detour from US 12 to US 101 and State Route 107 during work on the Wishkah River Bridge.

    About the work

    In June, WSDOT bridge engineers reduced the maximum gross vehicle weight for the bridge after inspections revealed cracks and advanced decay in aging steel beams underneath the bridge deck. A temporary detour was put in place for vehicles exceeding the posted weight restrictions until repairs could be made. 

    During the 12-hour closures, crews will reinforce the beams with new steel plates. Additional closures may be needed to complete the repair. Once the repair is complete and inspected, the weight restriction and detour will be removed. WSDOT will provide an update once the information is available.

    The work requires daylight hours so crews can see into tight spaces underneath the bridge deck. The bridge cannot carry any vehicle loads during the work.

    About the bridge

    Built in 1925, the US 12 Wishkah River Bridge is one of five moveable highway bridges in Grays Harbor County. The 100-year-old, single-leaf bascule-span bridge carries an average of 16,392 vehicles a day across the Wishkah River. A bascule bridge is a type of drawbridge that moves in an upward swing to allow for marine traffic to pass. Like other bridges in the area, it is exposed to weather and needs constant upkeep. Additional work is scheduled for the bridge starting in 2026. 

    WSDOT regularly inspects bridges and categorizes bridges by condition. The condition scale is good, fair and poor. These condition ratings help plan inspections and schedule long-term repairs. WSDOT crews can and do close or restrict any bridge that is deemed not safe for travel. Both the US 12 Wishkah River Bridge and the US 12 Heron Street Bridge are listed in poor condition.

    As of June 2024: 

    • 133 WSDOT-owned bridges were load-posted or load-restricted.
    • 315 WSDOT-owned bridges are at least 80 years old. 

    A bridge is expected to have a service life of 75 years based on current standards. The average age of state-owned vehicular bridges is 51 years.

    Before heading out the door, check the WSDOT app and statewide travel map for real-time information. Sign up for email updates to get the latest on road work in Grays Harbor County.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Muhammadu Buhari: Nigeria’s military leader turned democratic president leaves a mixed legacy

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Kester Onor, Senior Research Fellow, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs

    Nigeria’s former president, Muhammadu Buhari, who died in London on 13 July aged 82, was one of two former military heads of state who were later elected as civilian presidents. Buhari was the military head of state of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985 and president from 2015 to 2023.

    The other Nigerian politician to have been in both roles is former president Olusegun Obasanjo . He was a military ruler between 1976 and 1979 and elected president between 1999 and 2007.

    Buhari led Nigeria cumulatively for nearly a decade. His time as military head of state was marked with a war against corruption but he couldn’t do as much during his time as president under democratic rule.

    As a political scientist who once served in the Nigerian Army, I believe that former president Buhari’s government’s war on terrorism was largely underwhelming, despite promises and early gains.

    In his elected role, Buhari maintained a modest personal lifestyle and upheld electoral transitions. Nevertheless his presidency was marred by economic mismanagement, a failure to implement bold structural reforms, ethnic favouritism, and an unfulfilled promise of change.

    He did leave tangible infrastructural footprints, a focus on agriculture, and foundational efforts in transparency and anti-corruption.

    So his mark on Nigeria’s development trajectory was mixed.

    Early years

    Buhari was born on 17 December 1942, to Adamu and Zulaiha Buhari in Daura, Katsina State, north-west Nigeria. He was four years old when his father died. He attended Quranic school in Katsina. He was a Fulani, one of the major ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.

    After completing his schooling, Buhari joined the army in 1961. He had military training in the UK, India and the United States as well as Nigeria.

    In 1975 he was appointed military governor of North Eastern State (now Borno State), after being involved in ousting Yakubu Gowon in a coup that same year. He served as governor for a year.

    Buhari later became federal commissioner for petroleum resources, overseeing Nigeria’s petroleum industry under Obasanjo. Obasanjo had become head of state in 1976 when Gowon’s successor, Murtala Muhammed, was assassinated in a failed coup that year.

    In September 1979, he returned to regular army duties and commanded the 3rd Armoured division based in Jos, Plateau State, north central. Nigeria’s Second Republic commenced that year after the election of Shehu Shagari as president.

    The coup that truncated the Shagari government on 31 December 1983 saw the emergence of Buhari as Nigeria’s head of state.

    Buhari’s junta years

    Buhari headed the military government for just under two years. He was ousted in another coup on 27 August 1985.

    While at the helm he vowed that the government would not tolerate kick-backs, inflation of contracts and over-invoicing of imports. Nor would it condone forgery, fraud, embezzlement, misuse and abuse of office and illegal dealings in foreign exchange and smuggling.

    Eighteen state governors were tried by military tribunals. Some of the accused received lengthy prison sentences, while others were acquitted or had their sentences commuted.

    His government also enacted the notorious Decree 4 under which two journalists, Nduka Irabor and Dele Thompson, were jailed. The charges stemmed from three articles published on the reorganisation of Nigeria’s diplomatic service.

    Buhari also instituted austerity measures and started a “War Against Indiscipline” which sought to promote positive values in the country. Authoritarian methods were sometimes used in its implementation. Soldiers forced Nigerians to queue, to be punctual and to obey traffic laws.

    He also instituted restrictions on press and political freedoms. Labour unions were not spared either. Mass retrenchment of Nigerians in the public service was carried out with impunity.

    While citizens initially welcomed some of these measures, growing discontent on the economic front made things tougher for the regime.



    Read more:
    Why Buhari won even though he had little to show for first term

    Buhari, the democrat

    Buhari’s dream to lead Nigeria again through the ballot box failed in 2003, 2007 and 2011. To his credit, he didn’t give up. An alliance of opposition parties succeeded in getting him elected in 2015.

    The legacy he left is mixed.

    Buhari’s government deepened national disunity.

    His appointments, often skewed in favour of the northern region and his Fulani kinsmen, fuelled accusations of tribalism and marginalisation. His perceived affinity with Fulani herdsmen, despite widespread violence linked to some of them, further eroded public trust in his leadership.

    His anti-corruption mantra largely did not succeed. While some high-profile recoveries were made, critics argue that his anti-corruption war was selective and heavily politicised.

    Currently, his Central Bank governor is on trial for corruption charges.

    The performance of the economy was also dismal under his tenure. Not all these problems could be laid at his feet. Nevertheless his inability to tackle the country’s underlying problems, such as insecurity, inflation and rising unemployment, all contributed. He presided over two recessions, rising unemployment, inflation, and a weakened naira.

    He did, however, succeed on some fronts.

    He tried with infrastructure. The Lagos-Ibadan expressway, a major road, was almost completed and he got the railways working again, completing the Abuja-Kaduna and Lagos-Ibadan lines. He also completed the Second Niger Bridge.

    There was an airport revitalisation programme which led to improvements in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt airports.

    Buhari signed the Petroleum Industry Act after nearly 20 years’ delay. This is now attracting more investments into the oil industry.

    He also initiated some social investment schemes like N-Power, N-Teach and a school feeding programme. They provided temporary jobs for some and gave some poor people more money in their pockets. N-Power is a youth empowerment programme designed to combat unemployment, improve social development and provide people with relevant skills.

    These programmes later became mired in corruption which only became known after he left office.

    There was also an Anchor Borrowers Scheme to make the country more sufficient in rice production. Again, it got enmeshed in corruption and some of its officials are currently standing trial.

    In the fight against corruption, the Buhari administration made some progress through the Treasury Single Account, which improved financial transparency in public institutions. The Whistle Blower Policy also led to the recovery of looted funds.



    Read more:
    Why Buhari’s government is losing the anti-corruption war

    Security failures

    Buhari oversaw a deterioration of Nigeria’s security landscape. Banditry, farmer-herder clashes, kidnapping and separatist agitations escalated.

    In 2015 Buhari campaigned on a promise to defeat Boko Haram and restore territorial integrity in the north-east. Initially, his administration made some progress. Boko Haram was driven out of several local government areas it once controlled, and major military operations such as Operation Lafiya Dole were launched to reclaim territory.

    However, these initial successes were not sustained. Boko Haram splintered, giving rise to more brutal factions like the Islamic State West Africa Province. This group continued to launch deadly attacks.

    Buhari’s counter-terrorism strategy was often reactive, lacking a clear long-term doctrine. The military was overstretched and under-equipped. Morale issues and allegations of corruption in the defence sector undermined operations.

    Intelligence coordination remained poor, while civil-military relations suffered due to frequent human rights abuses by security forces. Community trust in the government’s ability to provide security dwindled.

    Buhari’s second coming as Nigeria’s leader carried high expectations, but he under-delivered.

    Kester Onor 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. Muhammadu Buhari: Nigeria’s military leader turned democratic president leaves a mixed legacy – https://theconversation.com/muhammadu-buhari-nigerias-military-leader-turned-democratic-president-leaves-a-mixed-legacy-261079

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: What makes ‘great powers’ great? And how will they adapt to a multipolar world?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College

    When greats clash! In this case, in the 1974 film ‘Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.’ FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images

    Many column inches have been dedicated to dissecting the “great power rivalry” currently playing out between China and the U.S.

    But what makes a power “great” in the realm of international relations?

    Unlike other states, great powers possess a capacity to shape not only their immediate surroundings but the global order itself – defining the rules, norms and structures that govern international politics. Historically, they have been seen as the architects of world systems, exercising influence far beyond their neighborhoods.

    The notion of great powers came about to distinguish between the most and least powerful states. The concept gained currency after the 1648 Peace of Westphalia and the Congress of Vienna in 1815 – events in Europe that helped establish the notion of sovereign states and the international laws governing them.

    Whereas the great powers of the previous eras – for example, the Roman Empire – sought to expand their territory at almost every turn and relied on military power to do so, the modern great power utilizes a complex tapestry of diplomatic pressure, economic leverage and the assertions of international law. The order emerging out of Westphalia enshrined the principles of national sovereignty and territorial integrity, which allowed these powers to pursue a balance of power as codified by the Congress of Vienna based on negotiation as opposed to domination.

    This transformation represented a momentous development in world politics: At least some portion of the legitimacy of a state’s control was now realized through its relationships and capacity to keep the peace, rather than resting solely on its ability to use force.

    From great to ‘super’

    Using their material capabilities – economic strength, military might and political influence – great powers have been able to project power across multiple regions and dictate the terms of international order.

    In the 19th-century Concert of Europe, the great powers – Britain, France, Austria, Prussia and Russia – collectively managed European politics, balancing power to maintain stability. Their influence extended globally through imperial expansion, trade and the establishment of norms that reflected their priorities.

    During the 20th century, the Cold War brought a stark distinction between great powers and other states. The U.S. and the Soviet Union, as the era’s two “superpowers,” dominated the international system, shaping it through a rivalry that encompassed military alliances, ideological competition and economic systems. Great powers in this context were not merely powerful states but the central actors defining the structure of global politics.

    Toward a multipolar world

    The post-Cold War period briefly ushered in a unipolar moment, with the U.S. as the sole great power capable of shaping the international system on a global scale.

    This era was marked by the expansion of liberal internationalism, economic globalization and U.S.-led-and-constructed multilateralism.

    However, the emergence of new centers of power, particularly China and to a lesser extent Russia, has brought the unipolar era to a close, ushering in a multipolar world where the distinctive nature of great powers is once again reshaped.

    In this system, great powers are states with the material capabilities and strategic ambition to influence the global order as a whole.

    And here they differ from regional powers, whose influence is largely confined to specific areas. Nations such as Turkey, India, Australia, Brazil and Japan are influential within their neighborhoods. But they lack the global reach of the U.S. or China to fundamentally alter the international system.

    Instead, the roles of these regional powers is often defined by stabilizing their regions, addressing local challenges or acting as intermediaries in great power competition.

    Challenging greatness

    Yet the multipolar world presents unique challenges for today’s great powers. The diffusion of power means that no single great power can dominate the system as the U.S. did in the post-Cold War unipolar era.

    Instead, today’s great powers must navigate complex dynamics, balancing competition with cooperation. For instance, the rivalry between Washington and Beijing is now a defining feature of global politics, spanning trade, technology, military strategy and ideological influence. Meanwhile, Russia’s efforts to maintain its great power status have resulted in more assertive, though regionally focused, actions that nonetheless have global implications.

    Great powers must also contend with the constraints of interdependence. The interconnected nature of the global economy, the proliferation of advanced technologies and the rise of transnational challenges such as climate change and pandemics limit the ability of any one great power to unilaterally dictate outcomes. This reality forces great powers to prioritize their core interests while finding ways to manage global issues through cooperation, even amid intense competition.

    As the world continues to adjust to multiple centers of power, the defining feature of great powers remains an unmatched capacity to project influence globally and define the parameters of the international order.

    Whether through competition, cooperation or conflict, the actions of great powers will, I believe, continue to shape the trajectory of the global system, making their distinctiveness as central players in international relations more relevant than ever.

    This article is part of a series explaining foreign policy terms commonly used but rarely explained.

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

    – ref. What makes ‘great powers’ great? And how will they adapt to a multipolar world? – https://theconversation.com/what-makes-great-powers-great-and-how-will-they-adapt-to-a-multipolar-world-260969

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Why is Israel bombing Syria?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University

    Conflict in Syria has escalated with Israel launching bombing raids against its northern neighbour.

    It follows months of fluctuating tensions in southern Syria between the Druze minority and forces aligned with the new government in Damascus. Clashes erupted in the last few days, prompting Israeli airstrikes in defence of the Druze by targeting government bases, tanks, and heavy weaponry.

    Israel Minister Amichai Chikli has called the Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa –

    a terrorist, a barbaric murderer who should be eliminated without delay.

    Despite the incendiary language, a ceasefire has been reached, halting the fighting – for now.

    Syrian forces have begun withdrawing heavy military equipment from the region, while Druze fighters have agreed to suspend armed resistance, allowing government troops to regain control of the main Druze city of Suwayda.

    What do the Druze want?

    The Druze are a small religious minority estimated at over one million people, primarily concentrated in the mountainous regions of Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Jordan.

    In Syria, their population is estimated at around 700,000 (of around 23 million total Syrian population), with the majority residing in the southern As-Suwayda Governorate – or province – which serves as their traditional stronghold.

    Since the 2011 uprising against the Assad regime, the Druze have maintained a degree of autonomy, successfully defending their territory from various threats, including ISIS and other jihadist groups.

    Following Assad’s fall late last year, the Druze — along with other minority groups such as the Kurds in the east and Alawites in the west — have called for the country to be federalized.

    They advocate for a decentralised model that would grant greater autonomy to regional communities.

    However, the transitional government in Damascus is pushing for a centralised state and seeking to reassert full control over the entire Syrian territory. This fundamental disagreement has led to periodic clashes between Druze forces and government-aligned troops.

    Despite the temporary ceasefire, tensions remain high. Given the core political dispute remains unresolved, many expect renewed conflict to erupt in the near future.

    Why is Israel involved?

    The ousting of the Assad regime created a strategic opening for Israel to expand its influence in southern Syria. Israel’s involvement is driven by two primary concerns:

    1. Securing its northern border

    Israel views the power vacuum in Syria’s south as a potential threat, particularly the risk of anti-Israeli militias establishing a foothold near its northern border.

    During the recent clashes, the Israeli military declared

    The Israeli Defence Forces will not allow a military threat to exist in southern Syria and will act against it.

    Likewise, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has stated he will not allow Syrian forces south of Damascus:

    We are acting to prevent the Syrian regime from harming them [the Druze] and to ensure the demilitarisation of the area adjacent to our border with Syria.

    In line with these warnings, the Israeli Air Force has conducted extensive strikes against Syrian military infrastructure, targeting bases, aircraft, tanks, and heavy weaponry.

    These operations are intended to prevent any future buildup of military capacity that could be used against Israel from the Syrian side of the border.

    2. Supporting a federated Syria

    Israel is backing the two prominent allied minorities in Syria — the Kurds in the northeast and the Druze in the south — in their push for a federal governance model.

    A fragmented Syria, divided along ethnic and religious lines, is seen by some Israeli policymakers as a way to maintain Israeli domination in the region.

    This vision is part of what some Israeli officials have referred to as a “New Middle East” — one where regional stability and normalisation emerge through reshaped borders and alliances.

    Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar recently echoed this strategy, stating:

    A single Syrian state with effective control and sovereignty over all its territory is unrealistic.

    For Israel, the logical path forward is autonomy for the various minorities in Syria within a federal structure.

    The United States’ role?

    According to unconfirmed reports, Washington has privately urged Israel to scale back its military strikes on Syria in order to prevent further escalation and preserve regional stability.

    The US is promoting increased support for Syria’s new regime in an effort to help it reassert control and stabilise the country.

    There are also indications the US and its allies are encouraging the Syrian government to move toward normalisation with Israel. Reports suggest Tel Aviv has held talks with the new Sharaa-led regime about the possibility of Syria joining the Abraham Accords (diplomatic agreements between Israel and several Arab states), which the regime in Damascus appears open to.

    US Special Envoy Tom Barrack has described the recent clashes as “worrisome”, calling for de-escalation and emphasising the need for

    a peaceful, inclusive outcome for all stakeholders – including the Druze, Bedouin tribes, the Syrian government, and Israeli forces.

    Given the deep-rooted political divisions, competing regional agendas, and unresolved demands from minority groups, the unrest in southern Syria is unlikely to end soon.

    Despite another temporary ceasefire, underlying tensions remain. Further clashes are not only possible but highly probable.

    Ali Mamouri 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 is Israel bombing Syria? – https://theconversation.com/why-is-israel-bombing-syria-261259

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: China’s insertion into India-Pakistan waters dispute adds a further ripple in South Asia

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Pintu Kumar Mahla, Research Associate at the Water Resources Research Institute, University of Arizona

    Indian Border Security Force soldiers patrol near the line of control in Kashmir. Nitin Kanotra/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

    With the future of a crucial water-sharing treaty between India and Pakistan up in the air, one outside party is looking on with keen interest: China.

    For 65 years, the Indus Waters Treaty has seen the two South Asian rivals share access and use of the Indus Basin, a vast area covered by the Indus River and its tributaries that also stretches into Afghanistan and China.

    For much of that history, there has been widespread praise for the agreement as a successful demonstration of cooperation between adversarial states over a key shared resource. But experts have noted the treaty has long held the potential for conflict. Drafters failed to factor in the effects of climate change, and the Himalayan glaciers that feed the rivers are now melting at record rates, ultimately putting at risk the long-term sustainability of water supply. Meanwhile, the ongoing conflict over Kashmir, where much of the basin is situated, puts cooperation at risk.

    With treaty on ice, China steps in

    That latest provocation threatening the treaty was a terrorist attack in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025. In response to that attack, which India blamed on Pakistan and precipitated a four-day confrontation, New Delhi temporarily suspended the treaty.

    But even before that attack, India and Pakistan had been locked in negotiation over the future of the treaty – the status of which has been in the hands of international arbitrators since 2016. In the latest development, on June 27, 2025, the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a supplementary award in favor of Pakistan, arguing that India’s holding of the treaty in abeyance did not affect its jurisdiction over the case. Moreover, the treaty does not allow for either party to unilaterally suspend the treaty, the ruling suggested.

    Amid the wrangling over the treaty’s future, Pakistan has turned to China for diplomatic and strategic support. Such support was evident during the conflict that took place following April’s terrorist attack, during which Pakistan employed Chinese-made fighter jets and other military equipment against its neighbor.

    Meanwhile, in an apparent move to counter India’s suspension of the treaty, China and Pakistan have ramped up construction of a major dam project that would provide water supply and electricity to parts of Pakistan.

    So, why is China getting involved? In part, it reflects the strong relationship between Pakistan and China, developed over six decades.

    But as an expert in hydro politics, I believe Beijing’s involvement raises concerns: China is not a neutral observer in the dispute. Rather, Beijing has long harbored a desire to increase its influence in the region and to counter an India long seen as a rival. Given the at-times fraught relationship between China and India – the two countries went to war in 1962 and continue to engage in sporadic border skirmishes – there are concerns in New Delhi that Beijing may respond by disrupting the flow of rivers in its territory that feed into India.

    In short, any intervention by Beijing over the Indus Waters Treaty risks stirring up regional tensions.

    Wrangling over waters

    The Indus Waters Treaty has already endured three armed conflicts between Pakistan and India, and until recently it served as an exemplar of how to forge a successful bilateral agreement between two rival neighbors.


    Riccardo Pravettoni, CC BY-SA

    Under the initial terms of the treaty, which each country signed in 1960, India was granted control over three eastern rivers the countries share – Ravi, Beas and Satluj – with an average annual flow of 40.4 billion cubic meters. Meanwhile, Pakistan was given access to almost 167.2 billion cubic meters of water from the western rivers – Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.

    In India, the relatively smaller distribution has long been the source of contention, with many believing the treaty’s terms are overly generous to Pakistan. India’s initial demand was for 25% of the Indus waters.

    For Pakistan, the terms of the division of the Indus Waters Treaty are painful because they concretized unresolved land disputes tied to the partition of India in 1947. In particular, the division of the rivers is framed within the broader political context of Kashmir. The three major rivers – Indus, Jhelum and Chenab – flow through Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir before entering the Pakistan-controlled western part of the Kashmir region.

    But the instability of the Kashmir region – disputes around the Line of Control separating the Indian- and Pakistan-controlled areas are common – underscores Pakistan’s water vulnerability.

    Nearly 65% of Pakistanis live in the Indus Basin region, compared with 14% for India. It is therefore not surprising that Pakistan has warned that any attempt to cut off the water supply, as India has threatened, would be considered an act of war.

    It also helps to explain Pakistan’s desire to develop hydropower on the rivers it controls. One-fifth of Pakistan’s electricity comes from hydropower, and nearly 21 hydroelectric power plants are located in the Indus Basin region.

    Since Pakistan’s economy relies heavily on agriculture and the water needed to maintain agricultural land, the fate of the Indus Waters Treaty is of the utmost importance to Pakistan’s leaders.

    Such conditions have driven Islamabad to be a willing partner with China in a bid to shore up its water supply.

    China provides technical expertise and financial support to Pakistan for numerous hydropower projects in Pakistan, including the Diamer Bhasha Dam and Kohala Hydropower Project. These projects play a significant role in addressing Pakistan’s energy requirements and have been a key aspect of the transboundary water relationship between the two nations.

    Using water as a weapon?

    With it’s rivalry with India and its desire to simultaneously work with Pakistan on numerous issues, China increasingly sees itself as a stakeholder in the Indus Waters Treaty, too. Chinese media narratives have framed India as the aggressor in the dispute, warning of the danger of using “water as a weapon” and noting that the source of the Indus River lies in China’s Western Tibet region.

    Doing so fits Beijing’ s greater strategic presence in South Asian politics. After the terrorist attack, China Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed China’s support for Pakistan, showcasing the relationship as an “all-weather strategic” partnership and referring to Pakistan as an “ironclad friend.”

    And in response to India’s suspension of the treaty, China announced it was to accelerate work on the significant Mohmand hydropower project on the tributary of the Indus River in Pakistan.

    Construction at the Mohmand Dam.
    Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority

    Chinese investment in Pakistan’s hydropower sector presents substantial opportunities for both countries in regards to energy security and promoting economic growth.

    The Indus cascade project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative, for example, promises to provide cumulative hydropower generation capacity of around 22,000 megawatts. Yet the fact that project broke ground in Gilgit-Baltistan, a disputed area in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, underscores the delicacy of the situation.

    Beijing’s backing of Pakistan is largely motivated by a mix of economic and geopolitical interests, particularly in legitimizing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. But it comes at the cost of stirring up regional tensions.

    As such, the alignment of Chinese and Pakistani interests in developing hydro projects can pose a further challenge to the stability of South Asia’s water-sharing agreements, especially in the Indus Basin. Recently, the chief minister of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China, warned that Beijing’s hydro projects in the Western Tibet region amount to a ticking “water bomb.”

    To diffuse such tensions – and to get the Indus Waters Treaty back on track – it behooves India, China and Pakistan to engage in diplomacy and dialogue. Such engagement is, I believe, essential in addressing the ongoing water-related challenges in South Asia.

    Pintu Kumar Mahla is affiliated with the Water Resources Research Center, the University of Arizona. He is also a member of the International Association of Water Law (AIDA).

    Pintu Kumar Mahla has not received funding related to this article.

    – ref. China’s insertion into India-Pakistan waters dispute adds a further ripple in South Asia – https://theconversation.com/chinas-insertion-into-india-pakistan-waters-dispute-adds-a-further-ripple-in-south-asia-258891

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Europe is stuck in a bystander role over Iran’s nuclear program after US, Israeli bombs establish facts on the ground

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

    Iran Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, right, attends a news conference with EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell in Tehran on June 25, 2022. Atta KenareAFP via Getty Images

    The U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22, 2025, sent shock waves around the world. It marked a dramatic reversal for the Trump administration, which had just initiated negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program. Dispensing with diplomacy, the U.S. opted for the first time for direct military involvement in the then-ongoing Israeli-Iranian conflict.

    European governments have long pushed for a diplomatic solution to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Yet, the reaction in the capitals of Europe to the U.S. bombing of the nuclear facilities was surprisingly subdued.

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted Israel’s “right to defend itself and protect its people.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was equally supportive, arguing that “this is dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us.” And a joint statement by the E3 – France, the U.K. and Germany – tacitly justified the U.S. bombing as necessary to prevent the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons.

    Europe’s responses to the Israeli and American strikes were noteworthy because of how little they discussed the legality of the attacks. There was no such hesitation when Russia targeted civilian nuclear energy infrastructure in Ukraine in 2022.

    But the timid reaction also underscored Europe’s bystander role, contrasting with its past approach on that topic. Iran’s nuclear program had been a key focal point of European diplomacy for years. The E3 nations initiated negotiations with Tehran back in 2003. They also helped to facilitate the signing of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which also included Russia, the European Union, China, the U.S. and Iran. And the Europeans sought to preserve the agreement, even after the unilateral U.S. withdrawal in 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term.

    As a scholar of transatlantic relations and security, I believe Europe faces long odds to once again play an impactful role in strengthening the cause of nuclear nonproliferation with Iran. Indeed, contributing to a new nuclear agreement with Iran would require Europe to fix a major rift with Tehran, overcome its internal divisions over the Middle East and manage a Trump administration that seems less intent on being a reliable ally for Europe.

    Growing rift between Iran and Europe

    For European diplomats, the 2015 deal was built on very pragmatic assumptions. It only covered the nuclear dossier, as opposed to including other areas of contention such as human rights or Iran’s ballistic missile program. And it offered a clear bargain: In exchange for greater restrictions on its nuclear program, Iran could expect the lifting of some existing sanctions and a reintegration into the world economy.

    As a result, the U.S. withdrawal from the deal in 2018 posed a fundamental challenge to the status quo. Besides exiting, the Trump White House reimposed heavy secondary sanctions on Iran, which effectively forced foreign companies to choose between investing in the U.S. and Iranian markets. European efforts to mitigate the impact of these U.S. sanctions failed, thus undermining the key benefit of the deal for Iran: helping its battered economy. It also weakened Tehran’s faith in the value of Europe as a partner, as it revealed an inability to carve real independence from the U.S.

    U.S. President Donald Trump walks past French President Emmanuel Macron, center, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, right, in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025.
    Christian Hartmann/AFP via Getty Images

    After 2018, relations between Europe and Iran deteriorated significantly. Evidence of Iranian state-sponsored terrorism and Iran-linked plots on European soil hardly helped. Moreover, Europeans strongly objected to Iran supplying Russia with drones in support of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine – and later on, ballistic missiles as well. On the flip side, Iran deeply objected to European support for Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

    These deep tensions remain a significant impediment to constructive negotiations on the nuclear front. Neither side currently has much to offer to the other, nor can Europe count on any meaningful leverage to influence Iran. And Europe’s wider challenges in its Middle East policy only compound this problem.

    Internal divisions

    In 2015, Europe could present a united front on the Iranian nuclear deal in part because of its limited nature. But with the nonproliferation regime now in tatters amid Trump’s unilateral actions and the spread of war across the region, it is now far harder for European diplomats to put the genie back in the bottle. That is particularly true given the present fissures over increasingly divisive Middle East policy questions and the nature of EU diplomacy.

    Europe remains very concerned about stability in the Middle East, including how conflicts might launch new migratory waves like in 2015-16, when hundreds of thousands of Syrians fled to mainland Europe. The EU also remains very active economically in the region and is the largest funder of the Palestinian Authority. But it has been more of a “payer than player” in the region, struggling to translate economic investment into political influence.

    In part, this follows from the longer-term tendency to rely on U.S. leadership in the region, letting Washington take the lead in trying to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But it also reflects the deeper divisions between EU member nations.

    With foreign policy decisions requiring unanimity, EU members have often struggled to speak with one voice on the Middle East. Most recently, the debates over whether to suspend the economic association agreement with Israel over its actions in Gaza or whether to recognize a Palestinian state clearly underscored the existing EU internal disagreements.

    Unless Europe can develop a common approach toward the Middle East, it is hard to see it having enough regional influence to matter in future negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. This, in turn, would also affect how it manages its crucial, but thorny, relations with the U.S.

    Europe in the shadow of Trump

    The EU was particularly proud of the 2015 nuclear deal because it represented a strong symbol of multilateral diplomacy. It brought together great powers in the spirit of bolstering the cause of nuclear nonproliferation.

    Smoke rises from a building in Tehran after the Iranian capital was targeted by Israeli airstrikes on June 23, 2025.
    Elyas/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

    Ten years on, the prospects of replicating such international cooperation seem rather remote. Europe’s relations with China and Russia – two key signers of the original nuclear deal – have soured dramatically in recent years. And ties with the United States under Trump have also been particularly challenging.

    Dealing with Washington, in the context of the Iran nuclear program, presents a very sharp dilemma for Europe.

    Trying to carve a distinct path may be appealing, but it lacks credibility at this stage. Recent direct talks with Iranian negotiators produced little, and Europe is not in a position to give Iran guarantees that it would not face new strikes from Israel.

    And pursuing an independent path could easily provoke the ire of Trump, which Europeans are keen to avoid. There has already been a long list of transatlantic disputes, whether over trade, Ukraine or defense spending. European policymakers would be understandably reticent to invest time and resources in any deal that Trump could again scuttle at a moment’s notice.

    Trump, too, is scornful of what European diplomacy could achieve, declaring recently that Iran doesn’t want to talk to Europe. He has instead prioritized bilateral negotiations with Tehran. Alignment with the U.S., therefore, may not translate into any great influence. Trump’s decision to bomb Iran, after all, happened without forewarning for his allies.

    Thus, Europe will continue to pay close attention to Iran’s nuclear program. But, constrained by poor relations with Tehran and its internal divisions on the Middle East, it is unlikely that it will carve out a major role on the nuclear dossier as long as Trump is in office.

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

    – ref. Europe is stuck in a bystander role over Iran’s nuclear program after US, Israeli bombs establish facts on the ground – https://theconversation.com/europe-is-stuck-in-a-bystander-role-over-irans-nuclear-program-after-us-israeli-bombs-establish-facts-on-the-ground-260740

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  • MIL-OSI Video: Commission President von der Leyen: New EU Budget for 2028-2034

    Source: European Commission (video statements)

    Today, 16 July 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration, Piotr Serafin, announce the new EU Budget for 2028-2034.

    Follow live events and access media content here:
    https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/

    Stay updated — follow us on X: https://x.com/EC_AVService

    Follow us on:
    -X: https://twitter.com/EU_Commission
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    Check our website: http://ec.europa.eu/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bDMLNlfZ2M

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Supports Mental Health Care for Iowa Farmers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) introduced the bipartisan Farmers First Act to support access to critical mental health resources for Iowa farmers. 
    Farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. The legislation would build upon Ernst and Baldwin’s Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) work that connects farmers, ranchers, and agriculture workers to stress assistance programs and resources.
    “Iowa farmers work tirelessly from sunrise to sundown – rain or shine – to feed and fuel the world. Their work isn’t easy, and mental health issues, including suicide, are too common in our agriculture community, which is why I’m working to ensure farmers have better access to mental health resources,” said Senator Ernst.
    “Wisconsin’s farmers and ranchers work hard every day to keep their businesses running and our Made in Wisconsin agricultural economy moving forward. But too often, the stress, isolation, and physical demands of this job leave them with nowhere to turn when it all gets to be too much,” said Senator Baldwin. “I’m working to make sure our farmers and rural communities have the resources they need because no one should have to fight these battles alone.”
    “From trade uncertainty to labor shortages and natural disasters, many stressors are weighing heavily on the minds of farmers and ranchers. Resources supported through the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network are more critical now than at any time in recent memory. Farm Bureau appreciates Representatives Craig and Feenstra, as well as Senators Baldwin and Ernst for their tireless commitment to supporting farmer and rancher mental health across the country,” said Sam Kieffer, Vice President, Public Policy, American Farm Bureau Federation.
    “Farming can be incredibly stressful, and too many rural communities still don’t have the mental health support they need,” said National Farmers Union President Rob Larew. “The Farmers First Act will help get essential resources to farmers who are struggling. We thank Senators Baldwin and Ernst and Representatives Feenstra and Craig for leading the charge and urge Congress to reauthorize FRSAN with increased funding.”
    “The Farmer Veteran Coalition strongly supports the reauthorization of the Farmers First Act. Expanding and strengthening the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network is essential to ensuring farmers, ranchers have access to the mental health resources they need to thrive. We commend Representatives Feenstra and Craig, as well as Senators Baldwin and Ernst, for their bipartisan leadership in prioritizing the well-being of those who feed our nation. This bill will provide critical support for agricultural producers facing stress, isolation, and mental health challenges, and we urge swift passage this Congress,” said Jeanette Lombardo, CEO, Farmer Veteran Coalition.
    “Farming and the financial insecurity associated with farming can be very stressful. Farmers dealing with stress-related mental health challenges often feel stigmatized if they seek help, which only compounds the problem. We applaud Representatives Feenstra (R-IA) and Craig (D-MN) and Senators Baldwin (D-WI) and Ernst (R-IA) for their bipartisan leadership in introducing the Farmers First Act to increase resources available to farmers and rural communities to address mental health challenges,” said Steve Etka, Policy Director, Midwest Dairy Coalition.
    “Ensuring sufficient access to evidence-based mental health services continues to be a challenge in many rural and agricultural communities, in many cases a challenge that has endured over generations,” said Arthur C. Evans Jr., CEO of the American Psychological Association Services, Inc. (APA Services). “The Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network program continues to be a lifeline to many of these communities. APA Services applauds Representatives Feenstra and Craig and Senators Baldwin and Ernst for their efforts to ensure adequate mental health resources in rural communities, and we ask Congress to swiftly enact the Farmers First Act.”
    “Farming is a stressful job, even in good times, and rural residents often face unique barriers to seeking mental health care,” said Christy Seyfert, Farm Credit Council president and CEO. “FRSAN brings valuable stress assistance services and expertise to the farm and ranch communities most in need of resources. Farm Credit commends Ranking Member Craig, Representative Feenstra, and Senators Baldwin and Ernst for their leadership on the Farmers First Act.”
    Representatives Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.) introduced this bill in the U.S. House.

    MIL OSI USA News –