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Category: AM-NC

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Capito Outlines Principles for Crafting the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

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    To watch Chairman Capito’s opening statement, click here or the image above.

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, led a hearing on constructing the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill with stakeholders’ perspectives. In her opening remarks, Chairman Capito reiterated her three principles for crafting this legislation, and how developing a bipartisan proposal in the Senate remains a central priority for the EPW Committee. 

    Below is the opening statement of Chairman Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) as delivered.

    “Thank you for joining us this morning and welcome to our three great witnesses that we have. This hearing is second in a two-part series of hearings that we are having to help guide the development of our next Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill. 

    “Earlier this spring, we held a hearing with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, where he detailed how the Trump administration is administering the current law and described priorities for the next bill. Today, we will hear from new stakeholders on their priorities.

    “My vision for this legislation is simple, but important, we want to improve the movement of people and goods. Our roads and bridges are what connect us to the people and places that matter most in our lives.

    “They help businesses, large and small, create jobs, economic activities, and enable their competitiveness in the global marketplace. For example, my home state of West Virginia is pursuing important projects like Corridor H, to better link our communities to essential services and economic opportunity.

    “This legislation will provide the funding and establishes the policies and programs that enable the improvement of the surface transportation network that we all rely on. 

    “Since the enactment of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Committee has reviewed and conducted oversight on existing programs and policies, and we’ve learned a lot about what is working and what isn’t.

    “The IIJA met a generational level of investment in our surface transportation network, but there have been some challenges in the implementation. We know that the highway formula programs are producing results in communities across the states. We also know there have been some issues getting discretionary grant awards out the door and producing tangible improvements to that network. 

    “When Secretary Duffy appeared before the Committee, he outlined the backlog of more than 3,200 discretionary grant awards without signed grant agreements that he had inherited from the prior administration. I appreciate the Secretary’s ongoing efforts to address this backlog, and I know that the Department of Transportation is making progress on getting those agreements in place. 

    “As a matter of fact, I believe they’ve done over a thousand of those already, they have resolved those. We will apply the lessons learned from the IIJA to shape the next bill and those lessons have led me to three principles.

    “I have discussed these principles at our hearing with the Secretary, but I believe it is important that I reiterate them today.

    “Principle One: Improving the safety – and I want to emphasize safety – safety and reliability of America’s surface transportation network with impactful investments. 

    “In recent years, we’ve seen an increase in the number and scope of federal transportation programs. These programs sometimes have duplicative purposes and project eligibility. This leads to an expensive and time-intensive process to get funding out the door and lessens the impact that the legislation can make.

    “As we craft the next bill, we must prioritize investments that, instead, optimize federal funding and give state partners the confidence to invest over a longer period of time. We should focus on eliminating duplicative programs and increasing funding for the highway formula programs that our states rely on and, as I said earlier, have a proven track record of success.

    “Principle Two: Reforming and modernizing federal programs and policies to create efficiency.

    “We all know that, as currently structured, federal requirements can add red tape that increases costs and slow down the completion of projects. We all want to deliver transportation benefits faster and save money for American taxpayers. To achieve this goal, we need to take a serious look at federal requirements to determine how we can create certainty for the partners who make these projects happen and ensure that the public receives the benefits of these investments quickly.

    “Principle Three: Addressing the variety of surface transportation needs across all states. Obviously, different states have different needs, and I think we’ll hear about that today.

    “I wouldn’t expect West Virginia, with our mountainous peaks and valleys…to prioritize the same transportation projects as other states. We need to avoid top-down mandates from Washington, D.C. and give states the flexibility to address the individual improvements that their communities need.

    “It will take collaboration from my Senate colleagues, the Trump administration, and our stakeholders to complete the bill before the IIJA expires in September of 2026. We must be pragmatic, work in a bipartisan fashion to deliver a bill that sets us up for a productive conversation on this reauthorization effort with our colleagues in the House.

    “I’m really grateful, I know many of you have traveled far, to the witnesses that have joined us today. I look forward to learning about these priorities. This is an excellent opportunity ahead of us to make a pivotal impact in our surface transportation network.

    “Each of us knows how important that network is and the role that it plays in keeping our country’s economy and people on the move. I’m excited to get to work and continue the EPW Committee’s bipartisan tradition of developing legislation that delivers for the American people.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Speaks with Crypto Stakeholders during Ag Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke with Ji Kim, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation, The Honorable Rostin Behnam, Distinguished Fellow at Georgetown University, and Tom Sexton, President and CEO of National Futures Association, during a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (Ag) Committee hearing on federal oversight of digital commodities. During the hearing, they discussed the need for the U.S. to be a leader in digital assets.
    Read Sen. Tuberville’s remarks below or on YouTube or Rumble.
    TUBERVILLE: “Mr. Kim, you touched on this very briefly in your opening statement. The E.U. and U.K. are moving quickly to attract blockchain-based innovation. What risk are we at in the United States? What are we gonna face if we don’t get more urgent about what’s going on?
    I recently talked to some exchanges and they’re freaking out basically about, ‘Hey, we’ve gotta do something or we’re gonna move out of the country.’ What [are] your thoughts?”
    KIM: “Thank you very much for your question, Senator. As I mentioned in my testimony, it is a global race to the top. So other jurisdictions have not been waiting for the U.S. to lead. You have the E.U., Singapore, Japan, U.K. [are] all looking into technology resources. I see block chain development and digital assets as the plumbing and infrastructure for the second half of the 21st Century. We need the U.S. to lead.
    That said, despite the progress in other jurisdictions, everyone is watching the U.S. now. They’re seeing the Senate having passed [the] GENIUS [Act], they’re seeing development on the market structure bill, including in this Committee. And even the U.K. is actually a really good example, Senator, where they had been taking a very modular, patient approach, but recently they announced an all-at-once approach. And I believe that there’s an opportunity for the U.S. to cement this leadership and make sure this innovation stays here in the U.S. — and that starts with a comprehensive incentive framework as I discussed, Senator.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Mr. Sexton [do] you want to follow-up on that? You got anything on that — about us dragging our feet?”
    SEXTON: “Senator, I encourage this Committee and the House to continue to work on legislation in this area. I think it’s very important. I can tell you that from our perspective, we have, as I indicated, member firms are already engaged in this activity. And to the extent that the CFTC would be provided with not only anti-fraud, but also regulatory oversight over digital commodities, I think it’d be very helpful as far as our own regulatory structure here.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you.
    Mr. Behnam, the U.S. model of having two regulators — and we touched on this briefly — only works if there are clear jurisdictions. You’re very familiar with that. Can you talk about the need to clear up, you know, this regulatory definition between CFTC and the SEC?”
    BEHNAM: “Senator, thanks for the question. It’s the first and most important step because from that point, the two agencies will be able to really start to develop rules either distinctly and uniquely or in a joint fashion. But this is certainly a new asset that has a lot of characteristics that are similar to other assets but also have a lot of characteristics that are novel and new and are gonna require a different way of thinking about it. So, I do think it’s critically important. I also think, putting myself in my old shoes, it is important that the agencies get a bit of a steer from this Committee in Congress because there are lines that I think this committee and the Congress can draw to help the agencies start to really define the landscape of what tokens are securities and what tokens are commodities.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. I yield back.”
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Passes Van Orden Bill to Help Veterans Keep Their Homes

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Derrick Van Orden (Wisconsin 3rd)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, applauded the Senate’s passage of his bill, H.R. 1815 – the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act. 

    This legislation establishes a permanent partial claims program within the VA Home Loan Program, bringing VA in line with other federal agencies that lend money for homes and replacing the fiscally irresponsible Biden administration-era VASP program. Veterans will be permitted to have the same programs non-veterans have available to them through FHA loans, allowing veterans who have fallen behind on their mortgages to receive federal assistance.

    “Under the Biden administration, the VA created the VASP program without consulting Congress, costing the American taxpayers $5.8 billion and endangering the entire VA home loan guarantee program,” said Rep. Van Orden. “The time for faceless bureaucrats to run roughshod over elected officials is over. My bill offers a real solution to help every servicemember and veteran maintain the American Dream of homeownership. I am grateful to my Senate colleagues for passing this important bill, and I look forward to President Trump signing it into law.”

    “The VA Home Loan program has helped millions of veterans achieve the American Dream of owning a home. However, we know that veterans – like all Americans – can fall on hard times and may need a safety net in place to avoid foreclosure on their home. The VA Home Loan Program Reform Act addresses that need head on,” said Chairman Bost. “I want to thank my friend, fellow veteran, and our Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Chairman, Rep. Van Orden, for his strong leadership on this issue on behalf of veterans and their families to modernize the VA Home Loan and create a partial claim program at VA. This is good legislation that will – without question – prevent veteran homelessness and make a real difference in veteran’s day-to-day lives. I look forward to seeing President Trump sign it into law.”

    Read the bill text here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McClellan Demands Answers from DHS Secretary Noem on ICE Raids at Chesterfield County Courthouse

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (Virginia 4th District)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons to express alarm over reports about the presence of ICE agents at the Chesterfield County Courthouse.

    Over the course of several days in June, ICE detained 15 individuals who appeared at the Chesterfield County Courthouse, including 10 individuals who presented themselves voluntarily to address civil infractions. ICE provided no notice to county or court officials that they would be entering the Courthouse and operated in plain clothes and without identifying themselves.

    “The methods employed by ICE in Chesterfield County exemplify a shocking change in tactics to enforce our immigration laws that includes raids on courthouses across the nation, aggressively threatening people on the streets, arresting lawful permanent residents, and engaging in racial profiling,” wrote Congresswoman McClellan. “This represents disturbingly authoritarian behavior that not only undermines our safety, but also threatens the very foundation of our constitutional democracy.” 

    In the letter, McClellan stated that those seeking to stay in compliance with the laws should not be subject to arbitrary arrest and detention and implored the Department to consider the consequences of eroding trust in law enforcement and the judicial system. 

    “While individuals who commit crimes should face the consequences of their actions, it appears that you have focused your attention on individuals trying to comply with the law rather than those who actively pose a threat to our community,” the Congresswoman continued. “These actions have a chilling effect not only on those trying to comply with the law, but those seeking justice for themselves or others. As a result, your actions hinder public safety rather than protect it.”

    She specifically noted its impact on community members’ willingness to come forward to report crimes or cooperate with investigators, citing a recent drop in 911 calls in a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Richmond.

    “In order to restore trust among our immigrant communities and protect the civil rights and liberties of everyone in our community, I urge ICE to cease these courthouse raids in both Chesterfield and around the country,” the Congresswoman concluded.

    McClellan demanded answers to a series of questions, including:

    1. What is the review process conducted to determine which individuals’ presence at a municipal courthouse in compliance with court-mandated orders or summons rises to the level of “reasonable suspicion” that they are in the country illegally and pose a public safety or national security threat? 
    2. Both citizens and non-citizens present in the United States have a constitutional right to due process. Can you provide assurances that each individual questioned or detained was granted these rights? 
    3. How many individuals detained by ICE at the Chesterfield County Courthouse are still in DHS custody, where have they been moved, and is DHS taking steps to allow contact with legal representation?
    4. Did ICE take the appropriate steps to ensure any dependents of those who were detained by ICE were in the safe custody of family members or the appropriate authorities?
    5. There have been disturbing instances of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents detained by ICE for extended periods of time in similar immigration operations. Has ICE sufficiently determined that no individuals with lawful permanent status or citizenship were detained? Have all of these individuals been released from ICE custody?

    Read the full letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: July 16, 2025 Rep. Mullin Proposes Bill to Help Evaluate Safety of Autonomous Vehicles Washington, D.C. – In response to federal regulators weakening oversight as more driverless cars hit the roads, Rep. Kevin Mullin (CA-15) introduced a bill to require more robust safety data from autonomous vehicle (AV) manufacturers. AVs are already operating in numerous… Read More

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Kevin Mullin California (15th District)

    Washington, D.C. – In response to federal regulators weakening oversight as more driverless cars hit the roads, Rep. Kevin Mullin (CA-15) introduced a bill to require more robust safety data from autonomous vehicle (AV) manufacturers.

    AVs are already operating in numerous states including California, Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Texas, with several manufacturers getting their start in the San Francisco Bay Area where Rep. Mullin’s district is located. Currently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires AV companies to report some collision data, but it isn’t required to provide other basic metrics that would help the public to determine how safe they actually are.

    Rep. Mullin’s AV Safety Data Act would help ensure the public is entitled to basic transparency about how many miles driverless cars are traveling and when there are other types of incidents like unplanned stoppages or the blocking of emergency vehicles. Requiring this type of consistent data reporting would help compare safety rates across various manufacturers and help determine whether AVs are safer than human drivers.

    “Every day, people are interacting with AVs in my district – whether they’re hailing a ride or walking across the street as one approaches. The public deserves to know how safe autonomous vehicles actually are and that the federal government is working to ensure we’re protecting people on the road,” Rep. Mullin said. “The technology behind autonomous vehicles is rapidly developing and has the potential to dramatically improve safety on our roads. While there is no doubt AV technology will continue to evolve, we simply will not know if it is getting better without more independent, verifiable data collected at the national level. AV companies that are performing well and prioritizing safety should welcome this basic transparency effort.”

    In addition to codifying NHTSA’s existing collision data reporting requirements in law, the AV Safety Data Act would also require that companies report to NHTSA:

    • The number of miles traveled on public roads
    • AV collisions that result in any injuries to other human drivers, pedestrians or bicyclists
    • Information on unplanned stoppages and any impacts to law enforcement, first responders, or public transit agencies

    Since 2021, over 3,000 crashes have been recorded involving AVs and Level 2 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, which resulted in 53 fatalities and 303 injuries. Yet earlier this year, NHTSA weakened its AV reporting requirements. Lawmakers have been urging NHTSA to improve its AV safety data collection for years, and Rep. Mullin led several letters calling upon federal regulators to act in 2024 and 2023. While Rep. Mullin supports advancements in the AV industry, his bill seeks to help increase transparency and prioritize public safety on our roads.

    “Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are increasingly on our roadways. Yet, there are no minimum federal safety standards and insufficient data collection, transparency and accountability for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving systems (ADS). The AV Safety Data Act will enhance reporting requirements for these vehicles,” Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. “Robust data is essential to evaluate performance, detect safety defects and inform sound policy. Advocates commends Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-CA) for his safety leadership and innovative thinking to introduce this bill and urges Congress to advance it. Road users, whether as drivers, passengers, pedestrians or bicyclists, deserve this oversight and consumer protection.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Sudan’s war is an economic disaster: here’s how bad it could get

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Khalid Siddig, Senior Research Fellow and Program Leader for the Sudan Strategy Support Program, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

    Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a devastating war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. What began as a struggle for power has turned into a national catastrophe. More than 14 million people have been displaced. Health and education systems have collapsed and food insecurity threatens over half the population of about 50 million.

    The war has disrupted key sectors, triggering severe economic contractions, and worsening poverty and unemployment levels.

    Sudan’s finance minister reported in November 2023 that the war had resulted in economic losses exceeding US$26 billion – or more than half the value of the country’s economy a year earlier. The industrial sector, which includes manufacturing and oil refining, has lost over 50% of its value. Employment has fallen by 4.6 million jobs over the period of the conflict. More than 7 million more people have been pushed into poverty. The agrifood system alone has shrunk by 33.6%. These estimates exclude informal economy losses.

    My research applies economy-wide models to understand how conflict affects national development. In a recent study, my colleagues and I used this approach to answer the question: what will happen to Sudan’s economy and poverty levels if the war continues through 2025?

    To assess the economic impact of the conflict, we used a Social Accounting Matrix multiplier model. This is a tool that captures how shocks affect different sectors and other agents of the economy, such as firms, government and households.

    Based on our modelling, the answer is devastating: the conflict could shrink the size of Sudan’s economy by over 40% from 2022 levels, plunging millions more into poverty.

    We modelled two scenarios to capture the potential trajectories of Sudan’s economy.

    The extreme scenario assumes a sharp initial collapse, with a 29.5% contraction in the size of the economy in 2023 and 12.2% in 2024, followed by a 7% decline in 2025, reflecting some stabilisation over time.

    The moderate scenario, based on World Bank projections, applies a 20.1% contraction in 2023 and a 15.1% drop in 2024, also followed by a 7% reduction in 2025, indicating a slower but more prolonged deterioration.

    We estimated the annual figures and report only the aggregate impacts through 2025 for clarity.

    We found that if the conflict endures, the value of Sudan’s economy will contract by up to 42% from US$56.3 billion in 2022 (pre-conflict) to US$32.4 billion by the end of 2025. The backbone of livelihoods – agriculture – will be crippled. And the social fabric of the country will continue to fray.

    How we did it

    Our Social Accounting Matrix multiplier model used data from various national and international sources to show the impact of conflict on the value of the economy, its sectors and household welfare.

    We connected this to government and World Bank data to reflect Sudan’s current conditions.

    This allowed us to simulate how conflict-driven disruptions affect the value of the economy, its sectors and household welfare.

    What we found

    Under the extreme scenario, we found:

    • Gross domestic product collapse: Gross domestic product (GDP) measures the total value of all goods and services produced in a country within a year. It’s a key indicator of economic health. We found that the value of Sudan’s economy could contract by up to 42%. This means the country would be producing less than 60% of what it did before the conflict. This would affect incomes, jobs, government revenues and public services. The industrial sector – heavily concentrated in Khartoum – would be hardest hit, with output shrinking by over 50%. The value of services like education, health, transport and trade would fall by 40%, and agriculture by more than 35%.

    • Job losses: nearly 4.6 million jobs – about half of all employment – could disappear. Urban areas and non-farm sectors would be worst affected, with over 700,000 farming jobs at risk.

    • Incomes plummet: household incomes would decline across all groups – rich and poor, rural and urban – by up to 42%. Rural and less-educated households suffer the most.

    • Poverty spikes: up to 7.5 million more people could fall into poverty, adding to the 61.1% poverty level in 2022. In rural areas, the poverty rate could jump by 32.5 percentage points from the already high rural poverty rate pre-conflict (67.6% of the rural population). Women, especially in rural communities, are hit particularly hard. Urban poverty, which was at 48.8% pre-conflict, increases by 11.6 percentage points.

    • The agrifood system – which includes farming, food processing, trade and food services – would lose a third of its value under the extreme scenario.

    Why these findings matter

    Sudan was already in a fragile state before the war. It was reeling from decades of underinvestment, international sanctions and institutional breakdown.

    The war has reversed hard-won gains in poverty reduction. It is also dismantling key productive sectors – from agriculture to manufacturing – which will be essential for recovery once the conflict ends. Every month of continued fighting adds to the damage and raises the cost of rebuilding.

    Our projections already show major economic collapse, yet they don’t include the full extent of the damage. This includes losses in the informal economy or the strain on household coping strategies. The real situation could be even worse than what the data suggests.

    What needs to be done

    First and foremost, peace is essential. Without an end to the fighting, recovery will be impossible.

    Second, even as conflict continues, urgent action is needed to stabilise livelihoods. This means:

    • supporting agriculture in areas that remain relatively safe. Food production must be sustained to prevent famine.

    • restoring critical services where possible – particularly transport, trade and retail – to keep local economies functioning

    • protecting the most vulnerable, such as women in rural areas and the elderly, through expanded social protection and targeted cash assistance.

    Third, prepare for recovery. The international community – donors, development banks and NGOs – must begin laying the groundwork for post-conflict reconstruction now. This includes investment in public infrastructure, rebuilding institutions and re-integrating displaced populations.

    The bottom line

    Sudan’s war is more than a political crisis. It is an economic catastrophe unfolding in real time. One that is deepening poverty, destroying livelihoods and erasing years of progress.

    Our research provides hard numbers to describe what Sudanese families are already experiencing every day.

    The country’s economy is bleeding. Without a shift in the trajectory of the conflict, recovery could take decades – if it happens at all.

    Khalid Siddig 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. Sudan’s war is an economic disaster: here’s how bad it could get – https://theconversation.com/sudans-war-is-an-economic-disaster-heres-how-bad-it-could-get-260609

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: How Derby City Council is bringing Derby’s heritage back to life

    Source: City of Derby

    Derby is blessed with no end of beautiful historic buildings, from the charming commercial units in St Peters Quarter and the Cathedral Quarter, to the 19th and 20th-Century structures that proudly showcase our heritage for industry and innovation.

    These historic buildings provide homes for residents, offices and premises for businesses, and places to shop and enjoy leisure time. All important parts of our modern and ever-changing city. However, some of Derby’s most prominent buildings have been neglected and have fallen into disrepair, standing empty for many years. Once abandoned the cost of repairing these buildings can be substantial and they become increasingly at risk of vandalism, damage and decay.

    Despite these challenges, Derby City Council’s commitment to historic buildings is unwavering. The Council doesn’t just react, it proactively works with owners, developers, and businesses to promote positive use, reuse, and conversion of such buildings throughout the city. This collaborative approach is crucial as the vast majority of historic buildings are privately owned and there is no legal requirement for owners to keep them in a good state of repair.

    The best way to conserve historic buildings is to keep them occupied, even if this is on a temporary or partial basis. That’s why the Council works in several ways with owners, architects and developers to help them repair and restore historic buildings, and develop proposals for creative new uses. This includes:

    • Helping to identify the opportunities for use
    • Advising on the requirements for planning and listed building consent
    • Helping to broker solutions between partners
    • Providing information on potential funding sources

    The impact of the Council’s work is evident in several key projects:

    • The recent refurbishment of the Grade II Listed Market Hall by the City Council  has safeguarded the future of one of the city’s most prominent sites and provided a vibrant new leisure destination.
    • The Silk Mill, the world’s first factory and also Grade II Listed, now tells Derby’s 300-year story of innovation as the Museum of Making.
    • The £75m Friar Gate Goods Yard scheme will see restoration of a 19th Century Bonded Warehouse and Engine House by a private sector developer to create over 110,000 sq ft of commercial space, with 276 new homes.
    • Along St James Street, in the heart of the city, the Council has worked with a private sector developer to restore, regenerate and revitalise more than a dozen properties. Including transforming The Tramshed, into office space, overhauling ground-floor retail units, and repurposing extensive, unused upper floors.

    To have the greatest impact, the Council uses a targeted approach to tackle those properties in the poorest condition, rather than a city-wide scattergun approach. To help identify those properties most at risk, DCC has provided £5000 of funding to the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust to expand their Buildings at Risk survey to cover Derby City. 

    The project has recruited and trained more than 40 volunteers to record and categorise buildings based on their state of repair. To date, over three quarters of Derby’s listed buildings have been surveyed and once collated this information will provide a valuable resource for the Council and others to target the buildings most in need of urgent attention. 

    The Vacant to Vibrant programme directly targets empty properties in the city centre, particularly within the Cathedral Quarter. This programme provides crucial funding to owners to bring historic buildings back into use. This work has had an impact on some of Derby’s most historic streets, including Foulds Guitars in the Strand Arcade, Tubo Gift Shop and Mr Shaws on Sadler Gate, and Brigdens on Irongate.

    Given the number of properties in private ownership, ensuring the future of historic buildings relies on their owners to keep them in good condition. In some cases, this can present challenges which doesn’t always result in a good outcome, which is sadly the case with the Hippodrome. 

    What we can do as a Council is continue to look at future options to help us maintain Derby’s historic properties, using our resources and our powers where necessary to ensure that they can be used and enjoyed for many years to come. 

    Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Leader of Derby City Council, said: 

    We know the value of our historic buildings and are committed to ensuring they are maintained and cared for. They have already played a crucial role in the history and identity of the city, and we want to ensure they continue to do so for many years to come.

    Given there are many historic buildings in private ownership, owners need to take their responsibility seriously in caring for the city’s heritage.

    Working closely with our partners, we’ve been able to make great progress in revitalising areas of our city centre, and this work will only continue.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Member Frankel Statement at the Subcommittee Markup of the 2026 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Funding Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21)

    Congresswoman Lois Frankel (D-FL-22), Ranking Member of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Subcommittee’s markup of the fiscal year 2026 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs funding bill:

    -As Prepared For Delivery-

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

    Let me start by recognizing the collegiality of Chairman Diaz-Balart and the thoughtful members on both sides of the aisle. I also want to thank the dedicated committee staff—and my own team—for their hard work and guidance. But above all, I want to express my deep gratitude to the public servants who bring American values to life around the world—diplomats, development professionals, and humanitarian workers. They serve and served in some of the most dangerous and difficult places on earth. Many have recently been forced out of their jobs, dismissed without cause or ceremony. To those who’ve served and those still standing: You are patriots. You represent the best of who we are. And we owe you more than thanks—we owe you the tools to do your job.

    With the right allocation and a White House that actually valued diplomacy, development, and humanitarianism, I believe we could have crafted a strong, bipartisan measure worthy of our nation’s leadership.

    Instead, I rise in fierce opposition to the Republican FY26 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs bill—a reckless, shortsighted blueprint for American retreat.

    It follows a deeply troubling pattern. The White House has illegally impounded foreign aid, dismantled USAID, gutted the State Department—all without input from Congress. More than ten thousand USAID staff were dismissed. Over 5,000 aid programs have been axed. Just last week, 1,300 State Department employees were let go. Entire offices eliminated.

    And all of this in the middle of a global convergence of crises: armed conflicts, climate disasters, health emergencies, famine, mass migration, and rising authoritarianism.

    This is not theoretical. These crises are slamming into us. When fragile states collapse, migration surges. When we cancel trade support, American farmers and manufacturers lose customers. When we fail to build climate resilience, homes and crops are washed away. When global health systems fail, disease reaches our shores. And when the U.S. pulls back, China and Russia are right there to take our place.

    Worse still, our closest allies—pressured to increase military spending—are also cutting their foreign aid. So as global needs explode, the soft power of democratic nations is vanishing. And the vacuum left behind? It’s being filled by regimes that don’t share our values—or our interests.

    This bill slashes international affairs funding by 22 percent—$13 billion in deep, devastating cuts.

    It guts development and economic support: children pulled from classrooms and left without clean water; farmers cut off from tools that feed communities; young entrepreneurs abandoned, fueling extremism and instability; conflict prevention programs eliminated—so violence erupts unchecked; local organizations, our most trusted partners, shut down.

    It cuts humanitarian assistance by 42 percent. That’s not just unwise—it’s inhumane: women and girls in conflict zones left without care after suffering horrific sexual violence; refugees denied shelter, medicine, hope; food rations slashed below survival levels in places like Syria, Sudan, Bangladesh; and millions of children dying from malnutrition.

    This bill is cruel. It is cold. And it is not who we are.

    And of course, Republicans couldn’t resist another attack on women—reviving the Global Gag Rule, gutting funding for the UN Population Fund, and shortchanging family planning programs that save lives and lift up communities.

    This bill also abandons multilateral institutions like the United Nations and World Health Organization; it sidelines the U.S. from global decision-making; weakens our ability to promote peace and defend allies; forces partners into the arms of authoritarian regimes; and forfeits the power of burden-sharing through institutions like UNICEF, the World Bank, and the UN.

    It’s putting China in charge of the world.

    Let me be blunt: These cuts are not abstract. They are deadly.

    In Nigeria, malnourished infants are dying because therapeutic food deliveries have stopped. In Myanmar, hospitals are shutting their doors in the middle of conflict. In The Gambia, programs to support survivors of female genital mutilation have been halted just as the country debates re-legalizing the practice. In Ukraine, wounded soldiers are going without care. In Afghanistan, pregnant women are being turned away from clinics. In Ecuador, women entrepreneurs—stripped of support—are being pushed toward our border.

    This isn’t just a loss of aid. It’s a loss of American credibility. A loss of moral authority. A loss of global influence.

    And it will cost us dearly.

    Why should the American people care? Because when we fail to lead with compassion and common sense, the world becomes less stable, our troops face more danger, and we pay the price—again and again.

    When we cut aid, we increase the risk of war. When we defund development, we undercut diplomacy. And when we turn our back on the world, we endanger our own.

    I speak as the proud mother of a U.S. Marine veteran. I know what happens when diplomacy fails. When we fail to prevent conflict with education, aid, and engagement, the burden falls on the Pentagon—and on families whose loved ones serve our military.

    Let’s remember: The entire international affairs budget has typically been less than one percent of federal spending. But it delivers exponential returns for our safety, prosperity, and moral standing.

    These programs give youth an alternative to violence. They build markets for American goods. They prevent wars. They reduce migration pressures. They keep our troops home.

    This bill—sadly—is a missed opportunity. A failure to lead. A failure to invest in the power of peace, progress, and partnership.

    But let me end with this: Democrats are not giving up. We stand ready to work with our Republican colleagues—to fight for a bill that reflects our values, honors our commitments, and protects American lives.

    A sustained path to a safer, stronger, and more prosperous nation cannot be built on isolation and threats.

    Because we cannot bomb our way to peace. We cannot drone our way to stability. And we cannot retreat our way to safety.

    A strong America leads—not with fear, but with courage. 

    Not by pulling back, but by reaching out.

    And that’s the bill we should all fight for.

    Thank you. I yield back.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Simpson Denounces Attack on Texas Border Patrol Facility

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Rep. Simpson Denounces Attack on Texas Border Patrol Facility

    Washington, July 16, 2025

    WASHINGTON—Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson cosponsored a resolution denouncing the July 7th attack on a border patrol facility in McAllen, Texas. This resolution is sponsored by Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX).
    “The work of law enforcement—whether police, border patrol, or any other agency—is the work of a hero,” said Rep. Simpson. “The recent purposeful attacks on brave ICE officers and Border Patrol agents have been a direct result of the dangerous rhetoric and false information spread by the Left. The 700% rise in assaults on ICE agents is no coincidence, and I encourage the Left to take a hard look at themselves in the mirror. These heroes risk their lives every day to secure our borders and protect our communities – they deserve our respect and appreciation.”
    On July 7th, 2025, a shooter armed with tactical gear and a rifle opened fire on Border Patrol agents as they arrived at a Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas. According to DHS, two officers and a border patrol employee were injured before the suspect was neutralized. Law enforcement believes the attack was a purposeful ambush targeting Border Patrol officials.
    Congressman Simpson is an original cosponsor of this important resolution. The full text is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Rochester man going to prison for five years for arson

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

    ROCHESTER, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jermaine Fields, 38, of Rochester, NY, who pleaded guilty to arson, was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Moynihan, who handled the case, stated that on April 17, 2024, the Rochester Fire Department received an alarm call from the Abundance Co-Op Market on South Avenue in Rochester, for a fire in the men’s bathroom. When firefighters arrived, they entered the bathroom and smelled an odor of burning rubber, but there were no flames visible.  Firefighters did observe burned debris with burn patterns on the floor and on the wall behind the toilet.  Law enforcement reviewed security camera footage from the store, which depicted a person later identified as Fields, walking throughout the store and entering the men’s bathroom and then exiting. The store fire alarm activated seconds later. Fields was arrested several days later and charged with arson. Fields has also admitted to starting papers on fire in one of the stairwells at the Hall of Justice on Exchange Boulevard in Rochester on April 5, 2024. 

    The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Fire Department, under the direction of Chief Stefano Napolitano, the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division.

    # # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sun Prairie Man Sentenced to 2 ½ Years for Illegally Possessing Firearm and Ammunition

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

    MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Cashius Carter, 21, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty and was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 2 ½ years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

    On September 25, 2024, a Fitchburg police officer stopped a vehicle that Carter was driving. The vehicle smelled of marijuana and the officer asked Carter to exit the vehicle so it could be searched. Carter fled from the scene but was ultimately caught. In the vehicle, the officer found a loaded Glock 19 9mm with an extended magazine between the driver’s seat and center console. In the back seat, officers recovered almost 700 grams of marijuana. The Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory later recovered Carter’s DNA on the firearm. Carter is prohibited from legally possessing a firearm or ammunitions because of a prior felony conviction for eluding an officer.

    At sentencing, Judge Peterson found that Carter’s possession of a loaded firearm with a large quantity of marijuana was dangerous. Judge Peterson also noted that Carter had an aggravated criminal history, which included a violent battery and a high-speed police chase. Judge Peterson explained that he was imposing the sentence to protect the public and deter Carter from further criminal conduct.

    The charge against Carter was the result of an investigation conducted by the Fitchburg Police Department and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, which consists of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.

    This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Alien from Mexico and Straw Purchaser from Fort Worth Charged with Unlawfully Acquiring Two Gas-Operated Rifles

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

    An illegal alien from Mexico and a Fort Worth man were indicted for falsely acquiring two firearms from licensed firearms dealers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson.

    Illegal alien Oscar Guadalupe Cruz Gonzalez, 28, and U.S. citizen Jose Juan Flores, 45, of Fort Worth, were charged by indictment on March 18, 2025, with Conspiracy to Make False Statements to a Licensed Firearms Dealer, and two counts of Acquiring a Firearm from Licensed Firearms Dealers by False or Fictitious Statement.  Cruz Gonzalez was also charged with Possession of a Firearm by an Illegal Alien.  The defendants made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judges on July 3 and July 7, respectively.  

    According to the indictment, in January 2023 and March 2023, Cruz Gonzalez paid Flores a combined total of approximately $2,500 to acquire two semi-automatic gas-operated rifles from two separate licensed firearms dealers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  Each rifle had the ability to be belt-fed ammunition.  Cruz Gonzalez supplied Flores with the funds to purchase both guns, more than $10,000 for the first rifle and over $15,000 for the second.  Flores allegedly purchased the two firearms knowing he was going to transfer them to Cruz Gonzalez.  To conceal this intended transfer when purchasing each rifle, Flores made false statements on the required ATF Form, stating that he was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearms.  After purchasing the first rifle, Flores gave the rifle to Cruz Gonzalez, who was an illegal alien.  In the United States, it is a federal offense for an illegal alien to knowingly possess a firearm.  

    “A straw purchase means that someone bought a firearm for a person who they knew could not legally purchase one,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson.  “Here, as we allege in the indictment, Flores used a significant amount of money to purchase two firearms for an illegal alien from Mexico.  This type of crime flouts our gun laws, which are designed to ensure safe, lawful purchases of firearms by U.S. citizens.  This will not be tolerated in the Northern District of Texas.”

    “Straw purchasing is a federal crime that undermines the integrity of our nation’s firearm laws and enables dangerous individuals to obtain weapons they are prohibited from possessing,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “This case highlights the importance of our partnerships with federal, state, and local agencies to identify and stop illegal firearm trafficking before it results in violence.”

    An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence.  Like all defendants, Cruz Gonzalez and Flores are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 
    If convicted, each defendant faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation with assistance from the Homeland Security Investigations and the Fort Worth Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Eggers is prosecuting the case.  

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Guam Meth Trafficker Sentenced to 135-Months in Federal Prison

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

    Hagåtña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Gavin Domingo Alimurong, age 27, from Dededo, Guam was sentenced to 135-months imprisonment.  He was charged in the U.S. District Court of Guam with Conspiracy to Distribute Fifty or More Grams of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A)(viii) and 846. Alimurong also forfeited four vehicles, jewelry, luxury bags, and $350,164 in cash.  The Court also ordered five years of supervised release and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.  In addition, defendants convicted of a federal drug offense may no longer qualify for certain federal benefits.

    Between July 2019 and July 2022, Alimurong conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine in Guam. He obtained methamphetamine, cocaine, and ecstasy through the dark web, converting U.S. currency into Bitcoin to pay for drugs shipped to Guam via the U.S. Postal Service. In December 2021, Guam Police Department investigated a domestic violence incident involving Alimurong.  During searches of his residence and vehicle, law enforcement seized 594 grams of methamphetamine and 401 grams of cocaine, in addition to pharmaceuticals including oxycodone, alprazolam, and amphetamine pills.  Police also seized glass pipes, a pill crusher, a digital scale, plastic zip-top bags, a money counter, a postal stamp printer, and various luxury items.  Officers also recovered a firearm, ammunition, and $93,124 in cash.

    A search of a storage locker revealed an additional $257,040 in U.S. currency from illegal drug sales. Western Union records indicated that Alimurong wired $103,165 to multiple individuals in China, Vietnam, Bolivia, Colombia, Laos, and the United States.

    “Law enforcement removed a prolific drug dealer from the streets of Guam,” stated United States Attorney Anderson.  “Drug defendants, such as Alimurong, face more than a substantial term of imprisonment.  We will also take any property earned from or facilitating drug trafficking.  I applaud our multi-agency partners that continue to protect our communities from this dangerous activity.”

    “Drug trafficking will not be tolerated in our communities,” said Anthony Chrysanthis, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division, which oversees Guam. “We will vigorously pursue all criminals who flood our streets with their poison and ensure they face the full force of the law.”

    “The defendant in this case callously chased profits with no concern for the impact and harm he brought to public safety,” said Homeland Security Investigations Hawaii Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas.  “HSI and its partners in law enforcement will aggressively investigate, disrupt, and dismantle the transnational flow of illegal drugs and ensure those that choose to traffic them are held accountable for the harm they bring to the communities of Guam.”

    “You will lose your freedom and the unlawful proceeds or your crime if you try to exploit the U.S. mail to traffic dangerous controlled substances,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Service San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Stephen Sherwood. “I would like to thank our federal partners, and our task force partners with Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, the Guam Police Department, and the Guam Army National Guard Counter Drug Program for helping keep methamphetamine out of the mail and out of our communities.”

    “Drugs and guns are a losing combination,” said ATF Seattle Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “Mr. Alimurong’s actions put the community in great harm and was only exacerbated by his possession of firearms.  Because of his actions, this sentence is well deserved.” 

    The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strategic Initiative. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

    The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Guam Police Department, with support from Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Guam Police Department Special Investigations Section, and the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency.

    Assistant United States Attorney Rosetta L. San Nicolas prosecuted the case in the District of Guam.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Sudan’s war is an economic disaster: here’s how bad it could get

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Khalid Siddig, Senior Research Fellow and Program Leader for the Sudan Strategy Support Program, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

    Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a devastating war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. What began as a struggle for power has turned into a national catastrophe. More than 14 million people have been displaced. Health and education systems have collapsed and food insecurity threatens over half the population of about 50 million.

    The war has disrupted key sectors, triggering severe economic contractions, and worsening poverty and unemployment levels.

    Sudan’s finance minister reported in November 2023 that the war had resulted in economic losses exceeding US$26 billion – or more than half the value of the country’s economy a year earlier. The industrial sector, which includes manufacturing and oil refining, has lost over 50% of its value. Employment has fallen by 4.6 million jobs over the period of the conflict. More than 7 million more people have been pushed into poverty. The agrifood system alone has shrunk by 33.6%. These estimates exclude informal economy losses.

    My research applies economy-wide models to understand how conflict affects national development. In a recent study, my colleagues and I used this approach to answer the question: what will happen to Sudan’s economy and poverty levels if the war continues through 2025?

    To assess the economic impact of the conflict, we used a Social Accounting Matrix multiplier model. This is a tool that captures how shocks affect different sectors and other agents of the economy, such as firms, government and households.

    Based on our modelling, the answer is devastating: the conflict could shrink the size of Sudan’s economy by over 40% from 2022 levels, plunging millions more into poverty.

    We modelled two scenarios to capture the potential trajectories of Sudan’s economy.

    The extreme scenario assumes a sharp initial collapse, with a 29.5% contraction in the size of the economy in 2023 and 12.2% in 2024, followed by a 7% decline in 2025, reflecting some stabilisation over time.

    The moderate scenario, based on World Bank projections, applies a 20.1% contraction in 2023 and a 15.1% drop in 2024, also followed by a 7% reduction in 2025, indicating a slower but more prolonged deterioration.

    We estimated the annual figures and report only the aggregate impacts through 2025 for clarity.

    We found that if the conflict endures, the value of Sudan’s economy will contract by up to 42% from US$56.3 billion in 2022 (pre-conflict) to US$32.4 billion by the end of 2025. The backbone of livelihoods – agriculture – will be crippled. And the social fabric of the country will continue to fray.

    How we did it

    Our Social Accounting Matrix multiplier model used data from various national and international sources to show the impact of conflict on the value of the economy, its sectors and household welfare.

    We connected this to government and World Bank data to reflect Sudan’s current conditions.

    This allowed us to simulate how conflict-driven disruptions affect the value of the economy, its sectors and household welfare.

    What we found

    Under the extreme scenario, we found:

    • Gross domestic product collapse: Gross domestic product (GDP) measures the total value of all goods and services produced in a country within a year. It’s a key indicator of economic health. We found that the value of Sudan’s economy could contract by up to 42%. This means the country would be producing less than 60% of what it did before the conflict. This would affect incomes, jobs, government revenues and public services. The industrial sector – heavily concentrated in Khartoum – would be hardest hit, with output shrinking by over 50%. The value of services like education, health, transport and trade would fall by 40%, and agriculture by more than 35%.

    • Job losses: nearly 4.6 million jobs – about half of all employment – could disappear. Urban areas and non-farm sectors would be worst affected, with over 700,000 farming jobs at risk.

    • Incomes plummet: household incomes would decline across all groups – rich and poor, rural and urban – by up to 42%. Rural and less-educated households suffer the most.

    • Poverty spikes: up to 7.5 million more people could fall into poverty, adding to the 61.1% poverty level in 2022. In rural areas, the poverty rate could jump by 32.5 percentage points from the already high rural poverty rate pre-conflict (67.6% of the rural population). Women, especially in rural communities, are hit particularly hard. Urban poverty, which was at 48.8% pre-conflict, increases by 11.6 percentage points.

    • The agrifood system – which includes farming, food processing, trade and food services – would lose a third of its value under the extreme scenario.

    Why these findings matter

    Sudan was already in a fragile state before the war. It was reeling from decades of underinvestment, international sanctions and institutional breakdown.

    The war has reversed hard-won gains in poverty reduction. It is also dismantling key productive sectors – from agriculture to manufacturing – which will be essential for recovery once the conflict ends. Every month of continued fighting adds to the damage and raises the cost of rebuilding.

    Our projections already show major economic collapse, yet they don’t include the full extent of the damage. This includes losses in the informal economy or the strain on household coping strategies. The real situation could be even worse than what the data suggests.

    What needs to be done

    First and foremost, peace is essential. Without an end to the fighting, recovery will be impossible.

    Second, even as conflict continues, urgent action is needed to stabilise livelihoods. This means:

    • supporting agriculture in areas that remain relatively safe. Food production must be sustained to prevent famine.

    • restoring critical services where possible – particularly transport, trade and retail – to keep local economies functioning

    • protecting the most vulnerable, such as women in rural areas and the elderly, through expanded social protection and targeted cash assistance.

    Third, prepare for recovery. The international community – donors, development banks and NGOs – must begin laying the groundwork for post-conflict reconstruction now. This includes investment in public infrastructure, rebuilding institutions and re-integrating displaced populations.

    The bottom line

    Sudan’s war is more than a political crisis. It is an economic catastrophe unfolding in real time. One that is deepening poverty, destroying livelihoods and erasing years of progress.

    Our research provides hard numbers to describe what Sudanese families are already experiencing every day.

    The country’s economy is bleeding. Without a shift in the trajectory of the conflict, recovery could take decades – if it happens at all.

    – Sudan’s war is an economic disaster: here’s how bad it could get
    – https://theconversation.com/sudans-war-is-an-economic-disaster-heres-how-bad-it-could-get-260609

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: President Ramaphosa explains position on commissions of inquiry

    Source: Government of South Africa

    President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended the establishment of commissions of inquiry as a necessary tool to uphold integrity and accountability in South Africa’s criminal justice system.

    Delivering the Presidency Budget Vote for 2025/26 in Parliament on Wednesday, the President cautioned against premature calls for punitive action based on untested claims.

    This as he addressed the recent uproar surrounding allegations made by the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. 

    In an address to the nation last Sunday, President Ramaphosa placed Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on leave of absence with immediate effect. 

    The President outlined the scope of a judicial commission of inquiry that will focus on investigating “allegations relating to the infiltration of law enforcement, intelligence and associated institutions within the criminal justice system by criminal syndicates”.

    READ | Mkhwanazi allegations: What the judicial commission of inquiry will probe

    Among the allegations that the commission may investigate are the facilitation of organised crime; suppression or manipulation of investigations; inducement into criminal actions by law enforcement leadership; commission of any other criminal offences and intimidation, victimisation or targeted removal of whistleblowers or officials resisting criminal influence. 

    “These allegations are serious. They are also untested. It is therefore necessary that we establish the facts through an independent, credible and thorough process so that we can ensure accountability and safeguard public confidence in the police service,” the President said.

    The President told Parliament that he recently established two commissions. The second commission of inquiry which he announced last Sunday, chaired by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, follows another established in May, led by Judge Sisi Khampepe into apartheid-era crimes.

    “It is therefore strange that some people have voiced strong opposition to the establishment of this commission of inquiry. Some have said that I should take immediate punitive steps against the Minister on the basis of untested allegations. Not only would this be unfair, but it would create a dangerous precedent. The commission should be allowed to do its work,” the President explained.

    Rejecting the narrative that such commissions yield no real outcomes, the President highlighted key examples including the South African Revenue Service Commission, the Commission into the Public Investment Corporation, and the implementation of recommendations from the High-Level Panel on the State Security Agency and the Expert Panel into the July 2021 unrest.

    “Some people have resurrected the tired line that the commissions and panels that we have established have not produced any meaningful results. This view is wrong. It is not borne out by evidence. 

    “These commissions resulted in disciplinary actions and the cancellation of unlawful contracts. The implementation of the recommendations of the High-Level Panel on the State Security Agency (SSA) have contributed significantly to SSA’s stabilisation and recovery, improved oversight and accountability, and the structural reforms contained in the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Act,” he said. 

    Following the recommendations of the Expert Panel into the 2021 Civil Unrest, the President explained that government has taken steps to ensure better intelligence coordination, capacitating public order policing, strengthening community policing forums and streamlining the functioning of the National Security Council.

    In the three years since the final report of the State Capture Commission was presented to the President, government has undertaken major reforms based on its recommendations.

    The President noted that eight new laws have been enacted to strengthen the country’s anti-corruption institutions, enhance the procurement system, reform the intelligence services, and improve corporate accountability and public administration.
    He emphasised that government continues to act on the outcomes of the State Capture Commission, with more than R11 billion in assets recovered, an additional R10.6 billion frozen, and dozens of high-profile criminal cases enrolled.

    “These commissions and panels show a government that takes responsibility, that is committed to transparency and accountability, that does not fear independent scrutiny, and that is determined to take corrective action where lapses have taken place.

    “Each of these commissions and panels unearthed information and made findings that were critical to understanding the events that took place. They were essential in ensuring accountability and providing recommendations on strengthening our institutions and processes,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Urges DOJ to Swiftly Implement RECA for Radiation Survivors

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)
    Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ), urging the Department to prioritize implementation of the expanded Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025. The Senator’s expansion provision revives RECA for survivors, allows tens of thousands of new claimants to receive life-saving assistance—including those across Missouri—and protects the program for years to come.
    “I write to ensure prompt implementation of the reauthorized and expanded Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (‘RECA’), as passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025. The Department of Justice plays a central role in administering RECA, and with the enactment of the expanded law, the Department is now responsible for receiving, evaluating, and processing a broader universe of claims. I urge you to devote sufficient manpower and departmental resources for this important work,” wrote Senator Hawley.
    He continued, “It is critical that the Department promptly renews its claims process and application, given that prospective claimants have until December 31, 2027, to submit their paperwork. Timely processing of new claims is both feasible and imperative under the law, especially given the age and health of many claimants. The current RECA statute also explicitly allows the Department to use existing funds and resources to process RECA claims. Congress included this provision to ensure that the Department has sufficient resources to implement RECA fully and without delay.”
    Senator Hawley offered his support in implementing the program, saying, “I will closely monitor the Department’s implementation of the law in the months ahead and respectfully request an update on the Department’s implementation progress by August 1, 2025. I stand ready to work with you and the Department to ensure a fair, efficient, and accessible claims process for new RECA claimants.”
    Read the full letter here or below.  
    Brett ShumateAssistant Attorney GeneralU.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20530
    Dear Assistant Attorney General Shumate:
    I write to ensure prompt implementation of the reauthorized and expanded Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (“RECA”), as passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025. The Department of Justice plays a central role in administering RECA, and with the enactment of the expanded law, the Department is now responsible for receiving, evaluating, and processing a broader universe of claims. I urge you to devote sufficient manpower and departmental resources for this important work.
    As you know, RECA compensates victims and their families who have been exposed to radiation from the federal government’s nuclear programs. Since Congress created the program in 1990, it has provided benefits to tens of thousands of Americans who have developed cancer or other specified diseases after being exposed to radiation from atomic weapons testing or uranium mining, milling, or transporting. Many harrowing tales have emerged for decades after the United States shuttered its test sites and uranium mines, as negligently stored waste continued infiltrating waterways and communities across the country. Now, President Trump and Congress have extended the program to cover more victims and geographic areas.
    It is critical that the Department promptly renews its claims process and application, given that prospective claimants have until December 31, 2027, to submit their paperwork. Timely processing of new claims is both feasible and imperative under the law, especially given the age and health of many claimants. The current RECA statute also explicitly allows the Department to use existing funds and resources to process RECA claim.[1]Congress included this provision to ensure that the Department has sufficient resources to implement RECA fully and without delay.
    I will closely monitor the Department’s implementation of the law in the months ahead, and respectfully request an update on the Department’s implementation progress by August 1, 2025. I stand ready to work with you and the Department to ensure a fair, efficient, and accessible claims process for new RECA claimants.
    Sincerely,
    Josh HawleyUnited States Senator

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LaLota’s Office Returns $11.3+ Million to Suffolk Residents

    Source: US Representative Nick LaLota (NY-01)

    HAUPPAUGE, NY – Congressman Nick LaLota (NY-01) announced today that his office has recovered more than $11.3 million for Suffolk County residents since taking office in January 2023. These funds include delayed or wrongly withheld Social Security payments, Veterans’ benefits, IRS refunds, and other federal reimbursements secured through direct constituent casework. This milestone comes just days after Congressman LaLota helped deliverover $5,000 in annual SALT deduction relief for many Long Island families by negotiating key provisions in H.R. 1 – the One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law on July 4, 2025.

    “From Day One, our team has focused on delivering results—through both legislative wins and direct constituent service,” said LaLota. “We’ve returned over $11.3 million to Long Islanders from the IRS, VA, and Social Security, and helped small business owners recover funds they were owed. Now, thanks to the SALT cap increase I fought for, middle-class families on Long Island can keep $2,500 to $7,500 more of their hard-earned income each year. Whether it’s cutting through red tape or cutting your taxes, we’re here to help. If you need assistance with a federal agency, contact my Hauppauge office at (631) 289-1097 or visit LaLota.house.gov.”

    Background:

    Federal dollars Congressman Nick LaLota’s office has returned to his constituents since taking office in January 2023 include:

    • Internal Revenue Service (IRS): $5,571,717.63

    • Social Security Administration (SSA): $1,054,559.03

    • Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): $44,903.71

    • Office of Personnel Management (OPM): $126,507.32

    • Small Business Administration (SBA): $20,833.00

    • Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS): $6,083.04

    • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): $315,104.84

    • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): $6,494.30

    • Railroad Retirement Board: $90,000.00

    • Department of Education: $109,872.55

    LaLota’s staff in Hauppauge is able to assist Long Islanders with the federal bureaucracy and receive government benefits they have earned. These include Social Security, Medicare, Veterans’ benefits, the IRS, passports and visas, and small business assistance.

    LaLota’s office in Hauppauge can be reached at 631-289-1097. Mail can be sent to 515 Hauppauge Road, Suite 3B, Hauppauge, NY 11788. Visit https://lalota.house.gov/ for more information.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Issa Introduces Legislation to Reform Hookah Tobacco Taxation

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50)

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) and Congressman Don Davis (NC-01) introduced the Hookah Clarification Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation to amend the tax classification of hookah products under the Internal Revenue Code.  

    “The Hookah Clarification Act will end longstanding confusion about the existing tax classification of hookah and establish clarity for the future,” said Rep. Issa. “This is a win for common sense and fundamental fairness, and I thank Rep. Davis for joining this important effort.”

    The legislation amends section 5701 (f) of the Internal Revenue Code to create a subcategory for Waterpipe Tobacco (i.e., shisha), separating it from pipe tobacco to ensure it is classified appropriately.

    Despite being significantly lighter, Hookah shisha is currently taxed by weight at the same rate as loose-leaf pipe tobacco. This bill adjusts the tax rate for hookah to accurately reflect that only 20 percent of the product is taxable tobacco. 

    “Tobacco production remains a key pillar of eastern North Carolina’s economy and culture,” said Congressman Don Davis (NC-01). “We must create a level playing field to ensure all tobacco products manufactured in North Carolina are taxed fairly.”

    Read the bill text here. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin Demands USDA Safeguard Farmers’ Financial Information, Revoke DOGE’s Access to Payment System

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is demanding that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) safeguard Wisconsin farmers’ personal and financial information and rescind the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) unprecedented access to USDA’s payment systems. Recent reports exposed that DOGE has access to USDA databases containing farmers’ sensitive financial information. This intrusion not only breaches farmers’ privacy but also raises serious concerns about the future of USDA payments, our nation’s food security, and the consolidation of farmland and processing operations.

    “Wisconsin farmers share sensitive financial information with USDA when seeking federal loans or disaster assistance. Historically, only trained Farm Service Agency staff and senior USDA officials have had access to this data. However, reports indicate that DOGE has been granted sweeping access to the National Payment System that controls tens of billions of dollars in payments and loans to farmers and ranchers across the United States. There is no clear justification for this, and it raises serious concerns about data security, farmers’ privacy, and the potential misuse of confidential records,” wrote Senator Baldwin in a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.

    “At a time when farmers and rural communities are facing volatile market conditions and increasingly severe weather, the accessibility and security of USDA resources is more important than ever,” Senator Baldwin continued. “I urge you to take immediate steps to restore the public’s confidence in the security of USDA’s payment systems. I request that you rescind DOGE’s access to farmers’ private data, as well as their involvement in payment and loan decisions. The agency must ensure that farmers are safeguarded from the unauthorized use of their data and that funds they have been promised are not unjustifiably blocked or delayed.”

    The full letter is available here and below:

    Dear Secretary Rollins:

    I am writing to you today on behalf of Wisconsin farmers who partner with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). When farmers utilize USDA services to produce the highest quality food and contribute to their rural economies, they must be able to trust their partners in Washington. For that reason, I am alarmed by recent reports that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has access to USDA databases containing farmers’ personal information—an intrusion that not only breaches their privacy, but also raises serious concerns about the future of USDA payments, our nation’s food security, and the consolidation of farmland and processing operations.

    Wisconsin farmers share sensitive financial information with USDA when seeking federal loans or disaster assistance. Historically, only trained Farm Service Agency staff and senior USDA officials have had access to this data. However, reports indicate that DOGE has been granted sweeping access to the National Payment System that controls tens of billions of dollars in payments and loans to farmers and ranchers across the United States. There is no clear justification for this, and it raises serious concerns about data security, farmers’ privacy, and the potential misuse of confidential records.

    DOGE has already been granted unprecedented access to sensitive data from other federal databases. While at the National Labor Relations Board, DOGE accessed and possibly exported sensitive and personally identifiable information regarding union members, lawsuits and corporate data. USDA systems and staff are charged with storing similarly sensitive information. Farmers deserve to know that their private information is protected and will not be exported for unauthorized, and potentially illegal, uses. In the wrong hands, sensitive data about our nation’s agricultural sector could be taken advantage of to exploit vulnerabilities in our food supply chains. It could also be used to further consolidate agricultural processing capacity and land ownership.

    I am also concerned by the reports that DOGE has the ability to approve or block USDA payments and loans. An unappointed and unelected group of Washington insiders with no accountability to farmers should not be in charge of delaying disaster relief checks or blocking contracts. At a time when farmers and rural communities are facing volatile market conditions and increasingly severe weather, the accessibility and security of USDA resources is more important than ever.

    I urge you to take immediate steps to restore the public’s confidence in the security of USDA’s payment systems. I request that you rescind DOGE’s access to farmers’ private data, as well as their involvement in payment and loan decisions. The agency must ensure that farmers are safeguarded from the unauthorized use of their data and that funds they have been promised are not unjustifiably blocked or delayed.

    Sincerely, 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government response to the ACMD’s report on barriers to research: part 2

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Correspondence

    Government response to the ACMD’s report on barriers to research: part 2

    Government response to the ACMD’s report on the consideration of barriers to research: part 2.

    Documents

    Government response to the ACMD’s report on barriers to research: part 2 (accessible)

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    Government response to the ACMD’s report on barriers to research: part 2

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    Details

    The government responds to the ACMD’s report on the consideration of barriers to research: part 2.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 July 2025

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    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese FM: SCO Can Play Bigger Role in Ensuring Regional Peace and Stability

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    TIANJIN, July 16 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday said the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) can play a bigger role in maintaining regional peace and stability and promoting development and revival.

    Wang Yi, also a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, made the statement in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin during a meeting with SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev.

    Expressing gratitude to the SCO Secretary General for his dedication since taking office, Wang Yi noted that Nurlan Yermekbayev has made an active contribution to promoting the implementation of the consensus reached by the leaders of the SCO member states, and has also established good working relations with various departments of China.

    Wang Yi said that the SCO, which is the largest comprehensive regional organization in terms of population and geographic coverage and has great potential, has attracted more and more attention from the international community and can play a more important role in maintaining regional peace and stability and promoting development and revival.

    The SCO can contribute to the formation of a new type of international relations and the building of a community of shared destiny for humanity, he added.

    Wang Yi noted that the Secretariat is the most important permanent body of the SCO. According to him, under the leadership of the SCO Secretary General, the Secretariat will play a more significant role in ensuring the effective functioning of the organization, coordinating the actions of all parties and enhancing the authority of the organization.

    China will continue to support and facilitate the work of the SCO Secretariat, he added.

    Wang Yi said that China has hosted more than 90 events during its presidency. He called on the SCO Secretary-General to continue to support China’s work during its SCO presidency and help China hold a friendly, united and fruitful summit.

    Nurlan Yermekbayev stated that China has put forward and implemented a meaningful program of events, raising the level of cooperation between all parties to a new height.

    The SCO Secretary-General said the Secretariat will continue to provide comprehensive support to China’s chairmanship and work with China to prepare for the SCO Tianjin Summit to ensure fruitful results from the event. -0-

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Collection of Xi Jinping’s articles on education, two other books presented in Hong Kong

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    HONG KONG, July 16 (Xinhua) — A collection of articles by Chinese President Xi Jinping on education and two other books printed in traditional Chinese characters were unveiled on Wednesday, the first day of the Hong Kong Book Fair in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).

    The three books, “On Education,” “Thesis for Studying Xi Jinping Thought on Culture,” and “Xi Jinping Among the People: Warm Moments,” were published by Sino United Publishing (Holdings) Limited in Hong Kong. They aim to help readers in Hong Kong and Macao gain a deeper understanding of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and strengthen their national cultural identity.

    Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Lee Jiachao /John Lee/ attended the presentation of these publications. -0-

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Mike Levin Joins Bipartisan Coalition to Reintroduce Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill: The Dignity Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)

    July 15, 2025

    Washington, D.C.—Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) joined Reps. Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27), along with 17 of their colleagues, to reintroduce a historic, bipartisan immigration bill: the Dignity Act of 2025. After more than two years of negotiation, this bill is an updated compromise agreement that addresses legal status and protections for undocumented immigrants, border security, asylum reform, and visa reform.

    Watch Rep. Levin’s remarks here.

    The Dignity Act makes meaningful reforms to several aspects of our immigration system:

    • It grants legal status and protections to undocumented immigrants already living in the United States;
    • It reforms the asylum screening process to provide opportunity for review and access to council;
    • It creates new regional processing centers, so migrants do not have to make the perilous journey to the U.S.-Mexico border to seek asylum;
    • It invests in border security and modernizes our land ports of entry;
    • It mandates accountability for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE);
    • It provides protections for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) holders.

    “It’s long past time for Congress to do its job when it comes to immigration reform. Mass deportations are not the answer. Neither is punishing working families or tearing apart communities. We can invest in border security and still uphold our values. We can enforce our laws and still protect families. These ideas aren’t mutually exclusive — they’re fundamentally American,” said Rep. Levin “For those who are contributing positively to our society and economy, we need a better process and a realistic path for them to stay in this country. These are our neighbors and our friends. Let’s honor that promise — by protecting Dreamers, improving pathways to legal status, securing the border, and passing the Dignity Act.”

    The last time Congress passed immigration reform was in 1996, which was driven by Republicans and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. That bill eliminated several legal immigration pathways, essentially making fewer people eligible for legal status while making more people deportable.

    As we are witnessing historic executive overreach and redirection of resources to our border, it is clear Congress needs to update our immigration laws. And it is not like Congress has not had the opportunity; over the last 10 years, eight major pushes for immigration reform have failed:

    • In 2013, the Senate on a bipartisan basis passed the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, but House Republicans refused to take up the bill.
    • In 2018, a bipartisan group of Senators advanced the Uniting and Securing America Act to protect Dreamers and provide pathway to citizenship, but Senate Republicans blocked it.
    • Again in 2018, the Senate tried to advance the United and Securing America Act “Common Sense” Proposal Amendment, but Senate Republicans blocked it.
    • Yet again in 2018, the Uniting and Securing America Act made it to the Senate floor but was blocked.
    • In 2019, the House passed the American Dream and Promise Act, but Senate Republicans blocked it.
    • In 2021, the House again passed the American Dream and Promise Act, but Senate Republicans again blocked it.
    • In 2021 and 2022, the President proposed record funding for more border agents, more asylum officers, more immigration judges, more border technology, and more detention capacity. Republicans in Congress failed to fund these both requests.
    • In 2024, Republican Senator James Lankford (R-OK) led a bipartisan group of senators to fund a border security and foreign aid package, which failed due to significant pushback from Republicans such as Donald Trump.

    “I have seen firsthand the devastating consequences of our broken immigration system, and as a member of Congress, I take seriously my obligation to propose a solution. Realistic, common-sense compromise is achievable, and is especially important given the urgency of this moment. I consider the Dignity Act of 2025 a critical first step to overhauling this broken system,” said Rep. Escobar. “Immigrants – especially those who have been in the United States for decades – make up a critical component of our communities and also of the American workforce and economy. The vast majority of immigrants are hard-working, law-abiding residents; and, despite how maligned they have been by the administration, most Americans recognize that it is in our country’s best interest to find a solution. We can enact legislation that incorporates both humanity and security, and the Dignity Act of 2025 offers a bipartisan, balanced approach that restores dignity to people who have tried to navigate a broken system for far too long. The reintroduction of this legislation includes changes that reflect the challenges in today’s political environment. I’m proud of my bipartisan work with Rep. Salazar, who has been a strong partner on this issue since December 2022. It is our hope that Congress seizes the opportunity to take an important step forward on this issue.”

    “The Dignity Act is a revolutionary bill that offers the solution to our immigration crisis: secure the border, stop illegal immigration, and provide an earned opportunity for long-term immigrants to stay here and work. No amnesty. No handouts. No citizenship. Just accountability and a path to stability for our economy and our future,” said Rep. Salazar.

    The Dignity Act is also cosponsored by Democratic representatives Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Susie Lee (NV-03), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Hilary Scholten (MI-03), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Adam Gray (CA-13), Laura Gillen (NY-04), and Jake Auchincloss (MA-04) and Republican representatives Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Mike Lawler (NY-17), David Valadao (CA-22), Mike Kelly (PA-03), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-08), Gabe Evans (CO-08), Marlin Stutzman (IN-03), Don Bacon (NE-02), and Young Kim (CA-40).

    A summary of the bill can be found here.

    ##

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Sues FEMA for Cutting Bipartisan Funding for Natural Disasters

    Source: US State of New York

    EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today joined a coalition of 19 other states in suing the Trump administration over its deadly decision to illegally shut down the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) bipartisan Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which has supported critical infrastructure to protect communities from disasters before they happen. Since the 1990s, FEMA has provided billions of dollars to state and local governments to support infrastructure improvements to prepare for natural disasters. These funds have been proven to save lives, protect property, and reduce the cost of rebuilding after a disaster strikes. While BRIC has received bipartisan support and funded projects in all 50 states, the administration abruptly and illegally terminated the program earlier this year, jeopardizing billions of dollars intended to help communities prepare for disasters nationwide. With this lawsuit, Attorney General James and the coalition are seeking a court order to stop the termination of the BRIC program and prevent the administration from illegally reallocating its funds.

    “This administration’s decision to slash billions of dollars that protect our communities from floods, wildfires, and other disasters puts millions of New Yorkers at risk,” said Attorney General James. “New Yorkers depend on quality roads, floodwalls, and other vital infrastructure to keep them safe when disaster strikes. This administration has no authority to cut this program that has helped save countless lives, and I will continue to fight to ensure New York gets the support we need to prepare for dangerous natural disasters.”

    The BRIC program provides financial and technical assistance to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to implement new measures that protect communities from natural disasters. The program’s grants cover up to 75 percent of a project’s costs, and can rise to 90 percent for small rural communities, making them a critical lifeline. BRIC funding supports the construction of evacuation shelters and flood walls, protections for water and power infrastructure, and improvements to roads and bridges. Over the past four years, FEMA has selected nearly 2,000 projects from every corner of the country to receive roughly $4.5 billion in funding. Due to the unique threats they face, coastal communities have received the largest allocations over the past four years, with New York among the states receiving the most BRIC funding. 

    New York has 38 BRIC projects throughout the state totaling over $380 million that are all in jeopardy as a result of the termination of the program. New York City, which is particularly vulnerable to flooding, is expecting to receive BRIC funds for 19 different projects. This includes $50 million for the Central Harlem Cloudburst Flood Mitigation Project, which is designed to provide flood protection measures to over 45,000 city residents vulnerable to flash flooding of the Harlem River. 

    Multiple studies have shown that BRIC funds more than pay for themselves by preventing costly damage during disasters. Each dollar spent on mitigation saves an average of $6 in post-disaster costs, with some investments saving even more. BRIC program funds have helped avoid over $150 billion in costs and saved lives in communities throughout the country.

    Despite the program’s success and longtime bipartisan support, the Trump administration unlawfully terminated the program in April 2025, diverting over $4 billion out of FEMA’s pre-disaster mitigation fund and into funds for post-disaster grants. This abrupt termination has jeopardized critical projects throughout the country. Communities have been forced to delay, scale back, or cancel hundreds of projects that depend on BRIC funding. Projects that have been in development for years, and in which communities have already spent millions of dollars for planning, permitting, and environmental review are now threatened. As a result, Americans across the country face a higher risk of harm from natural disasters.

    Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the abrupt termination of BRIC is unconstitutional and illegal. Congress has written into law that disaster preparedness is a core part of FEMA’s mission and has appropriated funds for BRIC. Congress has also specified that the executive branch cannot alter this mission or reduce FEMA’s ability to carry out any of its core functions unless the law changes. FEMA also cannot refuse to spend congressionally appropriated funds in violation of the Constitution. In addition, Attorney General James and the coalition argue that President Trump’s FEMA administrator and his successor, who carried out BRIC’s termination, were not lawfully appointed to run FEMA and lack the authority to shut down the program.

    With this lawsuit, Attorney General James and the coalition are seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent the Trump Administration from spending BRIC funds on other purposes and a permanent injunction to reverse the termination of the BRIC program and require the restoration of these critical funds to the communities relying on them.

    Joining Attorney General James in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the governor of Pennsylvania.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Sues FEMA for Cutting Bipartisan Funding for Natural Disasters

    Source: US State of New York

    EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today joined a coalition of 19 other states in suing the Trump administration over its deadly decision to illegally shut down the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) bipartisan Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which has supported critical infrastructure to protect communities from disasters before they happen. Since the 1990s, FEMA has provided billions of dollars to state and local governments to support infrastructure improvements to prepare for natural disasters. These funds have been proven to save lives, protect property, and reduce the cost of rebuilding after a disaster strikes. While BRIC has received bipartisan support and funded projects in all 50 states, the administration abruptly and illegally terminated the program earlier this year, jeopardizing billions of dollars intended to help communities prepare for disasters nationwide. With this lawsuit, Attorney General James and the coalition are seeking a court order to stop the termination of the BRIC program and prevent the administration from illegally reallocating its funds.

    “This administration’s decision to slash billions of dollars that protect our communities from floods, wildfires, and other disasters puts millions of New Yorkers at risk,” said Attorney General James. “New Yorkers depend on quality roads, floodwalls, and other vital infrastructure to keep them safe when disaster strikes. This administration has no authority to cut this program that has helped save countless lives, and I will continue to fight to ensure New York gets the support we need to prepare for dangerous natural disasters.”

    The BRIC program provides financial and technical assistance to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to implement new measures that protect communities from natural disasters. The program’s grants cover up to 75 percent of a project’s costs, and can rise to 90 percent for small rural communities, making them a critical lifeline. BRIC funding supports the construction of evacuation shelters and flood walls, protections for water and power infrastructure, and improvements to roads and bridges. Over the past four years, FEMA has selected nearly 2,000 projects from every corner of the country to receive roughly $4.5 billion in funding. Due to the unique threats they face, coastal communities have received the largest allocations over the past four years, with New York among the states receiving the most BRIC funding. 

    New York has 38 BRIC projects throughout the state totaling over $380 million that are all in jeopardy as a result of the termination of the program. New York City, which is particularly vulnerable to flooding, is expecting to receive BRIC funds for 19 different projects. This includes $50 million for the Central Harlem Cloudburst Flood Mitigation Project, which is designed to provide flood protection measures to over 45,000 city residents vulnerable to flash flooding of the Harlem River. 

    Multiple studies have shown that BRIC funds more than pay for themselves by preventing costly damage during disasters. Each dollar spent on mitigation saves an average of $6 in post-disaster costs, with some investments saving even more. BRIC program funds have helped avoid over $150 billion in costs and saved lives in communities throughout the country.

    Despite the program’s success and longtime bipartisan support, the Trump administration unlawfully terminated the program in April 2025, diverting over $4 billion out of FEMA’s pre-disaster mitigation fund and into funds for post-disaster grants. This abrupt termination has jeopardized critical projects throughout the country. Communities have been forced to delay, scale back, or cancel hundreds of projects that depend on BRIC funding. Projects that have been in development for years, and in which communities have already spent millions of dollars for planning, permitting, and environmental review are now threatened. As a result, Americans across the country face a higher risk of harm from natural disasters.

    Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the abrupt termination of BRIC is unconstitutional and illegal. Congress has written into law that disaster preparedness is a core part of FEMA’s mission and has appropriated funds for BRIC. Congress has also specified that the executive branch cannot alter this mission or reduce FEMA’s ability to carry out any of its core functions unless the law changes. FEMA also cannot refuse to spend congressionally appropriated funds in violation of the Constitution. In addition, Attorney General James and the coalition argue that President Trump’s FEMA administrator and his successor, who carried out BRIC’s termination, were not lawfully appointed to run FEMA and lack the authority to shut down the program.

    With this lawsuit, Attorney General James and the coalition are seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent the Trump Administration from spending BRIC funds on other purposes and a permanent injunction to reverse the termination of the BRIC program and require the restoration of these critical funds to the communities relying on them.

    Joining Attorney General James in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the governor of Pennsylvania.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Sues Trump Administration for Illegally Shutting Down Longstanding Disaster Prevention Program

    Source: US State of California

    Over a billion in funding potentially at stake for California projects to address flooding, wildfires, landslides, drought, and earthquakes

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today filed a lawsuit challenging the unlawful termination of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. Since 2020, FEMA has made billions of dollars available under the BRIC program to prepare for and mitigate the risks from disasters before they happen. From flooding to wildfires to landslides to earthquakes, California is uniquely at risk from natural disasters and the largest beneficiary of this program; already, it has been awarded tens of millions of dollars, and if the program continues, could receive over a billion more for projects that FEMA had selected for grant funding. In today’s lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta, alongside a coalition of 19 other states, asks the court to compel FEMA to reverse the unlawful termination of the BRIC program so that communities across the country can protect themselves from natural disasters before they strike.  

    “Nearly thirty years ago, both Democrats and Republicans in Congress recognized a simple fact: Preparing for disasters, instead of just reacting to them, saves money and lives,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Yet in the name of cutting waste, fraud, and abuse, President Trump and his lackeys have once again jeopardized public safety with their indiscriminate slashing of pre-disaster mitigation funding. We’re taking them to court – not because we want to, but because we have to. As we continue to build a climate resilient California, we deserve a federal government that is a partner, not a roadblock in our efforts – and that’s exactly what Congress intended.” 

    Across five Presidential administrations, Congress and FEMA have worked together to provide funding through FEMA’s pre-disaster mitigation program so that communities across the nation can invest in projects that reduce harm from natural disasters. The rationale is simple: by proactively fortifying our communities against disasters before they strike, rather than just responding afterward, we will reduce injuries, save lives, protect property, and, ultimately, save money that would otherwise be spent on post-disaster costs. 

    Given the program’s effectiveness in protecting both people and pocketbooks, it is little surprise that it has had broad bipartisan support. The bill codifying the program passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 415–2 and passed the Senate by unanimous consent before President Bill Clinton signed it. More recently, during President Trump’s first term, a bipartisan group of legislators overwhelmingly passed a bill by a vote of 398–23 in the House and 93–6 in the Senate that provided the program with an additional funding stream. And in 2021, Congress invested another $1 billion in the program through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

    In California, projects that have been awarded funding include: 

    • A project in City of Rancho Palos Verdes to reduce geologic landslide movement that threatens most of the City’s residents and infrastructure, including a major arterial roadway that provides community and emergency access, sanitation sewer lines located along this roadway, electric and communication lines, potable water lines, and gas lines. Without this project, landslide movement will continue to threaten critical infrastructure, damage homes and property, and endanger lives. 
    • A project in the City of Sacramento to mitigate flooding of five major interchanges, 3.9 miles of a major interstate highway, a runway at an airport, surface streets, 27,000 housing units, and more. Among other things, the project would have improved floodwall sections, improved levee sections, and relocated a pump station. 
    • A project in Kern County to seismically retrofit the Kern Valley Healthcare District’s hospital that provides acute care and emergency medical services to a remote population in the mid-northern region of the Kern River Valley area. Unless seismically retrofitted, the hospital may soon need to close. This would force hundreds of thousands of Californians to seek services at hospitals over two hours away. 

    In Texas, where heavy rains turned into devastating floods earlier this month, FEMA was set to provide hundreds of million in federal funding for pre-disaster mitigation projects, including for several flood mitigation projects.

    All that changed when Cameron Hamilton, who the Trump Administration unlawfully installed to act as FEMA’s Administrator, suddenly shut down the program. His unilateral decision to shutter the nation’s largest, most popular, and most cost-effective pre-disaster mitigation program is illegal. Neither Cameron Hamilton nor his successor, David Richardson, were lawfully appointed or qualified to run FEMA, as required by the Constitution’s Appointments Clause and statutory requirements. Their purported termination of the BRIC program flatly contravenes Congress’s decision to continue to fund it, in violation of the U.S. Constitution and Congress’s power of the purse. In their lawsuit filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Attorney General Bonta and a coalition urge the court to reverse FEMA’s unlawful decision to shut down this program – before the devastating impact of this loss of funding results in permanent damage to our communities.  

    Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as the state of Pennsylvania, in filing the lawsuit.  

    A copy of the lawsuit will be available here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Sues Trump Administration for Illegally Shutting Down Longstanding Disaster Prevention Program

    Source: US State of California

    Over a billion in funding potentially at stake for California projects to address flooding, wildfires, landslides, drought, and earthquakes

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today filed a lawsuit challenging the unlawful termination of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. Since 2020, FEMA has made billions of dollars available under the BRIC program to prepare for and mitigate the risks from disasters before they happen. From flooding to wildfires to landslides to earthquakes, California is uniquely at risk from natural disasters and the largest beneficiary of this program; already, it has been awarded tens of millions of dollars, and if the program continues, could receive over a billion more for projects that FEMA had selected for grant funding. In today’s lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta, alongside a coalition of 19 other states, asks the court to compel FEMA to reverse the unlawful termination of the BRIC program so that communities across the country can protect themselves from natural disasters before they strike.  

    “Nearly thirty years ago, both Democrats and Republicans in Congress recognized a simple fact: Preparing for disasters, instead of just reacting to them, saves money and lives,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Yet in the name of cutting waste, fraud, and abuse, President Trump and his lackeys have once again jeopardized public safety with their indiscriminate slashing of pre-disaster mitigation funding. We’re taking them to court – not because we want to, but because we have to. As we continue to build a climate resilient California, we deserve a federal government that is a partner, not a roadblock in our efforts – and that’s exactly what Congress intended.” 

    Across five Presidential administrations, Congress and FEMA have worked together to provide funding through FEMA’s pre-disaster mitigation program so that communities across the nation can invest in projects that reduce harm from natural disasters. The rationale is simple: by proactively fortifying our communities against disasters before they strike, rather than just responding afterward, we will reduce injuries, save lives, protect property, and, ultimately, save money that would otherwise be spent on post-disaster costs. 

    Given the program’s effectiveness in protecting both people and pocketbooks, it is little surprise that it has had broad bipartisan support. The bill codifying the program passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 415–2 and passed the Senate by unanimous consent before President Bill Clinton signed it. More recently, during President Trump’s first term, a bipartisan group of legislators overwhelmingly passed a bill by a vote of 398–23 in the House and 93–6 in the Senate that provided the program with an additional funding stream. And in 2021, Congress invested another $1 billion in the program through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

    In California, projects that have been awarded funding include: 

    • A project in City of Rancho Palos Verdes to reduce geologic landslide movement that threatens most of the City’s residents and infrastructure, including a major arterial roadway that provides community and emergency access, sanitation sewer lines located along this roadway, electric and communication lines, potable water lines, and gas lines. Without this project, landslide movement will continue to threaten critical infrastructure, damage homes and property, and endanger lives. 
    • A project in the City of Sacramento to mitigate flooding of five major interchanges, 3.9 miles of a major interstate highway, a runway at an airport, surface streets, 27,000 housing units, and more. Among other things, the project would have improved floodwall sections, improved levee sections, and relocated a pump station. 
    • A project in Kern County to seismically retrofit the Kern Valley Healthcare District’s hospital that provides acute care and emergency medical services to a remote population in the mid-northern region of the Kern River Valley area. Unless seismically retrofitted, the hospital may soon need to close. This would force hundreds of thousands of Californians to seek services at hospitals over two hours away. 

    In Texas, where heavy rains turned into devastating floods earlier this month, FEMA was set to provide hundreds of million in federal funding for pre-disaster mitigation projects, including for several flood mitigation projects.

    All that changed when Cameron Hamilton, who the Trump Administration unlawfully installed to act as FEMA’s Administrator, suddenly shut down the program. His unilateral decision to shutter the nation’s largest, most popular, and most cost-effective pre-disaster mitigation program is illegal. Neither Cameron Hamilton nor his successor, David Richardson, were lawfully appointed or qualified to run FEMA, as required by the Constitution’s Appointments Clause and statutory requirements. Their purported termination of the BRIC program flatly contravenes Congress’s decision to continue to fund it, in violation of the U.S. Constitution and Congress’s power of the purse. In their lawsuit filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Attorney General Bonta and a coalition urge the court to reverse FEMA’s unlawful decision to shut down this program – before the devastating impact of this loss of funding results in permanent damage to our communities.  

    Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as the state of Pennsylvania, in filing the lawsuit.  

    A copy of the lawsuit will be available here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Integrating interactivity with Minecraft Education: A fun approach to learning coding and AI

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Integrating interactivity with Minecraft Education: A fun approach to learning coding and AI

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power Conference & Exhibition Returns to Senegal in December 2025

    Source: APO – Report:

    The MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power Conference & Event returns to Dakar, Senegal in December at the Centre International de Conférences Abdou Diouf. The pre-conference will take place on December 8 and the main event will take place on December 9 -10 under the theme Energy, Petroleum and Mining in Africa: Synergy for Inclusive Economic Development.

    The conference & exhibition aims to unite the MSGBC region through energy cooperation, supporting cross-border collaboration and shared development strategies to drive sustainable growth and long-term economic integration across the Basin.

    For four years, MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power has established itself as the premier platform for industry leaders, innovators and policymakers in the MSGBC region. Each edition has played a crucial role in determining the region’s energy future, driving investment and advancing project development. By connecting governments, energy companies, global operators and financiers, MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power facilitates strategic partnerships and regional cooperation.

    The MSGBC Basin is home to upstream acreage, integrated infrastructure projects and forward-looking development plans. As large-scale projects in Mauritania and Senegal have moved into production and exploration expands across The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry, the region requires continued technical and financial engagement to meet its energy goals.

    Join MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2025 in Dakar this December and be part of the region’s leading energy and mining investment platform. Register now at www.MSGBCOilGasAndPower.com.

    The event is organized with the support of Senegal’s Ministry of Energy, Petroleum and Mines, Senegal’s national oil company Petrosen E&P, COS-Petrogaz and the African Energy Chamber.

    Recent developments across the MSGBC region include the shipment of the first LNG cargo from bp and Kosmos Energy’s Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project offshore Senegal and Mauritania in April 2025. In Senegal, under the leadership of Birame Souleye Diop, Minister of Energy, Petroleum and Mines and Talla Gueye, Director General, Petrosen E&P, oil production at Woodside’s Sangomar field is ongoing, with 3.11 million barrels produced and exported in January 2025 alone and a projected output of 30.5 million barrels for the year at a plateau rate of 100,000 barrels per day.

    In Guinea-Conakry, the first locomotive for the Trans-Guinean railway, part of the Simandou iron ore development, arrived in May 2025. In The Gambia, the government announced that national electricity access is expected to reach 90% by the end of 2025. Meanwhile, Guinea-Bissau signed an oil and gas cooperation agreement with Azerbaijan in June 2025 to support technical and investment partnerships.

    Building on past successes, MSGBC 2025 will be the most impactful edition to date, offering unmatched opportunities for investors and project developers, as well as international operators and service providers.

    “Our objective is to facilitate investment and partnerships across the MSGBC region by providing direct access to decision-makers and financiers,” says Sandra Jeque, Event and Project Director at Energy Capital & Power. “This event is a platform for governments and the private sector to align on shared priorities and promote energy and mining as drivers of economic development.”

    – on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

    Media files

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    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The Africa Debate: Foreign Secretary speech

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    The Africa Debate: Foreign Secretary speech

    The Foreign Secretary gave a speech at The Africa Debate on 2 July 2025.

    Ladies and Gentleman, Friends.

    It’s a great, great pleasure to be here today. Thank you to Sumaila and the team behind the Africa Debate, for bringing us all together.

    This week, it’s 25 years since I was first elected the Member of Parliament for Tottenham and therefore began my journey in public life. So I want to start by looking back for just a moment in time.

    I was a Member of Parliament and then a Junior Minister in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. And they were both very, very focused on Africa and the continent of Africa.

    However, when I look back on that period, it was most definitely  principally through the lens of development and aid. This was the era of the Jubilee debt campaign. It was absolutely the era of the Millennium Development Goals. Make Poverty History was the theme of the day and the G8 Summit in Gleneagles in 2005, implementing many of the recommendations of Blair’s Commission for Africa.

    These efforts left of course a legacy. In 2000, almost two-thirds of all sub-Saharan Africans lived on under three dollars a day, by 2010, when Gordon Brown left office, the figure was under half.

    But when I became Foreign Secretary last year, I wanted to modernise our approach to Africa, modernise our approach to development.

    I of course had been travelling to the continent for many, many years, the first country I ever visited was Kenya. But I’d seen the transformation of cities and communities, all brimming with huge potential.

    And I suppose I also benefited from my own heritage in the Global South. My parents hailed from Guyana. And so I understood some of the frustrations of countries and communities when it felt like the West was ignoring people or not listening to people, not understanding what they really needed.

    I wanted to change that. And to reset relations then with the Global South, and particularly with Africa. And to implement a new approach, partnership, not paternalism.

    Genuine partnership is, by definition, between two equals each respecting the other. So in this job, I have tried to show that respect. And in the past year, I have visited eight African countries. The first Foreign Secretary to visit South Africa or Morocco since William Hague. And the first Foreign Secretary ever to visit the great country of Chad.

    And on my first visit to the continent as Foreign Secretary, I launched consultations on our new Africa Approach. A five-month listening exercise, hearing from governments, from civil society and diaspora communities, from businesses and universities, from Cape Town to Cairo, from Dakar to Djibouti, what they valued, what they wanted to see from Britain.

    We needed to listen. And I thank you all for your engagement over the course of this process and for what you told us, what we needed to hear.

    The message actually didn’t surprise me. Because what African people want from Britain is exactly what British people want from Africa. You want, we want, growth.

    And not just any form of growth, a jump in numbers on a spreadsheet for a year or two.

    But a secure, sustainable growth for everyone, high-quality jobs, affordable prices, citizens living better lives than those of their ancestors.

    You want, we want, opportunity.

    Opportunity arising from our respective strengths, like the British education system, like of course the City of London, the incredible natural assets and energised young people across Africa, and our collective commitment to multilateralism.

    And you want, and we want partnerships. Partnerships that harness our deep historic ties, and the array of personal connections that exist between us.

    But partnerships that also continue to grow and deepen, as we both invest in them. That’s just a snapshot of a detailed piece of work.

    But of course, the work can only be beginning. The real test of our Africa Approach, and this was clear in the consultation as well, is how we put it into practice.

    Because talk is cheap. It’s actions in the end that count. I am excited by the deals driving growth that we have been delivering so far.

    A new Strategic Partnership with Nigeria, a new growth plan with South Africa, a new partnership with Morocco, joint work on a new AI strategy in Ghana, and new investments in Tanzania and of course in Kenya, announced in the first East Africa Trade and Investment Forum here in London in May.

    And thanks to our Developing Countries Trading Scheme, and free trade agreements with many African countries, almost £15 billion of goods were exported from Africa to Britain tariff-free last year.

    And following the publication of the British Government’s new Trade Strategy, we will further simplify the rules of the DCTS scheme which benefits thirty-eight African countries, and review our tariffs with South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

    The Trade Strategy reinforces Britain’s belief in the power of free trade. And the largest free trade area in the world is Africa’s.

    And that’s why we back the rollout of the African Continent Free Trade Agreement, reducing barriers to intra-African trade through support in areas like digital trade and custom cooperation.

    And we will increase opportunities for British firms to play their part, just as it will increase prosperity in Africa. The British businesses and investors in this room have a big part to play. And I want our Ambassadors, our High Commissioners working closely with you, so that together, we can play a confident role in investing more, and supporting the growth of the African market.

    So, more trade, more investment, this is the best path to prosperity for all.

    And there is a role of course for development as well. But this has to be a modernised approach to development, recognising that fundamentally development is about growth, development is about jobs, development is about business.

    The modern development expert needs to have a mindset of an investor, not a donor. Looking for the best return, not offering the biggest handout.

    And it’s in that spirit that British International Investment recently signed an MoU with South Africa’s Public Investment Corporation, one of Africa’s largest asset managers.

    And this week agreed to support Wave Money Mobile, an exciting African fintech unicorn.

    And it’s also in that spirit that Britain is co-hosting the next Global Fund replenishment summit in South Africa.

    And just last week I made a £1.25 billion pledge to the recent Gavi replenishment in Brussels, the largest of any sovereign donor.

    That work will save lives – many, many millions. But it will also unlock economic value -every pound given to Gavi drives £54 in wider economic benefit.

    And, crucially, it unlocks value in Britain and Africa. Gavi works closely with cutting-edge British pharmaceutical firms like GSK. And it’s also designed the first African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, which is using industry partnerships to deliver vaccines for Africa.

    Vaccines, and this is very important, because people talked about that during the COVID pandemic, they asked the question, why, why are we failing, the West failing to vaccinate the African continent, and that was an important question.

    But there was a second question – why has the African continent not got its own manufacturing capability, and that is what we now need to deliver in Africa.

    Working with partners like Nigeria, we are pushing for organisations like Gavi and the Global Fund to work together and reform, so that their work has national ownership at its heart.

    National ownership is similarly important when it comes to reforming wider international finance, especially for climate and nature.

    And thank you, President Ruto, for your leadership on the climate issue particularly. The theme of your conference is precisely the right framing, Africa has Natural Capital. But it cannot unlock this if we make it impossibly challenging for states to access the finance that they need.

    At the recent Development Finance Summit in Seville, we were again pushing for reforms of the multilateral development banks and the IMF. We have to mobilise private capital and use guarantees to unlock more funds.

    To empower regional development banks, like the African Development Bank, where developing countries have more of a voice. To tackle unsustainable debt. To work with the City to bring innovations like disaster risk insurance and strengthen local capital markets.

    One example of what this can mean comes from Sierra Leone, where I can announce £2 million pounds worth of British government investment to back a mangrove restoration project by West Africa Blue. The project protects over 90,000 hectares of mangrove estuaries, improving coastal and community resilience.

    But it is also demonstrating how this model can be commercially viable, unlocking future investment in similar projects in the future. And finally, alongside our work on trade, on investment and development finance, we have heard the clear message from the consultation on illicit finance as well.

    I know that this message is not new. For years, friends in Africa have been saying Britain needs to do more to tackle dirty money. Kleptocrats and money launderers rob all our citizens of wealth and security.

    And now, the Government is listening too. That’s why I’ve started imposing sanctions on crooks who siphon off public money for themselves, like Isabel dos Santos of Angola and Kamlesh Pattni’s illicit gold smuggling network.

    And that’s why I’ve also announced that London will be hosting a Countering Illicit Finance Summit, bringing together a broad range and a broad coalition from the Global North and the Global South, to drive these criminals out of our economies.

    Friends, I said the messages of our recent consultations were that Africa wanted more growth, Africa wanted more opportunities, Africa wanted more partnerships.

    In effect, Africa wants Britain to help them to have more choices. Choices over who to do business with, because it’s choices which matter in a volatile geopolitical age.

    Britain wants choices too. And I believe that, given the choice, more and more British businesses and investors will be choosing Africa in the coming years.

    But don’t take my word for it – let’s hear from an African voice. It’s my pleasure now to introduce to the stage a great partner of the UK, a global leader on climate and nature action, and our next keynote speaker, His Excellency, Dr William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –