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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How soup might soothe symptoms and support recovery from colds and flu – new research

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sandra Lucas, Senior Lecturer, School of Health Sciences, University of the West of Scotland

    New Africa/Shutterstock

    For generations, chicken soup has been a go-to remedy for people feeling under the weather. It holds a cherished place in many cultures as a comforting treatment for colds and flu. But is there any real science behind the idea that soup can help us recover from respiratory infections?

    Alongside colleagues, I conducted a systematic review to explore this question, which examined the scientific evidence on the role of soup in managing acute respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold, influenza and COVID-19.

    Out of more than 10,000 records, we identified four high-quality studies involving 342 participants. These studies tested a variety of soups, including traditional chicken broth, barley soup and herbal vegetable blends. While still early-stage, the evidence was promising.

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    One study found that people who ate soup recovered up to 2.5 days faster than those who didn’t. Symptoms such as nasal congestion, sore throat and fatigue were milder. Some participants also showed reduced levels of inflammation-related markers: substances in the blood that rise when the immune system is fighting an infection.

    Specifically, levels of IL-6 and TNF-α – two proteins that help trigger inflammation – were lower in those who consumed soup. This suggests that soup may help calm an overactive immune response, potentially making symptoms less severe and recovery more comfortable.

    However, none of the studies examined how consuming soup influenced everyday outcomes of acute respiratory tract infections, such as whether people took fewer days off work or were less likely to end up in hospital. That’s a major gap in the evidence, and one that future research needs to address.

    There are several reasons soup may help. It’s warm, hydrating and typically nutrient-rich. Ingredients like garlic, onion, ginger and leafy greens have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and immune-supportive properties. The warmth can also help loosen mucus, soothe sore throats and promote overall comfort during illness.

    Not just nourishment

    There’s also a strong cultural and behavioural aspect to food-based self-care: when people use food not just for nourishment, but as an intentional part of managing illness and promoting recovery.

    In many households, food becomes medicine not only because of its ingredients, but because it symbolises care, routine and reassurance.

    My previous research found that parents, in particular often turn to traditional remedies, like soup, as a first line of defence when illness strikes, often well before seeking professional medical advice.

    This reflects a growing interest in home remedies and the importance of culturally familiar treatments: remedies that feel safe, trusted and emotionally resonant because they’re part of a person’s upbringing or community norms. These kinds of treatments can increase confidence and comfort when self-managing illness at home.

    Food-based self-care may become increasingly important as pressure on healthcare systems continues to grow. With rising concerns about antimicrobial resistance, overstretched services, and lingering trauma from global pandemics, simple, evidence-informed home treatments can play a crucial role.

    They help people manage mild illness, reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and avoid placing additional strain on GPs or emergency departments for minor ailments that can be safely treated at home. Even a simple phone message about the common cold – “Most common colds get better in a few days and don’t need treatment from your GP” – has been shown to reduce appointment demand by 21%, highlighting how low-cost, home-based care could ease pressure across the system.

    The Local Government Association (LGA) reports that GPs handle approximately 57 million cases of minor conditions such as coughs and colds annually, costing the NHS over £2 billion a year. It argues that educating people about effective self-care could help save GPs an hour a day on average.

    Soup fits the bill

    So chicken soup is easy to prepare, affordable, safe for most people and widely recognised as a comforting, familiar home remedy for minor illness.

    Still, our review highlighted a clear need for more research. Future studies could examine standardised soup recipes and investigate whether particular combinations of nutrients or herbs work best: does chicken soup have the same effect as barley broth or vegetable potage? Is there a difference if it’s homemade versus canned?

    Just as importantly, future research needs to measure meaningful outcomes: how quickly people return to work or school, how well they sleep during illness, how they rate their comfort and energy levels, for example.

    Soup isn’t a replacement for medicine. But alongside rest, fluids and paracetamol, it might offer a simple way to ease symptoms and help people feel better.

    Sandra Lucas 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. How soup might soothe symptoms and support recovery from colds and flu – new research – https://theconversation.com/how-soup-might-soothe-symptoms-and-support-recovery-from-colds-and-flu-new-research-260960

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Over €10 billion has now been pledged for Ukraine’s recovery. It’s nowhere near enough

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham

    Clearly angered by the intensification of Russia’s air campaign against Ukraine, Donald Trump has pivoted from the suspension of US military assistance to Ukraine to promising its resumption. Russia’s strikes on major cities killed more civilians in June than have died in any single previous month, according to UN figures.

    Over the past two weeks, the US president has made several disparaging comments about his relationship with Vladimir Putin, including on July 13 that the Russian president “talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening”.

    Not only will the US resume delivery of long-promised Patriot air defence missiles, Trump is now also reported to be considering a whole new plan to arm Ukraine, including with offensive capabilities. And he has talked about imposing new sanctions on Putin’s regime.

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    This is the background against which the eighth Ukraine Recovery Conference took place in Rome on July 10 and 11. The event, attended by many western leaders and senior business executives, was an important reminder that while the war against Ukraine will be decided on the battlefield, peace will only be won as the result of rebuilding Ukraine’s economy and society.

    Ending the war anytime soon and on terms favourable to Kyiv will require an enormous effort by Ukrainians and their European allies. But the country’s recovery afterwards will be no less challenging.

    According to the World Bank’s latest assessment, at the end of 2024 Ukraine’s recovery needs over the next decade stood at US$524 billion (£388 billion). And with every month the war continues, these needs are increasing. Ukraine’s three hardest-hit sectors are housing, transport and energy infrastructure, which between them account for around 60% of all damage.

    At the same time, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) provided a relatively positive assessment of Ukraine’s overall economic situation at the end of June, forecasting growth of between 2% and 3% for 2025 – likely to grow to over 4% in 2026 and 2027. But the IMF also cautioned that this trajectory – and the country’s macroeconomic stability more generally – will remain heavily dependent on external support.

    Taking into account a new €2.3 billion package from the EU, consisting of €1.8 billion of loan guarantees and €580 million of grants, the cumulative pledge of over €10 billion (£8.7 billion) made by countries attending the Ukraine recovery conference is both encouraging and sobering.

    It is encouraging in the sense that Ukraine’s international partners remain committed to the country’s social and economic needs, not merely its ability to resist Russia on the battlefield.

    But it is also sobering that even these eye-watering sums of public money are still only a fraction of Ukraine’s needs. Even if the EU manages to mobilise its overall target of €40 billion for Ukraine’s recovery, by attracting additional contributions from other donors and the private sector, this would be less than 8% of Ukraine’s projected recovery needs as of the end of 2024.

    As the war continues and more of the (diminishing) public funding is directed towards defence expenditure by Kyiv’s western partners, this gap is likely to grow.

    Overcoming the trauma of war

    Money is not the only challenge for Ukraine recovery efforts. Rebuilding the country is not simply about undoing the physical damage.

    The social impact of Russia’s aggression is hard to overstate. Ukraine has been deeply traumatised as a society since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

    Generally reliable Ukrainian casualty counts – some 12,000 civilians and 43,000 troops killed since February 2022 – are still likely to underestimate the true number of people who have died as a direct consequence of the Russian aggression. And each of these will have left behind family members struggling to cope with their loss. In addition, there are hundreds of thousands of war veterans.

    Even before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there were nearly half a million veterans from the “frozen” conflict that followed Russia’s annexation of Crimea and incursion into eastern Ukraine. By the end of 2024, this number had more than doubled to around 1 million. Most of them have complex social, economic, medical and psychological needs that will have to be considered as part of a society-wide recovery effort.

    Returning refugees

    According to data from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), there are also some 7 million refugees from Ukraine and 3.7 million internally displaced people (IDPs). This is equivalent to one quarter of the country’s population. The financial needs of UNHCR’s operations in Ukraine are estimated at $800 million in 2025, of which only 27% was funded as of the end of April.

    Once the fighting in Ukraine ends, refugees are likely to return in greater numbers. Their return will provide a boost to the country’s economic growth by strengthening its labour force and bringing with them skills and, potentially, investment. But like many IDPs and veterans, they may not be able to return to their places of origin, either because these are not inhabitable or remain under Russian occupation.

    Some returnees are likely to be viewed with suspicion or resentment by those Ukrainians who stayed behind and fought. Tensions with Ukrainians who survived the Russian occupation in areas that Kyiv may recover in a peace deal are also likely, given Ukraine’s harsh anti-collaboration laws.

    As a consequence, reintegration – in the sense of rebuilding and sustaining the country’s social cohesion – will be a massive challenge, requiring as much, if not more, of Ukraine’s partners’ attention and financial support as physical reconstruction and the transition from a war to a peace-time economy.

    Given the mismatch between what is needed and what has been provided for Ukraine’s recovery, one may well be sceptical about the value of the annual Ukraine recovery conferences. But, to the credit of their organisers and attendees, they recognise that the foundations for post-war recovery need to be built before the war ends. The non-military challenges of war and peace must not fall by the wayside amid an exclusive focus on battlefield dynamics.

    Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU’s Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

    – ref. Over €10 billion has now been pledged for Ukraine’s recovery. It’s nowhere near enough – https://theconversation.com/over-10-billion-has-now-been-pledged-for-ukraines-recovery-its-nowhere-near-enough-260936

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Zambia facing a democratic crossroads as it enters a fresh constitutional crisis

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nic Cheeseman, Professor of Democracy, University of Birmingham

    The election of Zambia’s president, Hakainde Hichilema, in 2021 was widely interpreted as a victory for democracy. Zambia had suffered rising repression under former leader Edgar Lungu, but Hichilema promised democratic accountability. However, there are now concerns that his government is promoting constitutional changes that would entrench ruling-party dominance.

    Hichilema has proposed a bill that would increase the number of MPs by over 60%. It would also introduce elements of proportional representation to create a “mixed” electoral system, and create reserved seats for women, young people and those with disabilities.

    Zambia’s ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) claims the amendments are needed to correct historical exclusion. But many civil society groups believe this is “gender washing” – using inclusive rhetoric to mask an authoritarian agenda.

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    This scepticism is rooted in recent political developments and the text itself. The bill has emerged alongside other legislation that would tighten state control over civic and political space, at a time when infringements on fundamental freedoms in Zambia are growing.

    Many of the bill’s provisions are also vague and some undermine democratic checks and balances, while the progressive aspects are ill-conceived. This makes the proposed reforms, in the words of well-known Zambian constitutional expert O’Brien Kaaba: “deeply problematic and counterproductive”.

    I take no pleasure in saying this. The last time I wrote such an article about Zambia, it was to condemn the persecution of Hichilema after he was arrested in 2017 on trumped up treason charges. I was honoured to receive a letter of thanks upon his release.

    Like many Zambians and international observers, I was hopeful for the new administration. Yet, while the government has kept some campaign promises and negotiated a difficult deal on the country’s debt burden, efforts to restore democracy are now going backwards.

    Weakening a fragile system

    As prominent Zambian civil society leaders like Laura Miti and Linda Kasonde have warned, a number of the proposed changes could enable the government to all-but-guarantee itself a majority in the next elections scheduled for 2026.

    First, the bill would add 55 new constituency-based MPs – more than the total number to be elected through proportional representation. There are concerns that most of these new constituencies will be created in UPND strongholds, helping the party retain a majority even if it loses support.

    These fears have been magnified by the government’s failure to release the Boundary Delimitation Report, which sets out the redrawing of electoral boundaries. This has prevented independent scrutiny of the process and its motivations.

    Second, the rule that parliament must be dissolved 90 days before elections is also being revoked on the basis that this unfairly shortens office terms for MPs. Although MPs would not be supposed to conduct parliamentary business after this point, such a change would exacerbate existing problems. These include the use of government resources and vehicles in the ruling party’s campaign.

    And third, the constitutional amendment increases the number of MPs the president can appoint from eight to ten. In a system already adding reserved seats for underrepresented groups, this lacks justification. Taken together, these changes threaten to further empower the government and explain why a collective of civil society groups recently demanded “an immediate halt” to the process.

    At the same time, the government has not taken the opportunity to remove problematic clauses from Zambia’s constitution. These include the right of the president to dissolve the National Assembly if it fails to “reasonably” perform its duties.

    The government has justified the bill by emphasising the historical underrepresentation of women and marginalised groups in Zambian politics. This is a serious problem, but the bill will not fix it.

    The amendments only create 20 seats for women, 12 for young people, and three for those with disabilities. In a 256-seat chamber, this will do little to address the imbalance and falls well short of the Southern African Development Community’s target of 30% female representation.

    Poorly designed quotas can also reinforce marginalisation. Parties may push women toward quota seats, limiting their participation in regular constituency races. The amendment may thus create a new ceiling: if women only run in reserved seats, female representation would almost halve from 15% now to just 8% in the next parliament.

    A similar issue arises with the proportional representation system more broadly. When only a small proportion of seats are allocated this way, it fails to deliver the benefits of fairness that are associated with true proportionality.

    In other words, the constitutional amendment bill gives the appearance of inclusivity while carefully preserving the government’s incumbency advantage.

    A constitutional rush-job

    Perhaps the most striking flaw in the bill has been the process itself. The amendments have seen such scant public consultation that, in June, the Law Association of Zambia called for them to be withdrawn.

    This concern is shared by the constitutional court, which recently found the government had failed to meet constitutional requirements for public participation. The court recommended restarting a more inclusive process.

    Hichilema, perhaps aware of the likely verdict, preempted the ruling by announcing shortly before the court’s decision that he would pause the process to allow for wider consultation. This is a welcome, but insufficient, development. As the Law Association has argued, the amendments are so badly designed that they do not represent a viable foundation for constitutional review.

    Compounding its other flaws, the legislation is poorly written and vague. In many cases, it also fails to explain how new provisions would actually work in practice. The bill therefore needs to be withdrawn, not revised or deferred.

    Zambia needs a new constitution, but it deserves one that is rooted in evidence, consultation and democratic principles. Anything less threatens to undermine the country’s hard-won democratic gains and Hichilema’s own legacy.

    Nic Cheeseman 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. Zambia facing a democratic crossroads as it enters a fresh constitutional crisis – https://theconversation.com/zambia-facing-a-democratic-crossroads-as-it-enters-a-fresh-constitutional-crisis-260595

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Russian Imperial Movement: how a far-right group outlawed by the UK is spreading terror across Europe

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dale Pankhurst, PhD candidate and Tutor in the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics, Queen’s University Belfast

    The British government announced in early July that a far-right group called the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) will be banned under terrorism legislation. This will make it a criminal offence in the UK to be a member of the group or to express support for it.

    The RIM was at the centre of a string of letter bomb attacks targeting high-profile people and institutions in Spain in 2022. These included a bomb addressed to the official residence of Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, which was intercepted by his security detail.

    Six more letter bombs were mailed to targets including the American and Ukrainian embassies in Madrid, military installations, and weapons manufacturing companies that supply arms to Ukraine. No one was killed in the attacks, which US officials considered to be acts of terrorism.

    Investigators soon announced that they suspected the RIM of being involved. US and European officials alleged that the group was directed to carry out the attacks by Russian intelligence officers.

    What is the RIM?

    The RIM is an ultra-nationalist, neo-nazi and white supremacist organisation based in Russia. It was created in 2002 by Stanislav Anatolyevich Vorobyev, a Russian national who is designated a terrorist by the US government.

    The group seeks to create a new Russian empire, and uses the Russian imperial flag as its sign. The previous Russian empire (1721-1917) encompassed all of modern-day Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Finland, Georgia, Armenia and the Baltic states, as well as parts of China.

    The movement does not recognise Ukrainian sovereignty. It sees Ukraine as part of what it calls a global Zionist conspiracy designed to undermine Russia and promote Jewish interests. The RIM has engaged in Holocaust denial and is formally outlawed in the US, Canada and now the UK.

    It also has a paramilitary wing called the Imperial Legions, which operates at least two training facilities in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. The US State Department believes these facilities are being used to train RIM members in woodland and urban assault, tactical weapons and hand-to-hand combat.

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    Denis Valliullovich Gariyev, the Imperial Legions’ leader, has in the past called on “young orthodox men” to join the Legions and defend Novorossiya – a term used to describe Russia’s claim over Ukraine. As of 2020, the Imperial Legions was estimated to have several thousand members.

    The RIM and its paramilitary wing have engaged in a wide range of activities and operations. These range from passive alliances with other far-right groups in Europe to providing paramilitary training for terrorist organisations. They have also participated directly in bomb attacks.

    Since 2014, when the conflict in eastern Ukraine began, the movement has trained and sent members as mercenaries to bolster the pro-Russian separatist groups fighting there. Its members have also actively supported the Russian armed forces in Ukraine after the full-scale invasion in 2022.

    After the invasion, posts related to the RIM on various social media platforms such as Vkontakte and Telegram revealed a ramping up of recruitment to join operations in Ukraine. Its fighters have posted videos of themselves in Ukraine armed with weaponry from sniper rifles to anti-tank missiles.

    According to analysts, the movement also maintains strong ties with the Russian private military company, the Wagner Group. Imperial Legions fighters are believed to have operated alongside Wagner mercenaries in Syria, Libya and possibly the Central African Republic.

    Outside of these activities, the movement has been active in supporting far-right organisations in Europe. These include the Nordic Resistance Movement in Sweden and similar groups in Germany, Spain and elsewhere.

    It provides training to these groups through its so-called “Partizan” (Russian for guerrilla) programme. The training includes bombmaking, marksmanship, medical and survival skills, military topography and other tactics. According to the UK government, the Partizan programme aims to increase the capacity of attendees to conduct terrorist attacks.

    Two Swedish nationals who took part in the programme later committed a series of bombings against refugee centres in Gothenburg, a city on Sweden’s west coast, in late 2016 and early 2017. The men were convicted in Sweden, with the prosecutor crediting RIM for their terrorist radicalisation and training.

    The RIM has also provided specific paramilitary training to far-right groups in Finland. Some members of these groups have fought on Russia’s side in Ukraine, while others have attempted to establish a Finnish cell of the international neo-nazi Atomwaffen Division. Police raids in 2023 also unveiled plans to assassinate the then Finnish prime minister, Sanna Marin.

    Links with the Russian state

    The movement has previously been critical of the Russian government. It initially believed the approach of Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, to Ukraine was too soft, while the group’s promotion of white supremacy and neo-nazism is at odds with Putin’s pragmatic nationalism within Russia.

    In 2012, the RIM even took part in discussions with other far-right groups in Russia to form an opposition movement called New Force to challenge Putin’s rule. However, the crisis in Ukraine that erupted in 2014 after pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted from power has caused the Kremlin and RIM’s political objectives to converge.

    Indeed, the group can now be viewed as one of the core Russian proxy paramilitaries operating in Ukraine at a time when Putin needs more recruits to continue the war. Western intelligence agencies now believe it has a relationship with officials from Russian state intelligence.

    It is difficult to pinpoint the total number of RIM fighters operating in Ukraine as the involvement of mercenary groups there is a closely guarded secret. However, based on previous intelligence reports on the group’s activities, it is reasonable to assume the number is in the hundreds to low thousands.

    The decision by the British government to proscribe the RIM indicates concern that the far-right group is increasing its operational capacity both in Ukraine and throughout Europe. With its extensive network, the movement will become an increasing threat to security if it is allowed to continue acting as a proxy for Putin’s foreign policy objectives.

    Dale Pankhurst 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. Russian Imperial Movement: how a far-right group outlawed by the UK is spreading terror across Europe – https://theconversation.com/russian-imperial-movement-how-a-far-right-group-outlawed-by-the-uk-is-spreading-terror-across-europe-260825

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Outraged by Trump Administration’s Plans to Fire Hundreds of State Department Patriots

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    July 10, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement today after the Trump Administration announced plans to indiscriminately fire hundreds of civil service and Foreign Service Officers:

    “Once again, Trump’s illegal, chaotic actions are putting our servicemembers at greater risk, undermining our national security and making all Americans less safe. It was Trump’s first Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis, who said ‘If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition…’

    “Our diplomats are the first line of defense around the world, anticipating crises and providing invaluable expertise to help prevent conflicts from exploding into catastrophes. By deciding to indiscriminately fire hundreds of these devoted patriots without regard for their merit, expertise, Veteran status or years of experience, Trump is guaranteeing our nation’s response to foreign threats will be less informed, less intelligent and far less effective than before—all at a time when Trump himself is emboldening our enemies and inflaming already red-hot tensions abroad.

    “This is a gift to our adversaries and a betrayal of our values. If Republicans care about our national security at all, they must speak out and rein in this President before it’s too late.”

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Outraged by Trump Administration’s Plans to Fire Hundreds of State Department Patriots

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    July 10, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement today after the Trump Administration announced plans to indiscriminately fire hundreds of civil service and Foreign Service Officers:

    “Once again, Trump’s illegal, chaotic actions are putting our servicemembers at greater risk, undermining our national security and making all Americans less safe. It was Trump’s first Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis, who said ‘If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition…’

    “Our diplomats are the first line of defense around the world, anticipating crises and providing invaluable expertise to help prevent conflicts from exploding into catastrophes. By deciding to indiscriminately fire hundreds of these devoted patriots without regard for their merit, expertise, Veteran status or years of experience, Trump is guaranteeing our nation’s response to foreign threats will be less informed, less intelligent and far less effective than before—all at a time when Trump himself is emboldening our enemies and inflaming already red-hot tensions abroad.

    “This is a gift to our adversaries and a betrayal of our values. If Republicans care about our national security at all, they must speak out and rein in this President before it’s too late.”

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Appropriations Committee Advances Agriculture, Rural Development and FDA Spending Bill With Illinois Priorities Secured by Duckworth, Durbin

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    July 11, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] —  U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a funding bill for Agriculture, Rural Development, and FDA for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26).  Durbin and Duckworth worked to secure various priorities for Illinois in this appropriations bill, both through Congressionally Directed Spending requests and through the programmatic appropriations process. 

    “Our state and our nation are stronger when we invest in our communities and families—and that’s what these bipartisan funding bills do,” Duckworth said. “Appropriating federal funding is the primary role of Congress, and it’s critical this responsibility remains in the legislative branch. I’m proud I was able to help secure critical support for projects throughout Illinois that support our rural communities.”

    “Congress is tasked with the critical responsibility to fund our government programs and agencies.  While Congress has fulfilled this responsibility by routinely passing continuing resolutions, I hope that we can have a true bipartisan effort to pass appropriations bills in a timely, thoughtful process,” said Durbin.  “And as the Trump Administration aims to gut our government, I will continue to push for the funding and resources for Illinoisans to thrive.”

    The Agriculture, Rural Development and FDA funding bill includes the following Illinois priorities secured by Congressionally Directed Spending requests:

          

    • Health Clinic, LaHarpe: $1.38 million to Memorial Hospital Association to help construct an additional health clinic to expand access to health care in the Western Illinois community.
    • Hospital Infrastructure Improvements, Watseka, Illinois: $645,000 to the Iroquois Memorial Hospital and Resident Home to update aged and outdated facilities, including HVAC systems and flooring.
    • Intergenerational Center, Fairbury, Illinois: $1 million to the Boys and Girls Club of Livingston County to construct an intergenerational community center to provide programming and services to youth and seniors at the same site.
    • Laboratory Renovation, Pittsfield, Illinois: $1 million to the Blessing Care Corporation to update the laboratory department at Illini Community Hospital in order to modernize facilities that are more than 80 years old.
    • Medical Technology Upgrades, Lawrenceville, Illinois:  $450,000 to provide essential technological upgrades at Lawrence County Memorial Hospital, including improvements in diagnostic imaging, patient monitoring systems, and life-saving equipment. 
    • Pre-K Expansion, Herrin: $263,000 to Herrin Community Unit School District No. 4 to help expand capacity at the district’s pre-K center.
    • Rural Health Clinic Expansion, West Frankfort, Illinois: $1 million to Southern Illinois Hospital Services to expand the Miners Memorial Rural Health Clinic to provide improvements in both patient rooms and provider workspace.
    • Teledentistry Initiative, Mattoon, Illinois:  $110,000 to Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center to expand rural telehealth efforts to include teledentistry with an emphasis on underserved children.

    The Agriculture, Rural Development, and FDA funding bill includes additional Illinois priorities secured through the programmatic appropriations process:

    USDA

    • Bee Genome: $3 million, an increase of $750,000 from FY25, to continue sequencing the genome of more than 4,000 domestic bee species, including activities underway at the Peoria USDA National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research and the University of Illinois.
    • Midwest Soybean Germplasm Lab: The President’s Budget Request proposes closing research labs in three states, including two operations at the University of Illinois—the National Soybean Germplasm Collection and the Maize Genetics Cooperation Stock Center.  The bill includes language to prohibit USDA laboratory and facility closures without USDA providing Congressional notification and approval. 
    • Agricultural Research: $3.2 billion for basic food and agricultural research nationwide, including activities underway at the Peoria USDA National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research and the University of Illinois.
    • Tracking Farm Exports by State: Includes report language requiring USDA to track and publish the top five farm commodities exported, or imported, by State, and the country of destination, or origin.
    • Plant Health, Tree and Wood Pests: $59 million to help identify and contain wood-boring pests threatening tree health across the country, 19 of which have been detected in the past decade, including the Emerald Ash Borer.  This funding will allow for the identification and containment of Emerald Ash Borer infestations and increase public awareness of the threat posed by EAB in the 15 states that are battling this invasive species.    
    • Animal Welfare: $27 million to implement and enforce provisions of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), including those governing facilities that previously have fallen out of compliance with the AWA. 
    • Rural e-Connectivity Pilot Program (ReConnect Program): $35 million to support loans and grants that facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas without sufficient broadband access.
    • Agricultural Extension – Food Safety Outreach Program: $10 million to provide food safety training and tech assistance to owners and operators of small farms, small food processors, and small fruit and vegetable vendors affected by the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011.
    • Food for Peace: $1.5 billion to meet emergency food needs around the world, including due to the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, and conflict, displacement, poverty, and climate change exacerbating needs around the world, despite Trump’s efforts to eliminate the program.   
    • McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program: $240 million to support school feeding and maternal and child nutrition projects around the world, particularly for girls, despite Trump’s efforts to eliminate the program.
    • Local and Regional Procurement: Continues support for the promotion of locally sourced agricultural products, which remain less costly and more accessible when compared to commodities sourced from the United States and shipped overseas.

    FDA

    • Tobacco: Includes substantial bill language pertaining to FDA’s Tobacco Center to eliminate harmful provisions and ensure alignment with public health needs.  The statutory language specifies $200 million for e-cigarette enforcement activities, out of the $712 million total for the FDA’s Tobacco Center—which will increase resources to investigate and stop illegally sold products.  The language also enhances reporting to Congress, dedicates $2 million to the interagency task force between FDA, DOJ, and DHS, and provides statutory authority requested by FDA Commissioner Makary to enable FDA to detain and destroy seized illegal e-cigarettes at ports of entry.  There also is report language ensuring that the FDA’s regulatory focus is on kid-friendly and flavored products, and balanced between unauthorized Chinese vapes and also-illegal, unauthorized domestic vapes (made by Altria, RJ Reynolds, JUUL).
    • ALS: Provides no less than $2.5 million for FDA to continue implementation of the ACT for ALS law to enable FDA to fund early stage clinical trials for new ALS therapies. 
    • Food Safety: $1.17 billion for FDA’s Human Foods Program to oversee food and nutrition in the United States.  Includes report language encouraging coordination between FDA, USDA, and CDC in better ensuring the safety of our nation’s foods.
    • Dietary Supplements: Includes report language calling on FDA to strengthen its enforcement actions against adulterated and misbranded dietary supplements. 

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Appropriations Committee Advances Agriculture, Rural Development and FDA Spending Bill With Illinois Priorities Secured by Duckworth, Durbin

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    July 11, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] —  U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a funding bill for Agriculture, Rural Development, and FDA for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26).  Durbin and Duckworth worked to secure various priorities for Illinois in this appropriations bill, both through Congressionally Directed Spending requests and through the programmatic appropriations process. 

    “Our state and our nation are stronger when we invest in our communities and families—and that’s what these bipartisan funding bills do,” Duckworth said. “Appropriating federal funding is the primary role of Congress, and it’s critical this responsibility remains in the legislative branch. I’m proud I was able to help secure critical support for projects throughout Illinois that support our rural communities.”

    “Congress is tasked with the critical responsibility to fund our government programs and agencies.  While Congress has fulfilled this responsibility by routinely passing continuing resolutions, I hope that we can have a true bipartisan effort to pass appropriations bills in a timely, thoughtful process,” said Durbin.  “And as the Trump Administration aims to gut our government, I will continue to push for the funding and resources for Illinoisans to thrive.”

    The Agriculture, Rural Development and FDA funding bill includes the following Illinois priorities secured by Congressionally Directed Spending requests:

          

    • Health Clinic, LaHarpe: $1.38 million to Memorial Hospital Association to help construct an additional health clinic to expand access to health care in the Western Illinois community.
    • Hospital Infrastructure Improvements, Watseka, Illinois: $645,000 to the Iroquois Memorial Hospital and Resident Home to update aged and outdated facilities, including HVAC systems and flooring.
    • Intergenerational Center, Fairbury, Illinois: $1 million to the Boys and Girls Club of Livingston County to construct an intergenerational community center to provide programming and services to youth and seniors at the same site.
    • Laboratory Renovation, Pittsfield, Illinois: $1 million to the Blessing Care Corporation to update the laboratory department at Illini Community Hospital in order to modernize facilities that are more than 80 years old.
    • Medical Technology Upgrades, Lawrenceville, Illinois:  $450,000 to provide essential technological upgrades at Lawrence County Memorial Hospital, including improvements in diagnostic imaging, patient monitoring systems, and life-saving equipment. 
    • Pre-K Expansion, Herrin: $263,000 to Herrin Community Unit School District No. 4 to help expand capacity at the district’s pre-K center.
    • Rural Health Clinic Expansion, West Frankfort, Illinois: $1 million to Southern Illinois Hospital Services to expand the Miners Memorial Rural Health Clinic to provide improvements in both patient rooms and provider workspace.
    • Teledentistry Initiative, Mattoon, Illinois:  $110,000 to Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center to expand rural telehealth efforts to include teledentistry with an emphasis on underserved children.

    The Agriculture, Rural Development, and FDA funding bill includes additional Illinois priorities secured through the programmatic appropriations process:

    USDA

    • Bee Genome: $3 million, an increase of $750,000 from FY25, to continue sequencing the genome of more than 4,000 domestic bee species, including activities underway at the Peoria USDA National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research and the University of Illinois.
    • Midwest Soybean Germplasm Lab: The President’s Budget Request proposes closing research labs in three states, including two operations at the University of Illinois—the National Soybean Germplasm Collection and the Maize Genetics Cooperation Stock Center.  The bill includes language to prohibit USDA laboratory and facility closures without USDA providing Congressional notification and approval. 
    • Agricultural Research: $3.2 billion for basic food and agricultural research nationwide, including activities underway at the Peoria USDA National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research and the University of Illinois.
    • Tracking Farm Exports by State: Includes report language requiring USDA to track and publish the top five farm commodities exported, or imported, by State, and the country of destination, or origin.
    • Plant Health, Tree and Wood Pests: $59 million to help identify and contain wood-boring pests threatening tree health across the country, 19 of which have been detected in the past decade, including the Emerald Ash Borer.  This funding will allow for the identification and containment of Emerald Ash Borer infestations and increase public awareness of the threat posed by EAB in the 15 states that are battling this invasive species.    
    • Animal Welfare: $27 million to implement and enforce provisions of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), including those governing facilities that previously have fallen out of compliance with the AWA. 
    • Rural e-Connectivity Pilot Program (ReConnect Program): $35 million to support loans and grants that facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas without sufficient broadband access.
    • Agricultural Extension – Food Safety Outreach Program: $10 million to provide food safety training and tech assistance to owners and operators of small farms, small food processors, and small fruit and vegetable vendors affected by the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011.
    • Food for Peace: $1.5 billion to meet emergency food needs around the world, including due to the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, and conflict, displacement, poverty, and climate change exacerbating needs around the world, despite Trump’s efforts to eliminate the program.   
    • McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program: $240 million to support school feeding and maternal and child nutrition projects around the world, particularly for girls, despite Trump’s efforts to eliminate the program.
    • Local and Regional Procurement: Continues support for the promotion of locally sourced agricultural products, which remain less costly and more accessible when compared to commodities sourced from the United States and shipped overseas.

    FDA

    • Tobacco: Includes substantial bill language pertaining to FDA’s Tobacco Center to eliminate harmful provisions and ensure alignment with public health needs.  The statutory language specifies $200 million for e-cigarette enforcement activities, out of the $712 million total for the FDA’s Tobacco Center—which will increase resources to investigate and stop illegally sold products.  The language also enhances reporting to Congress, dedicates $2 million to the interagency task force between FDA, DOJ, and DHS, and provides statutory authority requested by FDA Commissioner Makary to enable FDA to detain and destroy seized illegal e-cigarettes at ports of entry.  There also is report language ensuring that the FDA’s regulatory focus is on kid-friendly and flavored products, and balanced between unauthorized Chinese vapes and also-illegal, unauthorized domestic vapes (made by Altria, RJ Reynolds, JUUL).
    • ALS: Provides no less than $2.5 million for FDA to continue implementation of the ACT for ALS law to enable FDA to fund early stage clinical trials for new ALS therapies. 
    • Food Safety: $1.17 billion for FDA’s Human Foods Program to oversee food and nutrition in the United States.  Includes report language encouraging coordination between FDA, USDA, and CDC in better ensuring the safety of our nation’s foods.
    • Dietary Supplements: Includes report language calling on FDA to strengthen its enforcement actions against adulterated and misbranded dietary supplements. 

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 9 killed in nursing home fire in Massachusetts

    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

    WASHINGTON, July 14 (Xinhua) — Nine people were killed and dozens were hospitalized in a fire at a nursing home in Fall River, Massachusetts, on Sunday evening, the Fall River Fire Department said.

    At a Monday morning press conference, Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon confirmed that nine people were killed and more than 30 were taken to hospital, including one in critical condition.

    Firefighters called to the Gabriel House care home in Oliver Street at around 9.30pm Sunday local time /1.30am Monday GMT/ found a large blaze at the building’s main entrance.

    Five firefighters sustained minor injuries during the operation. There were about 70 residents in the building.

    Investigators from the city fire department and the state fire marshal’s office are working to determine the cause of the fire. –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.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Kazakhstan to impose three-month ban on gypsum board imports

    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

    ALMATY, July 14 (Xinhua) — Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Industry and Construction has issued an order banning the import of drywall into the country for three months, the Kazinform news agency reported on Monday.

    According to the document, from July 22, 2025, a ban will be introduced on the import of gypsum boards (plates, sheets, panels, tiles and similar products without gypsum ornaments, covered or reinforced only with paper or cardboard) from third countries into the territory of Kazakhstan by all types of transport for a period of three months.

    It was previously reported that Kazakhstan plans to impose a ban on the export of non-ferrous metal blanks and ingots by all modes of transport until December 31, 2025. –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: Terrorist attack against a serviceman prevented in Russia

    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

    Moscow, July 14 /Xinhua/ — A terrorist attack planned by Ukrainian special services against one of the servicemen has been prevented in Russia’s Tyumen Region, the press service of the Russian Federal Security Service reported on Monday.

    As was established, the terrorist act was being prepared by a recruited Russian citizen born in 1987. Since the beginning of 2025, he had been transmitting information about strategic facilities in the Ural Federal District and about military trains passing along the Trans-Siberian Railway. Planning to blow up a Russian serviceman’s car, the attacker removed an explosive device from a pre-arranged cache. When detained, he put up active armed resistance and was neutralized by return fire.

    An explosive device, a traumatic pistol modified to fire live ammunition, and ammunition for it were seized at the scene. Two homemade grenades were found at the criminal’s residence. A criminal case has been opened on the fact of illegal trafficking of explosives. –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.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 4 killed in plane crash at London’s Southend Airport – media

    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

    LONDON, July 14 (Xinhua) — Four people were killed in a plane crash at London’s Southend Airport on Sunday, local media reported on Monday.

    Four people have died, the BBC and PA news agency reported. Police have not yet confirmed the number of casualties.

    The 12-metre-long aircraft, believed to be a Beech B200 Super King Air, was owned by Dutch company Zeusch Aviation and was scheduled to fly to Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands.

    Zeusch Aviation confirmed that its flight SUZ1 “experienced an incident” at London Airport and expressed sympathy to “all those affected”.

    Video footage shows a huge fireball after the plane crashed.

    Pictures posted online showed large flames and a cloud of black smoke after the crash, which happened on Sunday afternoon. Essex Police said they received “reports of a collision involving a single 12m aircraft” shortly before 4pm local time /1500 GMT.

    Southend Airport said the airport would be “closed until further notice” due to a “serious incident”. -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: China-Russia cooperation refutes Western-imposed misconceptions about Chinese industrial policy – Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui

    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

    Moscow, July 14 /Xinhua/ — Cooperation between China and Russia refutes the Western-imposed claims that “China’s industrial policy distorts the global market” and “China’s excess production capacity creates unfair competition.” Such claims are absurd and unfounded. This was stated by Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui in an article titled “The Era of True Friendship between China and Russia: Cooperation Refutes Misconceptions, Mutual Benefit Determines the Future,” published recently in the Russian newspaper Trud.

    “Politicians and media in the United States and Western countries have long been actively spreading groundless claims such as ‘China’s industrial policy is distorting the world market’ and ‘China’s excess production capacity is creating unfair competition’. They are trying their best to denigrate the industrial policy of developing countries and suppress their right to development based on the desire to maintain their economic hegemony,” the publication says.

    The essence of these false claims, according to the Chinese diplomat, is “politicizing the economy and using economic and trade levers to achieve political goals.” “This line of behavior only creates obstacles to international trade, disrupts the stability of global supply chains, and ultimately leads to losses for all involved,” he warned.

    Zhang Hanhui stressed that all countries have the right to stimulate economic development through the implementation of reasonable industrial policies. “In the context of the acceleration of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, industrial subsidies have become an important tool for enhancing innovation potential and stimulating economic growth. Industrial subsidies are practiced in both developed countries and countries with developing economies,” the ambassador stated.

    The article points out that China’s industrial subsidy policy is based on the principles of openness, fairness and compliance with established standards. “It is not selective and applies equally to all market participants. China’s state-owned enterprises, as independent market participants, do not enjoy any advantages under the subsidy policy due to their status and do not provide subsidies to other enterprises,” the author noted, adding that the flexible subsidy model not only meets China’s needs for industrial modernization, but is also fully consistent with the commitments China made when joining the World Trade Organization.

    Zhang Hanhui called the US and Western countries’ accusations against China regarding “overcapacity” “a cover for their protectionist policies.” “Under the pretext of “overcapacity,” some countries impose restrictions on Chinese exports and investment cooperation. All this is pure protectionism, artificial interference and division of the world market,” he said.

    The Chinese diplomat is convinced that only free trade and fair competition can form an optimal structure of global production capacities. He cited China and Russia as an example of such interaction. “Both countries have complementary economic advantages, great potential for cooperation and huge opportunities for development,” Zhang Hanhui believes. He drew attention to the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly publicly refuted statements by the United States and Western countries about “China’s excess production capacity.”

    “China and Russia, as stabilizing, positive and progressive forces in the international community, must continue to maintain unity, expand cooperation, strengthen trade, economic and energy ties, improve mechanisms that ensure a high level of trade and economic interaction, and effectively counter unilateral actions and protectionism,” concluded the Chinese Ambassador to the Russian Federation. –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: China does not seek competitive advantage through currency devaluation – deputy head of the Central Bank

    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

    BEIJING, July 14 (Xinhua) — China does not seek to gain an international competitive advantage through currency devaluation, Zou Lan, deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC, central bank), said at a press conference on Monday.

    As he noted, the US dollar index and US Treasury yields have recently experienced increased volatility, which has led to side effects on global financial markets.

    On the contrary, China’s financial market has shown strong resilience and is functioning stably overall, Zou Lan noted. Since the publication of a joint statement on the results of the Sino-American trade and economic talks held in Geneva in May, the yuan to dollar exchange rate has shown two-way fluctuations, steadily remaining below 7.2 yuan per dollar.

    “The dynamics of the US dollar currently remain uncertain, while China’s domestic fundamentals continue to improve. The yuan exchange rate continues to fluctuate in both directions, with a solid foundation for maintaining basic stability,” Zou Lan said.

    Major developed economies have entered a cycle of interest rate cuts and market expectations for renewed monetary easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve are growing, with the interest rate differential between China and the United States expected to show a narrowing trend, the vice governor added.

    According to him, China’s balance of payments is generally balanced, the financial market is functioning stably, and significant progress has been made in building the foreign exchange market.

    Zou Lan assured that the PBOC will remain committed to the decisive role of the market in determining the exchange rate, maintain exchange rate flexibility, strengthen expectations management, prevent the risk of excessive fluctuations, and maintain the overall stability of the yuan at a reasonable and balanced level. –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.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • Over 6.6 crore electors in Bihar included in draft electoral roll; ECI steps up efforts with 11 days left

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    With just 11 days remaining for the last date of submission of Enumeration Forms (EFs) under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has collected EFs from over 6.6 crore electors so far.

    According to official figures, out of Bihar’s total 7,89,69,844 electors, EFs of 6,60,67,208 voters—amounting to 83.66%—have been received after two rounds of door-to-door visits by Booth Level Officers (BLOs).

    So far, about 1.59% of electors have been found deceased, 2.2% have permanently shifted, and 0.73% were found enrolled at more than one location. This means that 88.18% of electors have either submitted their forms, been confirmed deceased, or have shifted residence.

    Only about 11.82% of electors now remain to submit their forms. Many among them have sought additional time to complete and submit their EFs with supporting documents in the coming days.

    The ECI has directed nearly one lakh BLOs to begin a third round of door-to-door visits to ensure that no eligible voter is left out of the draft Electoral Roll. Their efforts are being supported by around 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties, with each BLA permitted to certify and submit up to 50 forms daily.

    To strengthen urban voter enrollment, special camps are being organised across all 5,683 wards under the 261 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of Bihar.

    For electors who may have temporarily migrated out of Bihar, the Commission has stepped up outreach through newspaper advertisements and direct contact to help them submit their forms on time. Such electors can also submit EFs online using their mobile phones via the ECINet App or the official website (https://voters.eci.gov.in). They may also send completed forms to the concerned BLO through family members, WhatsApp, or other online modes.

    The newly launched ECINet platform, which integrates 40 previous ECI applications into a single portal, is playing a key role in the Bihar SIR. It enables electors to submit forms online, check names in the 2003 Electoral Roll where needed, and directly connect with election officials, including BLOs.

    As of 6 PM today, over 5.74 crore Enumeration Forms have been uploaded through ECINet. Its document review module has also accelerated the verification of electors’ eligibility by Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), and District Election Officers (DEOs).

    The draft Electoral Roll for Bihar will be published on August 1, 2025. The ECI has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that no eligible voter is left out of the electoral process.

  • MIL-OSI China: Japan urged to exercise prudence in military, security fields 2025-07-14 23:52:29 China on Monday urged Japan to draw lessons from history, in a bid to exercise prudence in security issues as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

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

      BEIJING, July 14 (Xinhua) — China on Monday urged Japan to draw lessons from history, in a bid to exercise prudence in security issues as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

      Jiang Bin, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a media request for comment on claims by Japanese government sources that the country plans to export six Abukuma-class ships to the Philippines.

      The spokesperson reiterated China’s position that defense and security cooperation between countries should neither target a third party nor undermine the interests of any third party.

      Jiang highlighted the historical responsibilities of Japanese militarism during World War II, including invasions and colonial rule over neighboring countries such as China and the Philippines, as well as the occupation of islands in the South China Sea.

      In recent years, Japan has breached the constraints of its pacifist constitution and the exclusive defense-oriented principle, continuously exporting weapons and military equipment abroad, the spokesperson noted.

      Such actions are seen as attempts to form exclusive blocs and stir instability in the South China Sea and the broader Asia-Pacific region, he said.

      “We urge the Japanese side to engage in deep reflection, draw lessons from history, exercise prudence in both words and actions regarding military and security matters, and make contributions to regional peace and stability,” the spokesperson said. 

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    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Japan urged to exercise prudence in military, security fields 2025-07-14 23:52:29 China on Monday urged Japan to draw lessons from history, in a bid to exercise prudence in security issues as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

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

      BEIJING, July 14 (Xinhua) — China on Monday urged Japan to draw lessons from history, in a bid to exercise prudence in security issues as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

      Jiang Bin, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a media request for comment on claims by Japanese government sources that the country plans to export six Abukuma-class ships to the Philippines.

      The spokesperson reiterated China’s position that defense and security cooperation between countries should neither target a third party nor undermine the interests of any third party.

      Jiang highlighted the historical responsibilities of Japanese militarism during World War II, including invasions and colonial rule over neighboring countries such as China and the Philippines, as well as the occupation of islands in the South China Sea.

      In recent years, Japan has breached the constraints of its pacifist constitution and the exclusive defense-oriented principle, continuously exporting weapons and military equipment abroad, the spokesperson noted.

      Such actions are seen as attempts to form exclusive blocs and stir instability in the South China Sea and the broader Asia-Pacific region, he said.

      “We urge the Japanese side to engage in deep reflection, draw lessons from history, exercise prudence in both words and actions regarding military and security matters, and make contributions to regional peace and stability,” the spokesperson said. 

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    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Japan urged to exercise prudence in military, security fields 2025-07-14 23:52:29 China on Monday urged Japan to draw lessons from history, in a bid to exercise prudence in security issues as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

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

      BEIJING, July 14 (Xinhua) — China on Monday urged Japan to draw lessons from history, in a bid to exercise prudence in security issues as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

      Jiang Bin, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a media request for comment on claims by Japanese government sources that the country plans to export six Abukuma-class ships to the Philippines.

      The spokesperson reiterated China’s position that defense and security cooperation between countries should neither target a third party nor undermine the interests of any third party.

      Jiang highlighted the historical responsibilities of Japanese militarism during World War II, including invasions and colonial rule over neighboring countries such as China and the Philippines, as well as the occupation of islands in the South China Sea.

      In recent years, Japan has breached the constraints of its pacifist constitution and the exclusive defense-oriented principle, continuously exporting weapons and military equipment abroad, the spokesperson noted.

      Such actions are seen as attempts to form exclusive blocs and stir instability in the South China Sea and the broader Asia-Pacific region, he said.

      “We urge the Japanese side to engage in deep reflection, draw lessons from history, exercise prudence in both words and actions regarding military and security matters, and make contributions to regional peace and stability,” the spokesperson said. 

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    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NIST Ion Clock Sets New Record for Most Accurate Clock in the World

    Source: US Government research organizations

    (From left to right) Mason Marshall, David Hume, Willa Arthur-Dworschack and Daniel Rodriguez Castillo stand in front of the aluminum ion clock at NIST. With its recent improvements, the clock can pave the way for the campaign to redefine the second as well as explore new ideas in physics.

    Credit: R. Jacobson/NIST

    There’s a new record holder for the most accurate clock in the world. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have improved their atomic clock based on a trapped aluminum ion. Part of the latest wave of optical atomic clocks, it can perform timekeeping with 19 decimal places of accuracy.   

    Optical clocks are typically evaluated on two levels — accuracy (how close a clock comes to measuring the ideal “true” time, also known as systematic uncertainty) and stability (how efficiently a clock can measure time, related to statistical uncertainty). This new record in accuracy comes out of 20 years of continuous improvement of the aluminum ion clock. Beyond its world-best accuracy, 41% greater than the previous record, this new clock is also 2.6 times more stable than any other ion clock. Reaching these levels has meant carefully improving every aspect of the clock, from the laser to the trap and the vacuum chamber.

    The team published its results in Physical Review Letters.

    “It’s exciting to work on the most accurate clock ever,” said Mason Marshall, NIST researcher and first author on the paper. “At NIST we get to carry out these long-term plans in precision measurement that can push the field of physics and our understanding of the world around us.”

    NIST physicist David Hume holds the newly modified ion trap for the aluminum ion clock. By modifying the trap, the aluminum ion and its magnesium ion partner were able to “tick” unperturbed.

    Credit: R. Jacobson/NIST

    The aluminum ion makes an exceptionally good clock, with an extremely steady, high-frequency “ticking” rate. Its ticks are more stable than those of cesium, which provides the current scientific definition of the second, said David Hume, the NIST physicist leading the aluminum ion clock project. And the aluminum ion isn’t as sensitive to some environmental conditions, like temperature and magnetic fields.

    But the aluminum ion is kind of shy, Marshall explained. Aluminum is difficult to probe and cool with lasers, both necessary techniques for atomic clocks. The research group therefore paired the aluminum ion with magnesium. Magnesium doesn’t have the beautiful ticking properties of aluminum, but it can be easily controlled with lasers. “This ‘buddy system’ for ions is called quantum logic spectroscopy,” said Willa Arthur-Dworschack, a graduate student on the project. The magnesium ion cools the aluminum ion, slowing it down. It also moves in tandem with its aluminum partner, and the state of the clock can be read out via the magnesium ion’s motion, making this a “quantum logic” clock. Even with this coordination, there was still an array of physical effects to characterize, said Daniel Rodriguez Castillo, also a graduate student on the project.

    “It’s a big, complex challenge, because every part of the clock’s design affects the clock,” Rodriguez Castillo said.

    One challenge was the design of the trap where the ions are held, which was causing tiny movements of the ions, called excess micromotion, that were lowering the clock’s accuracy. That excess micromotion throws off the ions’ tick rate. Electrical imbalances at opposite sides of the trap were creating extra fields that disturbed the ions. The team redesigned the trap, putting it on a thicker diamond wafer and modifying the gold coatings on the electrodes to fix the imbalance of the electric field. They also made the gold coatings thicker to reduce resistance. Refining the trap this way slowed the ions’ motion and let them “tick” unperturbed.

    The newly modified ion trap for NIST’s aluminum ion clock, with an inset showing a CCD image of the aluminum-magnesium ion pair. The circle shows the position of the aluminum ion, which is dark to the camera as it can only be read out using quantum logic spectroscopy via the magnesium ion.

    Credit: NIST

    The vacuum system in which the trap must operate was also causing problems. Hydrogen diffuses out of the steel body of a typical vacuum chamber, Marshall said. Traces of hydrogen gas collided with the ions, interrupting the clock’s operation. That limited how long the experiment could run before the ions needed to be reloaded. The team redesigned the vacuum chamber and had it rebuilt out of titanium, which lowered the background hydrogen gas by 150 times. That meant they could go days without reloading the trap, rather than reloading every 30 minutes.

    There was still one more ingredient they needed: a more stable laser to probe the ions and count their ticks. The 2019 version of the clock had to be run for weeks to average out quantum fluctuations — temporary random changes in the ions’ energy state — caused by its laser. To reduce that time, the team turned to NIST’s own Jun Ye, whose lab at JILA (a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder) hosts one of the most stable lasers in the world. Ye’s strontium lattice clock, Strontium 1, held the previous record for accuracy. 

    This was a team effort. Using fiber links under the street, Ye’s group at JILA sent the ultrastable laser beam 3.6 kilometers (a little more than 2 miles) to the frequency comb in the lab of Tara Fortier at NIST. The frequency comb, which acts as a “ruler for light,” allowed the aluminum ion clock group to compare its laser with Ye’s ultrastable one. This process enabled the Ye lab’s laser to transfer its stability to the aluminum clock laser. With this improvement, the researchers could probe the ions for a full second compared to their previous record of 150 milliseconds. This improves the clock’s stability, reducing the time required to measure down to the 19th decimal place from three weeks to a day and a half.

    (From left to right) Daniel Rodriguez Castillo, Willa Arthur-Dworschack and Mason Marshall work together on the aluminum ion clock at NIST in Boulder. This atomic clock sets a new record for accuracy.

    Credit: R. Jacobson/NIST

    With this new record, the aluminum ion clock contributes to the international effort to redefine the second to much greater levels of accuracy than before, facilitating new scientific and technological advances. The upgrades also drastically improve its use as a quantum logic testbed, exploring new concepts in quantum physics and building the tools needed for quantum technology, an exciting prospect for those involved. More importantly, by cutting down the averaging time from weeks to days, this clock can be a tool to make new measurements of Earth’s geodesy and explore physics beyond the Standard Model, such as the possibility that the fundamental constants of nature are not fixed values but actually changing. 

    “With this platform, we’re poised to explore new clock architectures — like scaling up the number of clock ions and even entangling them — further improving our measurement capabilities,” Arthur-Dworschack said.

    Paper: Mason C. Marshall, Daniel A. Rodriguez Castillo, Willa J. Arthur-Dworschack, Alexander Aeppli, Kyungtae Kim, Dahyeon Lee, William Warfield, Joost Hinrichs, Nicholas V. Nardelli, Tara M. Fortier, Jun Ye, David R. Leibrandt and David B. Hume. High-stability single-ion clock with 5.5×10−19 systematic uncertainty. Physical Review Letters. Published online July 14, 2025. DOI: 10.1103/hb3c-dk28

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NIST Ion Clock Sets New Record for Most Accurate Clock in the World

    Source: US Government research organizations

    (From left to right) Mason Marshall, David Hume, Willa Arthur-Dworschack and Daniel Rodriguez Castillo stand in front of the aluminum ion clock at NIST. With its recent improvements, the clock can pave the way for the campaign to redefine the second as well as explore new ideas in physics.

    Credit: R. Jacobson/NIST

    There’s a new record holder for the most accurate clock in the world. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have improved their atomic clock based on a trapped aluminum ion. Part of the latest wave of optical atomic clocks, it can perform timekeeping with 19 decimal places of accuracy.   

    Optical clocks are typically evaluated on two levels — accuracy (how close a clock comes to measuring the ideal “true” time, also known as systematic uncertainty) and stability (how efficiently a clock can measure time, related to statistical uncertainty). This new record in accuracy comes out of 20 years of continuous improvement of the aluminum ion clock. Beyond its world-best accuracy, 41% greater than the previous record, this new clock is also 2.6 times more stable than any other ion clock. Reaching these levels has meant carefully improving every aspect of the clock, from the laser to the trap and the vacuum chamber.

    The team published its results in Physical Review Letters.

    “It’s exciting to work on the most accurate clock ever,” said Mason Marshall, NIST researcher and first author on the paper. “At NIST we get to carry out these long-term plans in precision measurement that can push the field of physics and our understanding of the world around us.”

    NIST physicist David Hume holds the newly modified ion trap for the aluminum ion clock. By modifying the trap, the aluminum ion and its magnesium ion partner were able to “tick” unperturbed.

    Credit: R. Jacobson/NIST

    The aluminum ion makes an exceptionally good clock, with an extremely steady, high-frequency “ticking” rate. Its ticks are more stable than those of cesium, which provides the current scientific definition of the second, said David Hume, the NIST physicist leading the aluminum ion clock project. And the aluminum ion isn’t as sensitive to some environmental conditions, like temperature and magnetic fields.

    But the aluminum ion is kind of shy, Marshall explained. Aluminum is difficult to probe and cool with lasers, both necessary techniques for atomic clocks. The research group therefore paired the aluminum ion with magnesium. Magnesium doesn’t have the beautiful ticking properties of aluminum, but it can be easily controlled with lasers. “This ‘buddy system’ for ions is called quantum logic spectroscopy,” said Willa Arthur-Dworschack, a graduate student on the project. The magnesium ion cools the aluminum ion, slowing it down. It also moves in tandem with its aluminum partner, and the state of the clock can be read out via the magnesium ion’s motion, making this a “quantum logic” clock. Even with this coordination, there was still an array of physical effects to characterize, said Daniel Rodriguez Castillo, also a graduate student on the project.

    “It’s a big, complex challenge, because every part of the clock’s design affects the clock,” Rodriguez Castillo said.

    One challenge was the design of the trap where the ions are held, which was causing tiny movements of the ions, called excess micromotion, that were lowering the clock’s accuracy. That excess micromotion throws off the ions’ tick rate. Electrical imbalances at opposite sides of the trap were creating extra fields that disturbed the ions. The team redesigned the trap, putting it on a thicker diamond wafer and modifying the gold coatings on the electrodes to fix the imbalance of the electric field. They also made the gold coatings thicker to reduce resistance. Refining the trap this way slowed the ions’ motion and let them “tick” unperturbed.

    The newly modified ion trap for NIST’s aluminum ion clock, with an inset showing a CCD image of the aluminum-magnesium ion pair. The circle shows the position of the aluminum ion, which is dark to the camera as it can only be read out using quantum logic spectroscopy via the magnesium ion.

    Credit: NIST

    The vacuum system in which the trap must operate was also causing problems. Hydrogen diffuses out of the steel body of a typical vacuum chamber, Marshall said. Traces of hydrogen gas collided with the ions, interrupting the clock’s operation. That limited how long the experiment could run before the ions needed to be reloaded. The team redesigned the vacuum chamber and had it rebuilt out of titanium, which lowered the background hydrogen gas by 150 times. That meant they could go days without reloading the trap, rather than reloading every 30 minutes.

    There was still one more ingredient they needed: a more stable laser to probe the ions and count their ticks. The 2019 version of the clock had to be run for weeks to average out quantum fluctuations — temporary random changes in the ions’ energy state — caused by its laser. To reduce that time, the team turned to NIST’s own Jun Ye, whose lab at JILA (a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder) hosts one of the most stable lasers in the world. Ye’s strontium lattice clock, Strontium 1, held the previous record for accuracy. 

    This was a team effort. Using fiber links under the street, Ye’s group at JILA sent the ultrastable laser beam 3.6 kilometers (a little more than 2 miles) to the frequency comb in the lab of Tara Fortier at NIST. The frequency comb, which acts as a “ruler for light,” allowed the aluminum ion clock group to compare its laser with Ye’s ultrastable one. This process enabled the Ye lab’s laser to transfer its stability to the aluminum clock laser. With this improvement, the researchers could probe the ions for a full second compared to their previous record of 150 milliseconds. This improves the clock’s stability, reducing the time required to measure down to the 19th decimal place from three weeks to a day and a half.

    (From left to right) Daniel Rodriguez Castillo, Willa Arthur-Dworschack and Mason Marshall work together on the aluminum ion clock at NIST in Boulder. This atomic clock sets a new record for accuracy.

    Credit: R. Jacobson/NIST

    With this new record, the aluminum ion clock contributes to the international effort to redefine the second to much greater levels of accuracy than before, facilitating new scientific and technological advances. The upgrades also drastically improve its use as a quantum logic testbed, exploring new concepts in quantum physics and building the tools needed for quantum technology, an exciting prospect for those involved. More importantly, by cutting down the averaging time from weeks to days, this clock can be a tool to make new measurements of Earth’s geodesy and explore physics beyond the Standard Model, such as the possibility that the fundamental constants of nature are not fixed values but actually changing. 

    “With this platform, we’re poised to explore new clock architectures — like scaling up the number of clock ions and even entangling them — further improving our measurement capabilities,” Arthur-Dworschack said.

    Paper: Mason C. Marshall, Daniel A. Rodriguez Castillo, Willa J. Arthur-Dworschack, Alexander Aeppli, Kyungtae Kim, Dahyeon Lee, William Warfield, Joost Hinrichs, Nicholas V. Nardelli, Tara M. Fortier, Jun Ye, David R. Leibrandt and David B. Hume. High-stability single-ion clock with 5.5×10−19 systematic uncertainty. Physical Review Letters. Published online July 14, 2025. DOI: 10.1103/hb3c-dk28

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NIST Ion Clock Sets New Record for Most Accurate Clock in the World

    Source: US Government research organizations

    (From left to right) Mason Marshall, David Hume, Willa Arthur-Dworschack and Daniel Rodriguez Castillo stand in front of the aluminum ion clock at NIST. With its recent improvements, the clock can pave the way for the campaign to redefine the second as well as explore new ideas in physics.

    Credit: R. Jacobson/NIST

    There’s a new record holder for the most accurate clock in the world. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have improved their atomic clock based on a trapped aluminum ion. Part of the latest wave of optical atomic clocks, it can perform timekeeping with 19 decimal places of accuracy.   

    Optical clocks are typically evaluated on two levels — accuracy (how close a clock comes to measuring the ideal “true” time, also known as systematic uncertainty) and stability (how efficiently a clock can measure time, related to statistical uncertainty). This new record in accuracy comes out of 20 years of continuous improvement of the aluminum ion clock. Beyond its world-best accuracy, 41% greater than the previous record, this new clock is also 2.6 times more stable than any other ion clock. Reaching these levels has meant carefully improving every aspect of the clock, from the laser to the trap and the vacuum chamber.

    The team published its results in Physical Review Letters.

    “It’s exciting to work on the most accurate clock ever,” said Mason Marshall, NIST researcher and first author on the paper. “At NIST we get to carry out these long-term plans in precision measurement that can push the field of physics and our understanding of the world around us.”

    NIST physicist David Hume holds the newly modified ion trap for the aluminum ion clock. By modifying the trap, the aluminum ion and its magnesium ion partner were able to “tick” unperturbed.

    Credit: R. Jacobson/NIST

    The aluminum ion makes an exceptionally good clock, with an extremely steady, high-frequency “ticking” rate. Its ticks are more stable than those of cesium, which provides the current scientific definition of the second, said David Hume, the NIST physicist leading the aluminum ion clock project. And the aluminum ion isn’t as sensitive to some environmental conditions, like temperature and magnetic fields.

    But the aluminum ion is kind of shy, Marshall explained. Aluminum is difficult to probe and cool with lasers, both necessary techniques for atomic clocks. The research group therefore paired the aluminum ion with magnesium. Magnesium doesn’t have the beautiful ticking properties of aluminum, but it can be easily controlled with lasers. “This ‘buddy system’ for ions is called quantum logic spectroscopy,” said Willa Arthur-Dworschack, a graduate student on the project. The magnesium ion cools the aluminum ion, slowing it down. It also moves in tandem with its aluminum partner, and the state of the clock can be read out via the magnesium ion’s motion, making this a “quantum logic” clock. Even with this coordination, there was still an array of physical effects to characterize, said Daniel Rodriguez Castillo, also a graduate student on the project.

    “It’s a big, complex challenge, because every part of the clock’s design affects the clock,” Rodriguez Castillo said.

    One challenge was the design of the trap where the ions are held, which was causing tiny movements of the ions, called excess micromotion, that were lowering the clock’s accuracy. That excess micromotion throws off the ions’ tick rate. Electrical imbalances at opposite sides of the trap were creating extra fields that disturbed the ions. The team redesigned the trap, putting it on a thicker diamond wafer and modifying the gold coatings on the electrodes to fix the imbalance of the electric field. They also made the gold coatings thicker to reduce resistance. Refining the trap this way slowed the ions’ motion and let them “tick” unperturbed.

    The newly modified ion trap for NIST’s aluminum ion clock, with an inset showing a CCD image of the aluminum-magnesium ion pair. The circle shows the position of the aluminum ion, which is dark to the camera as it can only be read out using quantum logic spectroscopy via the magnesium ion.

    Credit: NIST

    The vacuum system in which the trap must operate was also causing problems. Hydrogen diffuses out of the steel body of a typical vacuum chamber, Marshall said. Traces of hydrogen gas collided with the ions, interrupting the clock’s operation. That limited how long the experiment could run before the ions needed to be reloaded. The team redesigned the vacuum chamber and had it rebuilt out of titanium, which lowered the background hydrogen gas by 150 times. That meant they could go days without reloading the trap, rather than reloading every 30 minutes.

    There was still one more ingredient they needed: a more stable laser to probe the ions and count their ticks. The 2019 version of the clock had to be run for weeks to average out quantum fluctuations — temporary random changes in the ions’ energy state — caused by its laser. To reduce that time, the team turned to NIST’s own Jun Ye, whose lab at JILA (a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder) hosts one of the most stable lasers in the world. Ye’s strontium lattice clock, Strontium 1, held the previous record for accuracy. 

    This was a team effort. Using fiber links under the street, Ye’s group at JILA sent the ultrastable laser beam 3.6 kilometers (a little more than 2 miles) to the frequency comb in the lab of Tara Fortier at NIST. The frequency comb, which acts as a “ruler for light,” allowed the aluminum ion clock group to compare its laser with Ye’s ultrastable one. This process enabled the Ye lab’s laser to transfer its stability to the aluminum clock laser. With this improvement, the researchers could probe the ions for a full second compared to their previous record of 150 milliseconds. This improves the clock’s stability, reducing the time required to measure down to the 19th decimal place from three weeks to a day and a half.

    (From left to right) Daniel Rodriguez Castillo, Willa Arthur-Dworschack and Mason Marshall work together on the aluminum ion clock at NIST in Boulder. This atomic clock sets a new record for accuracy.

    Credit: R. Jacobson/NIST

    With this new record, the aluminum ion clock contributes to the international effort to redefine the second to much greater levels of accuracy than before, facilitating new scientific and technological advances. The upgrades also drastically improve its use as a quantum logic testbed, exploring new concepts in quantum physics and building the tools needed for quantum technology, an exciting prospect for those involved. More importantly, by cutting down the averaging time from weeks to days, this clock can be a tool to make new measurements of Earth’s geodesy and explore physics beyond the Standard Model, such as the possibility that the fundamental constants of nature are not fixed values but actually changing. 

    “With this platform, we’re poised to explore new clock architectures — like scaling up the number of clock ions and even entangling them — further improving our measurement capabilities,” Arthur-Dworschack said.

    Paper: Mason C. Marshall, Daniel A. Rodriguez Castillo, Willa J. Arthur-Dworschack, Alexander Aeppli, Kyungtae Kim, Dahyeon Lee, William Warfield, Joost Hinrichs, Nicholas V. Nardelli, Tara M. Fortier, Jun Ye, David R. Leibrandt and David B. Hume. High-stability single-ion clock with 5.5×10−19 systematic uncertainty. Physical Review Letters. Published online July 14, 2025. DOI: 10.1103/hb3c-dk28

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NIST Ion Clock Sets New Record for Most Accurate Clock in the World

    Source: US Government research organizations

    (From left to right) Mason Marshall, David Hume, Willa Arthur-Dworschack and Daniel Rodriguez Castillo stand in front of the aluminum ion clock at NIST. With its recent improvements, the clock can pave the way for the campaign to redefine the second as well as explore new ideas in physics.

    Credit: R. Jacobson/NIST

    There’s a new record holder for the most accurate clock in the world. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have improved their atomic clock based on a trapped aluminum ion. Part of the latest wave of optical atomic clocks, it can perform timekeeping with 19 decimal places of accuracy.   

    Optical clocks are typically evaluated on two levels — accuracy (how close a clock comes to measuring the ideal “true” time, also known as systematic uncertainty) and stability (how efficiently a clock can measure time, related to statistical uncertainty). This new record in accuracy comes out of 20 years of continuous improvement of the aluminum ion clock. Beyond its world-best accuracy, 41% greater than the previous record, this new clock is also 2.6 times more stable than any other ion clock. Reaching these levels has meant carefully improving every aspect of the clock, from the laser to the trap and the vacuum chamber.

    The team published its results in Physical Review Letters.

    “It’s exciting to work on the most accurate clock ever,” said Mason Marshall, NIST researcher and first author on the paper. “At NIST we get to carry out these long-term plans in precision measurement that can push the field of physics and our understanding of the world around us.”

    NIST physicist David Hume holds the newly modified ion trap for the aluminum ion clock. By modifying the trap, the aluminum ion and its magnesium ion partner were able to “tick” unperturbed.

    Credit: R. Jacobson/NIST

    The aluminum ion makes an exceptionally good clock, with an extremely steady, high-frequency “ticking” rate. Its ticks are more stable than those of cesium, which provides the current scientific definition of the second, said David Hume, the NIST physicist leading the aluminum ion clock project. And the aluminum ion isn’t as sensitive to some environmental conditions, like temperature and magnetic fields.

    But the aluminum ion is kind of shy, Marshall explained. Aluminum is difficult to probe and cool with lasers, both necessary techniques for atomic clocks. The research group therefore paired the aluminum ion with magnesium. Magnesium doesn’t have the beautiful ticking properties of aluminum, but it can be easily controlled with lasers. “This ‘buddy system’ for ions is called quantum logic spectroscopy,” said Willa Arthur-Dworschack, a graduate student on the project. The magnesium ion cools the aluminum ion, slowing it down. It also moves in tandem with its aluminum partner, and the state of the clock can be read out via the magnesium ion’s motion, making this a “quantum logic” clock. Even with this coordination, there was still an array of physical effects to characterize, said Daniel Rodriguez Castillo, also a graduate student on the project.

    “It’s a big, complex challenge, because every part of the clock’s design affects the clock,” Rodriguez Castillo said.

    One challenge was the design of the trap where the ions are held, which was causing tiny movements of the ions, called excess micromotion, that were lowering the clock’s accuracy. That excess micromotion throws off the ions’ tick rate. Electrical imbalances at opposite sides of the trap were creating extra fields that disturbed the ions. The team redesigned the trap, putting it on a thicker diamond wafer and modifying the gold coatings on the electrodes to fix the imbalance of the electric field. They also made the gold coatings thicker to reduce resistance. Refining the trap this way slowed the ions’ motion and let them “tick” unperturbed.

    The newly modified ion trap for NIST’s aluminum ion clock, with an inset showing a CCD image of the aluminum-magnesium ion pair. The circle shows the position of the aluminum ion, which is dark to the camera as it can only be read out using quantum logic spectroscopy via the magnesium ion.

    Credit: NIST

    The vacuum system in which the trap must operate was also causing problems. Hydrogen diffuses out of the steel body of a typical vacuum chamber, Marshall said. Traces of hydrogen gas collided with the ions, interrupting the clock’s operation. That limited how long the experiment could run before the ions needed to be reloaded. The team redesigned the vacuum chamber and had it rebuilt out of titanium, which lowered the background hydrogen gas by 150 times. That meant they could go days without reloading the trap, rather than reloading every 30 minutes.

    There was still one more ingredient they needed: a more stable laser to probe the ions and count their ticks. The 2019 version of the clock had to be run for weeks to average out quantum fluctuations — temporary random changes in the ions’ energy state — caused by its laser. To reduce that time, the team turned to NIST’s own Jun Ye, whose lab at JILA (a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder) hosts one of the most stable lasers in the world. Ye’s strontium lattice clock, Strontium 1, held the previous record for accuracy. 

    This was a team effort. Using fiber links under the street, Ye’s group at JILA sent the ultrastable laser beam 3.6 kilometers (a little more than 2 miles) to the frequency comb in the lab of Tara Fortier at NIST. The frequency comb, which acts as a “ruler for light,” allowed the aluminum ion clock group to compare its laser with Ye’s ultrastable one. This process enabled the Ye lab’s laser to transfer its stability to the aluminum clock laser. With this improvement, the researchers could probe the ions for a full second compared to their previous record of 150 milliseconds. This improves the clock’s stability, reducing the time required to measure down to the 19th decimal place from three weeks to a day and a half.

    (From left to right) Daniel Rodriguez Castillo, Willa Arthur-Dworschack and Mason Marshall work together on the aluminum ion clock at NIST in Boulder. This atomic clock sets a new record for accuracy.

    Credit: R. Jacobson/NIST

    With this new record, the aluminum ion clock contributes to the international effort to redefine the second to much greater levels of accuracy than before, facilitating new scientific and technological advances. The upgrades also drastically improve its use as a quantum logic testbed, exploring new concepts in quantum physics and building the tools needed for quantum technology, an exciting prospect for those involved. More importantly, by cutting down the averaging time from weeks to days, this clock can be a tool to make new measurements of Earth’s geodesy and explore physics beyond the Standard Model, such as the possibility that the fundamental constants of nature are not fixed values but actually changing. 

    “With this platform, we’re poised to explore new clock architectures — like scaling up the number of clock ions and even entangling them — further improving our measurement capabilities,” Arthur-Dworschack said.

    Paper: Mason C. Marshall, Daniel A. Rodriguez Castillo, Willa J. Arthur-Dworschack, Alexander Aeppli, Kyungtae Kim, Dahyeon Lee, William Warfield, Joost Hinrichs, Nicholas V. Nardelli, Tara M. Fortier, Jun Ye, David R. Leibrandt and David B. Hume. High-stability single-ion clock with 5.5×10−19 systematic uncertainty. Physical Review Letters. Published online July 14, 2025. DOI: 10.1103/hb3c-dk28

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three arrested in connection with Knightsbridge murder

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Detectives have arrested three men in their 20s in connection with the murder of Blue Stevens, who was stabbed to death in Knightsbridge.

    Two were arrested at an address in Hounslow on Saturday, 12 July.

    One man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. He remains in police custody.

    Another man was arrested on suspicion of murder. He has been bailed pending further enquiries.

    Following their arrests, Met officers obtained a warrant to search two properties in Chiswick where significant evidence was recovered.

    The third man was arrested on Monday, 14 July on suspicion of assisting an offender. He remains in police custody.

    Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah, who leads policing in Central West London, said: “These arrests mark a significant milestone in this complex and unfolding murder investigation.

    “We continue to progress at pace. While we retain an open mind around motive, one line of enquiry is now that this may have been a targeted attack.

    “Increased police patrols remain active in and around the Knightsbridge area. Please do speak with an officer if you have any questions or concerns.”

    A murder investigation was launched after officers were called to reports of a stabbing in Seville Street at 21:24hrs on Wednesday, 9 July.

    Met officers responded with paramedics from London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance. Blue Stevens, 24, was found with stab wounds. Despite the efforts of emergency services, he sadly died at the scene.

    His next-of-kin continue to be supported by specialist officers.

    Please call police on 0208 721 4961 referencing CAD 8521/09JUL if you were a witness or have any information which might help.

    You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pickens man arrested on Child Sexual Abuse Material* chargesRead More

    Source: US State of South Carolina

    (COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Dallon Christopher Barnwell, 22, of Pickens, S.C., on 10 charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office made the arrest. Investigators with the Attorney General’s Office, also a member of the state’s ICAC Task Force, assisted with the investigation.

     

    Investigators received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which led them to Barnwell. Investigators state that Barnwell possessed files of child sexual abuse material.

     

    Barnwell was arrested on July 3, 2025. He is charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree (§16-15-410), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count.

     

    This case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.

     

    Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.

     

     

     

    * Child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, is a more accurate reflection of the material involved in these heinous and abusive crimes. “Pornography” can imply the child was a consenting participant.  Globally, the term child pornography is being replaced by CSAM for this reason.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In historic first, California powered by two-thirds clean energy – becoming largest economy in the world to achieve milestone

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jul 14, 2025

    What you need to know: Clean energy reliably powered California to levels never seen before – 67% in 2023 – as renewable energy and clean resources continue to advance the state’s world-leading energy transition while fueling the nation’s largest clean energy workforce, more than a half-million strong.

    SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced California achieved an historic milestone – the state was powered by two-thirds clean energy in 2023, the latest year for which data is available. California is the largest economy in the world to achieve this level of clean energy. 

    The state released new data showing California’s continued progress toward a clean energy future with 67% of the state’s retail electricity sales in 2023 coming from renewable and zero-carbon electricity generation — compared to just 61% the previous year and around 41% a decade ago. Sources of clean energy include generation from solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, geothermal and biomass. 

    In 2024, the state added a record-breaking 7,000 megawatts (MW) of clean capacity to the grid, representing the largest single-year increase in clean energy capacity added to the grid in state history. This new figure broke the previous records set in both 2022 and 2023, marking a third consecutive year of unprecedented clean energy growth.

    As the federal government turns its back on innovation and commonsense, California is making our clean energy future a reality. The world’s fourth largest economy is running on two-thirds clean power – the largest economy on the planet to achieve this milestone.

    And for the first time ever, clean energy provided 100% of the state’s power nearly every day this year for some part of the day. Not since the Industrial Revolution have we seen this kind of rapid transformation. 

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Historic investments over the past 15 years have led to an extraordinary pace of development in new clean energy generation. And as the grid is increasingly powered by clean energy, pollution is down and the economy is up. Greenhouse gas emissions in California are down 20% since 2000 – even as the state’s GDP increased 78% in that same time period. The power sector is a major driver of the decline in greenhouse gases – emissions from electric power have been cut in half since 2009, helping the state achieve its emissions reductions goals years ahead of schedule.

    California is home to the most clean energy jobs in the U.S. and the state’s renewable energy and clean vehicle industries lead the nation in growth. California boasts more than a half-million green jobs and has 7 times more clean jobs than fossil fuel jobs. Solar and wind jobs account for a majority of green jobs, and battery storage and grid modernization is the second-fastest growing sector within California’s clean energy workforce.  

    California continues to move at a rapid pace on bringing clean energy online. Since 2019, a record 25,000 MW of new energy resources statewide have been added to the grid, with most of that being solar and battery storage. This aligns with the Governor’s roadmap to the state’s clean energy future released in 2023, which called for 148,000 megawatts (MW) of new clean power by 2045.

    “California has achieved yet another major milestone on our journey to a clean energy future. The latest numbers show how our state is demonstrating that clean energy is mainstream and is here to stay,” said California Energy Commission (CEC) Chair David Hochschild. 

    Sources eligible under the state’ Renewables Portfolio Standard – such as solar and wind – made up 43% of the power mix in 2023, up from 39% in 2022. Other zero carbon resources continue to power the grid with large hydro accounting for 12% and nuclear power at 12% in 2023.

    “California has set ambitious clean energy goals, and utilities and community choice aggregators have stepped up to deliver clean resources at competitive prices to communities up and down the state,” said California Public Utilities Commission President Alice Reynolds. “We are bringing renewable energy online at an unprecedented scale and pace never seen before.”

    Solar represents the technology with the largest amount of installed renewable energy capacity in the state – over 21,000 MW of solar capacity operates the electric grid and another 19,000 MW of behind-the-meter generation. The California grid regularly breaks solar generation peak record levels  – the latest solar peak recorded in late May was over 21,500 MW of solar generation.

    The state is also doubling down on its goals by swiftly increasing its battery energy storage capacity. The state’s battery fleet now stands at over 15,000 MW – 1,944% higher than when the Governor took office in 2019. The state’s storage fleet is regularly storing any available extra solar energy generated during the day, and supporting the grid by dispatching during the evening.  

    Clean energy days

    More than 9 out of 10 days so far this year have been powered by 100% clean energy for at least some part of the day in California. In 2025, California’s grid has run on 100% clean electricity for an average of 7 hours a day.

    Data compiled by the California Energy Commission shows clean energy has powered the equivalent of 51.9 days in the state – nearly 30% of the year to date running on 100% clean electricity. That already surpasses the amount of “clean energy days” last year – and represents a 750% increase in clean energy days since 2022.

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    Jul 11, 2025

    News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement today on the court’s decision in Vasquez Perdomo, et al. v. Noem to temporarily stop federal immigration agents from unlawful suspicionless stops in California:  Justice prevailed today…

    Jul 11, 2025

    News What you need to know: Californians are strongly encouraged to use state and local resources to protect themselves from heat illness as triple digit temperatures move across the state. SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom is encouraging Californians to prepare for…

    Jul 11, 2025

    News What you need to know: Governor Newsom is announcing that the California Employment Development Department is awarding $11 million to help six California organizations connect underserved adults — including veterans, people with disabilities, and at-risk young…

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  • MIL-OSI Security: To’Hajiilee Man Sentenced to 17 Years for 2020 Murder

    Source: US FBI

    ALBUQUERQUE – A To’Hajiilee man was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for the brutal killing of a local man in 2020. Earlier this month, that man also pled guilty in a separate case to assaulting a federal detention officer while he was in custody awaiting trial.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court documents, on June 24, 2020, Antonio Chaco, 42, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, argued with Thomas Anthony Brown outside Chaco’s trailer home in To’Hajiilee. Without warning or cause, Chaco struck Brown in the face and continued to punch and kick Brown until he lost consciousness. Chaco then wrapped Brown in a square of carpet, transported Brown to a remote desert location within the Navajo Nation, and continued his assault before abandoning Brown—leaving Brown to perish in the wilderness without water, food, phone, or shelter.

    On July 4, 2020, Thomas Anthony Brown’s family found Brown’s skeletonized remains in the To’Hajiilee wilderness. The Office of the Medical Investigator later determined Brown’s cause of death was homicidal violence, including blunt-head trauma.

    Thomas Brown’s picture and cowboy hat, as displayed during sentencing

    Upon his release from prison for this crime, Chaco will be subject to five years of supervised release.

    In a separate case, Chaco pled guilty on June 30, 2025, to assaulting a federal detention officer at the Cibola County Correctional Facility while Chaco was in custody pending trial for the murder of Thomas Brown. For this offense, Chaco faces up to 20 years in prison. That sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones and Brittany DuChaussee are prosecuting these cases. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Las Cruces Felon Sentenced for Firearm-Related Drug Trafficking Death

    Source: US FBI

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces man was sentenced to 19 and a half years in prison for fatally shooting another man during a fentanyl drug deal, following his guilty plea to multiple federal drug trafficking and firearms charges.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court records, on January 24, 2022, Rudy Garcia, 38, a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms, arranged a deal for the victim and an acquaintance to purchase 100 fentanyl-laced pills for $500 from Garcia’s ex-wife. Prior to getting the pills, Garcia and the victim had a conversation at a motel where Garcia let the victim know he had a shotgun and displayed the shotgun so that it was visible to him. Garcia expressed concern that the victim had developed a reputation for conducting “drug rips” and did not want any trouble during the deal.

    After obtaining the pills, Garcia and the victim walked together to a vehicle. As they were getting in, Garcia claimed he saw the victim reach for a pistol. Feeling threatened, Garcia exited the vehicle, pulled out his shotgun, and shot the victim. The victim died from the gunshot wound.

    Garcia was arrested and charged with conspiracy, distribution of fentanyl, using and discharging a firearm during a drug trafficking crime resulting in death, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

    Following his arrest, Garcia admitted to his involvement in the drug deal and the shooting during an interview with detectives. Surveillance footage and witness accounts corroborated the events leading to the victim’s death.

    Garcia pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, using a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, discharging said firearm, and causing death through use of said firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition

    Upon his release from prison, Garcia will be subject to three years of supervised release.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Randy M. Castellano prosecuted the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Providence VA Service Representative Admits to Federal Extortion, Bribery, Witness Tampering Charges

    Source: US FBI

    PROVIDENCE, RI – A former benefits service representative with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Providence pleaded guilty today to a six-count indictment that charges him with three counts of bribery and one count each of extortion, gratuity received by a public official, and witness tampering, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.

    Michael Darrah, 47, of Taunton, MA., solicited and accepted bribes from veterans and the family member of a veteran to approve requested dependent care benefits and/or disability benefits. In requesting payments, Darrah claimed that some of the money he sought from his victims would be used to purchase gift cards for other purported VA employees who Darrah claimed either could or did assist him in expediting and approving benefits claims.

    As reflected in the indictment:

    • Darrah requested payments and accepted approximately $3,385 from a veteran to “grease the wheels” to push paperwork through and expedite a claim for disability benefits.
    • Darrah corruptly sought and accepted $16,566 from a second veteran to expedite and approve a claim for  disability benefits.
    • Darrah sought and accepted $2,700 from a relative of a third veteran to expedite and approve the veteran’s benefits claim and he sought and accepted a “gratuity” of approximately $5,000 from the same veteran for having successfully used his position at the VA to get other VA employees to expedite and approve the claims. The indictment reflects that Darrah requested this “gratuity” despite being advised that the veteran was facing homelessness as his house was being foreclosed.
    • After becoming aware of the government’s investigation into his conduct, Darrah attempted to corruptly persuade a witness not to cooperate with the investigation and to lie about the nature of payments made to him.

    Darrah is scheduled to be sentenced on October 14, 2025. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter I. Roklan and Ly T. Chin.

    The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of the FBI, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Veterans Administration Police.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marshals Seek Public Assistance Locating Murder Suspect

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Boise, ID – The U.S. Marshals Service Greater Idaho Fugitive Task Force is seeking the assistance of the public who were recreating in the Sawtooth National Forest in the last 24 hours – specific to the Bear Creek area.

    Travis Caleb Decker is wanted by the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office in Washington State for 3 counts of murder and 3 counts of kidnapping of his 3 children aged 5, 8, and 9 on 5/30/2025.

    Beginning on July 5, 2025, the U.S. Marshal Service received a tip from a family recreating in the Bear Creek area of the Sawtooth National Forest, consistent with the description of Travis Decker.

    The person believed to be Travis Decker was described as a white male, 5’8”-5”10 wearing a black mesh cap, black gauged earrings, cream colored t-shirt, black shorts, long ponytail, black Garmin style watch, beard and mustache overgrown, wearing a black Jan Sport backpack and either converse or vans low top shoes.

    The U.S. Marshals Greater Idaho Fugitive Task Force is a state-wide cooperative to locate and arrest violent state and federal fugitives. Member agencies who work together with the U.S. Marshal Service throughout the State of Idaho are the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Caldwell Police Department, Coeur d’Alene Police Department, Idaho State Police, Idaho Department of Corrections, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, Nampa Police Department, and the Pocatello Police Department. 

    Anyone with information on wanted fugitives is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshal Service Communication Center at 1-800-336- 0102, or USMS Tips at www.usmarshals.gov/tips.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Union Air Transport Territory Demands Increased Protections After Guilty Plea in Violent Assault on IAM Union Member, United Airlines Worker at Washington Dulles International Airport

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    The IAM Union Air Transport Territory issued a strong call for action and accountability following a guilty plea in a violent assault against a United Airlines gate agent and IAM member at Washington Dulles International Airport.

    On July 10, 2025, Christopher Stuart Crittenden pleaded guilty in federal court to charges stemming from an attack in which he punched an IAM Union member/United Airlines customer service agent, knocking them unconscious, and attempted to assault another IAM member who barely avoided the assault. 

    Your IAM Union leadership responded swiftly with renewed calls for greater protections for our members in the airline industry.

    “No airline worker should ever fear being physically attacked for doing their job,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “This plea is a step toward justice but cannot stop here. Our members show up every day to keep travelers safe. We need Congress and federal agencies to show up for them by ensuring they are fully protected under the law.”

    The IAM represents over 100,000 airline workers, including customer service agents, ramp workers, aircraft mechanics, fleet service workers, flight attendants, stock clerks, and more. This latest assault justifies the need for stronger deterrents and enforcement mechanisms, as physical and verbal assaults on airline workers have spiked in recent years.

    “We are grateful that Mr. Crittenden has admitted guilt,” said IAM Union Air Transport Territory General Vice President Richie Johnsen. “But this isn’t just about one individual. It’s about a system that has too often failed to protect frontline workers from harassment and violence. We demand change, not just for our member at United Airlines, but for every airline employee.”

    Click here to read the U.S. Attorney’s Office press release on Crittenden’s guilty plea.

    “This was a completely preventable act of violence,” said IAM Union Air Transport Territory Chief of Staff Edison Fraser. “Too many of our members have been assaulted while trying to do their jobs with professionalism and care. They’re not asking for applause — just for the ability to work without being punched or screamed at.”

    This assault has spotlighted the demands for legislative and regulatory action.

    “District 141 stands behind our member and their family every step of the way,” said IAM Union District 141 President and Directing General Chair Mike Klemm. “It’s not enough to just prosecute after the fact. We need action from the Department of Transportation and airline management to create safer workplaces for gate agents and all airport employees.”

    The IAM continues to push for reforms that include:

    • Mandatory federal penalties for assaults on all aviation workers;
    • Increased staffing and security in high-risk airport areas;
    • Expanded training for de-escalation and reporting;
    • Zero-tolerance policies that are jointly enforced by airlines and federal agencies.

    “We have been leading this fight on customer service assaults on Capitol Hill for years,” said IAM Union National Legislative and Political Director Hasan Solomon. “We’ve called on Congress and the Department of Justice to treat assaults on airline workers with the same urgency as assaults on flight crews or law enforcement. This person was banned from ever flying on United Airlines, but these types of incidents should get a person banned forever on all airlines.”

    The IAM urges the public, elected officials, and airline companies to stand with frontline workers and ensure they receive the dignity and security they deserve.

    The post IAM Union Air Transport Territory Demands Increased Protections After Guilty Plea in Violent Assault on IAM Union Member, United Airlines Worker at Washington Dulles International Airport appeared first on IAM Union.

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