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  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn’s Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy Recognizes Faculty Research Excellence

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    UConn’s Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP) is recognizing the recipients of its 2025 Faculty Excellence Awards.

    These awards celebrate UConn and UConn Health faculty and students who are making important contributions to their field, providing impactful mentorship, furthering our understanding of racial and ethnic health disparities, and engaging with the community through research to improve health.

    “InCHIP’s Excellence Awards honor the innovative work that principal investigators, faculty affiliates, and students are conducting to advance social and behavioral health sciences, provide students with transformative educational experiences, and enhance community well-being. Congratulations to our 2025 Excellence Award recipients,” says Tricia Leahey, director of InCHIP and professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences.

    The awardees will be recognized during InCHIP’s Fall 2025 annual meeting and in its annual report. They will also receive funds to support their program of research.

    The 2025 Excellence Award recipients include:

    Excellence Award for Junior Faculty Research

    Sudha Srinivasan, assistant professor
    of kinesiology in the College of
    Agriculture, Health, and Natural
    Resources (contributed photo)

    Sudha Srinivasan

    Sudha Srinivasan is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology in the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources (CAHNR). Her research focuses on the development of child- and family-friendly movement-based interventions and technologies that empower children with developmental disabilities. She has recently worked with children diagnosed with autism and cerebral palsy to create engaging therapies leveraging music, dance, yoga, and modified ride-on toys to improve movement and function. Srinivasan is mindful of parents’ needs and seeks to develop interventions that fit in the context of family and school life, ensuring treatments are affordable, accessible, and fun for children to perform.

    Since arriving at UConn in 2019, Srinivasan has had 31 peer-reviewed journal articles published, many of which are published in high-impact journals in her field. Her work requires access to specialized equipment, such as the ride-on intervention like the Wild Thing. To support this work, she has sought research funding, securing an R21 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a research award from the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy.

    Na Zhang, assistant professor of human development and family sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (contributed photo)

    Na Zhang

    Na Zhang is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS). Her research program underscores the importance of improving mental health and well-being outcomes in children and adolescents, parents, and couples. She directs the Family Resilience and Mindfulness Empowerment (FRAME) Lab, which develops, evaluates, and implements mindfulness-informed family-based interventions to promote mental health and well-being in high-risk families. She has published 35 peer-reviewed journal articles including 14 as first-author. Her research on mindfulness in the context of families has advanced the field by providing strong evidence for the use of mindfulness-based interventions to prevent mental health challenges in highly stressful circumstances.

    Zhang is currently working on a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded K-01 to develop a fully web-based mindfulness parenting intervention for high-risk divorced families. The project aims to reduce mental health challenges, addressing key gaps in the research literature. Currently, there are no fully self-administered online parenting interventions to reduce parents’ mental stress. Additionally, her previous research has demonstrated that behavioral parent training programs are less effective for parents who are experiencing psychological distress.

    Excellence for Research on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and Health Outcomes of Racism

    Debarchana Ghosh, professor of geography, sustainability, community, and urban studies in CLAS (contributed photo)

    Debarchana Ghosh

    Debarchana (Debs) Ghosh is a professor in the Department of Geography, Sustainability, Community, and Urban Studies whose research focuses on the reciprocal relationship between place and health. Ghosh employs a variety of research methods including spatial analysis, public health theory, and community-engaged research to explore the complex interconnection between health disparities and social-environmental factors. She prioritizes the inclusion of underrepresented populations and communities in her work. Ghosh also developed the innovative structural racism and discrimination index (SRD Index) to illustrate how residential segregation, housing, healthcare, income, and crime and incarceration impact health.

    Ghosh is currently working on a five-year NIH R01 to quantify the impact of structural racism on cancer-control behaviors among African Americans. This project addresses a critical knowledge gap in how cancer disparities are understood and how structural racism is embedded in individuals’ lives as they navigate cancer prevention, treatment, and survival. Her commitment to understanding how racial disparities affect health move past the idea of race as a variable, underscoring the role that racism, not race, has in influencing health outcomes. Her work has reframed how health disparities are studied and interpreted.

    Community-Engaged Health Research Excellence Award

    Beth Russell, professor of human development and family sciences in CLAS (contributed photo)

    Beth Russell

    Beth Russell is a professor and associate department head for graduate studies in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. Her research focuses on how people manage emotional distress and the development of interventions that improve emotional well-being. Her research exemplifies the power of community-engaged research in solving pressing societal challenges. Community engagement is a vital component of her work for its role in improving health and well-being for individuals and families. She is working on projects related to mindfulness interventions for youth and young adults; substance use and recovery; and stress, coping, and resilience.

    Russell directs the Center for Applied Research in Human Development (CARHD) and is co-director of the Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH), both at UConn. CARHD facilitates community-engaged scholarship by connecting researchers and community partners to develop and evaluate human service programs that benefit communities. Russell and CARHD have worked with the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) for more than 15 years evaluating its federally-funded 21st Century Community Learning Centers After School Grant Program. She has also partnered with local state and nonprofit partners including the Connecticut Departments of Children and Families and Education, United Way, EASTCONN, The Village for Children and Families, and Family Life Education. She has been praised for her intentionality, improving programming and services without burdening staff and by considering a community partner’s needs and resources.

    Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award

    Golda S. Ginsburg, professor of psychiatry, at her office in West Hartford on Aug. 13, 2014. (Sean Flynn/UConn Photo)

    Golda Ginsburg

    Golda Ginsburg is a professor in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at the UConn School of Medicine. A leader in pediatric anxiety treatment, she has developed and evaluated interventions for children who have psychiatric disorders, and her research focuses on preventing anxiety disorders, one of the most pervasive psychiatric disorders impacting youth. Ginsburg directs the Child and Adolescent Anxiety and Depression Program (CAMP) Lab at UConn Health. This lab provides students and trainees with significant academic and training experiences.

    Ginsburg has been praised for being a patient, dedicated, and supportive mentor who sees mentees as individuals and works with them to ensure they get the experiences necessary to achieve their goals and advance their careers. Since joining UConn, she has mentored more than 50 trainees at various levels of education from high schoolers to post-doctoral fellows. Many of Ginsburg’s student mentees have secured external funding, most notably from the U.S. Department of Education, published peer-reviewed journal articles, or presented at conferences. Ginsburg has also guided junior faculty in successfully applying for external research funding. She serves as a reviewer for the Department of Psychiatry’s mock grant reviews. Ginsburg has received a K24 Mentoring grant from the NIMH. This is a testament to her exceptional mentorship.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn’s Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy Recognizes Faculty Research Excellence

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    UConn’s Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP) is recognizing the recipients of its 2025 Faculty Excellence Awards.

    These awards celebrate UConn and UConn Health faculty and students who are making important contributions to their field, providing impactful mentorship, furthering our understanding of racial and ethnic health disparities, and engaging with the community through research to improve health.

    “InCHIP’s Excellence Awards honor the innovative work that principal investigators, faculty affiliates, and students are conducting to advance social and behavioral health sciences, provide students with transformative educational experiences, and enhance community well-being. Congratulations to our 2025 Excellence Award recipients,” says Tricia Leahey, director of InCHIP and professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences.

    The awardees will be recognized during InCHIP’s Fall 2025 annual meeting and in its annual report. They will also receive funds to support their program of research.

    The 2025 Excellence Award recipients include:

    Excellence Award for Junior Faculty Research

    Sudha Srinivasan, assistant professor
    of kinesiology in the College of
    Agriculture, Health, and Natural
    Resources (contributed photo)

    Sudha Srinivasan

    Sudha Srinivasan is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology in the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources (CAHNR). Her research focuses on the development of child- and family-friendly movement-based interventions and technologies that empower children with developmental disabilities. She has recently worked with children diagnosed with autism and cerebral palsy to create engaging therapies leveraging music, dance, yoga, and modified ride-on toys to improve movement and function. Srinivasan is mindful of parents’ needs and seeks to develop interventions that fit in the context of family and school life, ensuring treatments are affordable, accessible, and fun for children to perform.

    Since arriving at UConn in 2019, Srinivasan has had 31 peer-reviewed journal articles published, many of which are published in high-impact journals in her field. Her work requires access to specialized equipment, such as the ride-on intervention like the Wild Thing. To support this work, she has sought research funding, securing an R21 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a research award from the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy.

    Na Zhang, assistant professor of human development and family sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (contributed photo)

    Na Zhang

    Na Zhang is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS). Her research program underscores the importance of improving mental health and well-being outcomes in children and adolescents, parents, and couples. She directs the Family Resilience and Mindfulness Empowerment (FRAME) Lab, which develops, evaluates, and implements mindfulness-informed family-based interventions to promote mental health and well-being in high-risk families. She has published 35 peer-reviewed journal articles including 14 as first-author. Her research on mindfulness in the context of families has advanced the field by providing strong evidence for the use of mindfulness-based interventions to prevent mental health challenges in highly stressful circumstances.

    Zhang is currently working on a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded K-01 to develop a fully web-based mindfulness parenting intervention for high-risk divorced families. The project aims to reduce mental health challenges, addressing key gaps in the research literature. Currently, there are no fully self-administered online parenting interventions to reduce parents’ mental stress. Additionally, her previous research has demonstrated that behavioral parent training programs are less effective for parents who are experiencing psychological distress.

    Excellence for Research on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and Health Outcomes of Racism

    Debarchana Ghosh, professor of geography, sustainability, community, and urban studies in CLAS (contributed photo)

    Debarchana Ghosh

    Debarchana (Debs) Ghosh is a professor in the Department of Geography, Sustainability, Community, and Urban Studies whose research focuses on the reciprocal relationship between place and health. Ghosh employs a variety of research methods including spatial analysis, public health theory, and community-engaged research to explore the complex interconnection between health disparities and social-environmental factors. She prioritizes the inclusion of underrepresented populations and communities in her work. Ghosh also developed the innovative structural racism and discrimination index (SRD Index) to illustrate how residential segregation, housing, healthcare, income, and crime and incarceration impact health.

    Ghosh is currently working on a five-year NIH R01 to quantify the impact of structural racism on cancer-control behaviors among African Americans. This project addresses a critical knowledge gap in how cancer disparities are understood and how structural racism is embedded in individuals’ lives as they navigate cancer prevention, treatment, and survival. Her commitment to understanding how racial disparities affect health move past the idea of race as a variable, underscoring the role that racism, not race, has in influencing health outcomes. Her work has reframed how health disparities are studied and interpreted.

    Community-Engaged Health Research Excellence Award

    Beth Russell, professor of human development and family sciences in CLAS (contributed photo)

    Beth Russell

    Beth Russell is a professor and associate department head for graduate studies in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. Her research focuses on how people manage emotional distress and the development of interventions that improve emotional well-being. Her research exemplifies the power of community-engaged research in solving pressing societal challenges. Community engagement is a vital component of her work for its role in improving health and well-being for individuals and families. She is working on projects related to mindfulness interventions for youth and young adults; substance use and recovery; and stress, coping, and resilience.

    Russell directs the Center for Applied Research in Human Development (CARHD) and is co-director of the Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH), both at UConn. CARHD facilitates community-engaged scholarship by connecting researchers and community partners to develop and evaluate human service programs that benefit communities. Russell and CARHD have worked with the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) for more than 15 years evaluating its federally-funded 21st Century Community Learning Centers After School Grant Program. She has also partnered with local state and nonprofit partners including the Connecticut Departments of Children and Families and Education, United Way, EASTCONN, The Village for Children and Families, and Family Life Education. She has been praised for her intentionality, improving programming and services without burdening staff and by considering a community partner’s needs and resources.

    Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award

    Golda S. Ginsburg, professor of psychiatry, at her office in West Hartford on Aug. 13, 2014. (Sean Flynn/UConn Photo)

    Golda Ginsburg

    Golda Ginsburg is a professor in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at the UConn School of Medicine. A leader in pediatric anxiety treatment, she has developed and evaluated interventions for children who have psychiatric disorders, and her research focuses on preventing anxiety disorders, one of the most pervasive psychiatric disorders impacting youth. Ginsburg directs the Child and Adolescent Anxiety and Depression Program (CAMP) Lab at UConn Health. This lab provides students and trainees with significant academic and training experiences.

    Ginsburg has been praised for being a patient, dedicated, and supportive mentor who sees mentees as individuals and works with them to ensure they get the experiences necessary to achieve their goals and advance their careers. Since joining UConn, she has mentored more than 50 trainees at various levels of education from high schoolers to post-doctoral fellows. Many of Ginsburg’s student mentees have secured external funding, most notably from the U.S. Department of Education, published peer-reviewed journal articles, or presented at conferences. Ginsburg has also guided junior faculty in successfully applying for external research funding. She serves as a reviewer for the Department of Psychiatry’s mock grant reviews. Ginsburg has received a K24 Mentoring grant from the NIMH. This is a testament to her exceptional mentorship.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: State Agencies Directed to Report on Tariff Impacts

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced actions to assess cost increases and supply chain disruptions caused by the Trump Administration’s destructive tariff policies. At the Governor’s direction, Director of State Operations Kathryn Garcia sent a memo to State agencies, requiring them to compile key data and information regarding tariff impacts. By September 30, State agencies will provide data on the specific impacts of Trump’s tariffs on New York consumers, small businesses, farmers, construction, tourism and other sectors of the state’s economy. New York State Empire State Development (ESD) and the Office of General Services (OGS) will then use the data provided by each agency to develop a statewide tariff economic impact report by October 31. Additionally, Governor Hochul launched a tariff resource guide to help New Yorkers navigate the chaos caused by Trump’s tariffs and provide resources on programs available to mitigate the impacts of tariffs.

    “Trump’s tariffs are already inflicting pain and uncertainty on New York families and businesses — and that same economic chaos is being felt by millions more nationwide,” Governor Hochul said. “That’s why we’re taking action to closely monitor and report on the impacts of these disastrous tariffs — and it’s why I’ll never stop fighting to put more money back in the pockets of everyday New Yorkers.”

    Over the past six months, the Trump Administration has announced and imposed significant tariffs on imports of goods to the United States. These tariffs, including major trading partners, have been announced, implemented, paused and resumed haphazardly, creating uncertainty for families and business owners across the state.

    The tariffs have increased prices for household goods, automobiles and housing, with the costs passed on to consumers. Such tariffs have also led to supply chain disruptions with increased costs for manufacturing industries, raising the price of supplies for small and large businesses across the state.

    The Trump Administration’s tariff policy has increased costs for New York’s agriculture sector, including for our more than 30,000 family farms, while simultaneously reducing access to international markets for New York-grown and manufactured food products. Trump’s tariff policies have also caused a negative impact on U.S. to Canada trade and tourism, including a 25 percent decline in vehicular border crossings between Canada and New York State in May 2025, compared to the prior year.

    To take action, the State will collect and report on key economic and social indicators to New York caused by Trump’s tariff policies. State agencies are encouraged to assess and submit information regarding tariff impacts on an ongoing basis. Additionally, Governor Hochul announced a tariff resource guide to keep New Yorkers up-to-date on programs available for small businesses that have been impacted by the tariffs.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: How Eurostack could offer Canada a route to digital independence from the United States

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ted Palys, Professor of Criminology, Associate Member of Dept. of Indigenous Studies, Simon Fraser University

    The contemporary internet has been with us since roughly 1995. Its current underlying economic model — surveillance capitalism — began in the early 2000s, when Google and then Facebook realized how much our personal information and online behaviour revealed about us and claimed it for themselves to sell to advertisers.

    Perhaps because of Canada’s proximity to the United States, coupled with its positive shared history with the U.S. and their highly integrated economies, Canada went along for that consumerist ride.

    The experience was different on the other side of the Atlantic. The Stasi in the former East Germany and the KGB under Josef Stalin maintained files on hundreds of thousands of citizens to identify and prosecute dissidents.

    Having witnessed this invasion of privacy and its weaponization first-hand, Europe has been far ahead of North America in developing protections. These include the General Data Protection Regulation and the Law Enforcement Directive, with protection of personal data also listed in the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights.

    Canada clearly took too much for granted in its relationship with the U.S. Suddenly, Canada is being threatened with tariffs and President Donald Trump’s expressed desire to make Canada the 51st American state.

    This has fuelled the motivation of Canada both internally and in co-operation with western European governments to seek greater independence in trade and military preparedness by diversifying its relationships.

    Prime Minister Mark Carney has begun promoting “nation-building projects,” but little attention has been paid to Canada’s digital infrastructure.



    Read more:
    How Canadian nationalism is evolving with the times — and will continue to do so

    Three areas of concern

    Three recent developments suggest Canada would be well-advised to start paying close attention:

    1. The current U.S. administration has raised concerns about its reliability as a partner and friend to Canada. Most of the concerns raised in Canada have been economic. However, Curtis McCord, a former national security and technology researcher for the Canadian government, has said the current situation has created vulnerabilities for national security as well:

    “With Washington becoming an increasingly unreliable ally, Mr. Carney is right to look for ways to diversify away from the U.S. But if Canada wants to maintain its sovereignty and be responsible for its national security, this desire to diversify must extend to the U.S. domination of Canada’s digital infrastructure.”

    2. Silicon Valley is exhibiting a newfound loyalty to Trump. The photo of the “broligarchy” at Trump’s inauguration spoke volumes, as their apparent eagerness to appease the president brings the data gathered by the internet’s surveillance-based economy under state control.

    3. Trump’s recent executive order entitled “Stopping waste, fraud and abuse by eliminating information silos” is alarming. The order became operational when the Trump administration contracted with Palantir, a company known for its surveillance software and data analytics in military contexts. Its job? To combine databases from both the state and federal levels into one massive database that includes every American citizen, and potentially any user of the internet.

    Combining multiple government databases is concerning. Combining them with all the personal data harvested by Silicon Valley and providing them to a government showing all the hallmarks of an authoritarian regime sounds like Big Brother has arrived.

    Civil liberties groups such as the Electronic Freedom Foundation, academics and even former Palantir employees have raised alarms about the possibilities for abuse, including the launch of all the vendettas Trump and his supporters have pledged to undertake.

    The appeal of Eurostack

    European governments have attempted to rein in Silicon Valley’s excesses for years. Trump’s re-election and his moves toward potentially weaponizing internet data have further boosted Europe’s resolve to move away from the U.S.-led internet.

    One newer effort is Eurostack. A joint initiative involving academics, policymakers, companies and governments, it envisions an independent digital ecosystem that better reflects European values — democratic, sovereign, inclusive, transparent, respectful of personal privacy and innovation-driven.

    Spokesperson Francesca Bria explains the “stack” arises from the idea that a digitally sovereign internet needs to have European control from the ground up.

    Bria discusses Eurostack in May 2025. (re:publica)

    That includes the acquisition of raw materials and manufacture and operation of the physical components that comprise computers and servers; the cloud infrastructure that has the processing power and storage to be operational at scale; the operating systems and applications that comprise the user interface; the AI models and algorithms that drive services and its policy and governance framework.

    Prospective gains to Europe are considerable. They include greater cybersecurity, promoting innovation, keeping high-end creative jobs in Europe, promoting collaboration on equitable terms and creating high-skilled employment opportunities.

    Canada receives no mention in the Eurostack proposal to date, but the project is still very much in the developmental phase. Investment so far is in the tens of millions instead of the billions it will require.

    Canada has a lot to offer and to gain from being part of the Eurostack initiative. With the project still taking shape, now is the perfect time to get on board.

    Ted Palys 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 Eurostack could offer Canada a route to digital independence from the United States – https://theconversation.com/how-eurostack-could-offer-canada-a-route-to-digital-independence-from-the-united-states-260663

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Listening to nonhumans: What music can teach about humanity’s relationships with nature and the divine

    Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Jeffers Engelhardt, Professor of Music, Amherst College

    Members of the Alevi Muslim community perform a ritual semah dance during celebrations for Norooz, or the Persian New Year, in Berlin. Adam Berry/Getty Images

    As someone who teaches and researches music and religion, I’ve always been curious about inspiration and how it connects humans to other beings.

    Musicians can be inspired by great artists, living and dead; by technologies that expand their experience, like artist Brian House’s macrophones that capture low-frequency infrasound; by plants and animals; and by the unseen, unheard presence of the supernatural. After all, the word inspiration is rooted in the Latin for “breathing in.” Often, it was associated with spiritual or divine influence – inspiration coming from other realms.

    In my research and teaching, recognizing non-human beings is ethically important and an act of intellectual humility. It ensures that I honor other people’s religious and musical experiences, and it admits that we cannot know precisely what they know. One person’s reality may not translate to our own understanding.

    That’s what led me to design this course: “Music, Sound and Research with Non-Humans.”

    What does the course explore?

    The “with” in the course title is key: I want students to learn about how human knowledge exists in relationship with non-humans. To do this, we read and listen widely.

    In research using Actor-Network Theory, for example, relationships between humans and non-humans are central: musicians, scientists and their instruments; you and your smartphone; humans and gods. In each case, humans and non-humans are both considered actors – beings that make a real difference in the world.

    Music scholar Peter McMurray uses a similar lens in his work on Alevi “semah” ritual, which involves music, movement and poetry. Alevism is a mystical tradition of Islam in Turkey that has long faced discrimination. Some of the sung poetry used for semah is inspired by sacred animals, such as cranes. In semah, participants experience cranelike flight through music and dance, which are central to Alevi ritual.

    Dance is an important part of Alevi semah.

    Or consider traditions of chanting revealed in texts like the Quran, which means “recitation” in Arabic. Spiritually, the purpose is not only to learn the scripture, but to draw closer to its sonic essence. Recitation recalls moments of encounter between humans and the divine, most important being the Prophet Muhammad receiving the Quran through the Angel Gabriel.

    We also look beyond music, to everything from medicine and biology to economics, to study relationships between humans and non-humans. One of our favorite readings, for example, is “The Mushroom at the End of the World” by anthropologist Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing. This is a rich ethnographic account of the relationships between humans and matsutake mushrooms, which are highly prized in Japanese cuisine: the piney forests where matsutake grow, the human activities that make them thrive, the foragers who collect them, and the global markets where they are traded.

    My students Luana Espinoza and Sofia Ahmed Seid describe our course as exploring a kind of symbiosis: the word biologists use to describe close, often mutually beneficial, relationships between species.

    What’s a critical lesson from the course?

    This course readies students to confront serious, challenging forms of intellectual diversity, considering how the possibilities of different truths and paradigms might inform their research.

    Both students this semester are science majors working on senior theses: Espinoza in chemistry and Seid in neuroscience. By reading and listening to others’ accounts of human and non-human relationships, they say they no longer feel required to leave an essential part of themselves at the classroom door.

    Music and sound bridge the physical and metaphysical, the natural and the supernatural. Because of this, they are invaluable for encountering complex truths.

    Amherst College students Sofia Ahmed Seid and Luana Espinoza contributed to the preparation of this article.

    Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

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

    – ref. Listening to nonhumans: What music can teach about humanity’s relationships with nature and the divine – https://theconversation.com/listening-to-nonhumans-what-music-can-teach-about-humanitys-relationships-with-nature-and-the-divine-256840

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Is there any hope for the internet?

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Aarushi Bhandari, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College

    Hate and mental illness fester online because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits. Ihor Lukianenko/iStock via Getty Images

    In 2001, social theorist bell hooks warned about the dangers of a loveless zeitgeist. In “All About Love: New Visions,” she lamented “the lack of an ongoing public discussion … about the practice of love in our culture and in our lives.”

    Back then, the internet was at a crossroads. The dot-com crash had bankrupted many early internet companies, and people wondered if the technology was long for this world.

    The doubts were unfounded. In only a few decades, the internet has merged with our bodies as smartphones and mined our personalities via algorithms that know us more intimately than some of our closest friends. It has even constructed a secondary social world.

    Yet as the internet has become more integrated in our daily lives, few would describe it as a place of love, compassion and cooperation. Study after study describe how social media platforms promote alienation and disconnection – in part because many algorithms reward behaviors like trolling, cyberbullying and outrage.

    Is the internet’s place in human history cemented as a harbinger of despair? Or is there still hope for an internet that supports collective flourishing?

    Algorithms and alienation

    I explore these questions in my new book, “Attention and Alienation.”

    In it, I explain how social media companies’ profits depend on users investing their time, creativity and emotions. Whether it’s spending hours filming content for TikTok or a few minutes crafting a thoughtful Reddit comment, participating on these platforms takes work. And it can be exhausting.

    Even passive engagement – like scrolling through feeds and “lurking” in forums – consumes time. It might feel like free entertainment – until people recognize they are the product, with their data being harvested and their emotions being manipulated.

    Blogger, journalist and science fiction writer Cory Doctorow coined the term “enshittification” to describe how experiences on online platforms gradually deteriorate as companies increasingly exploit users’ data and tweak their algorithms to maximize profits.

    For these reasons, much of people’s time spent online involves dealing with toxic interactions or mindlessly doomscrolling, immersed in dopamine-driven feedback loops.

    This cycle is neither an accident nor a novel insight. Hate and mental illness fester in this culture because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits.

    Care hiding in plain sight

    In his 2009 book “Envisioning Real Utopias,” the late sociologist Erik Olin Wright discusses places in the world that prioritize cooperation, care and egalitarianism.

    Wright mainly focused on offline systems like worker-owned cooperatives. But one of his examples lived on the internet: Wikipedia. He argued that Wikipedia demonstrates the ethos “from each according to ability, to each according to need” – a utopian ideal popularized by Karl Marx.

    Wikipedia still thrives as a nonprofit, volunteer-ran bureaucracy. The website is a form of media that is deeply social, in the literal sense: People voluntarily curate and share knowledge, collectively and democratically, for free. Unlike social media, the rewards are only collective.

    There are no visible likes, comments or rage emojis for participants to hoard and chase. Nobody loses and everyone wins, including the vast majority of people who use Wikipedia without contributing work or money to keep it operational.

    Building a new digital world

    Wikipedia is evidence of care, cooperation and love hiding in plain sight.

    In recent years, there have been more efforts to create nonprofit apps and websites that are committed to protecting user data. Popular examples include Signal, a free and open source instant messaging service, and Proton Mail, an encrypted email service.

    These are all laudable developments. But how can the internet actively promote collective flourishing?

    What if Wikipedia were less the exception, and more the norm?
    Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images

    In “Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want,” sociologist Ruha Benjamin points to a way forward. She tells the story of Black TikTok creators who led a successful cultural labor strike in 2021. Many viral TikTok dances had originally been created by Black artists, whose accounts, they claimed, were suppressed by a biased algorithm that favored white influencers.

    TikTok responded to the viral #BlackTikTokStrike movement by formally apologizing and making commitments to better represent and compensate the work of Black creators. These creators demonstrated how social media engagement is work – and that workers have the power to demand equitable conditions and fair pay.

    This landmark strike showed how anyone who uses social media companies that profit off the work, emotions and personal data of their users – whether it’s TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram or Reddit – can become organized.

    Meanwhile, there are organizations devoted to designing an internet that promotes collective flourishing. Sociologist Firuzeh Shokooh Valle provides examples of worker-owned technology cooperatives in her 2023 book, “In Defense of Solidarity and Pleasure: Feminist Technopolitics in the Global South.” She highlights the Sulá Batsú co-op in Costa Rica, which promotes policies that seek to break the stranglehold that negativity and exploitation have over internet culture.

    “Digital spaces are increasingly powered by hate and discrimination,” the group writes, adding that it hopes to create an online world where “women and people of diverse sexualities and genders are able to access and enjoy a free and open internet to exercise agency and autonomy, build collective power, strengthen movements, and transform power relations.”

    In Los Angeles, there’s Chani, Inc., a technology company that describes itself as “proudly” not funded by venture capitalists. The Chani app blends mindfulness practices and astrology with the goal of simply helping people. The app is not designed for compulsive user engagement, the company never sells user data, and there are no comments sections.

    No comments

    What would social media look like if Wikipedia were the norm instead of an exception?

    To me, a big problem in internet culture is the way people’s humanity is obscured. People are free to speak their minds in text-based public discussion forums, but the words aren’t always attached to someone’s identity. Real people hide behind the anonymity of user names. It isn’t true human interaction.

    In “Attention and Alienation,” I argue that the ability to meet and interact with others online as fully realized, three-dimensional human beings would go a long way toward creating a more empathetic, cooperative internet.

    When I was 8 years old, my parents lived abroad for work. Sometimes we talked on the phone. Often I would cry late into the night, praying for the ability to “see them through the phone.” It felt like a miraculous possibility – like magic.

    I told this story to my students in a moment of shared vulnerability. This was in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, so the class was taking place over videoconferencing. In these online classes, one person talked at a time. Others listened.

    It wasn’t perfect, but I think a better internet would promote this form of discussion – people getting together from across the world to share the fullness of their humanity.

    Efforts like Clubhouse have tapped into this vision by creating voice-based discussion forums. The company, however, has been criticized for predatory data privacy policies.

    What if the next iteration of public social media platforms could build on Clubhouse? What if they brought people together and showcased not just their voices, but also live video feeds of their faces without harvesting their data or promoting conflict and outrage?

    Raised eyebrows. Grins. Frowns. They’re what make humans distinct from increasingly sophisticated large language models and artificial intelligence chatbots like ChatGPT.

    After all, is anything you can’t say while looking at another human being in the eye worth saying in the first place?

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

    – ref. Is there any hope for the internet? – https://theconversation.com/is-there-any-hope-for-the-internet-259251

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: 2026 FIFA World Cup expansion will have a big climate footprint, with matches from Mexico to Canada – here’s what fans can do

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

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

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

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

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

    A sustainability conundrum

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

    There is a divide over how sports should respond.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    When climate promises become greenwashing

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Finding practical solutions

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

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

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

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

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

    How fans can cut their environmental footprint

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    – ref. 2026 FIFA World Cup expansion will have a big climate footprint, with matches from Mexico to Canada – here’s what fans can do – https://theconversation.com/2026-fifa-world-cup-expansion-will-have-a-big-climate-footprint-with-matches-from-mexico-to-canada-heres-what-fans-can-do-259437

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: 2026 FIFA World Cup expansion will have a big climate footprint, with matches from Mexico to Canada – here’s what fans can do

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

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

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

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

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

    A sustainability conundrum

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

    There is a divide over how sports should respond.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    When climate promises become greenwashing

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Finding practical solutions

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

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

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

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

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

    How fans can cut their environmental footprint

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    – ref. 2026 FIFA World Cup expansion will have a big climate footprint, with matches from Mexico to Canada – here’s what fans can do – https://theconversation.com/2026-fifa-world-cup-expansion-will-have-a-big-climate-footprint-with-matches-from-mexico-to-canada-heres-what-fans-can-do-259437

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Most Pennsylvania voters ignore judicial elections − a political scientist explains why they matter, especially in a battleground state

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniel J. Mallinson, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Administration, Penn State

    Three of the seven judges on PA’s state supreme court are up for retention votes in November 2025. AP Photo/Matt Rourke

    This November, there will be no candidate for president, governor, senator or even representative on the Pennsylvania ballot.

    Pennsylvanians will vote, however, on three members of their seven-member state Supreme Court.

    These are retention elections, which means that voters will decide whether to keep the current members of the court or remove them.

    The three seats up for grabs are three of the five Democrats that hold the majority on the court. They are Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht.

    While the typical voter may not think much about judicial elections, political operatives and political scientists, like me, know they have consequences.

    I think it’s important that voters understand what a retention election is and why state judicial elections are growing in political importance in the U.S.

    Retention elections

    Federal judges are appointed by the U.S. president, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and can serve for the rest of their lives. State judges, however, are put in place in a variety of ways.

    The most powerful state courts are the so-called “courts of last resort.” These are essentially the supreme courts of each state. The method for selecting judges in these courts has varied over time and across the states. Currently, states use either gubernatorial appointment, legislative appointment, partisan elections, nonpartisan elections, or a merit process for selecting the judges of their highest courts.

    Pennsylvania has partisan elections, meaning judges run for office attached to political parties, just like a candidate would run for governor or president. However, it is only in their first race for office that a judge runs in a competitive partisan election. After they assume the bench, they participate in retention elections every 10 years. These retention elections are considered nonpartisan, since party labels do not appear on the ballot.

    Essentially, a retention election is an up or down vote. If more than 50% of voters cast a vote in opposition to a sitting judge, that judge will be out of the office at the end of their term. The governor, who is currently Democrat Josh Shapiro, then makes a temporary appointment to fill the seat with a special election held in the next odd year – in this case, 2027. But any appointments would need to be confirmed by the Republican-controlled state Senate, which may not confirm his picks.

    Politicization of the state courts

    Judges win retention elections over 90% of the time. So why should people bother to cast their vote?

    Courts, including state courts, have become highly politicized over the past several decades. A marked increase in politicization occurred for the U.S. Supreme Court after the failed nomination of Robert Bork in the 1980s.

    This politicization has since trickled down to lower federal courts and the states.

    State supreme courts have always made big decisions, but the nationalization of American politics – where national partisan politics drive voter behavior in local elections – has elevated the controversy over state supreme court decisions on issues such as reproductive rights, trans rights, COVID-19 restrictions, environmental protection and more.

    This issue became more acute when courts in battleground states were thrust to the center of adjudicating false claims of election fraud during the 2020 U.S. presidential election. And judges have faced increasing threats, particularly when opposing actions of the Trump administration, as President Donald Trump is prone to calling out specific judges in decisions that he does not like.

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has received additional attention, in part due to the outsized role it has played in recent redistricting. In 2018, the court threw out the congressional districts drawn by the General Assembly in 2011 and invited a new plan from the governor and General Assembly. The two came to a political loggerhead, so the Supreme Court ended up using its own map as a replacement.

    In 2022, the state Supreme Court once again took control of redistricting after Pennyslvania’s then-Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed the congressional district map approved by the General Assembly.

    Given the importance of state supreme courts, particularly in federal elections cases in battleground states like Pennsylvania, it is little wonder why their elections are gaining attention.

    The April 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race was the most expensive state judicial race in U.S. history, with $100 million in spending, including significant contributions from billionaires Elon Musk and George Soros.

    Former prosecutor Susan Crawford won the highly politicized race for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice in 2025. It was the most expensive state supreme court race in U.S. history.
    Scott Olson via Getty Images

    That was one seat.

    Pennsylvania has three up for grabs in November 2025, with the potential to swing the current Democratic majority.

    And retention elections are politically simple for opponents. As one Republican political consultant told investigative news outlet Spotlight PA: “This is a political consultant’s dream, because your message is just one thing, and that’s ‘No.’”

    This can give some advantage to Republicans in a state that Trump won in 2024 and in a low-turnout election. The question will be whether there is more energy motivating opponents to turn out against the Democratic majority or supporters seeking to maintain the status quo.

    The 2025 retention elections could change the balance of power in the court.
    AP Photo/Aimee Dilger

    The stakes for Pennsylvania in 2025

    Much is at stake for Pennsylvanians in the fall. Republicans see this as their best opportunity to break the firm 5-2 Democratic majority on the court. This would pave the way for very different judicial decisions. Many of the court’s recent election-related rulings were made on narrow 4-3 votes that could swing differently if the composition of the court changes.

    Republicans have had their power in Harrisburg diminished with Shapiro in the governor’s mansion and a one-seat Democratic majority in the state House of Representatives over the past two terms.

    A Republican majority on the court would significantly change the balance of power in Harrisburg.

    But it is important to focus not only on the top court. The state’s two appellate-level courts – one step below the state Supreme Court – also have two important races and two retention votes in November that will decide the judiciary’s relationship with the governor and General Assembly.

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

    – ref. Most Pennsylvania voters ignore judicial elections − a political scientist explains why they matter, especially in a battleground state – https://theconversation.com/most-pennsylvania-voters-ignore-judicial-elections-a-political-scientist-explains-why-they-matter-especially-in-a-battleground-state-259775

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Most Pennsylvania voters ignore judicial elections − a political scientist explains why they matter, especially in a battleground state

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniel J. Mallinson, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Administration, Penn State

    Three of the seven judges on PA’s state supreme court are up for retention votes in November 2025. AP Photo/Matt Rourke

    This November, there will be no candidate for president, governor, senator or even representative on the Pennsylvania ballot.

    Pennsylvanians will vote, however, on three members of their seven-member state Supreme Court.

    These are retention elections, which means that voters will decide whether to keep the current members of the court or remove them.

    The three seats up for grabs are three of the five Democrats that hold the majority on the court. They are Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht.

    While the typical voter may not think much about judicial elections, political operatives and political scientists, like me, know they have consequences.

    I think it’s important that voters understand what a retention election is and why state judicial elections are growing in political importance in the U.S.

    Retention elections

    Federal judges are appointed by the U.S. president, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and can serve for the rest of their lives. State judges, however, are put in place in a variety of ways.

    The most powerful state courts are the so-called “courts of last resort.” These are essentially the supreme courts of each state. The method for selecting judges in these courts has varied over time and across the states. Currently, states use either gubernatorial appointment, legislative appointment, partisan elections, nonpartisan elections, or a merit process for selecting the judges of their highest courts.

    Pennsylvania has partisan elections, meaning judges run for office attached to political parties, just like a candidate would run for governor or president. However, it is only in their first race for office that a judge runs in a competitive partisan election. After they assume the bench, they participate in retention elections every 10 years. These retention elections are considered nonpartisan, since party labels do not appear on the ballot.

    Essentially, a retention election is an up or down vote. If more than 50% of voters cast a vote in opposition to a sitting judge, that judge will be out of the office at the end of their term. The governor, who is currently Democrat Josh Shapiro, then makes a temporary appointment to fill the seat with a special election held in the next odd year – in this case, 2027. But any appointments would need to be confirmed by the Republican-controlled state Senate, which may not confirm his picks.

    Politicization of the state courts

    Judges win retention elections over 90% of the time. So why should people bother to cast their vote?

    Courts, including state courts, have become highly politicized over the past several decades. A marked increase in politicization occurred for the U.S. Supreme Court after the failed nomination of Robert Bork in the 1980s.

    This politicization has since trickled down to lower federal courts and the states.

    State supreme courts have always made big decisions, but the nationalization of American politics – where national partisan politics drive voter behavior in local elections – has elevated the controversy over state supreme court decisions on issues such as reproductive rights, trans rights, COVID-19 restrictions, environmental protection and more.

    This issue became more acute when courts in battleground states were thrust to the center of adjudicating false claims of election fraud during the 2020 U.S. presidential election. And judges have faced increasing threats, particularly when opposing actions of the Trump administration, as President Donald Trump is prone to calling out specific judges in decisions that he does not like.

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has received additional attention, in part due to the outsized role it has played in recent redistricting. In 2018, the court threw out the congressional districts drawn by the General Assembly in 2011 and invited a new plan from the governor and General Assembly. The two came to a political loggerhead, so the Supreme Court ended up using its own map as a replacement.

    In 2022, the state Supreme Court once again took control of redistricting after Pennyslvania’s then-Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed the congressional district map approved by the General Assembly.

    Given the importance of state supreme courts, particularly in federal elections cases in battleground states like Pennsylvania, it is little wonder why their elections are gaining attention.

    The April 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race was the most expensive state judicial race in U.S. history, with $100 million in spending, including significant contributions from billionaires Elon Musk and George Soros.

    Former prosecutor Susan Crawford won the highly politicized race for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice in 2025. It was the most expensive state supreme court race in U.S. history.
    Scott Olson via Getty Images

    That was one seat.

    Pennsylvania has three up for grabs in November 2025, with the potential to swing the current Democratic majority.

    And retention elections are politically simple for opponents. As one Republican political consultant told investigative news outlet Spotlight PA: “This is a political consultant’s dream, because your message is just one thing, and that’s ‘No.’”

    This can give some advantage to Republicans in a state that Trump won in 2024 and in a low-turnout election. The question will be whether there is more energy motivating opponents to turn out against the Democratic majority or supporters seeking to maintain the status quo.

    The 2025 retention elections could change the balance of power in the court.
    AP Photo/Aimee Dilger

    The stakes for Pennsylvania in 2025

    Much is at stake for Pennsylvanians in the fall. Republicans see this as their best opportunity to break the firm 5-2 Democratic majority on the court. This would pave the way for very different judicial decisions. Many of the court’s recent election-related rulings were made on narrow 4-3 votes that could swing differently if the composition of the court changes.

    Republicans have had their power in Harrisburg diminished with Shapiro in the governor’s mansion and a one-seat Democratic majority in the state House of Representatives over the past two terms.

    A Republican majority on the court would significantly change the balance of power in Harrisburg.

    But it is important to focus not only on the top court. The state’s two appellate-level courts – one step below the state Supreme Court – also have two important races and two retention votes in November that will decide the judiciary’s relationship with the governor and General Assembly.

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

    – ref. Most Pennsylvania voters ignore judicial elections − a political scientist explains why they matter, especially in a battleground state – https://theconversation.com/most-pennsylvania-voters-ignore-judicial-elections-a-political-scientist-explains-why-they-matter-especially-in-a-battleground-state-259775

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Most Pennsylvania voters ignore judicial elections − a political scientist explains why they matter, especially in a battleground state

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniel J. Mallinson, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Administration, Penn State

    Three of the seven judges on PA’s state supreme court are up for retention votes in November 2025. AP Photo/Matt Rourke

    This November, there will be no candidate for president, governor, senator or even representative on the Pennsylvania ballot.

    Pennsylvanians will vote, however, on three members of their seven-member state Supreme Court.

    These are retention elections, which means that voters will decide whether to keep the current members of the court or remove them.

    The three seats up for grabs are three of the five Democrats that hold the majority on the court. They are Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht.

    While the typical voter may not think much about judicial elections, political operatives and political scientists, like me, know they have consequences.

    I think it’s important that voters understand what a retention election is and why state judicial elections are growing in political importance in the U.S.

    Retention elections

    Federal judges are appointed by the U.S. president, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and can serve for the rest of their lives. State judges, however, are put in place in a variety of ways.

    The most powerful state courts are the so-called “courts of last resort.” These are essentially the supreme courts of each state. The method for selecting judges in these courts has varied over time and across the states. Currently, states use either gubernatorial appointment, legislative appointment, partisan elections, nonpartisan elections, or a merit process for selecting the judges of their highest courts.

    Pennsylvania has partisan elections, meaning judges run for office attached to political parties, just like a candidate would run for governor or president. However, it is only in their first race for office that a judge runs in a competitive partisan election. After they assume the bench, they participate in retention elections every 10 years. These retention elections are considered nonpartisan, since party labels do not appear on the ballot.

    Essentially, a retention election is an up or down vote. If more than 50% of voters cast a vote in opposition to a sitting judge, that judge will be out of the office at the end of their term. The governor, who is currently Democrat Josh Shapiro, then makes a temporary appointment to fill the seat with a special election held in the next odd year – in this case, 2027. But any appointments would need to be confirmed by the Republican-controlled state Senate, which may not confirm his picks.

    Politicization of the state courts

    Judges win retention elections over 90% of the time. So why should people bother to cast their vote?

    Courts, including state courts, have become highly politicized over the past several decades. A marked increase in politicization occurred for the U.S. Supreme Court after the failed nomination of Robert Bork in the 1980s.

    This politicization has since trickled down to lower federal courts and the states.

    State supreme courts have always made big decisions, but the nationalization of American politics – where national partisan politics drive voter behavior in local elections – has elevated the controversy over state supreme court decisions on issues such as reproductive rights, trans rights, COVID-19 restrictions, environmental protection and more.

    This issue became more acute when courts in battleground states were thrust to the center of adjudicating false claims of election fraud during the 2020 U.S. presidential election. And judges have faced increasing threats, particularly when opposing actions of the Trump administration, as President Donald Trump is prone to calling out specific judges in decisions that he does not like.

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has received additional attention, in part due to the outsized role it has played in recent redistricting. In 2018, the court threw out the congressional districts drawn by the General Assembly in 2011 and invited a new plan from the governor and General Assembly. The two came to a political loggerhead, so the Supreme Court ended up using its own map as a replacement.

    In 2022, the state Supreme Court once again took control of redistricting after Pennyslvania’s then-Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed the congressional district map approved by the General Assembly.

    Given the importance of state supreme courts, particularly in federal elections cases in battleground states like Pennsylvania, it is little wonder why their elections are gaining attention.

    The April 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race was the most expensive state judicial race in U.S. history, with $100 million in spending, including significant contributions from billionaires Elon Musk and George Soros.

    Former prosecutor Susan Crawford won the highly politicized race for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice in 2025. It was the most expensive state supreme court race in U.S. history.
    Scott Olson via Getty Images

    That was one seat.

    Pennsylvania has three up for grabs in November 2025, with the potential to swing the current Democratic majority.

    And retention elections are politically simple for opponents. As one Republican political consultant told investigative news outlet Spotlight PA: “This is a political consultant’s dream, because your message is just one thing, and that’s ‘No.’”

    This can give some advantage to Republicans in a state that Trump won in 2024 and in a low-turnout election. The question will be whether there is more energy motivating opponents to turn out against the Democratic majority or supporters seeking to maintain the status quo.

    The 2025 retention elections could change the balance of power in the court.
    AP Photo/Aimee Dilger

    The stakes for Pennsylvania in 2025

    Much is at stake for Pennsylvanians in the fall. Republicans see this as their best opportunity to break the firm 5-2 Democratic majority on the court. This would pave the way for very different judicial decisions. Many of the court’s recent election-related rulings were made on narrow 4-3 votes that could swing differently if the composition of the court changes.

    Republicans have had their power in Harrisburg diminished with Shapiro in the governor’s mansion and a one-seat Democratic majority in the state House of Representatives over the past two terms.

    A Republican majority on the court would significantly change the balance of power in Harrisburg.

    But it is important to focus not only on the top court. The state’s two appellate-level courts – one step below the state Supreme Court – also have two important races and two retention votes in November that will decide the judiciary’s relationship with the governor and General Assembly.

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

    – ref. Most Pennsylvania voters ignore judicial elections − a political scientist explains why they matter, especially in a battleground state – https://theconversation.com/most-pennsylvania-voters-ignore-judicial-elections-a-political-scientist-explains-why-they-matter-especially-in-a-battleground-state-259775

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Most Pennsylvania voters ignore judicial elections − a political scientist explains why they matter, especially in a battleground state

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniel J. Mallinson, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Administration, Penn State

    Three of the seven judges on PA’s state supreme court are up for retention votes in November 2025. AP Photo/Matt Rourke

    This November, there will be no candidate for president, governor, senator or even representative on the Pennsylvania ballot.

    Pennsylvanians will vote, however, on three members of their seven-member state Supreme Court.

    These are retention elections, which means that voters will decide whether to keep the current members of the court or remove them.

    The three seats up for grabs are three of the five Democrats that hold the majority on the court. They are Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht.

    While the typical voter may not think much about judicial elections, political operatives and political scientists, like me, know they have consequences.

    I think it’s important that voters understand what a retention election is and why state judicial elections are growing in political importance in the U.S.

    Retention elections

    Federal judges are appointed by the U.S. president, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and can serve for the rest of their lives. State judges, however, are put in place in a variety of ways.

    The most powerful state courts are the so-called “courts of last resort.” These are essentially the supreme courts of each state. The method for selecting judges in these courts has varied over time and across the states. Currently, states use either gubernatorial appointment, legislative appointment, partisan elections, nonpartisan elections, or a merit process for selecting the judges of their highest courts.

    Pennsylvania has partisan elections, meaning judges run for office attached to political parties, just like a candidate would run for governor or president. However, it is only in their first race for office that a judge runs in a competitive partisan election. After they assume the bench, they participate in retention elections every 10 years. These retention elections are considered nonpartisan, since party labels do not appear on the ballot.

    Essentially, a retention election is an up or down vote. If more than 50% of voters cast a vote in opposition to a sitting judge, that judge will be out of the office at the end of their term. The governor, who is currently Democrat Josh Shapiro, then makes a temporary appointment to fill the seat with a special election held in the next odd year – in this case, 2027. But any appointments would need to be confirmed by the Republican-controlled state Senate, which may not confirm his picks.

    Politicization of the state courts

    Judges win retention elections over 90% of the time. So why should people bother to cast their vote?

    Courts, including state courts, have become highly politicized over the past several decades. A marked increase in politicization occurred for the U.S. Supreme Court after the failed nomination of Robert Bork in the 1980s.

    This politicization has since trickled down to lower federal courts and the states.

    State supreme courts have always made big decisions, but the nationalization of American politics – where national partisan politics drive voter behavior in local elections – has elevated the controversy over state supreme court decisions on issues such as reproductive rights, trans rights, COVID-19 restrictions, environmental protection and more.

    This issue became more acute when courts in battleground states were thrust to the center of adjudicating false claims of election fraud during the 2020 U.S. presidential election. And judges have faced increasing threats, particularly when opposing actions of the Trump administration, as President Donald Trump is prone to calling out specific judges in decisions that he does not like.

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has received additional attention, in part due to the outsized role it has played in recent redistricting. In 2018, the court threw out the congressional districts drawn by the General Assembly in 2011 and invited a new plan from the governor and General Assembly. The two came to a political loggerhead, so the Supreme Court ended up using its own map as a replacement.

    In 2022, the state Supreme Court once again took control of redistricting after Pennyslvania’s then-Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed the congressional district map approved by the General Assembly.

    Given the importance of state supreme courts, particularly in federal elections cases in battleground states like Pennsylvania, it is little wonder why their elections are gaining attention.

    The April 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race was the most expensive state judicial race in U.S. history, with $100 million in spending, including significant contributions from billionaires Elon Musk and George Soros.

    Former prosecutor Susan Crawford won the highly politicized race for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice in 2025. It was the most expensive state supreme court race in U.S. history.
    Scott Olson via Getty Images

    That was one seat.

    Pennsylvania has three up for grabs in November 2025, with the potential to swing the current Democratic majority.

    And retention elections are politically simple for opponents. As one Republican political consultant told investigative news outlet Spotlight PA: “This is a political consultant’s dream, because your message is just one thing, and that’s ‘No.’”

    This can give some advantage to Republicans in a state that Trump won in 2024 and in a low-turnout election. The question will be whether there is more energy motivating opponents to turn out against the Democratic majority or supporters seeking to maintain the status quo.

    The 2025 retention elections could change the balance of power in the court.
    AP Photo/Aimee Dilger

    The stakes for Pennsylvania in 2025

    Much is at stake for Pennsylvanians in the fall. Republicans see this as their best opportunity to break the firm 5-2 Democratic majority on the court. This would pave the way for very different judicial decisions. Many of the court’s recent election-related rulings were made on narrow 4-3 votes that could swing differently if the composition of the court changes.

    Republicans have had their power in Harrisburg diminished with Shapiro in the governor’s mansion and a one-seat Democratic majority in the state House of Representatives over the past two terms.

    A Republican majority on the court would significantly change the balance of power in Harrisburg.

    But it is important to focus not only on the top court. The state’s two appellate-level courts – one step below the state Supreme Court – also have two important races and two retention votes in November that will decide the judiciary’s relationship with the governor and General Assembly.

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

    – ref. Most Pennsylvania voters ignore judicial elections − a political scientist explains why they matter, especially in a battleground state – https://theconversation.com/most-pennsylvania-voters-ignore-judicial-elections-a-political-scientist-explains-why-they-matter-especially-in-a-battleground-state-259775

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EU and Indonesia agree to new economic partnership

    Source: European Union 2

    A new Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) has been agreed on between the EU and Indonesia. The agreement will promote trade and investment, foster inclusive and sustainable growth, and strengthen supply chains. CEPA will also support cooperation on critical raw materials.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s economic development zones aim for greater role in reform, opening up

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

    BEIJING, July 14 — During the initial years of China’s historic journey of reform and opening up over four decades ago, the first 14 national-level economic and technological development zones were established in 12 coastal cities. Today, there is a vast network of 232 such zones right across the country, serving as vital engines of development.

    In the latest episode of China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency, a commerce official, a zone administrator and an executive of a foreign-invested company convened to explore the evolving role of these zones in shaping China’s next phase of high-standard opening up, in-depth reform and high-quality development.

    National economic development zones are not only economic powerhouses but also key windows for global engagement, said Ji Xiaofeng, an official in the Ministry of Commerce’s foreign investment department.

    Notably, such zones are home to more than 60,000 foreign-invested enterprises and around 99,000 firms engaged in foreign trade.

    In 2024 alone, national economic development zones accounted for about one-quarter of China’s utilized foreign investment and trade volume. Collectively, they generated a regional GDP of 16.9 trillion yuan (about 2.36 trillion U.S. dollars) and housed over 4.9 million market entities, including 73,000 major industrial enterprises and 85,000 high-tech firms.

    Looking forward, Ji said these zones need to further improve and innovate in areas ranging from development positioning to institutions in a bid to shoulder greater responsibilities in fostering development and expanding opening up.

    To this end, the Ministry of Commerce recently unveiled a work plan with 16 targeted policy measures including developing new quality productive forces, elevating economic openness and deepening reforms of management systems.

    INNOVATION-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT

    China’s national economic development zones have started to speed up their innovation efforts, seeking to foster new growth drivers.

    Suzhou Industrial Park, founded in 1994 in east China’s Jiangsu Province as the first inter-governmental cooperation project between China and Singapore, exemplifies this development trend. This industrial park leverages global partnerships and its free trade status in a quest to become a world-class high-tech park.

    Shen Lei, deputy director of the park’s management committee, highlighted its focus on attracting global resources and integrating technological and industrial innovation.

    National economic development zones now account for 18.3 percent of China’s high-tech enterprises and host more than 700 state-level incubators and innovation spaces.

    “They boast high industrial concentration and solid manufacturing foundations, making them ideal for developing new quality productive forces tailored to local strengths,” Ji said.

    These zones have become powerhouses for strategic emerging industries. In southwest China’s Sichuan Province, for example, the Yibin zone has built the world’s largest single-site power battery production base featuring a 180 GWh capacity. Another zone in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, meanwhile, boasts complete industrial chains from aviation equipment to satellite applications.

    More efforts will be made to cultivate modern industrial systems in national economic development zones, centered around sectors such as biomedicine, new energy and materials, aerospace, high-end equipment manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI), Ji revealed.

    PIONEERS OF OPENING UP

    Over the past decades, national economic development zones have been trailblazers in institutional innovation, foreign investment and economic growth, setting the pace for China’s reform and opening-up endeavors.

    These zones have explored free trade pilot synergies to foster breakthroughs in areas including resource flows, rights protection and market regulation. Some have also proactively aligned with high-standard international trade rules to enhance their institutional openness, Ji said.

    “The strategic location, industrial chains and policy support of these zones make them highly attractive for Panasonic to make investments in China,” said Zhao Bingdi, president of Panasonic China.

    A 47-year veteran of the Chinese market, Panasonic operates in national economic development zones of eight cities like Beijing, north China’s Tianjin and Shanghai. Its 2024 fiscal year sales in China approached 100 billion yuan — nearly a quarter of Panasonic’s global revenue.

    “China is not just a manufacturing giant but a major consumer and innovation hub, offering vast opportunities for foreign firms,” said Zhao. He added that recent policies supporting technological platforms and the integration between the digital economy and the real economy will facilitate Panasonic’s investments in areas ranging from AI to new energy.

    Experts noted that the latest reform measures concerning China’s national economic development zones will provide foreign firms with a higher-level platform, thereby encouraging increased R&D investment and deeper collaboration with local enterprises. Thanks to improving industrial ecosystems, global companies will be able to seize greater opportunities in China’s vibrant market.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s economic development zones aim for greater role in reform, opening up

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

    BEIJING, July 14 — During the initial years of China’s historic journey of reform and opening up over four decades ago, the first 14 national-level economic and technological development zones were established in 12 coastal cities. Today, there is a vast network of 232 such zones right across the country, serving as vital engines of development.

    In the latest episode of China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency, a commerce official, a zone administrator and an executive of a foreign-invested company convened to explore the evolving role of these zones in shaping China’s next phase of high-standard opening up, in-depth reform and high-quality development.

    National economic development zones are not only economic powerhouses but also key windows for global engagement, said Ji Xiaofeng, an official in the Ministry of Commerce’s foreign investment department.

    Notably, such zones are home to more than 60,000 foreign-invested enterprises and around 99,000 firms engaged in foreign trade.

    In 2024 alone, national economic development zones accounted for about one-quarter of China’s utilized foreign investment and trade volume. Collectively, they generated a regional GDP of 16.9 trillion yuan (about 2.36 trillion U.S. dollars) and housed over 4.9 million market entities, including 73,000 major industrial enterprises and 85,000 high-tech firms.

    Looking forward, Ji said these zones need to further improve and innovate in areas ranging from development positioning to institutions in a bid to shoulder greater responsibilities in fostering development and expanding opening up.

    To this end, the Ministry of Commerce recently unveiled a work plan with 16 targeted policy measures including developing new quality productive forces, elevating economic openness and deepening reforms of management systems.

    INNOVATION-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT

    China’s national economic development zones have started to speed up their innovation efforts, seeking to foster new growth drivers.

    Suzhou Industrial Park, founded in 1994 in east China’s Jiangsu Province as the first inter-governmental cooperation project between China and Singapore, exemplifies this development trend. This industrial park leverages global partnerships and its free trade status in a quest to become a world-class high-tech park.

    Shen Lei, deputy director of the park’s management committee, highlighted its focus on attracting global resources and integrating technological and industrial innovation.

    National economic development zones now account for 18.3 percent of China’s high-tech enterprises and host more than 700 state-level incubators and innovation spaces.

    “They boast high industrial concentration and solid manufacturing foundations, making them ideal for developing new quality productive forces tailored to local strengths,” Ji said.

    These zones have become powerhouses for strategic emerging industries. In southwest China’s Sichuan Province, for example, the Yibin zone has built the world’s largest single-site power battery production base featuring a 180 GWh capacity. Another zone in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, meanwhile, boasts complete industrial chains from aviation equipment to satellite applications.

    More efforts will be made to cultivate modern industrial systems in national economic development zones, centered around sectors such as biomedicine, new energy and materials, aerospace, high-end equipment manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI), Ji revealed.

    PIONEERS OF OPENING UP

    Over the past decades, national economic development zones have been trailblazers in institutional innovation, foreign investment and economic growth, setting the pace for China’s reform and opening-up endeavors.

    These zones have explored free trade pilot synergies to foster breakthroughs in areas including resource flows, rights protection and market regulation. Some have also proactively aligned with high-standard international trade rules to enhance their institutional openness, Ji said.

    “The strategic location, industrial chains and policy support of these zones make them highly attractive for Panasonic to make investments in China,” said Zhao Bingdi, president of Panasonic China.

    A 47-year veteran of the Chinese market, Panasonic operates in national economic development zones of eight cities like Beijing, north China’s Tianjin and Shanghai. Its 2024 fiscal year sales in China approached 100 billion yuan — nearly a quarter of Panasonic’s global revenue.

    “China is not just a manufacturing giant but a major consumer and innovation hub, offering vast opportunities for foreign firms,” said Zhao. He added that recent policies supporting technological platforms and the integration between the digital economy and the real economy will facilitate Panasonic’s investments in areas ranging from AI to new energy.

    Experts noted that the latest reform measures concerning China’s national economic development zones will provide foreign firms with a higher-level platform, thereby encouraging increased R&D investment and deeper collaboration with local enterprises. Thanks to improving industrial ecosystems, global companies will be able to seize greater opportunities in China’s vibrant market.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s economic development zones aim for greater role in reform, opening up

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

    BEIJING, July 14 — During the initial years of China’s historic journey of reform and opening up over four decades ago, the first 14 national-level economic and technological development zones were established in 12 coastal cities. Today, there is a vast network of 232 such zones right across the country, serving as vital engines of development.

    In the latest episode of China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency, a commerce official, a zone administrator and an executive of a foreign-invested company convened to explore the evolving role of these zones in shaping China’s next phase of high-standard opening up, in-depth reform and high-quality development.

    National economic development zones are not only economic powerhouses but also key windows for global engagement, said Ji Xiaofeng, an official in the Ministry of Commerce’s foreign investment department.

    Notably, such zones are home to more than 60,000 foreign-invested enterprises and around 99,000 firms engaged in foreign trade.

    In 2024 alone, national economic development zones accounted for about one-quarter of China’s utilized foreign investment and trade volume. Collectively, they generated a regional GDP of 16.9 trillion yuan (about 2.36 trillion U.S. dollars) and housed over 4.9 million market entities, including 73,000 major industrial enterprises and 85,000 high-tech firms.

    Looking forward, Ji said these zones need to further improve and innovate in areas ranging from development positioning to institutions in a bid to shoulder greater responsibilities in fostering development and expanding opening up.

    To this end, the Ministry of Commerce recently unveiled a work plan with 16 targeted policy measures including developing new quality productive forces, elevating economic openness and deepening reforms of management systems.

    INNOVATION-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT

    China’s national economic development zones have started to speed up their innovation efforts, seeking to foster new growth drivers.

    Suzhou Industrial Park, founded in 1994 in east China’s Jiangsu Province as the first inter-governmental cooperation project between China and Singapore, exemplifies this development trend. This industrial park leverages global partnerships and its free trade status in a quest to become a world-class high-tech park.

    Shen Lei, deputy director of the park’s management committee, highlighted its focus on attracting global resources and integrating technological and industrial innovation.

    National economic development zones now account for 18.3 percent of China’s high-tech enterprises and host more than 700 state-level incubators and innovation spaces.

    “They boast high industrial concentration and solid manufacturing foundations, making them ideal for developing new quality productive forces tailored to local strengths,” Ji said.

    These zones have become powerhouses for strategic emerging industries. In southwest China’s Sichuan Province, for example, the Yibin zone has built the world’s largest single-site power battery production base featuring a 180 GWh capacity. Another zone in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, meanwhile, boasts complete industrial chains from aviation equipment to satellite applications.

    More efforts will be made to cultivate modern industrial systems in national economic development zones, centered around sectors such as biomedicine, new energy and materials, aerospace, high-end equipment manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI), Ji revealed.

    PIONEERS OF OPENING UP

    Over the past decades, national economic development zones have been trailblazers in institutional innovation, foreign investment and economic growth, setting the pace for China’s reform and opening-up endeavors.

    These zones have explored free trade pilot synergies to foster breakthroughs in areas including resource flows, rights protection and market regulation. Some have also proactively aligned with high-standard international trade rules to enhance their institutional openness, Ji said.

    “The strategic location, industrial chains and policy support of these zones make them highly attractive for Panasonic to make investments in China,” said Zhao Bingdi, president of Panasonic China.

    A 47-year veteran of the Chinese market, Panasonic operates in national economic development zones of eight cities like Beijing, north China’s Tianjin and Shanghai. Its 2024 fiscal year sales in China approached 100 billion yuan — nearly a quarter of Panasonic’s global revenue.

    “China is not just a manufacturing giant but a major consumer and innovation hub, offering vast opportunities for foreign firms,” said Zhao. He added that recent policies supporting technological platforms and the integration between the digital economy and the real economy will facilitate Panasonic’s investments in areas ranging from AI to new energy.

    Experts noted that the latest reform measures concerning China’s national economic development zones will provide foreign firms with a higher-level platform, thereby encouraging increased R&D investment and deeper collaboration with local enterprises. Thanks to improving industrial ecosystems, global companies will be able to seize greater opportunities in China’s vibrant market.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China reports surge of foreign tourists as summer vacation begins

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

    BEIJING, July 14 — China is witnessing a surge in foreign tourist arrivals as the summer vacation season kicks off, with more international travelers drawn to the country’s unique blend of ancient culture and modern vitality.

    According to official data, Beijing’s ports of entry handled over 640,000 inbound and outbound travelers between July 1 and 10, including 171,000 foreign tourists, marking a 22.1 percent year-on-year increase.

    A total of 2.56 million foreign travelers entered China through Shanghai’s Pudong and Hongqiao international airports in the first half of this year, marking a 44.7 percent year-on-year increase.

    To meet the growing demand, immigration authorities at major border checkpoints have introduced a range of measures to reduce waiting times and improve the travel experience.

    The surge has been driven by China’s continued easing of entry policies for foreign visitors. As of now, China’s 240-hour visa-free transit policy applies to 55 countries, while nationals from 47 countries are eligible for unilateral visa-free entry.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China reports surge of foreign tourists as summer vacation begins

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

    BEIJING, July 14 — China is witnessing a surge in foreign tourist arrivals as the summer vacation season kicks off, with more international travelers drawn to the country’s unique blend of ancient culture and modern vitality.

    According to official data, Beijing’s ports of entry handled over 640,000 inbound and outbound travelers between July 1 and 10, including 171,000 foreign tourists, marking a 22.1 percent year-on-year increase.

    A total of 2.56 million foreign travelers entered China through Shanghai’s Pudong and Hongqiao international airports in the first half of this year, marking a 44.7 percent year-on-year increase.

    To meet the growing demand, immigration authorities at major border checkpoints have introduced a range of measures to reduce waiting times and improve the travel experience.

    The surge has been driven by China’s continued easing of entry policies for foreign visitors. As of now, China’s 240-hour visa-free transit policy applies to 55 countries, while nationals from 47 countries are eligible for unilateral visa-free entry.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China appoints senior official for Hong Kong, Macao affairs

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

    China appoints senior official for Hong Kong, Macao affairs

    Updated: July 14, 2025 20:07 Xinhua

    BEIJING, July 14 — China has appointed Xu Qifang as the executive deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, overseeing the office’s daily operations.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China expresses condolences over passing of Nigerian former President Buhari

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

    BEIJING, July 14 — China expresses deep condolences over the passing of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday.

    “China expresses sincere sympathies to the Nigerian government and people, as well as to former president Buhari’s family,” Lin told a daily press briefing.

    Lin said that former President Buhari was an important leader of Nigeria, leading the Nigerian people to achieve remarkable accomplishments on the path of its national construction, adding that he was also a good friend of the Chinese people who had made significant contributions to promoting China-Nigeria relations and the mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation between the two countries.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese vice president meets Indian FM

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

    Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Beijing, capital of China, July 14, 2025. (Xinhua/Gao Jie)

    Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Monday met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Beijing.

    Han said, last October, Chinese President Xi Jinping had a successful meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kazan, leading China-India relations to a new starting point. Noting that China and India are both major developing countries and important members of the Global South, Han said it is the right choice for both sides to be partners contributing to each other’s success.

    Han called on both sides to further implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, adhere to the high-level guidance, steadily advance pragmatic cooperation, respect each other’s concerns, and promote the sustained, healthy, and stable development of China-India relations.

    Jaishankar said that following the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi in Kazan, India-China relations have shown steady improvement. The Indian side stands ready to take the consensus reached by the leaders as guidance to maintain the momentum of bilateral ties, advance mutually beneficial cooperation, and enhance communication and coordination within multilateral mechanisms, he added.

    India supports China in hosting this year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit as the rotating chair, Jaishankar said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Asia+ Festival to open in September

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Leisure & Cultural Services Department (LCSD) today announced that the third edition of the Asia+ Festival, featuring over 100 performances and activities, will be held from September to November.

    Presented by the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau and organised by the LCSD, the festival aims to create a sustainable platform for arts and cultural exchange.

    Artists and performers from more than 30 countries and regions will participate in this year’s festival. In addition to those from Asia, there will also performers from various Belt & Road countries and from Europe, Africa and the Americas. The programme will span traditional and contemporary products, giving the public and tourists a taste of diverse and vibrant cultures.

    This year’s opening production will be a staging of Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard”, with Jeon Do-yeon and Haesoo Park featuring as part of a stellar Korean cast.

    This will be followed by a variety of dance and music performances by world-class artists, as well as the ever-popular Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances+ outdoor carnival, showcasing distinctive cultural traditions.

    Tickets for most of the shows will be available from July 23 at URBTIX. Early bird discounts will be available until August 5. For enquiries, call 2370 1044.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Oasis Week at Manchester Central Library starts today – check out the Masterplan!

    Source: City of Manchester

    With OASIS now approaching the halfway mark of their five epic homecoming gigs in Heaton Park, Manchester’s Central Library is all set this week (14 – 19 July) to Roll With It as it celebrates its very own ‘Oasis Week’. 

    As the Gallagher brothers prepare for another legendary three nights performing in the park, right here in the city centre the award-winning Central Library will be paying tribute to the legendary Manchester band throughout the week with six days of free festivities, during its very own “Oasis Week”.

    Part of the city council’s MCR Live ’25 celebrations taking place across the city this summer, the library has put together its own Masterplan of Oasis-themed programming, which is packed with live performances from Rock’n’Roll Stars, Supersonic film screenings, Liam’n’Noel look-a-like competitions, a head-shrinking Big Oasis Quiz, and much more.  

    If you were one of the many who missed out on tickets to see Oasis on their Live 25 Tour, Don’t Look Back In Anger because there will be plenty to enjoy during the week at Central Library. 

    With different activities on every day the week includes the screening of an Oasis fan favourite film – picked by local fans – in Central Library’s Performance Space, a chance to test your knowledge in The Big Oasis Quiz  with some tasty prizes up for grabs, and to show-off your swagger in a brilliant Liam’n’Noel Look-a-Like competition. 

    For any fans in the mood for a Talk Tonight, tomorrow Tuesday 15 July, will see Northern music journalist and frontman of the Membranes / Goldblade JOHN ROBB at Central Library in-conversation about his brand-new book ‘Live Forever: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Oasis’ – a rollercoaster ride through the Gallagher brothers’ turbulent lives and the music that defined a generation. John will be appearing in-conversation with local Oasis expert Joe Feeley, who leads the Oasis Wonderwalk Tour in Manchester. Taking audience Q&As, John will also be signing books at the event to mark its release. 

    Wednesday brings a chance for fans to Slide Away into the sounds of the NEW HORIZONS CHOIR who will be offering their own innovative take on Oasis hits. A fun, welcoming, inclusive choir who meet for a sing every week in Manchester Central Library, they are inviting everyone to come down to enjoy and join in with an hour of uplifting singing  of everyone’s favourite Oasis tunes.

    Elsewhere, the library’s Archives+ and Sound Archives team will be digging deep into the Piccadilly Radio and Key103 audio archives and resurfacing some vintage interviews with Noel Gallagher from the band’s 90’s peak. Available to hear on the Sound & Vision pods on the ground floor of Central Library, the Oasis sound clips will feature as part of a new Piccadilly Radio Exhibition also launching in July.  

    The supersonic week of events at the library will conclude with ‘Live Forever’ – a day of special Oasis-themed live sessions next Saturday 19 July. 

    The day gets underway with a little Morning Glory from the MANCHESTER STRING QUARTET performing classical renditions of Oasis hits; followed by an afternoon of performances in the Henry Watson Music Library offering reimaginations of Oasis tracks by the UKULELE ORCHESTRA, and sumptuous reworkings by vocal harmony group CANTER SEMPER, before a rousing headline performance by top-tier tribute act: NOASIS.

    Having previously played big venues including London’s Alexandra Palace and major festivals like Y-Not, NOASIS bill themselves as ‘The definitive Oasis Tribute Band’ and will be appearing in the Music Library for an intimate, stripped-back set especially for “Oasis Week”.  With thanks to the support from the Manchester Libraries Trust, tickets will be pay-what-you-like.

    Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure, Manchester City Council said: “The library is going all out to celebrate the return of the brothers from Burnage with an epic line-up all week long of Oasis themed free fun for everyone to get involved and join in with. Dig out your bucket hat and come and join us!

    “Everyone is welcome and best of all you won’t have to pay a penny for anything – yes, It’s Good To Be FREE!”

    The full programme for “Oasis Week” at Central Library is as follows:  

    Mon 14 July

    QUIZ: The Big Oasis Quiz – with Big Oasis Prizes up for grabs! 
    6.00pm, Henry Watson Music Library

    Tues 15 July

    TALK: John Robb In-Conversation about his Oasis book ‘Live Forever: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Oasis’
    6.30pm, Henry Watson Music Library

    Wed 16 July

    MUSIC: New Horizons Choir performing Oasis songs  
    6.00pm, Henry Watson Music Library

    Thurs 17 July

    FILM: Mystery Screening of an Oasis documentary – chosen by you! 5.30pm, Performance Space

    Fri 18 July

    COMPETITION JUDGING: Liam’n’Noel Look-a-like Competition – are you a Gallagher doppelganger?
    1.00pm, Henry Watson Music Library 

    Sat 19 July

    MUSIC: Live Forever – A Day of Oasis-themed Live Sessions featuring:

    Manchester String Quartet 11.00am – 12.00pm, Shakespeare Hall Balcony

    Ukulele Orchestra 12.00pm – 12.30pm, Henry Watson Music Library

    Canter Semper 1.00pm – 1.30pm, Henry Watson Music Library

    Noasis (stripped-back set) 2.00pm – 2.45pm, Henry Watson Music Library

    Find out more information about Oasis Week at Central Library and jpw to secure tickets for some of the limited-capacity events  

    Find out more information about MCR Live ’25  

    Oasis Week is kindly supported by Manchester Libraries Trust

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO Deputy Secretary General to participate in a joint committee meeting at the European Parliament

    Source: NATO

    On Wednesday, 16 July 2025, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms Radmila Shekerinska, will take part in a joint meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) for an exchange of views.

    Media advisory

    14:30 (CEST) Deputy Secretary General’s remarks followed by an exchange of views with parliamentarians.

    Media coverage

    The event will be streamed live on the Multimedia Centre portal of the European Parliament.

    Transcripts of the Deputy Secretary General’s remarks, as well as photographs, will be available on the NATO website.

    For more information:

    For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office

    Follow us on X: @NATO, @DepSecGenNATO and @NATOPress

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO Deputy Secretary General to participate in a joint committee meeting at the European Parliament

    Source: NATO

    On Wednesday, 16 July 2025, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms Radmila Shekerinska, will take part in a joint meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) for an exchange of views.

    Media advisory

    14:30 (CEST) Deputy Secretary General’s remarks followed by an exchange of views with parliamentarians.

    Media coverage

    The event will be streamed live on the Multimedia Centre portal of the European Parliament.

    Transcripts of the Deputy Secretary General’s remarks, as well as photographs, will be available on the NATO website.

    For more information:

    For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office

    Follow us on X: @NATO, @DepSecGenNATO and @NATOPress

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO Deputy Secretary General to participate in a joint committee meeting at the European Parliament

    Source: NATO

    On Wednesday, 16 July 2025, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms Radmila Shekerinska, will take part in a joint meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) for an exchange of views.

    Media advisory

    14:30 (CEST) Deputy Secretary General’s remarks followed by an exchange of views with parliamentarians.

    Media coverage

    The event will be streamed live on the Multimedia Centre portal of the European Parliament.

    Transcripts of the Deputy Secretary General’s remarks, as well as photographs, will be available on the NATO website.

    For more information:

    For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office

    Follow us on X: @NATO, @DepSecGenNATO and @NATOPress

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO Deputy Secretary General to participate in a joint committee meeting at the European Parliament

    Source: NATO

    On Wednesday, 16 July 2025, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms Radmila Shekerinska, will take part in a joint meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) for an exchange of views.

    Media advisory

    14:30 (CEST) Deputy Secretary General’s remarks followed by an exchange of views with parliamentarians.

    Media coverage

    The event will be streamed live on the Multimedia Centre portal of the European Parliament.

    Transcripts of the Deputy Secretary General’s remarks, as well as photographs, will be available on the NATO website.

    For more information:

    For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office

    Follow us on X: @NATO, @DepSecGenNATO and @NATOPress

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO Deputy Secretary General to participate in a joint committee meeting at the European Parliament

    Source: NATO

    On Wednesday, 16 July 2025, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms Radmila Shekerinska, will take part in a joint meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) for an exchange of views.

    Media advisory

    14:30 (CEST) Deputy Secretary General’s remarks followed by an exchange of views with parliamentarians.

    Media coverage

    The event will be streamed live on the Multimedia Centre portal of the European Parliament.

    Transcripts of the Deputy Secretary General’s remarks, as well as photographs, will be available on the NATO website.

    For more information:

    For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office

    Follow us on X: @NATO, @DepSecGenNATO and @NATOPress

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Southern District of Texas charges 238 this week alone in relation to border enforcement efforts

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

    HOUSTON – A total of 236 new cases have been filed in immigration and border security-related matters from July 3-10, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Among those are 106 people who face charges of illegally reentering the country. The majority have prior felony convictions for narcotics, violent crimes, prior immigration crimes and more. A total of 116 people are charged with illegally entering the country, while six cases allege various instances of human smuggling with the remainder involving other immigration related crimes.

    Two of those charged include Mexican nationals Charlie Ruben Ortiz-Lopez and Mauricio Rivera-Medina. According to their criminal complaints, both have prior convictions for illegal reentry. Rivera-Medina was last removed just last month, but authorities allegedly found him again illegally in the United States near Mission. They encountered Rivera-Medina near Edinburg after he had been previously removed in November 2023, according to his charges.

    Another man facing charges this week is Honduran national Jose Eduardo Escobar-Reyes, who law enforcement allegedly discovered unlawfully in the United States near Roma. According to court documents, he was previously removed March 12 and has a prior conviction for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

    If convicted, all three face up to 20 years in prison.

    In addition to the new cases, a Rio Grande City man was ordered to prison for 24 months for unlawfully transporting an illegal alien. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Jason Al Venecia took his girlfriend and her minor daughter with him to smuggle the illegal alien to facilitate passage through the Falfurrias Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint. While on bond awaiting sentencing, Al Venecia was also caught assisting his girlfriend during her own attempt to smuggle illegal aliens. She has since pleaded guilty to separate charges in her case prosecuted in the McAllen Division.

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations, ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, BP, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

    The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

    Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.  

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes. 

    An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 95 Border-Related Cases This Week

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

    SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 95 border-related cases this week so far, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).

    In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.

    A sample of border-related arrests this week:

    • On July 6, Lorenzo Arturo Bernabe-Alejo, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested and charged with Deported Alien Found in the U.S. after a Border Patrol agent spotted him lying on the ground about a quarter mile north of the border near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. According to a complaint, the defendant was previously deported on June 26, 2025, at the Calexico Port of Entry.
    • On July 7, Luis Fernando Ramos-Mendez, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain and Aiding and Abetting. According to a complaint, a Customs and Border Protection officer found an undocumented Mexican immigrant hiding in a modified rear bench seat compartment near the trunk of the defendant’s car as he attempted to cross at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
    • On July 7, Refugio Ramos Daniel, a Mexican citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, a Customs and Border Protection officer found 198 packages containing 200 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in a non-factory compartment in the bed of the defendant’s truck as he tried to cross the border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

    Also this week, a number of defendants with criminal records were convicted by a jury or sentenced for border-related crimes such as illegally re-entering the U.S. after previous deportation. Here are some of those cases:

    • On July 7, Eliseo Gonzalez Chaidez, a citizen of Mexico who previously was convicted of a federal immigration and a drug trafficking crime that resulted in an eight-year sentence, was sentenced in federal court to 24 months in custody for illegally reentering the United States.
    • On July 9, Francisco Ramirez, a Mexican national, was sentenced in federal court to 36 months in custody for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

    Pursuant to the Department’s Operation Take Back America priorities, federal law enforcement has focused immigration prosecutions on undocumented aliens who are engaged in criminal activity in the U.S., including those who commit drug and firearms crimes, who have serious criminal records, or who have active warrants for their arrest. Federal authorities have also been prioritizing investigations and prosecutions against drug, firearm, and human smugglers and those who endanger and threaten the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who protect the community.

    The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.

    Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –