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Category: Americas

  • MIL-OSI USA: Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins Visits Counties Ahead of Municipal Elections

    Source: US State of Missouri

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Defending humanitarian aid in terms of national security obscures its real purpose

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Chen Reis, Associate Clinical Professor, Director, Humanitarian Assistance Program, & Director, Human Rights MA, University of Denver

    A woman scoops up portions of wheat to be allocated to each waiting family after it was distributed in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia in 2021. AP Photo/Ben Curtis

    More than 305 million people require lifesaving humanitarian aid today. Most of them live in areas wracked by conflict, such as Sudan, Gaza, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    By many estimates, there is more need than ever for this assistance – and the need is growing. But humanitarian funding, which is primarily provided by governments, is declining. The Trump administration stopped disbursing nearly all U.S. humanitarian aid on Jan. 20, 2025. It made these cuts at a time when the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Belgium and other wealthy countries are slashing their own aid spending.

    Judges have ruled that the U.S. government must rehire aid workers and make overdue payments for aid already delivered by nongovernmental companies, international agencies and private contractors. While legal disputes wend through the courts, these cuts are already having disastrous consequences for people in Afghanistan, Sudan and other places facing crises.

    As scholars who study humanitarian aid, we are seeing not just a crisis of funding but also one that jeopardizes the credibility of the entire global system that provides this lifesaving assistance.

    When conflict breaks out or a disaster like an earthquake strikes, people require emergency medical care, temporary shelter, food and water. In countries where the government is unable or unwilling to provide these services, humanitarian organizations and international agencies step in to fill the gaps. Humanitarian aid is based on empathy and the recognition that everyone has a right to live with dignity.

    When discussing the impacts of its aid freeze and challenging the Trump administration’s misinformation about the U.S. Agency for International Development, many NGOs and experts on humanitarian assistance have not focused on empathy and rights.

    They have in their defense of the agency responsible until now for most of the foreign aid the U.S. provides instead relied on arguments that appeal to U.S. national security, soft power and economic interests.

    Sen. Chris Coons, a Connecticut Democrat, has warned that China will benefit from the U.S. aid cutoff.

    “Our biggest global competitor and adversary is delighted that we’ve handed them an opportunity to say to communities and countries around the world that we are not a reliable partner,” Coons said.

    By highlighting geopolitical, security and economic arguments for humanitarian aid, in our view, they risk further hurting the sector’s legitimacy.

    Protesters rally in support of USAID in Washington on Feb. 5, 2025.
    Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

    A ‘seismic shock’

    Tom Fletcher, who leads the United Nations’ humanitarian efforts, has called the Trump administration’s aid reduction “a seismic shock to the sector.” But the latest cuts are part of a longer-term trend.

    While needs have increased, humanitarian funding has been flat or declining for years, leaving millions of people who need food, health care, shelter and protection without the assistance they need.

    Every year, the U.N. assesses humanitarian need for the coming year and issues what amounts to a global budget request to meet those needs. Government donors commit funds toward that budget request, and those funds are then distributed to U.N. agencies and NGOs that implement humanitarian programming.

    Since 2016, the gap between funding requirements and funding commitments has grown. In 2024, the U.N. requested US$49.5 billion in humanitarian funding and received less than half, or $23.9 billion, with the U.S. contributing 41% of that amount.

    Until January 2025, the U.S. accounted for 35%-46% of total annual global humanitarian funding. The abrupt cutoff of funds has led to a scramble to pay for food for malnourished children in Sudan, health care for refugees from Myanmar, and maternal health services in Yemen.

    Without U.S. funding, the humanitarian work of the United Nations agencies and NGOs that deliver humanitarian aid in part funded by governments is in jeopardy.

    Because of the cuts, Catholic Relief Services and the International Rescue Committee, for example, have laid off staff and shuttered health clinics that prevent or treat infectious diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS. They can no longer provide access to clean water and sanitation services or other lifesaving aid in many places where they work.

    Core principles violated

    Humanitarian groups have historically embraced a set of core principles that emphasize the alleviation of human suffering wherever it may occur while remaining independent, neutral and impartial.

    In conflict zones, these principles are essential for gaining access to people who need help. Aid workers build trust and acceptance by not picking sides in a conflict and providing aid based on need.

    Focusing on what benefits donor countries instead of what serves humanitarian needs in areas experiencing famine, disasters or conflicts is at odds with these principles. However, in January, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that U.S. interests would decide how aid is allocated.

    “Every dollar we spend, every program we fund and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions,” Rubio said. “Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?”

    Since late January, the Trump administration has cut 83% of USAID’s programs, according to recent reports.

    Transactional arguments

    In March, the State Department sent a questionnaire to nongovernmental organizations and U.N. agencies asking how they will conform to President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy and distribute aid in alignment with foreign policy goals.

    Governments always consider their own interests as one factor when making decisions about humanitarian aid. But, we are concerned that humanitarian organizations and the public are not pushing back on these purely transactional arguments.

    Instead, some organizations seem to be falling in line.

    “This investment pays dividends by preventing humanitarian crises, containing disease outbreaks, and countering adversarial influence in vulnerable regions,” stated InterAction, an association of U.S.-based NGOs that distribute humanitarian aid and development assistance. “That’s why foreign aid has maintained decades of support across party lines — it is vital for U.S. security and international stability.”

    We also see in these comments signs that justifications for aid are changing.

    When former Secretary of State Colin Powell called nongovernmental organizations a “force multiplier” in 2001, it stirred controversy because he suggested that they were an extension of the government and a pillar of U.S. strategy. Even still, he acknowledged that NGOs required independence from government to do their essential work.

    An important choice

    Humanitarian organizations are grappling with the financial and operational consequences of their reliance on a small number of donor governments that have cut off or cut back aid. As they adjust to the new reality, we believe that they must make a choice.

    They can embrace the increasingly transactional agendas of the rich countries that have historically provided most humanitarian aid funding. Doing so may increase aid flows but compromise humanitarian neutrality and impartiality – potentially restricting their access to the places they need to go to do their work.

    Or they can focus on people affected by crises – as recipients of assistance and as agents of change. This option would likely mean operating on an even smaller budget at a time when needs are increasing.

    Either way, the decisions made today will have significant implications for the future of humanitarian action.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Defending humanitarian aid in terms of national security obscures its real purpose – https://theconversation.com/defending-humanitarian-aid-in-terms-of-national-security-obscures-its-real-purpose-252246

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why the words in your job posting may attract rule-bending narcissists

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jonathan Gay, Assistant Professor of Accountancy, University of Mississippi

    Posting a job opening? Take a close look at the language. Ronnie Kaufman/The Image Bank via Getty Images

    When companies advertise job openings, they often use buzzwords like “ambitious” and “self-reliant” to describe their ideal candidate. These traits sound appealing — what hiring manager wouldn’t want a driven employee?

    But there’s a catch. In my latest study, published in the journal Management Science with co-authors Scott Jackson and Nick Seybert, I found that these terms may attract job applicants with more narcissistic tendencies.

    As behavioral researchers in accounting, we are interested in executives who bend the rules. We decided to study job postings after noticing that the language used to describe an “ideal candidate” often included traits linked to narcissism. For example, narcissists tend to see themselves as highly creative and persuasive. Prior research also shows that narcissistic employees are more innovative and willing to take risks to get the success and admiration they crave, even if it means bending the rules.

    Based on these observations, we compiled two sets of terms commonly used in job postings. We call the two sets “rule-follower” and “rule-bender” language.

    Some examples of rule-bender language include “develops creative and innovative solutions to problems,” “communicates in a tactical and persuasive manner” and “thinks outside the box.” In contrast, the rule-follower language includes terms like “relies on time-tested solutions to problems,” “communicates in a straightforward and accurate manner” and “thinks methodically.”

    Through a series of experiments, we found that rule-bender language attracts individuals with higher levels of narcissism for accounting-specific jobs, as well as other industries. To measure narcissism, we used a personality assessment that asks people to choose whether they identify more with more narcissistic statements like, “I always know what I am doing,” or less narcissistic statements like “Sometimes I am not sure of what I am doing.”

    We also found that recruiters are more likely to use rule-bender terms when hiring for highly innovative, high-growth companies. For accounting positions, recruiters are more likely to use such terms when aggressive financial reporting could benefit the firm.

    Why it matters

    Companies write job postings carefully in hopes of attracting the ideal candidate. However, they may unknowingly attract and select narcissistic candidates whose goals and ethics might not align with a company’s values or long-term success. Research shows that narcissistic employees are more likely to behave unethically, potentially leading to legal consequences.

    While narcissistic traits can lead to negative outcomes, we aren’t saying that companies should avoid attracting narcissistic applicants altogether. Consider a company hiring a salesperson. A firm can benefit from a salesperson who is persuasive, who “thinks outside the box” and who is “results-oriented.” In contrast, a company hiring an accountant or compliance officer would likely benefit from someone who “thinks methodically” and “communicates in a straightforward and accurate manner.”

    Bending the rules is of particular concern in accounting. A significant amount of research examines how accounting managers sometimes bend rules or massage the numbers to achieve earnings targets. This “earnings management” can misrepresent the company’s true financial position.

    In fact, my co-author Nick Seybert is currently working on a paper whose data suggests rule-bender language in accounting job postings predicts rule-bending in financial reporting.

    Our current findings shed light on the importance of carefully crafting job posting language. Recruiting professionals may instinctively use rule-bender language to try to attract someone who seems like a good fit. If companies are concerned about hiring narcissists, they may want to clearly communicate their ethical values and needs while crafting a job posting, or avoid rule-bender language entirely.

    What still isn’t known

    While we find that professional recruiters are using language that attracts narcissists, it is unclear whether this is intentional.

    Additionally, we are unsure what really drives rule-bending in a company. Rule-bending could happen due to attracting and hiring more narcissistic candidates, or it could be because of a company’s culture – or a combination of both.

    The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

    Jonathan Gay 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. Why the words in your job posting may attract rule-bending narcissists – https://theconversation.com/why-the-words-in-your-job-posting-may-attract-rule-bending-narcissists-249933

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Avoiding your neighbor because of how they voted? Democracy needs to you talk to them instead

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Betsy Sinclair, Professor and Chair of Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis

    As Americans’ social worlds grow further apart, stereotypes intensify – driving an even deeper wedge between red and blue America. wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Are you angry about politics right now? Seething? You’re not alone. According to the Mood of the Nation Poll by researchers at Penn State, 9 in 10 Americans can name a recent news event or something about American politics that made them angry.

    Political scientists Steven Webster, Elizabeth Connors and I have investigated what happens to people’s social networks – their friends, family and neighbors – when partisan anger takes over. For example, suppose your neighbor is a member of the opposite political party. You’ve always watered their plants when they go on vacation. Given the news these days and how angry you’re feeling, what will you say when they ask for help during their next trip?

    We found that when someone is angry with the opposite party, they avoid people with those views. That can include not assisting neighbors with various tasks, avoiding social gatherings attended by people from the other side, and refusing to date people who vote differently. It means being disappointed if your son or daughter marries a supporter of the opposing party, and even severing close friendships or distancing yourself from close relatives.

    We see that political anger disrupts ordinary life – coffee with a friend – as well as more major life decisions. Political anger breaks our social networks.

    People rely on their relationships to understand our world – and to vote. The more we isolate ourselves from people who see things differently, the easier it is to misunderstand them, pushing us to separate even more.

    Stereotype vs. reality

    During the Obama administration, my collaborators and I asked a nationally representative sample of voters to describe their stereotypes about the opposite party. Our questions were intended to tap into perceptions of the other side’s lifestyles and cultural values, in addition to policy attitudes.

    First, we wanted to establish each side’s actual views. Our 2012-2016 study asked around 1,300 Americans whether they agreed with statements that are often associated with one party or the other – including creationism, guns, taxes and eco-friendliness.

    For example, 42.5% of all Republicans we surveyed agreed with the statement that “this country would be safer if every law-abiding citizen possessed a firearm,” versus 25.1% of independents and 14.2% of Democrats. Meanwhile, 38.7% of Democrats agreed that “this country would be better if every citizen drove an electric car,” compared with 22% of independents and 11.4% of Republicans.

    Which party do you associate with these cars?
    3alexd/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Two months later, we went back to the same voters and asked them a different question: What percentage of Democrats and Republicans did they think would agree with these statements?

    We saw dramatic evidence of stereotypes. For example, only 19% of Democrats agreed that all Americans should pay more taxes, but more than 80% of Republicans believed the percentage to be higher. The same pattern occurred with electric cars and firearms. Just over 42% of Republicans agreed that all “law-abiding” citizens should have a gun, but the typical Democrat believed the percentage to be 60%-80%.

    Americans do not understand each other across the red-blue divide. Importantly, respondents with more ideologically extreme views themselves had less accurate perceptions of the other party.

    Avoiding the Joneses

    The more extreme our beliefs become, the harder it will be to understand our neighbors.

    Suppose you are a Republican. You learn that your Democratic neighbors believe that everyone should drive an electric car, marijuana should be legal in all states, and universal health care should be available to all citizens. Or suppose you are a Democrat, and you learn that your Republican neighbors believe that humans and dinosaurs walked the Earth at the same time, that elementary school students should be required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, and that a fence should be built between the U.S. and Mexico.

    Would you want to be friends?

    These hypothetical neighbors have stereotypical beliefs – and most Americans say they do not want those neighbors in their social networks. Specifically, according to our 2023 study, they reported not wanting to become friends, not having this neighbor over for a family meal, and not feeling comfortable allowing their children to play with the neighbor’s kids, among other activities.

    Stereotypes don’t just drive individual people and families apart; they make neighborhoods less cohesive. We ascribe stereotypical beliefs to people who are members of the opposite party – and then we react to these stereotypes, not to our neighbors themselves.

    You’re still neighbors, no matter how you vote.
    monkeybusinessimages/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Social citizens

    Cutting off those in-person relationships isn’t just a problem for safety and friendliness around the block. It’s a problem for democracy because Americans need relationships with people whose politics are different than their own.

    A majority of Americans have social circles that are politically homogeneous. Even in 2020, 53% of Republicans said that their network was exclusively composed of Donald Trump supporters, and 55% of Democrats said that their network was exclusively composed of Joe Biden supporters.

    In her book “Through the Grapevine,” political scientist Taylor Carlson documents that approximately 1 in 3 American voters mostly learn about politics from socially transmitted information: news they get from talking with friends or scrolling on social media. Relying on these sources is particularly problematic in social networks that are homogeneous, as exposure to information from someone in your own party can lead people to have more extreme positions. Carlson’s work highlights that voters who rely on friends to shape their views rely upon a resource that is heavily biased.

    In my own book “The Social Citizen,” I investigated the influence peers have on political decisions, from voting and donating to identifying with a political party. For example, if a neighbor knocks on your door and asks you to turn out to vote, you are 4%-11% more likely to go cast a ballot than if a stranger knocked on your door.

    Democracy in action

    What can we do to remedy the fractures? We need to understand each other.

    The U.S. has a long tradition of political dialogue. Indeed, after a brutal election tested their friendship, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson did not exchange letters for 11 years. But the pair resumed their correspondence in 1812 with Adams’ statement – later echoed by Jefferson – “You and I, ought not to die, before We have explained ourselves to each other.”

    What Adams and Jefferson understood in the 19th century still applies to the divisions in American society today: Reconciliation requires understanding. These conversations are frequently painful and hard; data scientists have noted that Thanksgiving dinners with guests who cross party lines are frequently shorter. But as my own research shows, we are most able to persuade people with whom we have the closest ties.

    Democracy challenges us to participate in more ways than simply by voting. It challenges everyone to understand those around us and seek what is in the collective best interest.

    And we have the most influence over people in our social networks. So that friend you’re really angry with about their politics? It’s time to give them a call and have a conversation.

    Betsy Sinclair 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. Avoiding your neighbor because of how they voted? Democracy needs to you talk to them instead – https://theconversation.com/avoiding-your-neighbor-because-of-how-they-voted-democracy-needs-to-you-talk-to-them-instead-250376

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s firings of military leaders pose a crucial question to service members of all ranks

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Samuel C. Mahaney, Director, Missouri S&T Policy and Armed Forces Research and Development Institute; Lecturer of History, National Security, and Leadership, Missouri University of Science and Technology

    President Donald Trump gave no specific reason for firing Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff less than halfway through Brown’s four-year term in office.

    Nor did he give an explanation for similarly ousting other senior military leaders, including the only women ever to lead the Navy and the Coast Guard, as well as the military’s top three lawyers – the judge advocates general of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

    The president is the commander-in-chief of the U.S. armed forces. But since the days of George Washington, the military has been dedicated to serving the nation, not a specific person or political agenda. I know this because I served 36 years in the U.S. Air Force before retiring as a major general. Even now, as a lecturer in history, national security and constitutional law, I know that nonpartisanship is central to the military’s primary mission of defending the country.

    Trump’s actions could raise concerns about whether he is trying to change those centuries of precedent.

    If so, military personnel at all levels would face a crucial question: Would they stand up for the military’s independent role in maintaining the integrity and stability of American democracy or follow the president’s orders – even if those orders crossed a line that made them illegal or unconstitutional?

    After the American Revolution, George Washington resigned his military commission and returned to civilian life.
    Herman Bencke via Library of Congress

    Political neutrality from the start

    Washington and other U.S. founders were very aware that a powerful military could overthrow the government or be subjected to political whims as different parties or factions controlled the presidency or Congress, so they thought long and hard about the role of the militia and the use of military power.

    Julius Caesar, who used his army to seize power in ancient Rome, was a cautionary tale. So was Oliver Cromwell’s use of his military power in the English Civil War to execute King Charles I and rule England.

    One of Washington’s most significant contributions to the apolitical tradition of the military was his resignation as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army after the American Revolution officially ended, in 1783. By voluntarily giving up his military power and returning to civilian life, the man who would become the nation’s first president demonstrated his commitment to civilian control of a military grounded in allegiance to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, not allegiance to any one party, faction or person.

    Washington’s act set a powerful example for future generations. A few years later, the founders embedded civilian control over the military in the U.S. Constitution. Article I, Section 8 gives Congress the power to declare war and fund armies, while Article II, Section 2 designates the president as the commander-in-chief of the military.

    This check and balance ensures the military remains neutral and subordinate to elected leaders. It also solidifies the allegiance of military leaders to a principled document, not to the ebbs and flows of politics.

    As part of their training, U.S. military members learn about their duty to obey lawful, constitutional orders.
    Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    Training and response to orders

    Polling consistently shows that the American people trust the military more than any other element of the U.S. government. In part that trust comes from the military’s professional dedication to political neutrality, which includes training its personnel to uphold values like duty, honor and integrity.

    Military members up and down the ranks take their allegiance to the Constitution seriously. At the beginning of their service, at every reenlistment and usually during promotion ceremonies, all military members – officers and enlisted – swear to support and defend the Constitution. The enlisted oath also includes a promise to follow the lawful orders of the president and of the officers appointed above them.

    This foundational oath ensures that if members of the military receive orders that they believe are questionable, they will not follow those orders blindly. They are taught throughout their career – during basic training, officer candidate training and in recurring sessions through the years – to seek clarification. If necessary, they are told to challenge those orders through their chain of command, or through attorneys associated with their units, or by contacting their branch’s inspector general.

    Depending on their ranks, military members’ responses to questionable orders can vary. Senior officers, who have extensive experience and higher levels of responsibility, have the authority and the duty to ensure that any orders they follow or pass down are lawful and in line with the Constitution. When evaluating uncertain orders or navigating unclear situations, they often consult with legal advisers, discuss the implications with peers and thoroughly analyze the situation before taking action.

    Junior officers and senior enlisted personnel often find themselves in positions where they must make quick decisions based on the information available to them. While they are trained to follow orders, they are also encouraged to use their judgment and seek guidance when they believe an order to be unlawful – including getting advice from people with direct access to attorneys.

    Junior enlisted personnel, who make up more than 40% of the military force, are also taught the importance of the legality and constitutionality of orders. They have the right to seek clarification if they believe an order is unlawful.

    Even so, their training focuses heavily on discipline and obedience. This can make it challenging for them to question orders, especially in high-pressure situations.

    Members of the U.S. military swear an oath to the Constitution.
    Ethan Miller/Getty Images

    Ultimate responsibility

    The responsibility of scrutinizing orders falls on senior military leaders – admirals and generals, colonels and Navy captains. Junior officers and senior enlisted and junior enlisted personnel rely on their leaders to navigate the complexities of politics and ensure orders they receive are lawful and focused on national defense, not politics.

    If senior military leaders fail in their responsibility, chaos could ensue: Units may end up following conflicting orders or ignoring directives altogether. This can lead to a breakdown in command and control, with some units acting independently or based on politically motivated directives. This would be a dangerous shift, making the military extremely vulnerable to operational failures and enemy attack.

    President Lyndon Johnson, center, and Gen. William Westmoreland visit troops in South Vietnam in 1967.
    AP Photo

    Such a situation has never happened in the history of the U.S. military. But some events have come close to crossing the line. For instance, during the Vietnam War, President Lyndon Johnson was determined to demonstrate American strength and resolve, famously stating, “I will not lose in Vietnam.” His pressure landed on the shoulders of Gen. William Westmoreland.

    Westmoreland responded by publicizing the numbers of enemy personnel killed in battle, attempting to show that U.S. efforts were reducing the size of opposing forces. But historians have found that this emphasis lacked clear military objectives, meaning troops faced confusion and contradictory orders. The price was a longer war, and more deaths for Americans and for Vietnamese civilians.

    Ultimately, Westmoreland was accused of manipulating enemy troop strength estimates to create an impression of progress – in service of Johnson’s political desire to avoid defeat. His decisions did not directly violate the Constitution or U.S. law, but they exemplify how political pressures can adversely influence military strategies, with devastating consequences.

    Unbiased sources of information

    In addition to senior military leaders’ responsibility to remain apolitical, leaders also have clear responsibilities to the civilians elected and appointed above them.

    For example, the president needs factual and unbiased information about the military’s capabilities from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, based on their experience and professional opinions. If advisers are hesitant to speak freely about what is and is not possible in any given situation, and about potential consequences both good and bad, the president will miss out on the kinds of critical insights that shape effective strategies.

    The bottom line is that when top military experts give advice and take action influenced by politics, they undermine the centuries-old system of military training and ethics. Some traditions are worth keeping.

    Samuel C. Mahaney 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. Trump’s firings of military leaders pose a crucial question to service members of all ranks – https://theconversation.com/trumps-firings-of-military-leaders-pose-a-crucial-question-to-service-members-of-all-ranks-247665

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Digital imperialism: How US social media firms are using American law to challenge global tech regulation

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Yasmin Curzi de Mendonça, Research associate, University of Virginia

    The CEOs of Meta, Amazon, Google and X — Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk — attend the inauguration of Donald Trump on Jan. 20, 2025. Photo by Ricky Carioti – Pool/Getty Images

    Social media platforms tend not to be that bothered by national boundaries.

    Take X, for example. Users of what was once called Twitter span the globe, with its 600 millions-plus active accounts dotted across nearly every country. And each of those jurisdictions has its own laws.

    But the interests of national regulatory efforts and that of predominantly U.S.-based technology companies often don’t align. While many governments have sought to impose oversight mechanisms to address problems such as disinformation, online extremism and manipulation, these initiatives have been met with corporate resistance, political interference and legal challenges invoking free speech as a shield against regulation.

    What is brewing is a global struggle over digital platform governance. And in this battle, U.S. platforms are increasingly leaning on American laws to challenge other nation’s regulations. It is, we believe as experts on digital law – one an executive director of a forum monitoring how countries implement democratic principles – a form of digital imperialism.

    A rumble in the tech jungle

    The latest manifestation of this phenomenon occurred in February 2025, when new tensions emerged between Brazil’s judiciary and U.S.-based social media platforms.

    Trump Media & Technology Group and Rumble filed a lawsuit in the U.S. against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, challenging his orders to suspend accounts on the two platforms linked to disinformation campaigns in Brazil.

    The case follows earlier unsuccessful efforts by Elon Musk’s X to resist similar Brazilian rulings.

    Together, the cases exemplify a growing trend in which U.S. political and corporate actors attempt to undermine foreign regulatory authority by pressing the case that domestic U.S. law and corporate protections should take precedence over sovereign policies globally.

    From corporate lobbying to lawfare

    At the core of the dispute is Allan dos Santos, a right-wing Brazilian influencer and fugitive from justice who fled to the U.S. in 2021 after De Moraes ordered his preventive arrest for allegedly coordinating disinformation networks and inciting violence.

    Dos Santos has continued his online activities abroad. Brazil’s extradition requests have gone unanswered due to claims by U.S. authorities that the case involves issues of free speech rather than criminal offenses.

    Trump Media and Rumble’s lawsuit attempts to do two things. First, it seeks to frame Brazil’s judicial actions as censorship rather than oversight. And second, it seeks to portray the Brazilian court action as territorial overreach.

    Their position is that as the target of the action was in the U.S., they are subject to U.S. free speech protections under the First Amendment. The fact that the subject of the ban was Brazilian and is accused of spreading disinformation and hate in Brazil should not, they argue, matter.

    For now, U.S. courts agree. In late February, a Florida-based judge ruled that Rumble and Trump Media need not comply with the Brazilian order.

    Big Tech pushback to regulation

    The case signals an important shift in the contest over platform accountability – a move from corporate lobbying and political pressure to direct legal intervention in foreign jurisdictions. U.S. courts are now being used to challenge overseas decisions regarding platform accountability.

    The outcome and the broader legal strategy behind the lawsuit could have far-reaching implications not only for Brazil but for any country or region – such as the European Union – attempting to regulate online spaces.

    The resistance against digital regulation predates the Trump administration.

    In Brazil, efforts to regulate social media platforms have long faced substantial opposition. Big Tech companies – including Google, Meta and X – have used their economic and political influence to lobby against tighter regulation, often framing such policies as a threat to free expression.

    In 2020, the Brazilian “Fake News Bill,” which sought to hold platforms accountable for the spread of disinformation, was met with strong opposition from these companies.

    Google and Meta launched high-profile campaigns to oppose the bill, warning it would “threaten free speech” and “harm small businesses.” Google placed banners on its Brazilian homepage urging users to reject the legislation, while Meta ran advertisements questioning its implications for the digital economy.

    These efforts, alongside lobbying and political resistance, were successful in helping to delay and weaken the regulatory framework.

    Mixing corporate and political power

    The difference now is that challenges are blurring the line between the corporate and the political.

    Trump Media was 53% owned by the U.S. president before he moved his stake into a revocable trust in December 2024. Elon Musk, the free speech fundamentalist owner of X, is a de facto member of the Trump administration.

    Their ascent to power has coincided with the First Amendment being wielded as a shield against foreign regulations on digital platforms.

    Free speech protections in the U.S. have been applied unequally, allowing authorities to suppress dissent in some cases while shielding hateful speech in others.

    This imbalance extends to corporate power, with decades of legal precedent expanding protections for private interests. The case law cemented corporate speech protections, a logic later extended to digital platforms.

    U.S. free speech advocates in Big Tech and the U.S. government are seemingly escalating this trend to an even more extreme interpretation: that American free speech arguments can be deployed to resist the regulation of other jurisdictions and challenge foreign legal frameworks.

    For instance, in response to the European Union’s Digital Services Act, U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, expressed concerns that the act could threaten American free speech principles.

    Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has fought disinformation on tech platforms, attends a session of the country’s high court on Feb. 26.
    Ton Molina/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Such an argument may have been fine if the same interpretation of free speech – and its appropriate protections – were universally accepted. But they are not.

    The concept of free speech varies significantly across nations and regions.

    Countries such as Brazil, Germany, France and others adopt what legal experts refer to as a proportionality-based approach to free speech, balancing it against other fundamental rights such as human dignity, democratic integrity and public order.

    Sovereign countries using this approach recognize freedom of expression as a fundamental and preferential right. But they also acknowledge that certain restrictions are necessary to protect democratic institutions, marginalized communities, public health and the informational ecosystem from harms.

    While the U.S. imposes some limits on speech – such as defamation laws and protection against incitement to imminent lawless action – the First Amendment is generally far more expansive than in other democracies.

    The future of digital governance

    The legal battle over platform regulation is not confined to the current battle between U.S.-based platforms and Brazil. The EU’s Digital Services Act and the Online Safety Act in the United Kingdom are other examples of governments trying to assert control over platforms operating within their borders.

    As such, the lawsuit by Trump Media and Rumble against the Brazilian Supreme Court signals a critical moment in global geopolitics.

    U.S. tech giants, such as Meta, are bending to the free speech winds coming out of the Trump administration. Musk, the owner of X, has given support to far-right groups overseas.

    And this overlap in the policy priorities of social media platforms and the political interests of the U.S. administration opens a new era in the deregulation debate in which U.S. free speech absolutists are seeking to establish legal precedents that might challenge the future of other nations’ regulatory efforts.

    As countries continue to develop regulatory frameworks for digital governance – for instance, AI regulation imposing stricter governance rules in Brazil and in the EU – the legal, economic and political strategies platforms employ to challenge oversight mechanisms will play a crucial role in determining the future balance between corporate influence and the rule of law.

    Camille Grenier is Executive Director at the Forum on Information and Democracy, a non-profit entity led by civil society organisations and mandated to implement democratic principles.

    Yasmin Curzi de Mendonça 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. Digital imperialism: How US social media firms are using American law to challenge global tech regulation – https://theconversation.com/digital-imperialism-how-us-social-media-firms-are-using-american-law-to-challenge-global-tech-regulation-252116

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cuts to research into inequality, disparities and other DEIA topics harm science

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By H. Colleen Sinclair, Associate Research Professor of Social Psychology, Louisiana State University

    Scientists across the U.S. and in other countries have rallied in reaction to the Trump administration’s cuts to major science agencies. Mohamad Salaheldin Abdelg Alsayed/Anadolu via Getty Images

    When I taught research methods to undergraduates, I would start by asking whether anyone in the class had $20. Though harder to come by thanks to digital payment options, inevitably someone would produce a $20 bill. I would then ask whether they knew how the bill came to look the way it does. Students would take guesses – often rooted in history and counterfeiting concerns.

    While valid, the larger font and picture designs that came about in the 1990s and early 2000s were also the result of research intended to make the bills more accessible for the 3.5 million Americans with low vision. One of those Americans with low vision was a researcher on the team designing the new bill, experimental psychologist Gordon Legge.

    These changes made it easier for those low-vision Americans, their families and others around the world to read and use American dollars. In other countries, bills and coins come in different sizes that pertain to their value, making them much easier for people with low vision and the blind to use. Legge’s research saved Americans the cost of having to completely redesign the currency to come in different sizes.

    My goal in talking about the currency redesign with my students was to show them how research has shaped their lives, often in ways they didn’t even realize.

    Now, following President Donald Trump’s executive order on federal projects related to DEIA – diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility – many research initiatives similar to the bill redesign project will lose funding.

    As a social psychologist, some of the studies I’ve worked on would be considered DEIA work. Social psychology as a field grew, in part, during World War II as researchers tried to understand bias-motivated atrocities such as the Holocaust.

    DEIA initiatives are projects that seek to reduce discrimination and promote equal opportunities and equal access in multiple spaces such as school and workplaces, as well as in legal, housing and medical systems.

    While frequently focused on those who have faced long-standing barriers to these resources – for example, racial and ethnic minorities and people with disabilities – the results of research related to DEIA are often applied to help all people achieve their potential.

    The Trump administration’s list of DEIA-related terms is so broad that it’s flagging non-DEIA related work for potential termination. I’ve heard many scientists discuss how their programs of research have been wrongfully included in the anti-DEIA sweeps because they use terms such as “biodiversity.”

    However, research that would be considered DEIA work has made influential contributions to society over the past few decades – it raises the question of whether any flagging is actually right. The backlash to anti-DEIA research seems to have started with criticism of DEI-related human resources training in workplaces. But the word list goes well beyond what would appear in HR training.

    DEIA research identifies the problems and proposes the solutions. Solutions such as translation services for the hearing impaired, parental leave for mothers and fathers, pay equity, time off for religious holidays and lactation rooms for nursing mothers all stem from what could be labeled DEIA research and advocacy.

    For instance, lactation rooms came about based on research into what working mothers needed to ease their return to work after pregnancy. This included research into breast pumps and even architectural research on how to best design these rooms.

    DEIA contributions

    DEIA work is nothing new – just the label is. After all, it was DEIA research in the 1950s that psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark presented to the Supreme Court to argue that school segregation harmed children, leading to the banning of the policy.

    Kenneth and Mamie Clark, left, with their two children. Research by the Clarks led to desegregation policies in school.
    Charlotte Brooks for Look Magazine and Brooks Archive

    This work continues today as new DEIA research reveals that schools are often still racially homogenous. That means many American students still go to schools where the student bodies are primarily white or primarily racial minorities. However, the reasons for these divides are no longer due to segregation being the law.

    In the 1970s, it was DEIA research that inspired the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 and led to the creation of special education practices for neurodiverse students. These practices have improved educational outcomes for students with dyslexia, ADHD, autism and a variety of other neurodiversities.

    And DEIA research is continuing to review and improve these practices today.

    Starting in the 1980s, it was also DEIA research that led to HIV/AIDS, a virus disproportionately affecting the LGBTQ+ community, no longer being a death sentence. Doctors now have a drug that prevents HIV, including preventing the transmission of HIV from mother to infant.

    Just today, I received a news alert about scientific breakthroughs in the neurological study of postpartum depression. Because “women” and “pregnant people” are on the list of terms flagged as DEIA-related, studies on postpartum depression could be considered DEIA.

    DEIA science on DEIA science

    It is DEIA science that has demonstrated how diverse research teams promote innovative performance. This research would suggest that America’s diversity may very well be one of the key elements shaping its prosperity.

    Some might say “of course DEIA research will show DEIA works,” but it is also DEIA research that critiques the limitations of training to reduce bias – such as human resources workshops intended to teach workers about inclusive language, cultural sensitivity or implicit bias. Other non-DEIA HR training also faces criticism.

    Scientists discuss these limitations, and the scientific process is constantly self-correcting as researchers search for better solutions. Recommendations about better training are proposed based on new research.

    For instance, racial colorblindness is an ideology that grew out of the civil rights era and a desire to treat individuals equally regardless of race. However, it has led to some problems where people say they ignore race when really they don’t. For instance, in one study looking at race and dating preferences, white people endorsing a colorblind ideology were actually more likely to say they wouldn’t date a Black person than those who didn’t endorse colorblindness.

    Many experts say that colorblindness is a flawed approach to talking about and understanding race and discrimination.

    Colorblindness can also make people feel uncomfortable bringing up race in any context. One study shows how young people, who are not yet wary of identifying people by race, can outperform adults, who avoid race, during a game of Guess Who.

    These studies are just some examples of DEIA science that showed the colorblindness approach is a mixed bag at best. Other times, it is harmful for minority groups and majority groups alike, or even backfires, making people more, not less, discriminatory and uncomfortable.

    Alleged alternatives to DEIA

    Despite its shortcomings, many prominent figures in the anti-DEIA movement have seemingly endorsed colorblindness.

    For example, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott created executive order GA-55 to end DEIA policies and institute a “color-blind” approach instead. Texas public universities had to eliminate DEIA offices and practices but not legacy admissions and scholarships that studies show disproportionately benefit white students.

    In his second inaugural address, Trump promised that his administration would “forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based.” While a meritocracy may sound good on paper, DEIA research has suggested that meritocracies don’t work in the current society.

    Meritocracies assume a level playing field and can ignore disparities, such as wealth, that may afford some more opportunities than others – social mobility between income levels is rare and can take generations.

    Hard work or talent does not compensate for imbalances in society as much as many people would like to believe.

    Where we stand

    Despite the anti-DEIA rhetoric present in American discourse, most Americans do not have negative attitudes toward DEIA; 52% even still think DEIA in the workplace is good. Most Americans, including white people, men and Republicans, also do not report having been harmed by DEIA policies. Overall, studies report that Americans value inclusivity.

    Ultimately, blanket bans on anything remotely DEIA harm advancement across scientific disciplines. The disparities DEIA research examines still exist – in courts, in schools, in jobs, in health, in housing and in violent victimization rates.

    Stopping cancer research because cancer prevention training doesn’t always work and sometimes backfires won’t stop cancer. Ignoring disparities will not make them go away. DEIA-related science is an ingrained part of the scientific enterprise, and cutting its funding could mean missing out on important breakthroughs.

    H. Colleen Sinclair does not personally have any DEIA-related federal grants but she has received foundation research funding for math education research that includes looking at how to close disparities in achievement. The statements and opinions included in this The Conversation article are solely the author’s. Any statements and opinions included in these pages are not those of the Social Research and Evaluation Center, the College of Human Sciences & Education, the Louisiana State University, or the LSU Board of Supervisors.

    – ref. Cuts to research into inequality, disparities and other DEIA topics harm science – https://theconversation.com/cuts-to-research-into-inequality-disparities-and-other-deia-topics-harm-science-252241

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Helper bots in online communities diminish human interaction

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By John Lalor, Assistant Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations, University of Notre Dame

    Bots can be helpful in online communities, but they can also come between people. mathisworks/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

    When bots – automated agents that perform tasks on behalf of humans – become more active in online communities, it has profound effects on how humans interact with each other on those platforms. Bots designed to help users see more content increase the number of people users connect with but also decrease the interactions between people.

    In online communities, replies, likes and comments between users form a network of interactions. Analysis of these social networks shows patterns, such as who is connecting and who is popular or important in the community.

    My colleagues Nicholas Berente and Hani Safadi and I analyzed the network structure of communities on Reddit, called subreddits, that had seen increased use of bots from 2005 to 2019. Our goal was to see whether the presence of bots affected how the human community members interacted with each other.

    Based on recent research, we knew that we were looking for two types of bots: reflexive and supervisory bots.

    Reflexive bots are coded to plug into a community’s application programming interface. Based on how they are coded, they either post content based on specific rules or search for specific content and post a reply based on their preprogrammed rules. Supervisory bots have more permissions in the community and can delete or edit posts or even ban users based on preprogrammed community moderation rules.

    We found that when there is more reflexive bot activity in a community – more bots posting content – there are more human-to-human connections. This means that the reflexive bots posting content enable people to find novel content and engage with other users they otherwise would not have seen. However, this high bot activity leads to less back-and-forth discussion between users. If a user posts on a subreddit, it is more likely that a bot will reply or interject itself into the conversation instead of two human users engaging in a meaningful back-and-forth discussion.

    When there are supervisory bots moderating a community, we see less centralization in the human social network. This means that those key people who were important to the community have fewer connections than before. Without supervisory bots, these members would be the ones who establish and enforce community norms. With supervisory bots, this is less necessary, and those human members are less central to the community.

    Social media bots explained.

    Why it matters

    Bots are prevalent across online communities, and they can process vast amounts of data very quickly, which means they can react and respond to many more posts than humans can.

    What’s more, as generative AI improves, people could use it to create more and more sophisticated bot accounts, and the platforms could use it to coordinate content moderation. Tech companies investing heavily in generative AI technologies could also deploy generative AI bots to increase engagement on their platforms.

    Our study can help users and community leaders understand the impact of these bots on their communities. It can also help community moderators understand the impact of enabling automated moderation through supervisory bots.

    What’s next

    Bots are rigid because of their rules-based nature, but they are likely to become more advanced as they incorporate new technologies such as generative AI. More research will be needed to understand how complex generative AI bots affect human-to-human interactions in online communities.

    At the same time, automating platform moderation can lead to strange effects, because bots are more rigid in their enforcement and cannot deal with potential issues on a case-by-case basis. How generative AI changes moderator bots remains to be seen.

    The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

    John Lalor 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. Helper bots in online communities diminish human interaction – https://theconversation.com/helper-bots-in-online-communities-diminish-human-interaction-251795

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What are AI hallucinations? Why AIs sometimes make things up

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Anna Choi, Ph.D. Candidate in Information Science, Cornell University

    What springs from the ‘mind’ of an AI can sometimes be out of left field. gremlin/iStock via Getty Images

    When someone sees something that isn’t there, people often refer to the experience as a hallucination. Hallucinations occur when your sensory perception does not correspond to external stimuli.

    Technologies that rely on artificial intelligence can have hallucinations, too.

    When an algorithmic system generates information that seems plausible but is actually inaccurate or misleading, computer scientists call it an AI hallucination. Researchers have found these behaviors in different types of AI systems, from chatbots such as ChatGPT to image generators such as Dall-E to autonomous vehicles. We are information science researchers who have studied hallucinations in AI speech recognition systems.

    Wherever AI systems are used in daily life, their hallucinations can pose risks. Some may be minor – when a chatbot gives the wrong answer to a simple question, the user may end up ill-informed. But in other cases, the stakes are much higher. From courtrooms where AI software is used to make sentencing decisions to health insurance companies that use algorithms to determine a patient’s eligibility for coverage, AI hallucinations can have life-altering consequences. They can even be life-threatening: Autonomous vehicles use AI to detect obstacles, other vehicles and pedestrians.

    Making it up

    Hallucinations and their effects depend on the type of AI system. With large language models – the underlying technology of AI chatbots – hallucinations are pieces of information that sound convincing but are incorrect, made up or irrelevant. An AI chatbot might create a reference to a scientific article that doesn’t exist or provide a historical fact that is simply wrong, yet make it sound believable.

    In a 2023 court case, for example, a New York attorney submitted a legal brief that he had written with the help of ChatGPT. A discerning judge later noticed that the brief cited a case that ChatGPT had made up. This could lead to different outcomes in courtrooms if humans were not able to detect the hallucinated piece of information.

    With AI tools that can recognize objects in images, hallucinations occur when the AI generates captions that are not faithful to the provided image. Imagine asking a system to list objects in an image that only includes a woman from the chest up talking on a phone and receiving a response that says a woman talking on a phone while sitting on a bench. This inaccurate information could lead to different consequences in contexts where accuracy is critical.

    What causes hallucinations

    Engineers build AI systems by gathering massive amounts of data and feeding it into a computational system that detects patterns in the data. The system develops methods for responding to questions or performing tasks based on those patterns.

    Supply an AI system with 1,000 photos of different breeds of dogs, labeled accordingly, and the system will soon learn to detect the difference between a poodle and a golden retriever. But feed it a photo of a blueberry muffin and, as machine learning researchers have shown, it may tell you that the muffin is a chihuahua.

    Object recognition AIs can have trouble distinguishing between chihuahuas and blueberry muffins and between sheepdogs and mops.
    Shenkman et al, CC BY

    When a system doesn’t understand the question or the information that it is presented with, it may hallucinate. Hallucinations often occur when the model fills in gaps based on similar contexts from its training data, or when it is built using biased or incomplete training data. This leads to incorrect guesses, as in the case of the mislabeled blueberry muffin.

    It’s important to distinguish between AI hallucinations and intentionally creative AI outputs. When an AI system is asked to be creative – like when writing a story or generating artistic images – its novel outputs are expected and desired. Hallucinations, on the other hand, occur when an AI system is asked to provide factual information or perform specific tasks but instead generates incorrect or misleading content while presenting it as accurate.

    The key difference lies in the context and purpose: Creativity is appropriate for artistic tasks, while hallucinations are problematic when accuracy and reliability are required.

    To address these issues, companies have suggested using high-quality training data and limiting AI responses to follow certain guidelines. Nevertheless, these issues may persist in popular AI tools.

    Large language models hallucinate in several ways.

    What’s at risk

    The impact of an output such as calling a blueberry muffin a chihuahua may seem trivial, but consider the different kinds of technologies that use image recognition systems: An autonomous vehicle that fails to identify objects could lead to a fatal traffic accident. An autonomous military drone that misidentifies a target could put civilians’ lives in danger.

    For AI tools that provide automatic speech recognition, hallucinations are AI transcriptions that include words or phrases that were never actually spoken. This is more likely to occur in noisy environments, where an AI system may end up adding new or irrelevant words in an attempt to decipher background noise such as a passing truck or a crying infant.

    As these systems become more regularly integrated into health care, social service and legal settings, hallucinations in automatic speech recognition could lead to inaccurate clinical or legal outcomes that harm patients, criminal defendants or families in need of social support.

    Check AI’s work

    Regardless of AI companies’ efforts to mitigate hallucinations, users should stay vigilant and question AI outputs, especially when they are used in contexts that require precision and accuracy. Double-checking AI-generated information with trusted sources, consulting experts when necessary, and recognizing the limitations of these tools are essential steps for minimizing their risks.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. What are AI hallucinations? Why AIs sometimes make things up – https://theconversation.com/what-are-ai-hallucinations-why-ais-sometimes-make-things-up-242896

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Backgrounder: The governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador invest in critical housing infrastructure

    Appleton

    Appleton – Watermain Replacement Circular/TCH

    $239,404

    $250,058

    $50,012

    Bay St. George South

    Jeffrey’s Pumphouse Improvements

    $112,497

    $140,622

    $28,124

    Belleoram

    Water and Sewer Replacement

    $290,187

    $226,997

    $45,399

    Birchy Bay

    Birchy Bay – Water Filtration System (AP-MCW-22196)

    $175,192

    $218,990

    $43,798

    Bishop’s Falls

    Turners Road Waterline and Sanitary Sewer Upgrades

    $141,894

    $98,319

    $49,160

    Bonavista

    Lift Station Retrofits

    $369,069

    $369,069

    $184,534

    Botwood

    Commonwealth Drive Watermain Replacement

    $809,717

    $1,012,146

    $202,429

    Burnt Islands

    Lift Station Upgrades

    $201,655

    $181,367

    $36,273

    Campbellton

    Waterline extension on Road to the Isles and Kingman/Decker Drive  (AP-MCW-23038)

    $253,886

    $0

    $0

    Cape St. George

    Cape St. George Waterline Replacement

    $181,267

    $226,584

    $45,317

    Carmanville

    Water and Sewer Services Phase 4

    $439,383

    $549,229

    $109,846

    Cartwright

    Sanitary Sewer

    $504,927

    $631,158

    $126,232

    Channel-Port aux Basques

    High Street Stormwater Rehabilitation

    $258,798

    $258,798

    $129,399

    Channel-Port aux Basques

    Dennis Road Water Supply Booster Station

    $265,342

    $265,342

    $132,671

    Charlottetown (Labrador)

    Water and Sewer, Phase 5.2 – Big Cove Extension

    $993,811

    $1,242,264

    $248,453

    Come By Chance

    Water and Sewer Upgrading – Shaheen Crescent – Phase 2

    $360,920

    $451,150

    $90,230

    Daniel’s Harbour

    Replace Valves at Pumphouse

    $22,450

    $28,062

    $5,612

    Deer Lake

    Main Lift Station Upgrades

    $887,890

    $887,890

    $443,945

    Deer Lake

    Lift Station Upgrades – Church Street 

    $115,405

    $115,405

    $57,703

    Fermeuse

    Future Sanitary Sewer – Phase 3

    $171,458

    $214,323

    $42,865

    Fermeuse

    2022 Phase 2 of Sewer System Extension

    $342,021

    $427,526

    $85,505

    Flatrock

    Red Head Road Ditching

    $183,669

    $229,586

    $45,917

    Fortune

    Bunker Hill Road Water and Sewer – Phase ll

    $341,221

    $426,526

    $85,305

    Fortune

    Bunker Hill Road Water and Sewer Phase 1

    $394,768

    $493,460

    $98,692

    Gander

    Gander Pumphouse Upgrades to Improve Potable Water Efficiency, Reliability and Capacity

    $1,722,805

    $0

    $0

    George’s Brook-Milton

    Milton Watermain Replacement (Phase 3)

    $253,914

    $317,392

    $63,478

    Heart’s Content

    Installing 8 Inch Line from the S.U.F Hall on Main Road to Booster Pumping Station

    $201,140

    $251,426

    $50,285

    Humber Arm South

    Webcon Road Storm Sewer System

    $119,675

    $149,593

    $29,919

    Humber Arm South

    New Chlorination Building

    $243,274

    $304,093

    $60,819

    Indian Bay

    Water & Sewer Upgrades – Phase I

    $193,241

    $241,552

    $48,310

    Isle aux Morts

    Phase 4 – Water and Sewer Upgrades

    $306,641

    $383,302

    $76,660

    Labrador City

    Storm Sewer Upgrades (Walsh River, Harrie Lake, Duley)

    $563,048

    $422,286

    $422,286

    L’Anse au Loup

    Water Shed Dam Area Reconstruction

    $247,017

    $308,771

    $61,754

    Lewisporte

    Water Tank Bypass Line and Intake Supply Line Repairs

    $151,350

    $151,350

    $75,675

    Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove

    Power’s Lane Stream Crossing

    $186,646

    $233,308

    $46,662

    Lourdes

    Town of Lourdes – Water Treatment Facility Improvements

    $180,369

    $225,461

    $45,092

    Makkovik

    Chlorine Booster Station

    $180,901

    $0

    $0

    Marystown

    Mayo’s Road/Levi’s Road Water, Sewer & Storm Sewer Upgrades (Phase 1)

    $174,381

    $174,381

    $87,190

    McIvers

    Water Treatment System

    $510,711

    $638,389

    $127,678

    Meadows

    Meadow Crescent Lift Station Replacement

    $145,094

    $181,367

    $362,732

    Middle Arm

    Falls Road Water & Sewer

    $158,086

    $197,608

    $39,522

    Mount Pearl

    Water, Sanitary and Storm Sewer, Asphalt, Curb and Sidewalk Replacement – Jackman Drive

    $1,818,840

    $1,364,130

    $1,364,130

    New-Wes-Valley

    Water Treatment Plant

    $4,045,934

    $5,057,418

    $1,011,484

    New-Wes-Valley

    Water Storage and Distribution System

    $2,248,225

    $2,810,281

    $562,056

    Norris Point

    Lift Station #3

    $127,506

    $159,383

    $31,877

    Norris Point

    Lift Station #1

    $141,244

    $159,383

    $31,877

    Norris Point

    Lift Station #2

    $127,506

    $159,383

    $31,877

    North West River

    2022 Storm Drainage Improvements

    $211,901

    $264,876

    $52,975

    Old Perlican

    Septic System Installation

    $167,884

    $209,855

    $41,971

    Pasadena

    Tipping Drive Water Lines Phase 2

    $616,648

    $616,648

    $308,324

    Pasadena

    Lakeshore/Tipping Drive Sewer Installation

    $471,554

    $471,554

    $235,777

    Point Leamington

    Water main phase 2

    $362,658

    $453,323

    $90,665

    Pool’s Cove

    Water System Improvements

    $269,962

    $337,452

    $67,490

    Port Saunders

    Lift Station #3 and #4

    $253,914

    $317,392

    $63,478

    Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s

    St. Philips WWTP Treatment Expansion

    $434,080

    $325,560

    $325,560

    Rigolet

    Lift Station and Force Main Upgrades

    $251,758

    $314,698

    $62,940

    Roddickton-Bide Arm

    Bide Arm Water Supply Dam Replacement

    $362,734

    $453,417

    $90,683

    Sandy Cove

    Barbour Avenue Water Main Extension

    $193,341

    $214,104

    $42,821

    Springdale

    Main Street (Hemlock to Little Bay Road) Water, Sanitary Sewer and Storm Sewer Installation and Road Resurfacing

    $609,467

    $761,834

    $152,367

    St. Alban’s

    Main Street Water and Sewer Replacement – Phase 1

    $902,029

    $1,127,536

    $225,507

    St. Anthony

    West Street Waterline Upgrading

    $1,342,051

    $1,677,563

    $335,513

    St. Bride’s

    Southside Dam Upgrade and Chlorination System

    $214,141

    $267,676

    $53,535

    St. John’s

    275 Southside Road Ditch Inlet & Storm Sewer

    $725,468

    $544,101

    $544,101

    St. Lunaire-Griquet

    Replace Circular Road Watermain

    $378,540

    $473,175

    $94,635

    Steady Brook

    Sewer Lagoon Upgrade

    $939,824

    $614,127

    $122,826

    Stephenville Crossing

    Seal Cove Road Phase 5, Water Sewer and Storm Replacement

    $626,269

    $782,836

    $156,567

    Stephenville

    Rose Avenue Reconstruction

    $720,152

    $720,152

    $360,076

    Stephenville

    Main Street Reconstruction

    $1,363,088

    $1,363,088

    $681,544

    Swift Current

    Hollet’s Point Well water quality improvement

    $7,255

    $9,068

    $1,814

    Torbay

    North Pond Water Treatment Plant – Phase 2

    $1,088,202

    $816,151

    $816,151

    Torbay

    North Pond Water Treatment Plant – Phase 1

    $344,597

    $258,448

    $258,448

    Twillingate

    Lift station retrofit – Coast Guard Sewage Lift Station and Smith’s Lane

    $253,914

    $317,392

    $63,478

    Wabana

    West Dam Water Supply Phase 4

    $994,704

    $1,243,380

    $504,158

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Strengthening the Suitability and Fitness of the Federal Workforce

    Source: The White House

    class=”has-text-align-center”>MEMORANDUM FOR THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
     

    SUBJECT:       Strengthening the Suitability and Fitness of the
    Federal Workforce

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
     
    Section 1.  Delegation of Authority to Make Suitability Determinations and Required Rulemaking.  (a)  The Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is delegated the authority to make final suitability determinations and take suitability actions regarding employees in the executive branch based on post-appointment conduct, consistent with applicable law.  In this context, a suitability action can include a directive by OPM to the head of an executive department or agency (agency) to remove an employee who does not meet the suitability criteria defined in OPM’s regulations.
     
    (b)  The Director of OPM shall propose regulations, consistent with applicable law, amending Part 731 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, to account for the delegation described in subsection (a) of this section and to implement appropriate rules and procedures regarding suitability determinations and suitability actions based on post-appointment conduct.  The delegation described in subsection (a) of this section shall not be effective until the completion of this rulemaking.
     
    (c)  In drafting the regulations described in subsection (b) of this section, the Director of OPM shall consider requiring that an employing agency must make a referral to OPM in order for the Director of OPM to make a final suitability determination and take a suitability action regarding an employee based on post-appointment conduct.
     
    (d)  The regulations described in subsection (b) of this section shall additionally propose that, consistent with Civil Service Rule 5.3, if the Director of OPM issues specific instructions as to separation or other corrective action with regard to an employee, including cancellation of a personnel action, the head of the agency concerned shall comply with the Director of OPM’s instructions within 5 work days of the final decision.
     
    Sec. 2.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
     
    (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
     
    (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
     
    (b)  This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
     
    (c)  This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
     
    (d)  The Director of OPM is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

    DONALD J. TRUMP

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Takes Immediate Action to Increase American Mineral Production

    Source: The White House

    INCREASING AMERICAN MINERAL PRODUCTION: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to boost American mineral production, streamline permitting, and enhance national security.  

    • Agencies shall compile a list of all mineral production projects that have submitted a plan of operations, permit application, or any other approval request to that agency in order to expedite the review and advancement of those projects in coordination with the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC).
      • Additional mineral production projects will be considered for FAST-41 status to streamline permitting.
    • New recommendations will be provided to Congress regarding treatment of waste rock, tailings, and mine waste disposal under the Mining Act of 1872.
    • The Secretary of the Interior will prioritize mineral production activities over other types of activities on Federal lands that hold critical mineral deposits.
      • The Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Agriculture, and Secretary of the Interior shall identify additional sites that might be suitable for mineral production activities that can be permitted as soon as possible.
    • The Defense Production Act (DPA) will be used to expand domestic mineral production capacity.
    • Financing, loans, and investment support will be provided for new mineral production projects, including a dedicated critical minerals fund established through the United States International Development Finance Corporation in collaboration with the Department of Defense.
    • The Trump Administration will coordinate with private industry to ensure a stable and resilient domestic supply chain for critical materials, including critical minerals.
    • “Minerals” covered by the order include critical minerals, uranium, copper, potash, gold, and any other element, compound, or material as determined by the Chair of the NEDC, such as coal.

    SECURING AMERICA’S MINERAL FUTURE: President Trump is boosting domestic mineral production to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign minerals, enhance national security, and create jobs.

    • Demand for critical minerals has been dubbed the “gold rush of the 21st century” due to their importance in emerging technologies.
    • The United States currently imports a significant portion of its minerals from foreign countries, creating economic and security risks, despite possessing a vast supply of critical minerals.
      • The United States is 100% import-reliant on at least 15 critical minerals, and imports of nonfuel mineral commodities make up more than half of U.S. consumption.
      • U.S. capacity utilization for the metal mining industry has declined for years.
    • China, Iran, and Russia control large deposits of several minerals critical to the U.S., posing a national security risk.
      • 70% of U.S. imports of rare earths come from China.
    • A strong domestic mineral production industry would ensure U.S. companies can compete globally without overly relying on foreign supply chains.
    • Critical minerals are essential for U.S. military readiness, as they are key components in fighter jets, satellites, submarines, smart bombs, and missile guidance systems.

    PRIORITIZING U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY: President Trump is committed to ending American dependence on hostile foreign powers for critical minerals.

    • Immediately upon returning to office, President Trump signed an Executive Order to make the U.S. “the leading producer and processor of non-fuel minerals, including rare earth minerals.”
    • President Trump also signed an Executive Order advancing the Ambler Access Project, a 211-mile industrial road through Northwest Alaska that enables commercial mining for copper, zinc and other materials.
    • This builds on actions President Trump took in his first term:
      • In 2017, President Trump implemented a Federal strategy to ensure secure and reliable supplies of critical minerals.
      • In 2019, President Trump signed five Presidential Determinations finding that domestic production of rare earth elements and materials is essential to the national defense.
      • In 2020, President Trump declared a National Emergency to expand the domestic mining industry, support mining jobs, alleviate unnecessary permitting delays, and reduce our Nation’s dependence on China for critical minerals.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos

    Source: The White House

    class=”has-text-align-left”>By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

    Section 1.  Purpose.  Removing unnecessary barriers to Federal employees accessing Government data and promoting inter‑agency data sharing are important steps toward eliminating bureaucratic duplication and inefficiency while enhancing the Government’s ability to detect overpayments and fraud.

    Sec. 2.  Definitions.  (a)  “Agency” has the meaning given to it in section 3502 of title 44, United States Code, except that such term does not include the Executive Office of the President or any components thereof.

    (b)  “Agency Head” means the highest-ranking official of an agency, such as the Secretary, Administrator, or Director.  With respect to multimember agencies, “Agency Head” means the Chairman or equivalent official.

    Sec. 3.  Eliminating Information Silos.  (a)  Agency Heads shall take all necessary steps, to the maximum extent consistent with law, to ensure Federal officials designated by the President or Agency Heads (or their designees) have full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, data, software systems, and information technology systems — or their equivalents if providing access to an equivalent dataset does not delay access — for purposes of pursuing Administration priorities related to the identification and elimination of waste, fraud, and abuse.  This includes authorizing and facilitating both the intra- and inter-agency sharing and consolidation of unclassified agency records.

    (b)  Within 30 days of the date of this order, Agency Heads shall, to the maximum extent consistent with law, rescind or modify all agency guidance that serves as a barrier to the inter- or intra-agency sharing of unclassified information specified in subsection (a) of this section.  Agency Heads shall also review agency regulations governing unclassified data access, including system of records notices, and, within 30 days of the date of this order, submit a report to the Office of Management and Budget cataloging those regulations and recommending whether any should be eliminated or modified to achieve the goals set forth in this order.  Regulatory modifications pursuant to this order are exempt from Executive Order 14192.

    (c)  Immediately upon execution of this order, Agency Heads shall take all necessary steps, to the maximum extent consistent with law, to ensure the Federal Government has unfettered access to comprehensive data from all State programs that receive Federal funding, including, as appropriate, data generated by those programs but maintained in third-party databases.

    (d)  Immediately upon execution of this order and without limiting the above directives, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary’s designees shall receive, to the maximum extent consistent with law, unfettered access to all unemployment data and related payment records, including all such data and records currently available to the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.

    (e)  This order supersedes any prior Executive Orders and rules or regulations subject to direct Presidential rulemaking authority to the extent they serve as a barrier to the inter- or intra-agency sharing of unclassified information as specified in this order.

    (f)  Agency Heads shall conduct a review of classified information policies to determine whether they result in the classification of materials beyond what is necessary to protect critical national security interests and, within 45 days of the date of this order, submit a report to the Office of Management and Budget cataloguing those classified information policies and recommending whether any should be eliminated or modified to achieve the goals set forth in this order.

    Sec. 4.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

    (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

    (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

    (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

    (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
     

    THE WHITE HOUSE,
        March 20, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Eliminates Information Silos to Stop Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

    Source: The White House

    STOPPING WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE THROUGH DATA TRANSPARENCY: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order stopping waste, fraud, and abuse by eliminating information silos.

    • Agency Heads are directed to grant full and prompt access of unclassified Agency records, data, and systems to Federal officials in order to identify and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse.
      • This includes authorizing and facilitating both the intra- and inter-Agency sharing and consolidation of unclassified Agency records.
    • Agency Heads must ensure immediate, unfettered access to comprehensive data from all state programs that receive federal funding, including third-party databases, to enhance oversight.
    • The Secretary of Labor will gain access to unemployment data and payment records to strengthen fraud detection efforts.
    • This Executive Order enhances accountability and streamlines government operations by ensuring Federal Agencies share critical data, consistent with applicable privacy protections.

    ELIMINATING BUREAUCRATIC INEFFICIENCY: Decades of restricted data access within and between agencies have led to duplicated efforts, undetected overpayments, and unchecked fraud, costing taxpayers billions.

    • The Biden Administration’s lack of transparency allowed waste to flourish, with billions lost annually to improper payments and fraudulent claims.
    • In fiscal year 2023, the Biden Administration reported an estimated $236 billion in improper payments as the result of overpayments, inaccurate recordkeeping, and fraud.
      • 74% of these errors were overpayments, including payments to deceased individuals.
    • The Biden Administration lost more than $925 billion total over four years to improper payments.
    • Over the last 20 years, the Federal Government has made an estimated $2.7 trillion in such improper payments. 
    • This Executive Order dismantles unnecessary barriers, promotes inter-agency collaboration, and ensure the Federal Government operates responsibly and efficiently to safeguard public funds.

    SHRINKING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: Since returning to office, President Trump has moved swiftly to fulfill his promise of a leaner, more effective government.

    • On Day One, President Trump established the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) to examine how to streamline the Federal Government, eliminate unnecessary programs, and reduce bureaucratic inefficiency.
    • President Trump directed a hiring freeze across federal agencies and limited new hires to one for every four departures.
    • President Trump eliminated unnecessary agencies and government programs.
    • President Trump launched a 10-to-1 deregulation initiative, ensuring every new rule is justified by clear benefits.
    • President Trump promised to “cut waste, fraud, and abuse everywhere that we can find it, and there’s plenty of it.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: The governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador invest in critical housing infrastructure

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, March 21, 2025 — The governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador have finalized a 10-year agreement under the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF).

    Through this agreement, communities across Newfoundland and Labrador will be able to build or improve the critical infrastructure related to drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste – that will in turn help them build more homes. Newfoundland and Labrador will receive $123.1 million to address their housing-enabling infrastructure priorities.

    Under CHIF, funding is available over ten years to support long-term provincial and territorial infrastructure priorities that will directly enable increased housing supply. Such initiatives could include projects that provide the critical infrastructure necessary to enable more homes or increase densification, provide the drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems required to support community growth, preserve existing capacity or increase reliability and access to drinking water, or implement waste diversion initiatives to reduce landfill use.

    The CHIF agreement adds to existing federal and provincial investments in infrastructure providing services to communities across Newfoundland and Labrador. Through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, federal, provincial and municipal governments are also investing more than $86 million in 73 separate projects to build or upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure across the province.

    By working together to invest in drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste projects across Newfoundland and Labrador, we are helping to ensure that communities have the capacity to support housing projects that meet the demands of a growing population.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Around the Air Force: X-37B Returns from Space, New Concierge Cell Aids Pilots, True North+

    Source: United States Air Force

    Headline: Around the Air Force: X-37B Returns from Space, New Concierge Cell Aids Pilots, True North+

    In this week’s look Around the Air Force, X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle successfully landed, a new pilot concierge cell helps with transitions from active duty to Reserve, and CSAF Allvin consolidates two of the service’s largest preventative, readiness and resiliency programs.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: NDB Board of Directors 46th Meeting Concluded in Shanghai

    Source: New Development Bank

    On March 20, 2025, the Board of Directors (Board) of the New Development Bank (NDB) convened for its 46th Meeting at the Bank’s Headquarters in Shanghai, China.

    Pará Sanitation Development Project

    The Board of Directors approved a loan of up to USD 50.0 million to Brazil’s State of Pará, guaranteed by the Federative Republic of Brazil, for the Pará Sanitation Development Project (Projeto de Desenvolvimento de Saneamento do Pará – Etapa Lagos – PRODESAN LAGOS). By implementing a sewage collection and treatment network in neighbourhoods surrounding the water bodies serving as the main water source in Belém Metropolitan Region (BMR) and carrying out preventive and corrective environmental control actions, the Project aims to restore the water sources providing supply to the BMR. The Project will be co-financed by the NDB and FONPLATA Development Bank (FONPLATA), strengthening ongoing collaboration between the two institutions. The Project contributes to achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 – Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

    Operations

    The Board of Directors received a comprehensive update on the Bank’s robust and dynamic project pipeline. The Board was also briefed on project implementation, disbursement, ESG portfolio and project procurement in non-member countries.

    Treasury and Finance

    The Board of Directors was updated on the Bank’s funding activities, took note of the Annual Treasury Investment Portfolio Report for 2024, received a comprehensive analysis on the Bank’s loan book, and approved listing the Bank’s Euro Medium-Term Note Programme on the Nasdaq Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and the Bank’s Fourth RMB Bond Programme.

    Membership Expansion

    The Board of Directors took note of the progress of membership expansion and provided its guidance for the next steps.

    Tenth Annual Meeting of the NDB Board of Governors

    The Board of Directors recommended that the Tenth Annual Meeting of the NDB Board of Governors be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on July 4-5, 2025.

    Committee Meetings

    The 34th Meeting of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee and the 30th Meeting of the Budget, Human Resources and Compensation Committee were held on March 18, 2025, and March 19, 2025, respectively.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Secretary-General’s remarks at the Ceremony marking the 600th Anniversary of the University of Leuven [as delivered]

    Source: United Nations – English

    ear Rector Magnificus, Chère Madame la Rectrice,
     
    Allow me to address you with the expression that in my country is reserved for the rectors of the university of the Coimbra, your sister university: Magnificus rectorus, magnificent rectors.
     
    Thank you for your warm welcome, your very kind words and this significant honour.
     
    I am proud to accept it on behalf of the United Nations and remembering the women and men of the UN all over the world.
     
    You will find them working everywhere and around the clock. 
     
    Building and keeping peace.
     
    Delivering lifesaving relief in the most desperate places on earth.
     
    Fighting poverty and standing up for the marginalized.
     
    Advancing human rights and the rule of law.
     
    And striving to realize the universal values that express the very best of the human spirit.
     
    By bestowing this honour at this consequential time, you are sending a clear message.
     
    A message of support for the noble mission of the United Nations —a message of solidarity to all those working to make it real – and a message of inspiration for us to keep up the fight.
     
    On behalf of the United Nations — thank you.
     
    Distinguished Guests, Dear Students, Ladies and Gentlemen,
     
    You honour the United Nations as we celebrate a remarkable milestone:
     
    The 600th anniversary of the University of Leuven, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning, today represented by the two universities that are together in this beautiful ceremony.
     
    Six centuries ago, scholars lit a flame of knowledge.
     
    Generation after generation have kept this flame alive.
     
    Through times of turmoil and triumph.
     
    In war and in peace.
     
    From the Renaissance to the information age.
     
    It is here at Leuven that Erasmus refined his humanist thought, teaching the world to see learning as a path to compassion and understanding.
     
    It was here that Mercator mastered cartography, revolutionizing navigation and the way we see our world — opening new horizons across continents.
     
    It was here that future Prime Minister and statesman August Beernaert began his intellectual journey that led to his bold vision of peace through arbitration, which was recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1909.
     
    It was here that a young Georges Lemaître gazed at the stars and proposed what became the Big Bang theory — forever reshaping humanity’s understanding of the universe itself.
     
    And it was here that Dominique Pire, a humble Dominican friar, developed humanitarian principles that would earn him the Nobel Peace Prize for working with refugees and bringing hope to the forgotten.
     
    All of you are keeping this flame alive in the 21st century.
     
    Your scholars have helped lead the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change — and the need for urgent climate action.
     
    Your universities played a pivotal role in launching the Global University Academy — supporting higher education for refugees worldwide.
     
    The Leuven Institute for Artificial Intelligence fosters knowledge-sharing and international partnerships on AI.
     
    Your startup incubators and technology transfer efforts transform innovative research into tangible benefits for humanity.
     
    And you are opening new doors to equality and justice through your Gender Equality Plan, and by actively participating in initiatives like the Belgian Women in Science Network to increase the number of female students and staff in science, technology, engineering and math.  
     
    This joint celebration — bringing together KU Leuven and UC Louvain — is yet another example of your spirit of common purpose and renewed partnership…
     
    One that shines a light towards a better, more equal future for all.
     
    Excellencies, dear friends,
     
    We need that light more than ever. 
     
    I am here today to deliver a simple and stark message:
     
    Multilateralism matters.
     
    But it is under attack like never before.
     
    We can and must overcome this threat together. 
     
    Now is the time.
     
    Your 600th anniversary coincides with a moment of reflection for the United Nations.
     
    2025 marks our 80th anniversary as an organization and as the epicenter of multilateralism.
     
    Our founding Charter embodies the world’s conviction that by working together and adhering to shared principles and values, we can solve global problems.   
     
    Standing here in Europe, we know this same commitment to multilateralism is the beating heart of your own European union.
     
    At home and around the world, Belgium and the European Union champion international cooperation, democracy, human rights and global solidarity.
     
    Over the decades, Belgium has brought to life its motto of “unity makes strength” — contributing troops to UN peacekeeping missions, advancing peacebuilding and supporting lifesaving relief around the world.
     
    Today, the European ideal stands as a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility to the world’s most vulnerable people, and proof that isolationism is an illusion, never a solution.
     
    A strong and united Europe is not just essential for the continent.
     
    It is a fundamental pillar of a strong and effective United Nations.
     
    Around the globe, the European Union and the United Nations work hand-in-hand:
     
    Providing humanitarian aid to those in desperate need.
     
    Building peace in fragile states and strengthening democratic institutions.
     
    Defending human rights and dignity.
     
    Supporting sustainable development and climate action.
     
    And putting the spotlight on ending the scourge of domestic violence.
     
    But these and other investments in international cooperation are under threat.    
     
    Deadly conflicts are multiplying and deepening, exacting a devastating human toll.
     
    And a contagion of impunity is taking hold.
     
    Poverty, hunger and inequalities are growing — while the wealth of a handful of men eclipses that of half of humanity.
     
    The climate crisis is raging.
     
    Vulnerable countries are often locked out of decision-making rooms.
     
    Technology is outpacing our ability to protect people’s safety, rights and dignity.
     
    We see a dangerous rollback of fundamental freedoms.
     
    Women’s rights are under attack.
     
    Minorities, refugees and migrants are demonized.
     
    The voices of nationalism and isolationism are growing louder with a dangerous resurgence of strongarm politics.
     
    And donors are dramatically scaling-back humanitarian and development support — while defense budgets soar. 
     
    It would be the cruelest of ironies for the poor to be made to pay for the weapons of the rich. 
     
    Last week, I was in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh during the holy month of Ramadan on a mission of solidarity with Rohingya refugees, and with the Bangladeshi communities that so generously host them.
     
    The entire refugee population depends on humanitarian aid.
     
    But with looming cuts, Cox’s Bazar is fast-becoming ground zero of the funding crisis, with money for basic essentials like food, running out.
     
    And I am hopeful that what we are doing now with several donor countries will help us overcome this tragic situation, because without a reversal of these cuts in Cox’s Bazar and beyond — people will suffer and people will die.
     
    Dear friends,
     
    As the darkness spreads, we risk losing sight of Europe’s greatest gift to civilization — the Enlightenment.
     
    Everywhere we look, the fruits of the Enlightenment are being challenged by the voices of irrationality, ignorance and isolationism.
     
    Truth, science and knowledge are being questioned.
     
    Expertise and experience have somehow become liabilities. 
     
    And the multilateral values that the United Nations embodies — collaboration, solidarity, united action and human rights — are being undone by mistrust and geopolitical divisions.
     
    Excellencies, dear friends,
     
    Anniversaries are about more than looking to the past.
     
     At their best, they are about renewing for the future.
     
    And renewal sometimes means asking hard questions.
     
    Let’s be clear: The UN was never meant to be stuck in time. 
     
    The world has changed in fundamental ways — most notably the rise in economic influence and political power across the Global South.
     
    How, can we justify, today, a Security Council without permanent representation for Africa — home to one-quarter of humanity?
     
    How can we accept an unfair and dysfunctional global financial architecture that inadequately supports developing countries in their hour of need?
     
    How can we passively accept that the great promise of Artificial Intelligence might be won at the expense of handing over our humanity to algorithms?
     
    Renewal is the driving force of the Pact for the Future, agreed at the United Nations in September.
     
    And multilateralism must be the engine of this renewal.
     
    We need all countries working together — in solidarity — as we tackle the challenges facing our world. 
     
    In this spirit of renewal through multilateralism, I want to outline four areas where we can overcome today’s threats by standing as one and forging common solutions. 
     
    First — we must find common solutions for peace in our fragmented world.
     
    Around the world, peace is in short supply.
     
    Look no further than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — an open wound in Europe.  
     
    This brutal war is now in its fourth year and has claimed thousands of lives, displaced millions — including many who have found shelter here in Belgium — and challenged the very foundations of European security and international order.
     
    It is time for a just and lasting peace. But a just peace means that it must be based on the UN Charter, international law and UN resolutions, including the respect for territorial integrity. 
     
    In Gaza, since the horrific terror attacks by Hamas on October 7, the ensuing Israeli military operations have unleashed an unprecedented level of death and destruction.
     
    I am outraged at this week’s Israeli attacks in Gaza, which killed hundreds of people.
     
    I was deeply saddened and shocked to learn of the death of one of our UN staff members — and the wounding of five other UN personnel — when two UN guesthouses in Deir al Balah were hit in strikes. 
     
    And appallingly another 5 UNRWA humanitarians were also killed this week, bringing the death toll to 284.
     
    The ceasefire had finally allowed some measure of relief to ease the horrendous suffering of Palestinians in Gaza — and relief to Israeli families finally welcoming home hostages after over a year of anguish and desperation.
     
    All of that has now been shattered.  
     
    Escalation is not the answer. 
     
    There is no military solution to this conflict.
     
    I strongly appeal for the ceasefire to be restored, for unimpeded humanitarian assistance to be reestablished and for the remaining hostages to be released immediately and unconditionally.
     
    Beyond ending this terrible war, we must lay the foundations for lasting peace — through immediate and irreversible steps towards a two-State solution — with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security, in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states.
     
    In the Democratic Republic of the Congo — a country whose tragic history resonates so strongly here in Belgium — renewed fighting, fueled by external interference and armed militias, has devastated communities and plunged the region into a deeper crisis, naturally aggravated by the presence of Rwandan troops, violating the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
     
    In Sudan, bloodshed, displacement and famine are engulfing the country. 
     
    The warring parties must take immediate action to protect civilians, uphold human rights, cease hostilities and forge peace.
     
    And domestic and international human rights monitoring and investigation mechanisms must be permitted to document what is happening on the ground.
     
    Beyond these and other conflicts, we need to reform the global security architecture.
     
    Drawing from proposals included in the New Agenda for Peace that we developed, the Pact for the Future calls for strengthening the machinery of peace by prioritizing the tools of prevention, mediation and peacebuilding.
     
    The changing nature of conflict calls for a review of our global peace operations; 
     
    Enhancing coordination with regional organizations;
     
    And the Pact includes also the first multilateral agreement on nuclear disarmament in more than a decade, even if we are still very far from a world free of nuclear weapons.
     
    Dear friends,
     
    Second — we can overcome threats to multilateralism by finding common solutions to reduce inequalities and ensure financial justice for all.
     
    The Pact includes a call for a massive Stimulus to help countries invest in the Sustainable Development Goals.
     
    It also urges bold reforms of the international financial architecture, including expanding the voice and representation of developing countries in institutions.  
     
    We must also substantially increase the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks to make them bigger, bolder and better.
     
    And we must review the debt architecture to stop debt from bleeding countries dry.
     
    No country should have to choose between servicing their debt and serving their people.
     
    Our global economy also needs open, predictable and inclusive trade to spur broad-based prosperity and help developing countries to better link to global markets and supply chains.
     
    The Pact also reminds us of a basic truth: societies can only thrive when all women and girls enjoy their full rights.
     
    Investing in their education, economic empowerment, and social protection is not only fair — it is essential for a better future for all.
     
    Third — we can strengthen multilateralism for the future by finding common solutions for climate action before it is too late.
     
    The climate crisis is costing lives, livelihoods, and billions in damages.
     
    Record heatwaves scorch continents.
     
    2024 was the hottest year — in the hottest decade in history.
     
    Relentless storms ravage communities.
     
    Rising seas threaten coastlines — including here.
     
    And those least responsible are bearing the heaviest burden.
     
    If we are to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees — essential to avoid the worst of climate catastrophe — the science is clear:
     
    Global emissions must peak this year and rapidly decline afterwards.
     
    And we must recognize this challenge for what it is: a moment of enormous opportunity.
     
    The benefits of the clean energy transition are clear.
     
    Renewables renew economies. 
     
    They boost growth, lower energy bills, and help us all breathe easier with cleaner air.
     
    This year — in advance of the UN Climate Conference, or COP30, in Brazil — every country must submit new economy-wide national climate plans that align with the 1.5 degree limit and seize the benefits of clean energy.
     
    I am working closely with President Lula of Brazil to drive action by the biggest emitters.
     
    The United Nations is also helping nearly 100 developing countries to prepare their national climate action plans.
     
    And we will convene a special event to take stock of the plans of all countries, push for action to keep 1.5 within reach, and deliver climate justice.
     
    I urge Europe to keep leading the way.
     
    To set strong and ambitious emission reduction targets.
     
    And to put an end to the myth that fossil fuels are the future. 
     
    We must accelerate the renewables revolution which can lower emissions, boost energy security, create good jobs, and provide cheap and accessible power.
     
    Throughout, we must continue supporting developing and vulnerable nations, by making good on long-standing promises and delivering on climate finance across the board.
     
    Climate solidarity is a moral obligation — and a matter of survival for us all.
     
    Fourth and finally — we can overcome threats to multilateralism by making sure technology upholds human rights and dignity for all.
     
    The information age is unfolding at a dizzying scale and speed.
     
    Artificial Intelligence holds great promise.
     
    But today, those benefits remain concentrated in the hands of a privileged few. 
     
    And while some are racing ahead with record investments, most developing countries are left in the dark.
     
    Without guardrails, AI risks deepening geopolitical divides and inequalities;
     
    Enabling surveillance, amplifying disinformation, facilitating cyberattacks;
     
    And even making life-and-death decisions.
     
    Humans must always retain control — guided by international law, human rights and ethical principles.  
     
    Technology must serve humanity, not the other way around.
     
    That is the spirit of the Global Digital Compact also adopted at the United Nations last year.
     
    It calls for closing the digital divide, so all countries can benefit.
     
    It includes the first universal agreement on AI governance to bring every country to the table.
     
    It calls for an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI that promotes a common understanding of AI risks, benefits and capabilities.
     
    It proposes initiating a Global Dialogue on AI Governance — within the United Nations — to ensure that all countries have a voice in shaping common governance standards that help uphold human rights and prevent misuse.
     
    And it urges support for helping grow AI tools and skills in developing countries.
     
    I will soon present a report on innovative voluntary financing models and capacity-building initiatives to help all countries harness AI as a force for good.
     
    Excellencies, dear students,
     
    These are all ways that we can overcome the clear and present dangers to multilateralism in our time. 
     
    I am convinced that we can do it.
     
    Every generation faces moments of decisive choice.
     
    Yet none has possessed our tools, knowledge, and global awareness.
     
    Today, we are celebrating history.
     
    But history is also unfolding before our eyes — and I urge you to be on the frontlines for human dignity.
     
    Refuse indifference. Choose hope. Confront injustice. Defend truth.
     
    And for that you can draw, being inspired by the values these universities represent.
     
    Dear students, I ask you today to draw strength and inspiration from your universities’ history.
     
    Dear Rector Sels and Rector Smets,
     
    I wish to conclude by reinforcing your opening words.
     
    You recounted the powerful story of the University’s library — destroyed in 1914, and again in 1940.
     
    In the midst of two world wars — and the rubble of this very city — the global shock and outrage that followed the destruction of a library sent a clear and powerful message.
     
    These were not only attacks on books and manuscripts.
     
    These were attacks on history, science, reason, knowledge and art.
     
    These were attacks on the very hallmarks of humanity.
     
    These were attacks on our common soul.
     
    Twice the forces of ignorance tried to extinguish Leuven’s light of knowledge.
     
    And twice the world answered Leuven’s call — and helped you restore that light brighter than ever.
     
    Because in the aftermath of these attacks, we saw other aspects of humanity’s soul revealed and shining brightly. 
     
    We saw generosity, in countries providing funding to rebuild, and books to re-stock the library.
     
    We saw the power of collaboration, in countries standing with Belgium and with Leuven to resurrect this library not once, but twice.
     
    And yes, we saw humanity’s hunger for the eternal values that have guided your universities for 600 years — and the United Nations for 80 years.
     
    Generosity, solidarity, renewal.
     
    This is more than just your story — it is humanity’s story.
     
    It shows that no matter the challenge, we can face down threats.
     
    We can overcome obstacles.
     
    We can build stronger than before.
     
    And so, let us carry this legacy forward.
     
    And let’s keep building  — together.
     
    Happy 600th anniversary.
     
    And I thank you. Dank u. Merci.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: An Evening of Contemporary Bluegrass with Noam Pikelny & Friends at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts will present an evening of contemporary bluegrass with Noam Pikelny & Friends on Thursday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m. Joining him on the Jorgensen stage will be Jake Eddy (guitar), Dan Klingsberg (bass), Julian Pinelli (fiddle) and Teo Quale (mandolin).

    Pikelny has emerged as the preeminent banjoist of his generation. He is a founding member of Punch Brothers, a nine-time GRAMMY Nominee, and winner of the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. Punch Brothers won a 2019 GRAMMY Award for Best Folk Album for their album All Ashore.

    “In the last couple years going to festivals and camps I’ve just been completely blown away with the level of artistry of this next generation of musicians,” Pikelny said. “I thought that beginning in 2025 I wanted to bring in the next generation of guys. Whenever I do these shows I really try to give everybody an opportunity to bring in their own material and to craft a kind of a three-dimensional show that isn’t just banjo music.”

    Jake Eddy is a bluegrass guitarist from Parkersburg, West Virginia, who began his music career playing banjo professionally at the age of 14 with bluegrass-legend Melvin Goins. He tours as a sideman with the Becky Buller Band from Manchester, Tennessee as well as his own group.

    Dan Klingsberg, an experienced jazz, roots, and bluegrass bass player based in Brooklyn, New York is a graduate of the New England Conservatory who plays and tours with a number of groups including Mudskippers, PRNCX, Ben Krakauer, and The Ladles. He has performed with Darol Anger, Joe Morris, Peter Rowan, Stuart Duncan, and many others.

    Fiddler Julian Pinelli grew up in Southern Appalachia and is attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. He has won the Fresh Grass fiddle competition, Fletcher Bright Award and Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival’s Bill Vernon Memorial Scholarship. He performs with his own acoustic quartet OctoPladd and also performs with groups including the progressive bluegrass band Front Country, and the acoustic metal sensation The Stash Band.

    Teo Quale on mandolin is a multi-instrumentalist (fiddle, guitar, ukulele) from Alameda, California who has played with a range of musicians including Sean Watkins, John Reischman, and George Cole. He was invited by country legend Marty Stuart to perform with his band at Ryman Auditorium. He has won competitions in both fiddle and mandolin.

    Noam Pikelny spoke with WHUS on the Good Music show, (Wednesdays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.) about his work with Punch Brothers and touring with Noam & Friends.

    For more information go to Jorgensen.uconn.edu

    Listen to the interview here:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 14th meeting of ADMM-Plus Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism concludes in New Delhi

    Source: Government of India (2)

    14th meeting of ADMM-Plus Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism concludes in New Delhi

    Discussions focus on evolving a comprehensive strategy to tackle terrorism & extremism

    India & Malaysia assume co-chairmanship for 2024-2027 cycle; Announce Table-Top Exercise in Malaysia in 2026 & Field Training Exercise in India in 2027

    Posted On: 21 MAR 2025 12:51PM by PIB Delhi

    The 14th meeting of ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism (EWG on CT) was held in New Delhi from March 19 to 20, 2025. Delegations from ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN countries (Lao PDR, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam), ADMM-Plus member states (China, USA, Russia, Australia, Japan and Republic of Korea) participated in the meeting.

     

    During 14th ADMM-Plus EWG on CT, the co-chairs, India and Malaysia conveyed work plan for the activities planned for the cycle 2024-2027. It announced the conduct of Table-Top Exercise for EWG on CT in Malaysia in 2026 and Field Training Exercise in India in 2027.

    During the two-day meet, discussions were held to focus on evolving a robust and comprehensive strategy to tackle the evolving threat of terrorism and extremism. The meeting was aimed to share the on-ground experience of the Defence Forces of ASEAN countries and its dialogue partners. The meeting laid a foundation for the activities/exercises/meetings/ workshops planned for the current cycle.

    Earlier, Myanmar and Russia, co-chairs for EWG on CT during the previous cycle for 2021-2024, handed over the co-chairmanship to India and Malaysia for the present cycle (2024-2027). India is hosting the maiden EWG meeting for the current cycle.

    In the Inaugural session, Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh delivered the keynote address and interacted with participating head of delegations during the opening ceremony. He stated that terrorism remains a dynamic and evolving challenge with threats increasingly transcending borders. He highlighted India’s efforts towards countering terrorism in the region, including adoption of Delhi Declaration during India’s chairmanship of Counter-Terrorism committee of the UNSC in 2022.

    Joint Secretary [International Cooperation (IC)], Ministry of Defence Shri Amitabh Prasad, Additional Director General (IC), Indian Army, senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian Army’s Counter-Terrorism division participated in the event. 

    The Heads of Delegations of participating countries and ASEAN Secretariat also presented their views on adopting best practices for countering terrorism in the region. The delegates also visited Agra as part of the cultural tour.

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    VK/Savvy

    (Release ID: 2113546) Visitor Counter : 123

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: PARLIAMENT QUESTION: IMPROVING TEXTILE EXPORTS

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 21 MAR 2025 12:15PM by PIB Delhi

    India is ranked among the top textile exporting countries in the world with a share of approx. 4% of global textiles and apparel exports. The export of Textile & Apparel including Handicrafts has increased by 7% in April-December 2024 with respect to same period previous year.  Major textile and apparel export destinations for India are USA, EU and UK with around 53% share in total textile and apparel exports in FY 2023-24.

    The Government is implementing various schemes/initiatives to promote Indian textiles. The major schemes/initiatives include PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks Scheme to create a modern, integrated, world class textile infrastructure; Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme focusing on MMF Fabric, MMF Apparel and Technical Textiles to boost large scale manufacturing and enhancing competitiveness; National Technical Textiles Mission focusing on Research Innovation & Development, Promotion and Market Development; SAMARTH – Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector with the objective providing demand driven, placement oriented, skilling program; Silk Samagra-2 for comprehensive development of sericulture value chain; National Handloom Development Program for end to end support for handloom sector. Ministry of Textiles is also implementing National Handicrafts Development Programme and Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme for promotion of handicrafts.

    The Indian textiles industry is one of the largest in the world with a large raw material base of natural fibre including cotton, silk, wool, jute as well as manmade fibre and manufacturing strength across the value chain from fibre to fabric to garments.

    With a view to ensure a consistent supply of cotton in the country and have a sustained interest of farmers in cotton cultivation, Government of India is declaring Minimum Support Price (MSP) of cotton every year. This mechanism ensures that farmers receive a fair remunerative price for their produce in the event market prices of cotton falls below the MSP rates and also facilitates the availability of cotton at competitive prices.

    With effect from 20th February 2024, the custom duty on Extra-Long Staple (ELS) Cotton has been reduced to NIL. Under the India-Australia ECTA, 51,000 tonnes of duty free ELS Cotton can be imported since Dec 29, 2022.

    In order to increase the export potential, India has so far signed 14 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) including recently concluded agreement with UAE, Australia and TEPA with EFTA countries comprising Switzerland, Iceland, Norway & Liechtenstein; and 6 Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) with various trading partners.

    The Government is also implementing Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) scheme for Apparel/Garments and Made-ups in order to enhance competitiveness by adopting principle of zero rated exports. Further, textiles products not covered under the RoSCTL scheme are covered under Remissions of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) along with other products. In addition, Government provides financial support to various Export Promotion Councils and Trade Bodies under Market Access Initiative Scheme implemented by Department of Commerce for organising and participating in trade fairs, exhibitions, buyer-seller meets etc at national and international levels to boost export.

    With a view to boost technical textiles sector in the country, National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) was launched for a period from 2020-21 to 2025-26. The mission focusses on fundamental research in thrust areas of speciality fibre like Carbon Fibre, Aramid Fibre, Nylon Fibre, and Composites & application-based research in geotextiles, agro-textiles, medical textiles, mobile textiles and sports textiles and development of biodegradable technical textiles. For research in sustainable & biodegradable technical textiles, projects have been approved for research in non-conventional natural fibres like, Milk Weed, Bamboo Fibre, etc.

    As far as innovation in textiles sector is concerned, Ministry of Textiles has conducted an Innovation Challenges in collaboration with Startup India & DPIIT. In this challenge, 9 winners were recognised and awarded and Incubation opportunity to 6 awardees were given through this Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). Apart from this, 3 separate innovations challenges were conducted by nature fibre boards on their respective problem statements i.e.

    • NJB Technological Innovation Grand Challenge in which 3 winners were recognised and awarded out of 125 applicants.
    • CSB Start-up Grand Challenge in which 4 winners were recognised and awarded out of             58 applicants.
    • CWDB Wool Innovation Challenge in which 3 winners were recognised and awarded out of     24 applicants.

    17 of the above-mentioned winners are directly engage activities such as textile waste recycling, bio-based fibres or sustainable garment production.

    The Government is regularly monitoring exports and imports and engaging with the industry in this regard. The Government has imposed Minimum Import Price of USD 3.50 per kg on Harmonized System of Nomenclature (HSN) codes under the heading 6,006, in order to control import of low rate and low-quality knitted fabrics. In the budget announcement, custom duty was revised on HSN under heading 6,006. Various QCOs have been imposed to curb imports of low-quality non-standard goods which allows protection to domestic producers.

    This information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TEXTILES SHRI PABITRA MARGHERITA in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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    DHANYA SANAL K

    (Lok Sabha US Q2873)

    (Release ID: 2113532) Visitor Counter : 23

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Three experts on racial justice explain why reparations matter

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Experts from Africa and its global diasporas gathered in Berlin late last year to call on European governments to address their colonial past and ongoing impact.

    Here, human rights lawyer Melissa Hendrickse, journalist Gary Younge and academic Pumla Dineo Gqola talk about the long-lasting legacy of colonialism, how it’s affected them and the importance of reparations…

    Melissa Hendrickse

    Melissa is Amnesty International’s researcher and advisor on racial justice and international criminal law.

    Amnesty International’s Racial Justice team (from left to right) – Melissa Hendrickse, Rym Khadhraoui and Hashas Rage – recently attended the Dekoloniale Berlin Africa Conference, a decolonial counter-version of the 1884/5 Berlin Africa Conference 140 years ago.

    I was born in Cape Town in the early Nineties – in the midst of the negotiations to end apartheid. It was a turbulent time in South Africa’s history. After Chris Hani, an important figure in South Africa’s freedom struggle, was assassinated, it seemed that the political transition teetered on the brink of collapse. But the negotiations continued and, when I was two years old, South Africa held its first democratic elections.

    It was a better time to be growing up as a person of colour in South Africa, compared to my parents’ experience. There was a sense of hope and optimism. However, the legacy of apartheid didn’t just vanish – the country remained segregated and the inequality caused by centuries of colonialism, dispossession and exploitation has endured. I grew up in a predominantly white area. Most of my classmates were white and it was difficult navigating my own identity within spaces that were disconnected with the history of the country and the experience of the majority of South Africans.

    I went on to study law, inspired by the role that law can play in supporting struggles against racial injustice. After my Masters, I applied for a job at Amnesty, where I am now a researcher and advisor on racial justice and international criminal law. Rather than being an activist in the traditional sense, I see my contribution mostly through law and the legal analysis. Working on Amnesty’s groundbreaking report, which concluded that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians was an honour. The parallels between apartheid South Africa and the racial oppression of Palestinians profoundly resonate with me. As Nelson Mandela, once said: “our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”

    Within the racial justice team, I work on reparations for slavery and colonialism, having recently drafted Amnesty’s policy.  European colonialism and slavery built the world that we inhabit today. It is palpable all around us – from the borders that divide us to the languages we speak and the knowledge systems we are taught. The incredible wealth that was made by European states through slavery and colonialism has led to gross inequality that continues to mark the world order.

    There cannot be meaningful racial justice today without reckoning with this legacy and re-making the oppressive systems built by colonialism. While European states are starting to issue apologies, there’s still a resistance to take concrete measures and offer reparations. This is why Amnesty’s work on reparations is coming at an important historical moment. Our hope is that, by joining the global reparations movement, Amnesty can contribute to creating pressure on European states to respond with more than just platitudes to the growing calls for reparatory justice.

    Follow Melissa on X.

    Gary Younge

    Gary is a UK-based award-winning journalist, academic and podcaster.

    For journalist Gary Younge, the history of colonialism and slavery has always been of interest.

    I grew up in a town called Stevenage (in the UK), during the Seventies, after my family moved from Barbados. There were very few black people.

    In the Seventies you got a lot of casual racism from all kinds, teachers as well as people you lived near to. The same people who would be racist could be neighbourly. It wasn’t consistent. I grew up thinking I wasn’t British – and I didn’t want to be. In winter people would say, “I bet it’s not like this where you come from.”  There was an assumption that if you were Black, you weren’t British.

    It was partly these contradictions that inspired my activism. For me, activism was about being a free person – if you wanted your freedom you had to fight for it and for the freedom of others. For me, there wasn’t any other way to be in the world. My family were very political – my mum, my brothers – and I became obsessed with the notion of freedom and what it means to be free at a very young age.

    The history of colonialism and slavery has always interested me. We have grown up in countries in Europe that have decapitated their history in a peculiar way. There’s an aphorism explaining post-colonial immigration that says, “We are here because you were there. If you didn’t know you were there, how do you know why I am here?”

    It’s not possible to understand where we are as a country or where I am as a person or why our racial politics are what they are unless there is an engagement with colonialism. None of it makes sense. And it’s far from over yet. We’re still dealing with it.

    Britain has only known itself as a non-racial democracy recently. There’s a level of implausible deniability that these European countries can have about where they have been and what they have done – they pose as enlightened liberal democracies and everyone buys into that. However, if you look behind the curtain, you’ll find all the blood sloshing around, along with the occasional kick back such as when Britain gives back the Chagos islands.

    Reparations remain important because the impact of slavery and colonialism is still evident. We can see it in trade links, migration patterns, poverty and other inequalities, both globally and nationally. The principal of reparations has already been established. We saw it after the First World War, after the Second World War, after the Holocaust and beyond. So, the question is then why should people of African descent, who were enslaved, and the descendants of the colonised be omitted from that narrative?

    Find out more about Gary’s podcast.

    Pumla Dineo Gqola

    Pumla is a South African academic, award-winning writer and feminist.

    Pumla Dineo Gqola is an academic who grew up in South Africa.

    I grew up in South Africa, during the Seventies and Eighties, as apartheid was tightening its reign. It was complicated and difficult.

    Yet it was a time of diversifying activism. I grew up surrounded by Black academics and I knew I wanted to be an academic myself. My family’s politics were left leaning and my father taught at a historic Black university. It was foundational to who I would become.

    I’m now a professor, a feminist writer and I am a post-colonialist by training. We often think about colonialism as something that’s finished, but we are still living in its long aftermath. We live in a world shaped by colonial logic and the systems that organize our world have come from its very powers. For example, where people migrate from and to neatly maps on to histories created under colonial power, while low-income countries are most likely to be former colonies. So, while formal colonialism is over, many of the ideas of how the globe is organized and who can move where, how, why and when map comfortably with those divisions – and that’s why they are so difficult to undo.

    I recently attend the event Dekoloniale Berlin alongside a number of racial justice experts. These festivals are important for a variety of reasons. They provide an opportunity to go beyond diplomatic performance, while the conversations around debt, human rights and reparations, even at the level of art and culture, the conversation of coloniality, is one that shows every aspect of how the EU is a power block. 

    Going forward, I want to see a significant shift in the negotiation of states inside and outside of the EU – and whatever that looks like needs to move beyond diplomacy, while conversations about reparations need to be serious and must move out of the realm of superficiality. 

    Follow Pumla on X

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Submit Debris Removal Right of Entry Forms by March 31

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Submit Debris Removal Right of Entry Forms by March 31

    Submit Debris Removal Right of Entry Forms by March 31

    LOS ANGELES – In order to have debris removed by the U

    S

    Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), a Right of Entry form (ROE) must be submitted to the County by the property owner

    There is no out-of-pocket cost to have debris removed by USACE

    The deadline for ROE form submittal is March 31, 2025

     Debris cleanup for the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles County began in January

    FEMA assigned the U

    S

    Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and USACE to survey, remove, and dispose of debris from properties burned by the wildfires

     As part of this effort, Los Angeles County established a Debris Removal website with information and resources for fire-impacted residents to learn more about the debris clearance process

    In Phase 1 of the process, which was completed on February 25, the EPA removed hazardous household materials (HHM) from private property

    No action from the property owner was required for Phase 1 to be completed

    HHM removal associated with properties where structural hazards precluded safe entry were deferred to USACE

    Phase 2, conducted by USACE, consists of structural debris removal and requires an ROE form completed by the property owner, which is provided on the county website and available at Disaster Recovery Centers

    Free private property debris removal by USACE is only available if the eligible property owner opts in by completing and submitting the ROE form

    The ROE form is an agreement where property owners accept the conditions of participation in the debris removal program and give permission for USACE to access their property for cleanup activities

     Signing up for the debris removal program via the ROE does NOT impact a property owner’s eligibility to apply for other FEMA disaster assistance If a property owner opts out of the USACE debris removal program, they become responsible for all permits, inspections and other associated debris removal requirements and costs

     Coverage for debris and hazardous tree removal may be provided through your insurance policy

    For information about insurance reimbursement, visit pages 3 and 4 on the ROE form

     What is the Debris Removal Program? The Debris Removal Program has two phases: removal of HHM followed by removal of other fire-related debris and trees that are deemed a hazard or that a certified arborist determines are dead or likely to die within five years due to the fire

     Phase 1: Removing Hazardous Materials On January 16, teams of experts from EPA and California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control began assessing properties in the burn areas to remove any HHM that could pose a threat to human health and the environment such as lithium-ion batteries, paint, cleaners and solvents, oils and pesticides

    This phase was automatic and completed at no cost to residents

    EPA only removed hazardous materials

    Examples of devices that contain lithium-ion batteries removed in Phase 1 and include: electric/hybrid vehicles, power tools, power banks, home alarms, drones, and tablets

     Phase 1 was completed on February 25

    While most properties were cleared of HHM during Phase 1, some have been deferred to Phase 2 due to access and safety challenges

    For more information, please visit: 2025 California Wildfires | US EPA Phase 2: Debris Removal On February 11, USACE, at the direction of FEMA, began removing fire-damaged metal, ash, and other general fire debris from residential properties

    USACE will also remove foundations if property owners have opted to include foundation removal on the ROE

    The collection of ROEs is a critical component of recovery operations because work cannot begin until a property owner opts into the program by submitting a completed form to the County

    The ROE forms are available on the County’s website LA County Recovers

    Follow FEMA online, on X @FEMA or @FEMAEspanol, on FEMA’s Facebook page or Espanol page and at FEMA’s YouTube account

    For preparedness information follow the Ready Campaign on X at @Ready

    gov, on Instagram @Ready

    gov or on the Ready Facebook page

    California is committed to supporting residents impacted by the Los Angeles Hurricane-Force Firestorm as they navigate the recovery process

    Visit CA

    gov/LAFires for up-to-date information on disaster recovery programs, important deadlines, and how to apply for assistance

    alberto

    pillot
    Fri, 03/21/2025 – 01:25

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: President Lai meets Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    Details
    2025-03-20
    President Lai attends AmCham Taiwan 2025 Hsieh Nien Fan
    On the evening of March 20, President Lai Ching-te attended the annual Hsieh Nien Fan (謝年飯) banquet hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham Taiwan). In remarks, President Lai pointed out that the United States is now a major source of investment in Taiwan, adding that last year US investment accounted for 11.5 percent of total foreign investment in Taiwan. The president also pointed out that the US has become Taiwan’s largest investment destination, as Taiwan’s direct and indirect investment in the US accounted for more than 40 percent of its total outbound investment last year. President Lai expressed hope that AmCham will continue to offer support in quickly resolving the issue of double taxation, further enhancing the mutually beneficial Taiwan-US economic and trade partnership. He also emphasized that one essential element for our economic prosperity is maintaining security and stability, both regionally and globally. The president expressed his belief that, so long as we coordinate our efforts, we can achieve more in our respective defense industries and build non-red supply chains, advancing peace, stability, and prosperity. A transcript of President Lai’s remarks follows: I’m delighted to be here tonight. I want to wish everyone and their families a happy, healthy, and prosperous year ahead. For many years now, AmCham has acted as a bridge between Taiwan and the US. It not only advocates for Taiwan to various sectors in the US, but also offers advice for the development of Taiwan’s industries. So tonight, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all our friends from the American business community. The 2025 Business Climate Survey, published by AmCham this January, demonstrates the confidence foreign businesses have in the Taiwan market. We are happy to see that over 80 percent of survey respondents reported stable or increased revenue last year, and around 80 percent expressed confidence in Taiwan’s economic prospects for the coming year. Moreover, 90 percent of businesses surveyed are planning to maintain or expand their investments in Taiwan. The positive developments in Taiwan made by our American friends here tonight, their outlook for the future, and their confidence in Taiwan, are further proof of Taiwan’s ideal environment for investment. The US is now a major source of investment in Taiwan. Last year, US investment accounted for 11.5 percent of total foreign investment in Taiwan. In 2023, Entegris opened a new manufacturing facility in Kaohsiung and Micron launched a new facility in Taichung. Last year, Google further solidified Taiwan as its biggest R&D hub outside of the US by opening a new office here. AMD, Nvidia, and major cloud computing companies from the US have also been choosing Taiwan to expand their presence. Over the past several years, the US has also become Taiwan’s largest investment destination. Taiwan’s direct and indirect investment in the US accounted for more than 40 percent of our total outbound investment last year. Four years ago, TSMC’s [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company] investment in facilities in Arizona became the biggest FDI [foreign direct investment] in a greenfield project in US history. And this month, TSMC announced it would expand that investment, breaking another record and highlighting the enduring prosperity shared by Taiwan and the US. In addition to TSMC, Taiwan’s GlobalWafers has built a 12-inch silicon wafer factory in Texas, the biggest in the US. This will be followed by many other industries. These companies are confidently expanding their global presence across the Pacific and eastward into the Americas. The US is moving to reindustrialize its manufacturing industry and consolidate high-tech leadership, as it moves to become a global AI hub. In these efforts, Taiwan is an indispensable partner for the US. While the US is a leader in chip design, Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturing plays an irreplaceable part in the supply chain. Adapting to the changing geopolitical landscape and the coming era of smart technology, Taiwan will continue to promote its Five Trusted Industry Sectors of semiconductors, AI, military, next-gen communications, and security and surveillance. This will drive the next stage in our economic development. A great time to invest in Taiwan is now. We will continue to better connect relevant government agencies and align with international standards to foster a friendlier investment environment. And I am confident that Taiwanese and American companies can leverage their respective high-tech expertise and invest in each other, boosting growth in industrial innovation and development for both our economies. At the same time, we hope to continue deepening Taiwan-US trade relations. Last year, Taiwan was the seventh largest trading partner of the US, up one spot from the previous year, and bilateral trade grew by 24.2 percent. Taiwan is going to expand procurement from the US of industrial and agricultural products, as well as natural gas. I am very happy to welcome Governor [Mike] Dunleavy of Alaska, who has specially come all the way to Taiwan. Alaska is a source of high-quality natural gas, and its relatively short distance from Taiwan facilitates transportation. So we are very interested in buying Alaskan natural gas because it can meet our needs and ensure our energy security. We hope that AmCham will continue to offer support in quickly resolving the issue of double taxation and removing tax barriers to bilateral investment and trade, further enhancing the mutually beneficial Taiwan-US economic and trade partnership. One essential element for our economic prosperity is maintaining security and stability, both regionally and globally. So we are grateful for the joint leaders’ statement issued by [US] President [Donald] Trump and Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, in which they expressed their solid support for maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. As we face growing authoritarianism, Taiwan will continue to uphold our values of freedom and democracy and will be a responsible actor in regional and global security. Currently, Taiwan’s defense budget stands at about 2.5 percent of GDP. Going forward, the government will prioritize special budget allocations to ensure that our defense budget exceeds 3 percent of GDP. At the same time, we will continue to reform national defense, further enhancing Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities. And we will advance our cooperation with the US and other democracies in upholding regional stability and prosperity. We also welcome continued Taiwan-US cooperation in the defense sector. I believe that, so long as we coordinate our efforts, we can achieve more in our respective defense industries and build non-red supply chains, advancing peace, stability, and prosperity. In closing, I look forward to seeing even greater achievements from Taiwan-US economic and trade cooperation. Thank you. After remarks, President Lai, AmCham Chairperson Dan Silver, American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Director Raymond Greene, and Governor Dunleavy raised their glasses in recognition of the strong Taiwan-US friendship.  

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    2025-03-18
    President Lai meets Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs  
    On the afternoon of March 18, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs. In remarks, President Lai said that Taiwan and Arizona enjoy close economic and trade relations, and expressed hope that through our joint efforts, Arizona will become a shining example for Taiwan-United States high-tech collaboration and the creation of non-red supply chains. The president indicated that the next goal for Taiwan and the US is the signing of an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation, which would provide greater incentives for Taiwanese businesses to invest in the US, facilitate the establishment of more comprehensive industry clusters, and generate more job opportunities, representing a win-win outcome for Taiwan-US relations. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I warmly welcome you all to the Presidential Office. Governor Hobbs previously visited Taiwan after taking office in 2023. Her leading a delegation to Taiwan once again demonstrates Arizona’s continued friendship and the importance Arizona attaches to Taiwan. For this, I express my sincerest gratitude, and I welcome you again. In recent years, ties between Taiwan and Arizona have continued to expand and progress. For example, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)’s investment in Arizona is the largest greenfield investment in US history. This month, TSMC announced that it would increase its investment in the US by US$100 billion. It plans to build more semiconductor fabrication and research and development facilities in greater Phoenix, transforming the area into a US semiconductor hub. Due to our close industrial engagement, we now have more than 30,000 Taiwanese living in Arizona. I would like to thank Governor Hobbs for taking care of Taiwanese businesses and people. I believe that through our joint efforts, Arizona will become a shining example for Taiwan-US high-tech collaboration and the creation of non-red supply chains. Taiwan and Arizona also enjoy close economic and trade relations. Taiwan is Arizona’s eighth largest export market and fifth largest source of imports. Last December, the first agreement under the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st-Century Trade officially came into effect. I believe this will help further deepen our trade and economic ties. At present, the next goal for Taiwan and the US is the signing of an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation. I hope that we can work together to achieve this goal as soon as possible. This would provide greater incentives for Taiwanese businesses to invest in the US, facilitate the establishment of more comprehensive local industry clusters, and generate more job opportunities, representing a win-win outcome. With Governor Hobbs’s support, we look forward to continuing to advance Taiwan-US relations and promoting further cooperation and exchanges between Taiwan and Arizona across all domains. I understand that during this visit, you have visited many important companies and exchanged opinions with government agencies on how to strengthen bilateral relations. These efforts all go toward building an even more solid foundation for future Taiwan-US cooperation. Once again, I thank you all for supporting Taiwan and welcome you to visit us often in the future. Governor Hobbs then delivered remarks, stating that under President Lai’s leadership, Taiwan continues to thrive as a global hub for technology, innovation, and advanced manufacturing. She said that she is proud to be back in Taiwan alongside her secretary of commerce, Sandra Watson, as part of a diplomatic and economic delegation from Arizona. Since arriving, she said, they’ve hit the ground running, meeting with key partners, businesses, and leaders, noting that the takeaway from their meetings has been incredibly positive, and that they underscore the strong and enduring partnership between Arizona and Taiwan. Adding that our partnership that is built on shared values, mutual cultural appreciation, and commitment to innovation and economic growth, Governor Hobbs indicated that Arizona and Taiwan’s partnership extends back decades, as Taiwanese fighter pilots have been training at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix since 1996. She said that we have built a strong base of collaboration across many areas, including technology, workforce, and cultural exchange, and that Arizona is even slated to get its own Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐), which she expressed she is very thrilled about. Governor Hobbs went on to say that Arizona’s relationship with Taiwan is anchored by its ongoing partnership with TSMC and many Taiwan-based companies in semiconductor and other industries, and that TSMC’s US$165 billion investment in Arizona will help power development of the world’s most advanced technology, such as AI, and promises to cement an unbreakable bond between our two economies.  She stated that as governor, she can say with confidence that her administration is fully committed to strengthening this relationship in every way possible, because when Arizona and Taiwan succeed, we all succeed. Lastly, Governor Hobbs once again expressed gratitude to President Lai and the people of Taiwan for their warm hospitality. She then invited President Lai to Arizona to continue their productive conversations and further strengthen ties between our people and our economies, adding that she knows there is no limit to what we can achieve together, and that she is looking forward to what is to come. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Director Raymond Greene.

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    2025-03-18
    President Lai meets delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Denzil Douglas of Saint Christopher and Nevis
    On the afternoon of March 18, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Denzil Douglas of the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis. In remarks, President Lai thanked St. Kitts and Nevis for speaking up for Taiwan at major international venues and supporting Taiwan’s international participation. The president expressed hope that our two countries continue to achieve remarkable results through cooperation in such fields as education and training, agricultural development, women’s empowerment, and environmental sustainability, and create even greater well-being for our peoples. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I welcome Minister Douglas and our esteemed guests to Taiwan. Last June, Minister Douglas accompanied Prime Minister Terrance Drew and his wife on their trip to Taiwan. I am delighted to be able to meet and exchange views with Minister Douglas again less than one year later. Your presence fully demonstrates the profound bond between Taiwan and St. Kitts and Nevis. I look forward to the further deepening of our partnership through our exchanges during this visit. Although our two nations are separated by a great distance, we share such universal values as democracy, freedom, and respect for human rights. We also continue to achieve remarkable results through cooperation in such fields as education and training, agricultural development, women’s empowerment, and environmental sustainability. Given that Prime Minister Drew, Minister Douglas, and I all share medical backgrounds, we deeply understand the importance of people’s health. I thus look forward to St. Kitts and Nevis’s climate-smart JNF General Hospital commencing operations as soon as possible thanks to our cooperation. The provision of even higher-quality public health and medical services will yield benefits for many more people. I also believe that by having Taiwan share its experiences in renewable energy and energy-saving technologies, our two countries will jointly drive green industrial transformation and stimulate sustainable development together. I would like to take this opportunity to thank St. Kitts and Nevis for actively speaking up for Taiwan and supporting Taiwan’s participation at such major international venues and organizations as the United Nations General Assembly, the World Health Organization, and the International Civil Aviation Organization. In the future, Taiwan will continue to make critical contributions to the international community. With the support of Minister Douglas and our guests, I look forward to our two countries backing each other on the global stage and continuing to build an even stronger foundation for bilateral cooperation. Let us work together to address the various challenges we face and create even greater well-being for our peoples. Minister Douglas then delivered remarks, first conveying greetings from Prime Minister Drew to President Lai, the government, and the people of Taiwan. He then stated that over the last 41 years since the dawn of their nationhood, the Republic of China Taiwan has steadfastly walked beside St. Kitts and Nevis as a strong and immovable partner. As we reflect on four decades of our journey together, he said, we recognize the unswerving and unwavering spirit that has guided both our nations through trials and challenges. The minister then acknowledged the generous support of Taiwan’s government that has helped St. Kitts and Nevis in its own economic and social development. He went on to say that Taiwan’s partnership with St. Kitts and Nevis has been instrumental in helping them achieve the goals of their sustainable island state agenda. Whether in enhancing food security through the diversification of their agricultural sector, fostering clean energy solutions through the solar PV farm, or advancing healthcare through assistance in building their smart hospital, he said, Taiwan has been a steadfast partner in shaping a much more resilient and sustainable future for the people of their federation. In the spirit of reciprocity and solidarity, Minister Douglas said, St. Kitts and Nevis continues to leverage opportunities on the global stage to request incessantly that Taiwan be given its rightful place in international organizations, where it can make a meaningful contribution to resolving the world’s most critical issues. Minister Douglas indicated that the global challenges we face today demand collective action, and that Taiwan has the innovation, the technology, the knowledge, and the expertise to make a tremendous positive impact on some of the world’s most urgent issues. He said that St. Kitts and Nevis will never grow weary in their own support, but shall continue to sound the clarion call of “let Taiwan in,” as well as advocate for peace to be maintained in the Taiwan Strait. To close, Minister Douglas expressed gratitude for the warm hospitality bestowed upon him and his delegation by Taiwan’s government, remarking that the engagements they had thus far were pregnant with promise, and that they are confident in witnessing a fruitful outcome as we work together to build a prosperous and sustainable future for our peoples. The delegation also included Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kaye Bass, Permanent Secretary of Economic Development and Investment Adina Richards, and Director in the Ministry of International Trade Sean Lawrence. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by St. Kitts and Nevis Ambassador Donya L. Francis.

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    2025-03-18
    President Lai meets 2025 Yushan Forum participants
    On the afternoon of March 18, President Lai Ching-te met with participants in the 2025 Yushan Forum. In remarks, President Lai thanked the guests for gathering here in Taiwan and discussing ways to enhance regional cooperation, demonstrating that our democratic allies and friends are standing together as we take on the challenges of a new world and a new era. The president reiterated that Taiwan will continue to engage with the world, and we welcome the world to come closer to Taiwan. He stated that Taiwan will continue to work with international partners to deepen cooperation, exchanges, and partnership in various domains and resist the expansion of authoritarianism. Together, the president emphasized, we can pursue regional peace and security and realize a new vision for a free and open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I would like to begin by thanking Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former prime minister of Denmark and chairman of the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, for inviting then-President Tsai Ing-wen to address the Copenhagen Democracy Summit via video over five consecutive years since 2020, and for inviting myself to give remarks via video last year. Those opportunities allowed Taiwan to share with the world our motivation for, and our work toward, safeguarding freedom and democracy. I would also like to thank Mr. Janez Janša, former prime minister of the Republic of Slovenia, who has visited Taiwan many times already, for actively elevating the cordial ties between Taiwan and Slovenia during his term as prime minister, helping expand friendship for Taiwan throughout Europe. Today’s guests have traveled a long way to show their strong backing for Taiwan. For this, I express my deepest gratitude. Yesterday was my first time attending the Yushan Forum as president. I saw political leaders and representatives gather here in Taiwan and discuss ways to enhance regional cooperation. The event demonstrated that our democratic allies and friends are standing together as we take on the challenges of a new world and a new era. It was truly moving. As I stated at the opening ceremony, Taiwan will continue to engage with the world, and we welcome the world to come closer to Taiwan. Our government will help guide Taiwanese small- and medium-sized enterprises as they expand into the international market and extend Taiwan’s economic power. I hope that during this visit, our guests will be able to explore more opportunities for cooperation in such fields as AI, smart healthcare, and advanced technologies, and join hands in contributing to the prosperity and development of our democratic allies and friends. Taiwan will continue to work with international partners, building upon the shared values of freedom and democracy, to deepen cooperation, exchanges, and partnership in various domains and resist the expansion of authoritarianism. Together, we can pursue regional peace and security and realize a new vision for a free and open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. And I hope, with the assistance of our guests here today, that we can further strengthen the ties between Taiwan and Europe so that we can all take up the work of maintaining global peace and stability. Once again, I welcome our guests to Taiwan. I look forward to hearing your thoughts in a few moments. I also hope you will visit Taiwan often in the future and continue to experience our vibrant democratic society and culture. Chairman Rasmussen then delivered remarks, saying that it is a great pleasure to be back here in Taipei after meeting with President Lai in 2023. He then thanked President Lai for the Taiwanese hospitality on behalf of the Yushan Forum international visitors and participants, who represent four continents and very different political parties but who are united by one thing – the commitment to democracy. Chairman Rasmussen mentioned that over the past few days, they have met with members of the government, legislature, and civil society in Taiwan. He said that he is more convinced than ever that in a very uncertain world, Taiwan continues to stand as a beacon of democracy, from which people in Europe and in the rest of the world have a lot to learn. Over the past eight years, he has been proud to step up his engagement with Taiwan, he said, as he has always subscribed to the view that freedom must advance everywhere, or else it is in decline everywhere. Chairman Rasmussen noted that they have many interests in making sure Taiwan remains free and that we must always stand up for freedom when it is under assault by a dictator. This is why Ukraine’s fight is also everyone’s fight, he explained. He then praised Taiwan for all of the support it has given to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion and honored the two Taiwanese volunteer soldiers who gave their lives for freedom in Ukraine. Chairman Rasmussen remarked that Taiwan is a strong feature of the Copenhagen Democracy Summit that he convenes each year. His foundation, the Alliance of Democracies, has even been sanctioned by the Chinese government due to its support of Taiwan, he said, which is something he takes as a badge of honor. He added that this year’s Copenhagen Democracy Summit in May will be no different, as they plan to focus on the new world order, urgent measures to strengthen Europe’s military, and the situation in Ukraine. But as the United States pulls back from the transatlantic alliance and Europe focuses more on its own defense, he said, Europe should not retreat from the world. He added that to ensure European security, we need more Europe in the Indo-Pacific, and that is why he has been making the argument for more political and economic cooperation with Taiwan. Chairman Rasmussen praised President Lai’s recent decision to increase Taiwan’s national defense budget to more than 3 percent of GDP, adding that it is important that each nation does what it can for its own defense. The chairman once again thanked President Lai for meeting with them today and for the opportunity to visit Taiwan, a beacon of democracy and liberty in Asia. Also in attendance at the meeting were Chairman of the Czech Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Pavel Fischer; Member of the National Security Advisory Board to India’s National Security Council Anshuman Tripathi; former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Anna Fotyga; former Minister of Health of Canada Tony Clement; and former Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania and current Secretary General of the Polish-based Community of Democracies Mantas Adomėnas.

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    2025-03-17
    President Lai meets Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council Chairman Furuya Keiji
    On the afternoon of March 17, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Japanese House of Representatives Member and Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council Chairman Furuya Keiji. In remarks, President Lai thanked the Consultative Council for doing its utmost to strengthen the relationship between Taiwan and Japan. He also stated that Taiwan and Japan are both part of the first island chain’s key line of defense, and in addition to continuing to bolster its economic strength and enhance its self-defense capabilities, Taiwan will work together with Japan and other like-minded countries to promote regional and global democracy, peace, and prosperity. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I would like to extend a warm welcome to Chairman Furuya, who is visiting us once again. I am also delighted to meet House of Councillors Member Yamamoto Junzo and House of Representatives Member Hiranuma Shojiro today. Although the Japanese Diet is currently in session, our distinguished guests overcame many hurdles and organized a delegation to attend the 2025 Yushan Forum and deliver speeches, providing valuable insights into issues of mutual concern in the Indo-Pacific region and demonstrating the support for Taiwan in the Diet. Here, I would like to express my deepest gratitude. During the Yushan Forum, it was especially inspiring when Chairman Furuya spoke Taiwanese when he emphasized that “if Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem.” Over the past few years under Chairman Furuya’s leadership, the Consultative Council has done its utmost to strengthen the relationship between Taiwan and Japan. In addition to passing resolutions every year supporting Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Organization and Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the council has established four internal research groups regarding the CPTPP, exchanges for women legislators, encouraging local-level exchanges, and the Taiwan Relations Act, using an issue-oriented approach to deepen Taiwan-Japan relations. Thanks to the Consultative Council’s long-term assistance and promotional efforts, the Japanese Ministry of Justice has announced that beginning this May, members of the Taiwanese overseas community in Japan included in the country’s family registry system may list “Taiwan” in the field designating their nationality or region of origin. This demonstrates the friendly relations between Taiwan and Japan, and the Taiwanese people will always remember the council’s continued concrete actions in support of Taiwan. In his remarks at the Yushan Forum today, Chairman Furuya mentioned that there are many areas in which Taiwan and Japan can engage in industrial cooperation. We can continue to deepen our partnership in semiconductors, energy, AI, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other areas related to economic security and supply chain resilience, all of which have significant room for cooperation, creating win-win situations for both Taiwan and Japan. As authoritarianism consolidates, democratic nations must come closer in solidarity. Taiwan and Japan are both part of the first island chain’s key line of defense. In addition to bolstering our economic strength and enhancing our self-defense capabilities, Taiwan will also work with Japan and other like-minded countries to promote regional and global democracy, peace, and prosperity. All of our distinguished guests are good friends of Taiwan, and are very familiar with Taiwan. I hope to continue working together with you all to carry Taiwan-Japan relations to an even higher level. Chairman Furuya then delivered remarks, first thanking President Lai for taking time out of his busy schedule to see them. He then noted that Japan, Taiwan, and quite a few other nations around the world changed leaders last year, and conditions around the world are becoming increasingly unstable. One cannot see what the world will be like a few years from now, he said, which is why he is counting so heavily on the strong leadership of President Lai. Chairman Furuya said that, in addition to collaboration in foreign affairs and security matters, economic cooperation between Taiwan and Japan is also very important. He mentioned new technologies, and said he had spoken quite a bit on the topic that very morning at the Yushan Forum. The clearest example, he said, is the establishment by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company of a wafer plant in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture, which has sparked robust economic activity. He added that cooperation addressing such matters as cyberattacks and supply chain resilience is also very important. Chairman Furuya noted that President Lai had mentioned in his remarks that beginning from May, Taiwanese overseas community members in Japan will be able to list “Taiwan” on their family registers. The chairman expressed his view that this is not a foreign affairs issue, but rather a human rights issue for the Taiwanese people, and an excellent way to show respect for Taiwan. He further noted President Lai’s mentioning of the four research groups that the Consultative Council has established, and said that these groups will ramp up their work. He also expressed hope that Taiwan and Japan will work together to address challenges that face both countries, such as issues pertaining to democracy and peace in the Taiwan Strait, so that they can together push for international peace and stability. Chairman Furuya stated that reciprocal visits by Taiwanese and Japanese people reached an all-time high last year. He said that in the future, in addition to further promoting local exchanges between the two countries, he also hopes that Japanese middle school and high school students planning to go on overseas study trips will choose Taiwan as their destination, because he feels that any student who visits Taiwan will become a fan of this place. Also in attendance was Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office Chief Representative Katayama Kazuyuki.

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    2025-03-13
    President Lai holds press conference following high-level national security meeting
    On the afternoon of March 13, President Lai Ching-te convened a high-level national security meeting, following which he held a press conference. In remarks, President Lai introduced 17 major strategies to respond to five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces: China’s threat to national sovereignty, its threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting Taiwan’s military, its threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan, its threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges, and its threats from using “integrated development” to attract Taiwanese businesspeople and youth. President Lai emphasized that in the face of increasingly severe threats, the government will not stop doing its utmost to ensure that our national sovereignty is not infringed upon, and expressed hope that all citizens unite in solidarity to resist being divided. The president also expressed hope that citizens work together to increase media literacy, organize and participate in civic education activities, promptly expose concerted united front efforts, and refuse to participate in any activities that sacrifice national interests. As long as every citizen plays their part toward our nation’s goals for prosperity and security, he said, and as long as we work together, nothing can defeat us. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: At many venues recently, a number of citizens have expressed similar concerns to me. They have noticed cases in which members of the military, both active-duty and retired, have been bought out by China, sold intelligence, or even organized armed forces with plans to harm their own nation and its citizens. They have noticed cases in which entertainers willingly followed instructions from Beijing to claim that their country is not a country, all for the sake of personal career interests. They have noticed how messaging used by Chinese state media to stir up internal opposition in Taiwan is always quickly spread by specific channels. There have even been individuals making careers out of helping Chinese state media record united front content, spreading a message that democracy is useless and promoting skepticism toward the United States and the military to sow division and opposition. Many people worry that our country, as well as our hard-won freedom and democracy and the prosperity and progress we achieved together, are being washed away bit by bit due to these united front tactics. In an analysis of China’s united front, renowned strategic scholar Kerry K. Gershaneck expressed that China plans to divide and conquer us through subversion, infiltration, and acquisition of media, and by launching media warfare, psychological warfare, and legal warfare. What they are trying to do is to sow seeds of discord in our society, keep us occupied with internal conflicts, and cause us to ignore the real threat from outside. China’s ambition over the past several decades to annex Taiwan and stamp out the Republic of China has not changed for even a day. It continues to pursue political and military intimidation, and its united front infiltration of Taiwan’s society grows ever more serious. In 2005, China promulgated its so-called “Anti-Secession Law,” which makes using military force to annex Taiwan a national undertaking. Last June, China issued a 22-point set of “guidelines for punishing Taiwan independence separatists,” which regards all those who do not accept that “Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China” as targets for punishment, creating excuses to harm the people of Taiwan. China has also recently been distorting United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, showing in all aspects China’s increasingly urgent threat against Taiwan’s sovereignty. Lately, China has been taking advantage of democratic Taiwan’s freedom, diversity, and openness to recruit gangs, the media, commentators, political parties, and even active-duty and retired members of the armed forces and police to carry out actions to divide, destroy, and subvert us from within. A report from the National Security Bureau indicates that 64 persons were charged last year with suspicion of spying for China, which was three times the number of persons charged for the same offense in 2021. Among them, the Unionist Party, Rehabilitation Alliance Party, and Republic of China Taiwan Military Government formed treasonous organizations to deploy armed forces for China. In a democratic and free society, such cases are appalling. But this is something that actually exists within Taiwan’s society today. China also actively plots ways to infiltrate and spy on our military. Last year, 28 active-duty and 15 retired members of the armed forces were charged with suspicion of involvement in spying for China, respectively comprising 43 percent and 23 percent of all of such cases – 66 percent in total. We are also alert to the fact that China has recently used widespread issuance of Chinese passports to entice Taiwanese citizens to apply for the Residence Permit for Taiwan Residents, permanent residency, or the Resident Identity Card, in an attempt to muddle Taiwanese people’s sense of national identity. China also views cross-strait exchanges as a channel for its united front against Taiwan, marking enemies in Taiwan internally, creating internal divisions, and weakening our sense of who the enemy really is. It intends to weaken public authority and create the illusion that China is “governing” Taiwan, thereby expanding its influence within Taiwan. We are also aware that China has continued to expand its strategy of integrated development with Taiwan. It employs various methods to demand and coerce Taiwanese businesses to increase their investments in China, entice Taiwanese youth to develop their careers in China, and unscrupulously seeks to poach Taiwan’s talent and steal key technologies. Such methods impact our economic security and greatly increase the risk of our young people heading to China. By its actions, China already satisfies the definition of a “foreign hostile force” as provided in the Anti-Infiltration Act. We have no choice but to take even more proactive measures, which is my purpose in convening this high-level national security meeting today. It is time we adopt proper preventive measures, enhance our democratic resilience and national security, and protect our cherished free and democratic way of life. Next, I will be giving a detailed account of the five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces and the 17 major strategies we have prepared in response. I. Responding to China’s threats to our national sovereignty We have a nation insofar as we have sovereignty, and we have the Republic of China insofar as we have Taiwan. Just as I said during my inaugural address last May, and in my National Day address last October: The moment when Taiwan’s first democratically elected president took the oath of office in 1996 sent a message to the international community, that Taiwan is a sovereign, independent, democratic nation. Among people here and in the international community, some call this land the Republic of China, some call it Taiwan, and some, the Republic of China Taiwan. The Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and Taiwan resists any annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty. The future of the Republic of China Taiwan must be decided by its 23 million people. This is the status quo that we must maintain. The broadest consensus in Taiwanese society is that we must defend our sovereignty, uphold our free and democratic way of life, and resolutely oppose annexation of Taiwan by China. (1) I request that the National Security Council (NSC), the Ministry of National Defense (MND), and the administrative team do their utmost to promote the Four Pillars of Peace action plan to demonstrate the people’s broad consensus and firm resolve, consistent across the entirety of our nation, to oppose annexation of Taiwan by China. (2) I request that the NSC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs draft an action plan that will, through collaboration with our friends and allies, convey to the world our national will and broad social consensus in opposing annexation of Taiwan by China and in countering China’s efforts to erase Taiwan from the international community and downgrade Taiwan’s sovereignty. II. Responding to China’s threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting our military (1) Comprehensively review and amend our Law of Military Trial to restore the military trial system, allowing military judges to return to the frontline and collaborate with prosecutorial, investigative, and judicial authorities in the handling of criminal cases in which active-duty military personnel are suspected of involvement in such military crimes as sedition, aiding the enemy, leaking confidential information, dereliction of duty, or disobedience. In the future, criminal cases involving active-duty military personnel who are suspected of violating the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces will be tried by a military court. (2) Implement supporting reforms, including the establishment of a personnel management act for military judges and separate organization acts for military courts and military prosecutors’ offices. Once planning and discussion are completed, the MND will fully explain to and communicate with the public to ensure that the restoration of the military trial system gains the trust and full support of society. (3) To deter the various types of controversial rhetoric and behavior exhibited by active-duty as well as retired military personnel that severely damage the morale of our national military, the MND must discuss and propose an addition to the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces on penalties for expressions of loyalty to the enemy as well as revise the regulations for military personnel and their families receiving retirement benefits, so as to uphold military discipline. III. Responding to China’s threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan (1) I request that the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), and other relevant agencies, wherever necessary, carry out inspections and management of the documents involving identification that Taiwanese citizens apply for in China, including: passports, ID cards, permanent residence certificates, and residence certificates, especially when the applicants are military personnel, civil servants, or public school educators, who have an obligation of loyalty to Taiwan. This will be done to strictly prevent and deter united front operations, which are performed by China under the guise of “integrated development,” that attempt to distort our people’s national identity. (2) With respect to naturalization and integration of individuals from China, Hong Kong, and Macau into Taiwanese society, more national security considerations must be taken into account while also attending to Taiwan’s social development and individual rights: Chinese nationals applying for permanent residency in Taiwan must, in accordance with the law of Taiwan, relinquish their existing household registration and passport and may not hold dual identity status. As for the systems in place to process individuals from Hong Kong or Macau applying for residency or permanent residency in Taiwan, there will be additional provisions for long-term residency to meet practical needs. IV. Responding to China’s threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges  (1) There are increasing risks involved with travel to China. (From January 1, 2024 to today, the MAC has received reports of 71 Taiwanese nationals who went missing, were detained, interrogated, or imprisoned in China; the number of unreported people who have been subjected to such treatment may be several times that. Of those, three elderly I-Kuan Tao members were detained in China in December of last year and have not yet been released.) In light of this, relevant agencies must raise public awareness of those risks, continue enhancing public communication, and implement various registration systems to reduce the potential for accidents and the risks associated with traveling to China. (2) Implement a disclosure system for exchanges with China involving public officials at all levels of the central and local government. This includes everyone from administrative officials to elected representatives, from legislators to village and neighborhood chiefs, all of whom should make the information related to such exchanges both public and transparent so that they can be accountable to the people. The MOI should also establish a disclosure system for exchanges with China involving public welfare organizations, such as religious groups, in order to prevent China’s interference and united front activities at their outset. (3) Manage the risks associated with individuals from China engaging in exchanges with Taiwan: Review and approval of Chinese individuals coming to Taiwan should be limited to normal cross-strait exchanges and official interactions under the principles of parity and dignity, and relevant factors such as changes in the cross-strait situation should be taken into consideration. Strict restrictions should be placed on Chinese individuals who have histories with the united front coming to Taiwan, and Chinese individuals should be prohibited from coming to Taiwan to conduct activities related in any way to the united front. (4) Political interference from China and the resulting risks to national security should be avoided in cross-strait exchanges. This includes the review and management of religious, cultural, academic, and education exchanges, which should in principle be depoliticized and de-risked so as to simplify people-to-people exchanges and promote healthy and orderly exchanges. (5) To deter the united front tactics of a cultural nature employed by Chinese nationals to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, the Executive Yuan must formulate a solution to make our local cultural industries more competitive, including enhanced support and incentives for our film, television, and cultural and creative industries to boost their strengths in democratic cultural creation, raise international competitiveness, and encourage research in Taiwan’s own history and culture. (6) Strengthen guidance and management for entertainers developing their careers in China. The competent authorities should provide entertainers with guidelines on conduct while working in China, and make clear the scope of investigation and response to conduct that endangers national dignity. This will help prevent China from pressuring Taiwanese entertainers to make statements or act in ways that endanger national dignity. (7) The relevant authorities must adopt proactive, effective measures to prevent China from engaging in cognitive warfare against Taiwan or endangering cybersecurity through the internet, applications, AI, and other such tools. (8) To implement these measures, each competent authority must run a comprehensive review of the relevant administrative ordinances, measures, and interpretations, and complete the relevant regulations for legal enforcement. Should there be any shortcomings, the legal framework for national security should be strengthened and amendments to the National Security Act, Anti-Infiltration Act, Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macao Affairs, or Cyber Security Management Act should be proposed. Communication with the public should also be increased so that implementation can happen as soon as possible. V. Responding to threats from China using “integrated development” to attract Taiwanese businesspeople and youth (1) I request that the NSC and administrative agencies work together to carry out strategic structural adjustments to the economic and trade relations between Taiwan and China based on the strategies of putting Taiwan first and expanding our global presence while staying rooted in Taiwan. In addition, they should carry out necessary, orderly adjustments to the flow of talent, goods, money, and skills involved in cross-strait economic and trade relations based on the principle of strengthening Taiwan’s foundations to better manage risk. This will help boost economic security and give us more power to respond to China’s economic and trade united front and economic coercion against Taiwan. (2) I request that the Ministry of Education, MAC, Ministry of Economic Affairs, and other relevant agencies work together to comprehensively strengthen young students’ literacy education on China and deepen their understanding of cross-strait exchanges. I also request these agencies to widely publicize mechanisms for employment and entrepreneurship for Taiwan’s youth and provide ample information and assistance so that young students have more confidence in the nation’s future and more actively invest in building up and developing Taiwan. My fellow citizens, this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. History tells us that any authoritarian act of aggression or annexation will ultimately end in failure. The only way we can safeguard freedom and prevail against authoritarian aggression is through solidarity. As we face increasingly severe threats, the government will not stop doing its utmost to ensure that our national sovereignty is not infringed upon, and to ensure that the freedom, democracy, and way of life of Taiwan’s 23 million people continues on as normal. But relying solely on the power of the government is not enough. What we need even more is for all citizens to stay vigilant and take action. Every citizen stands on the frontline of the defense of democracy and freedom. Here is what we can do together: First, we can increase our media literacy, and refrain from spreading and passing on united front messaging from the Chinese state. Second, we can organize and participate in civic education activities to increase our knowledge about united front operations and build up whole-of-society defense resilience. Third, we can promptly expose concerted united front efforts so that all malicious attempts are difficult to carry out. Fourth, we must refuse to participate in any activities that sacrifice national interests. The vigilance and action of every citizen forms the strongest line of defense against united front infiltration. Only through solidarity can we resist being divided. As long as every citizen plays their part toward our nation’s goals for prosperity and security, and as long as we work together, nothing can defeat us.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Trump urges Supreme Court to limit judges’ power to block his policies

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday called on the U.S. Supreme Court to limit the power of federal judges to issue injunctions that block his administration’s policies, indicating growing tensions between the president and the judiciary system.

    “Unlawful Nationwide Injunctions by Radical Left Judges could very well lead to the destruction of our Country!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding that “These Judges want to assume the Powers of the Presidency.”

    “STOP NATIONWIDE INJUNCTIONS NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. If (Chief) Justice (John) Roberts and the United States Supreme Court do not fix this toxic and unprecedented situation IMMEDIATELY, our Country is in very serious trouble!” Trump said.

    Several policies of the Trump administration have already faced lawsuits, including the revocation of birthright citizenship, the acquisition of private information from the U.S. Treasury by Elon Musk and members of the Department of Government Efficiency, the withholding of funding from the National Institutes of Health, the dismissal of employees from the U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as mass layoff in the Education Department.

    So far, a number of actions taken by the Trump administration have been halted or temporarily suspended through judicial rulings. This has sparked anger within the administration and among Trump’s supporters, resulting in frequent calls for impeaching the judges.

    Earlier this week, Trump called for the impeachment of U.S. District Judge James Boasberg after he blocked the deportation of Venezuelan migrants. Boasberg is the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

    In a rare statement, Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday criticized Trump and his supporters for advocating the impeachment of the judges who have ruled against the administration.

    “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said.

    “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose,” said the chief justice. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Local Nonprofits Address Federal Funding Uncertainty and the Impact on Critical Services

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
    Las Vegas, Nev. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and United Way of Southern Nevada hosted a roundtable to discuss the impact of ongoing federal funding uncertainties on critical services in Nevada. Cortez Masto spoke with eight local non-profits about how challenges related to federal support could affect their ability to provide essential services that communities across the Silver State depend on.
    “Today, I heard from non-profit leaders that do so much good in their communities. They make housing more affordable, invest in education, provide needed legal services, and ensure Nevada families can put food on their tables, ” said Senator Cortez Masto. “President Trump and his administration need to know that they are putting these essential services at risk by cutting federal funding and spreading uncertainty around ongoing support for such critical work.”
     “United Way of Southern Nevada is committed to strengthening our community by ensuring vital services remain accessible to those who need them most,” said Samuel Rudd, President & CEO of United Way of Southern Nevada. “Collaboration between local nonprofits and government leaders is essential in navigating funding challenges and finding solutions that support families, students, and individuals across our state.”
    “Senior Law Program is proud to provide critical legal services to Southern Nevada’s seniors, ensuring they have access to the resources and support they need to live with dignity and security. However, with the ongoing uncertainty surrounding federal funding, we face difficult choices that could impact our ability to serve vulnerable seniors in our community. We are grateful to Senator Cortez Masto in addressing these challenges and advocating for the resources nonprofits need to continue our vital work,” said Diane Fearon, Executive Director of Southern Nevada Senior Law Program. 
    “With the corporate consolidation of commercial media, public broadcasters like Vegas PBS are the final outposts that still focus on serving their local communities. The Vegas PBS Learning Neighborhood workshops and robust communications network for emergency services are just two of the vital services we provide via federal infrastructure and education funding we receive via The Corporation for Public Broadcasting,” said Kipp Ortenburger, Director of Strategic Organization at Vegas PBS.  “Programs like these impact more than 1 million Nevadans, urban and rural.”
    “At The Just One Project, we do more than just feed our neighbors—we offer wraparound support through groceries, meal delivery, case management, benefits assistance, and essential social services to ensure families have the resources they need to thrive,” said Kirsten Carl, Director of Social Services for The Just One Project. “Our commitment to serving our community is steadfast. We remain vigilant and committed to ensuring Nevadans continue to have access to critical food and social services. We are actively working with our community partners and local leaders to navigate challenges and strengthen our support for those who rely on us.”
    Cortez Masto was joined by representatives from United Way of Southern Nevada, Communities in Schools, HELP of Southern Nevada, Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, The Just One Project, Nevada Homeless Alliance, Vegas PBS, and the Senior Law Program.
    Senator Cortez Masto has pushed multiple Departments under the Trump Administration for detailed, public information regarding the impacts of President Trump’s federal funding freeze, hiring freeze, and terminations on Nevada – including to the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, and General Services Administration.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How will the history-making new Olympics boss shape sports worldwide, and in Australia?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Baka, Honorary Professor, School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, Canada; Adjunct Fellow, Olympic Scholar and Co-Director of the Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre, Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University

    In a surprisingly emphatic result, 41-year-old Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwe’s Sport Minister, was selected as the new president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its 144th session in Greece.

    Coventry is the first woman, the first African, and the youngest person ever to take on the role.

    So how did she rise to this position, and what should sports in Australia and globally expect?

    Unpacking the votes

    Coventry comes well-credentialed as a five-time Olympic swimmer, representing Zimbabwe from 2000 to 2016 and winning seven medals, two of them gold.

    An IOC member since 2013, Coventry was initially an athlete-elected member.

    She has taken on various IOC roles, including most recently on the Coordination Committee for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

    Although Coventry was one of the three favourites, along with Sebastian Coe from the United Kingdom and Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr from Spain (son of the previous IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch), she won the vote in a landslide on the first ballot, securing 49 votes of the 97.

    Having obtained the required 50% majority, no further rounds were held.

    So begins a new dawn for the IOC’s now extremely powerful inaugural woman leader, who will face several challenges.

    How did she win?

    Foremost, Coventry had longstanding president Thomas Bach’s informal endorsement and support.

    Bach no doubt had a huge sway over the voting members, many of whom were elected to the IOC during his 12-year reign.

    Bach’s appointment as Honorary President for Life from June this year means he will still have a powerful role and be able to mentor and influence Coventry.

    A lack of transparent voting for the position means we cannot know who voted for whom. Some will presume the new president garnered the majority of votes from women and African delegates, but such an observation can only be speculative.

    With women comprising 43% of IOC members, it is a reasonable assumption this cohort provided a strong support base.

    Several candidates proposed quite significant (and in some cases radical) changes, suggesting a vote for Coventry was a nod to keeping the status quo.

    Or was it just time to break the hold of male presidents?

    The 2024 Paris Olympics were the first games with equal 50-50 men-women participation. The IOC membership has also changed over the past few decades, with growing representation of women. As a result, its long-held reputation as an “old boys’ club” is slowly shifting.

    Coventry triumphed despite previous doubts about her domestic political ties, and a limited change agenda that seemed to be mainly a legacy choice for Bach.

    In this context, Bach might continue to exert his influence.

    Global challenges for the new president

    As Olympic Agenda 2020+5 draws to its end, the new president will have the opportunity to set a future-focused strategy.

    There are plenty of areas she will need to consider in taking the reins. Here are our top ten:

    1. Safeguarding athletes. The provision of safe spaces for sport is an area of global concern as the incidents of athlete harm are brought to light.

    2. Environmental, sustainability and global warming issues, such as lack of snow for the winter games, venue rationale, spending on mega events, and lack of bidders for future games.

    3. The impact of AI and digital transformation on all aspects of sport, from athlete performance and officiating to governance and management.

    4. Bidding processes for future host cities.

    5. Transgender athletes and diversity, equity and inclusion considerations.

    6. The (Australian-initiated) proposal for the pharmaceutical free-for-all Enhanced Games.

    7. Sponsorship changes – longtime sponsors Toyota and Panasonic have dropped out but others have come in, with some from China.

    8. Relations with Russia and the United States

    9. Athlete advocacy – perhaps giving the athletes more of the financial windfall the Olympics generate.

    10. Addition of new sports and culling or dropping existing less popular ones.



    Read more:
    Cricket? Lacrosse? Netball? The new sports that might make it to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games

    What about Australia?

    Coventry comes from an impressive swimming background, and this could work to Australia’s advantage.

    Although she will step down from her role on the Coordination Committee for the Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics to handle other pressing presidential duties, she will no doubt retain a close link to the third Australian Olympic host city.

    The Australian Olympic Commission was quick to congratulate her on her ascension to the IOC presidency.

    Coventry knows AOC President Ian Chesterman, a fellow IOC member, so we can expect a close, friendly working relationship between them.

    With the Brisbane games only seven years away, the new IOC president will certainly have a strong vested interest in Australia and aspects of the Olympic and Paralympic movement in this part of the world.

    Tracy Taylor is on the Olympic Studies Centre Grant Award committee.

    Richard Baka and Rob Hess do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. How will the history-making new Olympics boss shape sports worldwide, and in Australia? – https://theconversation.com/how-will-the-history-making-new-olympics-boss-shape-sports-worldwide-and-in-australia-252623

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Cleveland Men Indicted For Trying To Send Firearms To Drug Cartel Members In Mexico

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

    Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the  unsealing of an indictment charging Yarquimedes Rodriguez Hilario (32, Cleveland, OH) and Adison Lopez-Ramirez (34, Cleveland, OH) with conspiring to traffic firearms and money laundering. If convicted on all counts, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit assets that are traceable to proceeds of the offense. 

    According to the indictment and other court documents filed during this investigation, since 2021, undercover agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), posing as Mexican cartel members, were introduced to Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario because he was a trafficker of firearms that could be smuggled to Mexico. Undercover communications with Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario and others discussed the purchase of AR-15s and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. One of the coconspirators described that he sold AR-15s and AK-47s to El Salvadorans and had cocaine available for distribution. Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario further offered fentanyl to one of the agents to make pills.

    Beginning in late-2021, members of the conspiracy sold or arranged the sale of at least 90 rifles and one Mac-10-type machine gun with a silencer to undercover agents in the Middle District of Florida and Cleveland, Ohio. On October 21, 2021, Adison Lopez-Ramirez delivered nine .223/5.56 caliber rifles and one 9mm rifle to undercover ATF agents in St. Petersburg, Florida, in exchange for $16,000. Soon after the sale, federal agents followed Lopez-Ramirez as he deposited $9,000 from the sale into the bank account of Yarquimedes Rodriguez Hilario, the brother of Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario.

    In November 2022, an undercover agent told Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario that his associates in Mexico were “battling and losing” and needed to purchase more firearms. On March 2, 2023, Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario arranged to deliver 40 AM-15 multi-caliber firearms to the agents. Saleh Yusuf Saleh, who acquired and assembled the parts to make the firearms, arrived at the meeting with Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario and the agents. After an undercover agent inspected one of the boxes of firearms, both Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario and Saleh were arrested.

    In March 2024, Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario was sentenced to 13 years and 4 months’ imprisonment. In November 2024, Saleh Yusuf Saleh previously was sentenced to 5 years and 8 months in federal prison. 

    Image 1: Firearms from the October 21, 2021 Sale

     Images 2-3: Firearms from March 10, 2022 Sale

    Images 4-5: Firearms from May 26, 2022 Sale

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

    The specific mission of the OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations involved in large scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and related activities. The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The Cleveland offices of ATF, HSI, DEA, and FBI, with assistance from the Cleveland Police Department and Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, provided critical support in the apprehension of the defendants. It is being prosecuted by Dan Baeza.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America which streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Hassan Warns of Risks to Students After Trump Administration’s Move to Abolish Department of Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, released the following statement after President Trump signed an Executive Order today to begin abolishing the U.S. Department of Education:
    “The President’s decision today to dismantle the Department of Education will hurt our children and leave them less prepared for the future, just at a time when America should be working across party lines to strengthen our schools, families, and teachers. 
    “All across the Granite State there are vibrant public schools that provide critical public education to students from all walks of life. They do so with the essential help of the federal Department of Education, which provides funding and technical expertise to schools so that they can support children who need extra support in the classroom — children whose families are struggling financially, children who are facing mental health challenges, and children with disabilities. The challenges that these children and their families face won’t go away because President Trump and Elon Musk turn their backs on them. Instead, the decision to shutter the Department of Education will leave some children in our country without the education that they deserve and shift costs to local communities, raising property taxes. 
    “Our education system is challenged, to be sure, but rather than focus on how to help our local school districts provide the best possible education for all of our children, the Administration has run away from the opportunity and obligation to ensure that all American children can receive a quality education to prepare them for adulthood. Once again, Trump and Musk shrink from the responsibilities and promise of our democracy.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Energy and Business – Equinor presents 2024 Annual report

    Source: Equinor

    20 MARCH 2025 – “2024 was marked by continued unpredictability in energy markets, with growing energy demand, political uncertainty and uneven progress in the energy transition. Our focus is on producing the energy the world needs today, and at the same time developing the energy systems needed for the future,” says Anders Opedal, President and CEO of Equinor ASA.

    Safety

    “A systematic approach to safety over time is paying off with the best safety results to date in 2024. However, the year was marked by the fatal search and rescue (SAR) helicopter accident where we lost a dear colleague. We believe close collaboration with suppliers and shared learning in the industry is important for our continued safety improvement effort”, says Opedal.

    The twelve-month average Serious Incident Frequency (SIF) for 2024 was 0.3, down from 0.4 in 2023.

    Strong operational and financial performance

    Equinor delivered adjusted operating income* of USD 29.8 billion, and adjusted net income* of USD 9.18. Net operating income was reported at USD 30.9 billion and net income at USD 8.83 billion.

    “Our operational performance was strong, built on the dedicated efforts from employees across the company. Our role as a major supplier of energy to Europe is important and I am proud of the work we have done to provide energy security”, says Opedal.

    Strong operational performance across the portfolio contributed to an equity production of liquids and gas of 2,067 mboe per day in 2024, on par with the year before. Equity production of renewable power increased by 51% to 2,935 GWh.

    Strong financial result contributed to a return on average capital employed (RoACE)* at 21% for 2024. Capital discipline remained firm with organic capital expenditures* ending at USD 12.1 billion for the year. Equinor maintained a strong balance sheet with net debt to capital employed adjusted* of 11.9% at the end of 2024.

    The strong financial results of 2024 also led to strong contributions to society through taxes. In 2024, Equinor paid USD 20.6 billion in corporate income taxes of which USD 19.7 billion was paid in Norway, where Equinor has the largest share of its operations and earnings.

    Firm strategy and progressing industrial development

    “We have a consistent growth strategy, and our strategic direction remains firm. By adapting to market situation and opportunities, we are positioned for stronger free cash flow and growth, and set to create shareholder value for decades to come”, Opedal continues.

    Through progressing projects and portfolio shaping transactions Equinor spent 2024 high-grading the portfolio and positioning for stronger growth and cash flow.

    On the Norwegian continental shelf, the development of the portfolio continued with 39 new licences and approvals of the PDOs of Eirin, Irpa, Verdande and Andvare projects. The Johan Castberg FPSO arrived at the field and started preparations for startup.

    The international upstream portfolio was focused with the exits from our long-standing positions in Nigeria and Azerbaijan and deepened in core areas with the acquisitions of US Onshore gas assets close to premium markets. In the UK an agreement was signed to establish an incorporated joint venture with Shell UK Ltd., which will become the largest independent oil and gas company on the UK continental shelf.

    Through 2024 Equinor high-graded the renewables portfolio to ensure profitable growth, in a market challenged by cost inflation and regulatory delays. In the UK the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank, continued to progress towards commercial start-up. Production was commenced at the Mendubim solar plants in Brazil.

    The long-term view on the importance of offshore wind remains firm. Through an acquisition of a 10% stake in Ørsted, Equinor got exposure to a premium portfolio of offshore wind projects and assets in operation.

    Value chains for carbon transport and storage progressed notably. In Norway, Northern Lights, the first commercial CO2 transport and storage infrastructure was completed and is expected to receive and store CO2 in 2025. In the UK, execution started for two of UK’s first carbon capture and storage infrastructure projects where Equinor is a partner.

    Progress on the Energy transition plan

    In 2024, Equinor achieved a year-on-year reduction of 5% in operated scope 1+2 greenhouse gas emissions, bringing the total down to 11.0 million tonnes CO2 equivalents. This is a 34% reduction from 2015, which is the reference year for Equinor’s ambition to reduce group-wide operated emissions by 50% on a net basis by 2030. Throughout 2024, actions were taken for further emission reductions with the partial electrification of the Sleipner field center, the Gudrun platform, as well as the Troll B and C fields.

    The average upstream CO2 intensity of Equinor’s operated portfolio was 6.2 kg of CO2 per boe in 2024 (100% basis), an improvement from 6.7kg of CO2/boe in 2023 and well below the industry average. The scope 3 GHG emissions from use of our products were 251 million tonnes in 2024, on par with the level in 2023.

    Equinor improved in the net carbon intensity of energy produced (including scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions) in 2024, which is now 2% below the 2019 baseline. The reduction was mainly driven by increased renewable energy production and lower scope 1+2 emissions.

    Equinor ambition is to to be a leading company in the energy transition. The updated Energy Transition Plan, published on March 20 2025, outlines the approach to deliver on Equinor’s strategy of creating value in the transition, while adjusting to changing external context and market realities.

    ***

    The previously announced decision of the French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), includes a requirement for Equinor to publish the following summary language:

    “Les sociétés Danske Commodities A/S et Equinor ASA ont été condamnées, par une décision n° 08-40-23 de la Commission de régulation de l’énergie (CRE) du 20 janvier 2025, au titre de la méconnaissance de l’article 5 du règlement REMIT qui prohibe les manipulations de marché, au paiement de sanctions pécuniaires, dont les montants s’élèvent à huit millions d’euros (8.000.000 €) pour la société Danske Commodities A/S et quatre millions d’euros (4.000.000 €) pour la société Equinor ASA, pour des manipulations commises sur le marché de gros en 2019 et en 2020, en ce qui concerne les capacités de transport de gaz naturel entre la France et l’Espagne.

    Danske Commodities A/S and Equinor ASA were ordered by decision no. 08-40-23 of Commission de régulation de l’énergie (CRE) of 20 January 2025 to pay – for infringement of Article 5 of REMIT Regulation prohibiting market manipulations – financial penalties in the amount of eight million euros (€8,000,000) as regards Danske Commodities A/S and four million euros (€4,000,000) as regards Equinor ASA, for manipulations committed on the wholesale market in 2019 and 2020, with regard to natural gas transmission capacity between France and Spain.”

    The full decision is included in the attached appendix “Full decision text”. Equinor does not agree with the decision from CRE and will appeal the case to the Higher Administrative Court in France.

    Our annual report and the subsidiary reports published separately can be downloaded from equinor.com/reports.

    In accordance with Section 203.01 of the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual, Equinor ASA announces that on 20 March 2025 it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission its 2024 Annual Report on Form 20-F that includes audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024.

    The Equinor 2024 Annual Report on Form 20-F may be downloaded from Equinor’s website at www.equinor.com. References to this document or other documents on Equinor’s website are included as an aid to their location and are not incorporated by reference into this document. All SEC filings made available electronically by Equinor may be obtained from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

    Shareholders may also request a hard copy of the annual report free of charge at www.equinor.com.

    (*) These are non-GAAP figures. See Use and reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures in the annual report for more details.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –