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Category: Americas

  • MIL-OSI USA: VA to host Memorial Day ceremonies at 130+ national cemeteries

    Source: US Department of Veterans Affairs

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    WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs will host Memorial Day ceremonies this weekend at more than 130 VA national cemeteries across the country, with 100,000 total expected attendees.

    The events are open to the public and will feature wreath-laying ceremonies, commemorative speeches, the playing of Taps and other events to honor fallen warriors.

    All 156 VA National Cemeteries and 35 soldiers’ lots will be open throughout Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26. View the complete list of official VA National Cemetery Memorial Day events and visiting hours at a location near you. To learn more about volunteer opportunities at VA national cemeteries visit the following NCA webpage.

    “Every day throughout the year, VA plays a vital role in remembering and honoring the brave servicemembers who gave their lives in defense of the freedoms America holds dear,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “This Memorial Day weekend, we invite Americans to visit VA cemeteries and join us in reflecting upon the important legacies of these fallen heroes.”

    Members of the public may also make submissions to VA’s Veterans Legacy Memorial website, which features written tributes, photos, biographies, documents and other information.

    The VLM website hosts a memorial page for each of the 10 million+ Veterans interred in VA National Cemeteries and VA grant-funded cemeteries, Department of Defense-managed cemeteries, such as Arlington National Cemetery, U.S. Park Service National Cemeteries, American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries and in thousands of private cemeteries nationwide where Veterans have received a VA-provided gravesite marker since 1996.

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    For information about VA burial benefits, visit any one of VA’s 156 national cemetery locations, visit online at VA burial benefits and memorial items or call toll-free at 800-827-1000. To pre-plan a burial for you and your family, visit the National Cemetery Administration’s pre-need eligibility website.

     Live streaming, recorded video and photographs from many ceremonies will be shared on the National Cemetery Administration’s Facebook and X (Twitter) pages.

    Over 5.4 million people — including 4.1 million Veterans from the Revolutionary War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — are buried in VA national cemeteries. NCA honors eligible Veterans, active-duty servicemembers, and eligible family members with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service and sacrifice to the nation.

    Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov

    Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.

    Contact us online through Ask VA

    Veterans can also use our chatbot to get information about VA benefits and services. The chatbot won’t connect you with a person, but it can show you where to go on VA.gov to find answers to some common questions.

    Learn about our chatbot and ask a question

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: BW Energy: Successful handover of BW Adolo operations to BW Energy Gabon SA

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Successful handover of BW Adolo operations to BW Energy Gabon SA

    BW Offshore Limited (“BW Offshore”) and BW Energy Limited (“BW Energy”) announce that, with effect from 20 May 2025, operations and maintenance (“O&M”) of the FPSO BW Adolo have been handed over to BW Energy’s subsidiary, BW Energy Gabon SA (“BW Energy Gabon”).

    Under an amended bareboat charter, BW Offshore’s subsidiary retains ownership of the unit and will continue to lease the FPSO to BW Energy Gabon on the same terms as previously agreed without the O&M services. The charter includes a mutual put-and-call option on the FPSO for USD 100 million, exercisable in 2028. The parties have been working and will continue to work together on the transition until 30 June 2025 to ensure a safe and uninterrupted transfer of operations.

    “Transferring daily operational control of BW Adolo to BW Energy Gabon is a natural step given their growing presence in Gabon and potential to capture efficiencies across the local organisation,” said Marco Beenen, the CEO of BW Offshore. “The seamless execution reflects the commitment of both teams to safeguard personnel, the environment, and asset integrity.”

    “Assuming full O&M responsibility will allow BW Energy Gabon to optimise field performance and capture additional synergies across the Dussafu hub. We thank BW Offshore for its exemplary stewardship of the vessel and its continued support during the transition phase,” said Carl K. Arnet, the CEO of BW Energy.

    Both companies extend their appreciation to all offshore and onshore personnel who have maintained BW Adolo in a safe and efficient manner over the past seven years and look forward to sustained strong operational performance under BW Energy’s leadership. The unit remains deployed on the Dussafu Marin licence offshore Gabon, where it has produced safely since first oil in 2018.

    For further information, please contact:
    Brice Morlot, CFO BW Energy
    +33.7.81.11.41.16
    ir@bwenergy.com 

    About BW Energy 
    BW Energy is a growth E&P company with a differentiated strategy targeting proven offshore oil and gas reservoirs through low risk phased developments. The Company has access to existing production facilities to reduce time to first oil and cashflow with lower investments than traditional offshore developments. The Company’s assets are 73.5% of the producing Dussafu Marine licence offshore Gabon, 100% interest in the Golfinho and Camarupim fields, a 76.5% interest in the BM-ES-23 block, a 95% interest in the Maromba field in Brazil, a 95% interest in the Kudu field in Namibia, all operated by BW Energy. In addition, BW Energy holds approximately 6.6% of the common shares in Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. and a 20% non-operating interest in the onshore Petroleum Exploration License 73 (“PEL 73”) in Namibia. Total net 2P+2C reserves and resources were 599 million barrels of oil equivalent at the start of 2025.

    This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Independence Hall, Gettysburg and – Epcot? How Reagan helped elevate Disney to America’s roster of honored patriotic sites

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Bethanee Bemis, Museum Specialist, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

    First lady Nancy Reagan kisses Mickey Mouse as President Ronald Reagan and Minnie Mouse watch 20 bands marching in the unofficial inaugural parade at Disney’s Epcot Center on Memorial Day, May 27, 1985. Bettmann/Getty Images

    A presidential or political visit is one of the ways in which the United States marks places as uniquely important. A space meriting the pomp and circumstance that accompanies a president, or a place viewed as so particularly American that an aspiring president might want to have their picture taken there, takes on special status in American culture.

    Twelve of the last 14 presidents visited Philadelphia’s Independence Hall during their political careers. American politicians often visit sites of great importance to the national character, and Independence Hall is the location of both the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the drafting of the Constitution.

    The U.S. has many sacred civil spaces, places that the country looks to when celebrating or reflecting on American identity. Some of these places were established for the express purpose of serving these functions: the National Mall and the U.S. Capitol in Washington and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, built to commemorate the country’s westward expansion.

    Some of these places earn this designation through association with history: Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, sites of significant events in the American Revolution; the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, commemorating American deaths from the Japanese attack that sparked U.S. entrance into World War II; and the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where local police in 1965 attacked and bloodied civil rights protesters, who ultimately crossed the bridge two weeks later under the protection of a federal court order.

    Still other places emerge through a sort of national consensus, taking on special status over time as Americans use them in ways that mark them with meaning.

    And while twelve of the last 14 presidents may have visited Independence Hall, the same 12 also visited some of the places often forgotten when accounting for holy civic sites: the Disney theme parks.

    Thousands attended presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s election eve rally at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Nov. 7, 2016.
    Joe Sohm, Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    Record cold and a second chance

    In my book “Disney Theme Parks and America’s National Narratives: Mirror Mirror for Us All,” I explore how Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and Walt Disney World, near Orlando, Florida, have become two of the most important spaces for the celebration and creation of American identity.

    One of the reasons for this is the legitimization a presidential visit bestows on a site. Forty years ago this month, Walt Disney World received a very special visitor.

    In January 1985, as President Ronald Reagan prepared to take the oath of office for a second time, temperatures in the Washington area dipped to record lows. The inauguration and some related festivities were due to take place outdoors, but conditions were severe enough to cause concern for the many thousands scheduled to participate. So the usual celebrations, including the popular Inaugural Parade, were canceled in favor of a smaller event indoors.

    Only a handful of the 25 high school marching bands that had traveled from places like Kentucky, Massachusetts and Michigan to play in the parade were able to perform for the president. That left thousands of students and their families disappointed.

    In a presidential history first, however, the Inaugural Bands Parade would get a second chance to march outside the ceremonial space of Washington at what could be called the nation’s other capital – Walt Disney World.

    In April 1985, Walt Disney World announced that it had partnered with Days Inn, Greyhound Bus Lines and Burger King to offer reduced price accommodations and food for about 4,000 students to enjoy a weekend at the theme park before performing in their own parade on Memorial Day, May 27.

    Not only would the bands get to play at Disney’s Epcot Center, but they would also be able to perform for the president, who flew from Washington to be there for this special parade.

    President George H.W. Bush at a Disney World 20th anniversary celebration marking his volunteerism initiative, on Sept. 30, 1991.
    Dirck Halstead/Contributor/The Chronicle Collection, Getty Images

    New site for American identity

    Memorial Day, the day of the parade itself, was warm and sunny. Disney visitors thronged the 1.2-mile parade route and waved American flags as they listened to patriotic songs. The parade was watched over by the president and first lady, Nancy Reagan. The equivalent of the president and first lady of Disney, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, joined them.

    This moment was remarkable for several reasons.

    First, Reagan had been one of the hosts of the show “Dateline Disneyland,” the live coverage of the opening of Disneyland in 1955 only 30 years before, when no one knew he would be the nation’s 40th president.

    Second, the visit marked an important moment in the recognition of the Disney theme parks as sites of American identity.

    Reagan went directly from laying wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, a treasured American tradition, to an appearance at Epcot, where in an economic policy speech to the crowd, he introduced a “new American revolution.” This second American revolution was announced not in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, but at the American Adventure pavilion in Orlando.

    The Reagans’ photo with Mickey – with Mickey dressed as Uncle Sam and Minnie in a colonial-style dress – captures the idea, I believe, that culturally Disney spaces are as legitimate as national parks or historic sites as places for the celebration of the American story.

    As longtime Disney cast member Terry Brinkoetter remembers, presidential visits like Reagan’s affirmed Disneyland and Walt Disney World as “places where people could learn and be inspired to continue our shared journey toward a more perfect union.”

    Disney parks have become stops on a secular pilgrimage made by presidents and ordinary citizens alike, places to understand what it means to be an American.

    Bethanee Bemis 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. Independence Hall, Gettysburg and – Epcot? How Reagan helped elevate Disney to America’s roster of honored patriotic sites – https://theconversation.com/independence-hall-gettysburg-and-epcot-how-reagan-helped-elevate-disney-to-americas-roster-of-honored-patriotic-sites-254919

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Competition Bureau publishes new guidance for market studies

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    May 20, 2025 – GATINEAU (Québec), Competition Bureau

    Today, the Competition Bureau published the final version of its Market Studies Information Bulletin. This follows a public consultation on a draft Bulletin.

    During its market studies, the Bureau closely looks at a market or industry to examine competition issues and propose solutions. Market studies help the Bureau and policymakers understand competition dynamics in important sectors of the Canadian economy. They also allow us to make recommendations that support competition.

    The Market Studies Information Bulletin answers five broad questions:

    • What steps do we take before launching a market study?
    • How do we launch market studies and decide how long they will take?
    • How do we obtain and use information, including confidential information?
    • What are the outcomes of a market study?
    • How do we follow up and monitor the impact of our market study?

    In December 2023, amendments to the Competition Act created a new framework for undertaking market studies with information-gathering powers. These changes are reflected in the new Market Studies Information Bulletin.

    The Bureau thanks all those who participated in the consultation. Their comments were carefully considered as we finalized the Bulletin.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Itinerary unveiled for the 2025 Royal Visit of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    OTTAWA, May 20, 2025

    Today, the Government of Canada announced the official itinerary for the upcoming Royal Visit of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Ottawa on May 26 and 27, 2025.

    While the primary focus of the visit is His Majesty King Charles III delivering the Speech from the Throne, Their Majesties will also engage with a variety of individuals and groups that reflect the geographic and cultural richness of the country.

    His Majesty King Charles III has a deep, longstanding connection to Canada and shares many values that resonate with Canadians, including environmental stewardship, youth empowerment, and the celebration of Canada’s vibrant and diverse heritage.

    This first visit as King of Canada marks a momentous and historic occasion, highlighting Canada’s identity and sovereignty as a constitutional monarchy.

    The Royal Visit also strengthens the bond between Canada and the monarchy, offering an opportunity to better understand the unique role of the Crown in our democracy.

    Itinerary

    May 26

    Their Majesties will arrive in Ottawa on the afternoon of May 26 and will be welcomed at the Canada Reception Centre by the Governor General, the Prime Minister, Indigenous leaders and the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. An arrival guard from the Royal Canadian Dragoons, a senior armoured regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces, will also be present.

    Following their arrival, The King and Queen will travel to Lansdowne Park to meet with members of community organizations and the public.

    Later, Their Majesties will make their way to Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General of Canada and the official residence of The King and The Queen while in Canada.

    They will participate in a ceremonial tree planting surrounded by the Viceregal representatives and community members.

    His Majesty will then hold audiences with the Governor General of Canada and with the Prime Minister of Canada.

    May 27

    On the morning of May 27, Their Majesties will travel on Wellington Street from the Bank of Canada to the Senate of Canada using Canada’s State Landau, drawn by horses of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride.

    Upon arriving at the Senate of Canada, The King will receive full military honours which will include a Royal Salute, a 100-person guard of honour from the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment, an inspection of the guard and the band, and a 21-gun salute.

    His Majesty King Charles III will then deliver the Speech from the Throne to open the first session of the 45th Parliament of Canada. Having the speech delivered by the Sovereign is a rare moment where we witness Canadian democracy in all its depth: a balance between heritage and responsibility, tradition and action. Before concluding their visit, Their Majesties will pay their respects and lay a wreath and flowers at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial.

    The complete itinerary is available on the 2025 Royal Visit web page. 

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Victory at Boeing

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    How did a union of 33,000 aircraft workers win a battle that set a new standard in the aviation industry with a 40% pay increase over four years? What strategies did they use to score a guarantee of building Boeing’s next commercial aircraft? What tactic did they use to defend their ground in a battle for retirement savings, not to give another inch of territory that had already been taken from them?

    “If it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going.”

    This was the catchphrase during the heyday of commercial aviation in North America from the 1930s through the 1970s. Boeing aircraft were dominating the skies with silver bottom planes that denoted the quality engineering and manufacturing it took to build a transportation marvel.

    A job at Boeing in the Pacific Northwest was a key to the lock on a comfortable middle-class life for many families. And those jobs had been union jobs for generations, thanks to the foresight of early Boeing workers in 1936 who organized with the IAM.

    But the chase for middle-class life started racing uphill in the early 1980s. More recently, staggering inflation put even higher demands on workers’ salaries and compensation with exponential growth in the cost of living. Health insurance, housing, groceries, and energy prices grew faster than wage and benefit increases. The ability to retire with dignity and financial stability was becoming an afterthought. The bar for the middle class wasmoving higher and higher, and someone had to take a stand and choose a battlefield for a fight to begin.

    Thirty-three thousand IAM members from District 751 and W24 were ready.

    These members had been held in limbo for two contract cycles. They weathered two extensions of previous collective bargaining agreements, riddled with threats to move their work elsewhere, while Boeing stopped pension contributions. Meanwhile, since 2010, Boeing has sent $83 billion in profits to Wall Street, according to the Seattle Times. It had told its world-class workforce that cuts to worker compensation were necessary.

    Preparation and planning were key to readiness. Both districts focused on communication; putting the plan up front for all members to see. Face to face discussions, surveys, emails, and dropbox suggestions were used to gauge membership needs. District 751 Aero Mechanic printed road maps of the contracts back to 1952 -showing the history of contract wins and path of growth. W-24 held contract input and listening sessions at Mt. Hood community college.
    Shop stewards encouraged “swag days” when union members would wear the same union gear to mark solidarity.

    “This is our future, our fight, and we are ready for it,” said IAM District 751 President and Directing Business Representative Jon Holden. “We have spent the last decade listening to members tell us what’s important to them and their families. Many changes are necessary to address the membership’s priorities. We are creating a proposal to address a comprehensive list of membership demands.”

    Noted union organizer and author Marshall Ganz once said, “Movements have narratives. They tell stories because they are not just about rearranging economics and politics. They also rearrange meaning. And they’re not just about redistributing the goods. They’re about figuring out what is good.”

    And what a story IAM members working for Boeing in the Pacific Northwest would have to tell.

    “IAM members are the most dedicated, skilled, and experienced aerospace union in the world,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Robert “Bobby” Martinez. “We could not settle for anything less than the respect and family-sustaining wages and benefits that our members at Boeing need and deserve.”

    It was time for a bold move.

    A July 2024 rally at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, the only sports venue in the area with enough capacity to hold the IAM’s Boeing membership in the area, saw a strike sanction vote pass by 99.9%.

    Boeing workers had decided this negotiation cycle was their chance—no more extensions to an existing agreement. Boeing management had made a series of high-profile blunders over the past decade, against the advice of its own workers.

    On Sept. 13, 2024, over 96% of Boeing IAM workers voted no on Boeing’s first contract offer. The path was set. Game on!“Our membership’s ‘no’ vote was a clear mandate. Boeing had to stop undervaluing its workforce,” IAM International President Brian Bryant said after the vote. “Our strength lies in our unity, and we do not back down.”

    Strike lines were set. Burn barrels were put in place. News media covered the strike from Seattle to Europe, where Boeing’s competitor, Airbus, was watching. The fight was on 24/7, and these workers were together.

    And the legacy of some past members stepped up at just the right time.

    IAM District 751 member Keith Olsen passed away from cancer in 2020. He left behind two children, Hawken and Bailey. Their mother, Arlene, saw her children take action no one expected. Bailey, now 16, shared, “When the strike started, my brother Hawken asked, ‘If Dad were alive, would he be out there?’” Bailey continued, “When I said yes, [Hawken] immediately wanted to join. He’s autistic, and the honking and crowds worried me, but he had so much fun. He kept telling everyone, ‘This is for my Dad.’”

    33,000 moms, dads, union brothers, sisters, and siblings knew what was at stake if they folded under pressure.

    A rejection of a Boeing offer on Oct. 23 ratcheted up the stakes. IAM leaders met with workers and listened to their objections to Boeing’s offers. It just wasn’t good enough, was the consensus.

    “Our membership spoke loudly and clearly about what they wanted in this agreement,” said IAM District 751 President and Directing Business Representative Jon Holden. “We stand strong until those needs are addressed.”

    As the strike continued past its 50th day, striking workers’ determination was further tested. Each day, one day longer, one day stronger.
    The strike was rearranging the meaning of solidarity. As Marshall Ganz described it, the narrative was figuring out what was good.

    “That means that we all needed to come together, stay informed, and take action as a group. There’s no way they’re gonna wait us out,” said District W24 President and Directing Business Representative Brandon Bryant. “We’re going to be here as long as it takes. We’ve got plenty of support for a long time.”

    U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal rallied with striking District 751 members on Oct. 15. Sen. Patty Murray and Reps. Adam Smith and Rick Larsen joined a support letter from Cantwell and Jayapal that called on the two sides to “expeditiously work out a fair and durable deal that recognizes the importance of the machinist workforce to Boeing’s future.”

    The continuing strike’s economic impact on the overall U.S. economy did not go unnoticed. The Seattle Times reported that Boeing and its suppliers had lost $9.7 billion by early November.

    Julie Su, then the Acting Labor Secretary, visited Seattle three times and gathered management and union leaders in late October.

    “There was a real history here where the prior leadership of the company had undervalued and undermined the relationship between management and the machinists,” Su told Axios News. “And so the workers felt that.”

    As day 53 of the strike ended, a deal was reached. Solidarity had won a new agreement.

    “This means growth and stability for Boeing workers. Our members went on strike for better wages and working conditions –and they won by staying united and exercising democracy in the workplace,” said IAM Resident General Vice President Jody Bennett said, “They hit the streets, held strong, and have been rewarded with an excellent contract. This dedicated frontline workforce does not just deserve these provisions —they are also overdue. This contract will set a new standard for aerospace across the region, the nation, and the industry.”

    Boeing workers in South Carolina, who are just like our members; facing the same employerand performing the same work, where Boeing moved some production lines to avoid union power in the right to work for less state, saw gains in their compensation packages influenced by the District 751 and W24 fight.

    “Our members fought courageously for what they deserve, and this victory proves the power of collective bargaining,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant. “IAM Boeing workers will help make the case to Boeing South Carolina workers on how we helped raise their wages and benefits at Boeing and the entire industry. We look forward to the conversations on the ground in Charleston about how the IAM can make their workplace stronger.”

    “This experience changed me. It wasn’t just about standing up to the company -it was about standing up for each other, for every worker who deserves respect and fairness. Our strength is our solidarity, and we proved that every day on the line.”, said District 751A member Chris McQueen as she returned to work after the 53 day strike.

    Members knew that standing up meant that more than just their current battle was won, it meant the door was open to change things for the future, together.

    “Education is power, and by equipping our members with the right tools and information, we build a more united and informed union. Together, we are shaping a stronger future for all IAM members and the entire aerospace industry,” said 751 President Holden. “From our family members to the flying public, we want everyone to be proud of this company once again. We are the watchdog with a unique opportunity to make things better for all.”

    Any movement starts with a step, and a step in the right direction tells a new story with new chapters yet to come.

    It was a fight worth winning.

    SIDEBAR
    Historic Agreement:
    IAM District 751 and W24 Members are now the best compensated aerospace workers in the industry.

    * 38% general wage increase over four years, which compounds to 43.65% over the life of the agreement 
    *401(k) employer match of 100% up to 8%-$12,000 ratification bonus 
    *AMPP incentive plan is reinstated, with a guaranteed minimum annual payout of 4%
    *Special company retirement contribution of 4% into 401(k) maintained
    *$105 pension multiplier per year for those vested in the pension plan
    *Call-in language back to current contract
    *New long-term disability plan and big improvement to short term disability plan-Health care cost containment
    *Improved overtime rules
    *Key job security provision for IAM members to build the next Boeing commercial aircraft in the Pacific Northwest
    *Additional Job Security language maintaining the headcount of Facilities and Maintenance members in the Collective Bargaining Agreement

    Share and Follow:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn Law Celebrates the Class of 2025

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Nearly 200 UConn Law graduates, surrounded by a jubilant crowd of family and friends, celebrated the conferral of their degrees during the 102nd commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 19.

    Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam delivered the keynote address, reflecting on how both triumphs and setbacks can guide us to where we’re meant to be. He noted that although he was once rejected by UConn Law, he now stood before the graduates as the city’s mayor and featured speaker.

    See photos from commencement

    Arulampalam spoke about how important it is to be able to see ourselves in each other and connect with each other on a personal level. He shared a story of meeting President Joe Biden at the White Houseand being struck by an octogenarian Irish Catholic finding similarities with a Sri Lankan-by-way-of-Zimbabwe immigrant half his age.  He urged the audience to overcome the instinct to mistrust those who are different and instead strive to build the kind of society they wish to live in.

    “UConn Class of 2025, you get to choose your destinies and our destinies, and you could be the very best of humanity,” Arulampalam said. “You could be the most powerful type of person, one who sows love in the midst of pain and brokenness and division, one who brings life into the midst of darkness, one who builds community in the midst of chaos. and collectively that is our point.”

    Dean Eboni S. Nelson spoke about the many ways the Class of 2025 served its community, both inside and outside the law school, calling acts of service the class’s “collective love language.”

    “You have exemplified the values of compassion, empathy, civility, and understanding as you’ve supported your peers and colleagues during challenging and fraught times,” she said. “The rich diversity of your cultures, experiences, and viewpoints has contributed to our excellence, and your leadership and advocacy have helped to bring and hold our community together. You have made one another better, and you have made this law school better. And for that, I thank you.”

    The Class of 2025 features 143 graduates with juris doctor (JD) degrees, 54 with master of laws (LLM) degrees, and one with a doctor of the science of laws (SJD) degree. Five graduates earned dual degrees – a JD and a graduate degree from another UConn school or college.

    Lois Nnenna Owunna, representing the LLM class, spoke of a feeling of belonging at UConn Law. She highlighted the diverse countries of origin, different languages, and unique traditions among the LLM graduates, noting that perseverance was their common thread. Nnenna Owunna added that they have a lot to give; they bring resilience, compassion, and a drive for justice, in addition to their legal knowledge.

    “What we have experienced has bonded us for life,” she said. “We didn’t let borders or accents divide us. We built bridges.”

    Meet some of the graduates

    Speaking on behalf of the Evening Division, Yanhire Sierra-Lavalle reflected on the support of her family. She has held onto her father saying “Of course she is, she’s Yani” about her plans to attend law school five years ago.

    “Look for mentors, colleagues, or friends, look for people who will continue to uplift you,” she told her classmates. “Look for the person who says ‘Of course you did it. You’re you.’ Don’t forget to give yourself grace. Be kind to yourself. Take care of yourself and give yourself the credit you have earned. When you find yourself in the room with some of the smartest people you have ever met, remember you’re in that room too.”

    Alex Davenport, speaking for the Day Division, shared a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. about moments of conscience, expressing confidence that she and her classmates are prepared to meet those moments with courage.

    “Today is an expression of hope,” she said. “As we turn to the next chapter of our lives, I hope that we daily model commitments to empathy, service, community, and justice. I hope our lives are filled with love and joy. I hope we each know a career that embodies integrity and breathes courage.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Trump on the One, Big, Beautiful Bill & Medicaid: ‘We’re not touching anything.’

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    On the One, Big, Beautiful Bill:

    “Here’s what I want on Medicaid, we’re not touching anything. All I want is one thing — three words — we don’t want ANY waste, fraud or abuse. Very simple.” – President Trump on Capitol Hill

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXS3dpeSnkE

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: The Government of Canada recognizes the national historic significance of the establishment of the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    May 20, 2025                            London, United Kingdom                                 Parks Canada

    At a plaque unveiling ceremony yesterday in London, United Kingdom (UK), Ron Hallman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Parks Canada, along with Bernard Thériault, Chair of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, attended an event hosted by the Honourable Ralph Goodale, High Commissioner of Canada in the UK. The event commemorated the national historic significance of the establishment of the High Commission of Canada in the UK.

    The unveiling of the commemorative plaque and announcement of the national historic designation were made on behalf of the Minister responsible for Parks Canada through Parks Canada’s National Program of Historical Commemoration.

    The establishment of the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom (UK) was an important chapter in Canada’s diplomatic history. Canada was the first country in what became the Commonwealth to establish a high commission. The role of the High Commission, Canada’s oldest diplomatic posting, evolved as Canada gained more legal and diplomatic autonomy. Since its informal beginnings in the late 19th century, the office has promoted Canadian interests in trade and immigration.

    On 29 June 1925, King George V and Queen Mary opened the newly renovated Canada House on Trafalgar Square, which became the new home of the High Commission of Canada. Its stature and proximity to the centres of British decision-making reflected Canada’s growing independence and significant role within the Commonwealth.

    The Government of Canada, through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and Parks Canada, recognizes significant persons, places, and events that have shaped our country as one way of helping Canadians connect with their past. By sharing these stories with Canadians, we hope to foster understanding and reflection on the diverse histories, cultures, legacies, and realities of Canada’s past and present.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Chicago captures shooters in December 2024 mass shooting tied to Tren de Aragua gang

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    CHICAGO — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrests of the shooters involved in the Dec. 2, 2024, mass shooting at a house party in Chicago predominantly attended by Venezuelan nationals. This incident resulted in multiple injuries and the loss of three lives. Authorities believe the shooting was perpetrated by members of the Tren de Aragua gang.

    One of the suspected shooters, Venezuelan national Ricardo Granadillo Padilla, 25, was arrested on Feb. 8 by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Chicago and Raleigh, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Raleigh, U.S Border Patrol Tactical Unit, the U.S. Marshals Service, and CBP Air and Marine Operations in Raleigh, North Carolina. Granadillo Padilla is currently in federal custody after being sentenced in March 2025 for illegally entering the United States in 2022 near El Paso, Texas. Multiple firearms, high-capacity magazines, narcotics, and fraudulent documents were seized in January 2025 from Granadillo Padilla’s residence in Chicago. During his arrest in Raleigh, North Carolina, a pistol, ammunition, and other evidentiary items were also seized.

    Another suspected shooter, Venezuelan national Edward Martinez Cermeno, 24, was arrested on Jan. 26 by ICE HSI Chicago and the CBP Office of Border Patrol in Schaumburg, Illinois. Martinez Cermeno was initially released by a federal magistrate judge in Illinois following a federal detention hearing but was then re-arrested by ICE HSI Chicago on administrative immigration charges for being illegally present in the United States. He is currently in federal custody facing criminal charges for illegally entering the United States in 2023 near Eagle Pass, Texas.

    Over the past weeks, sixteen additional TdA members and associates of the shooters in the Chicago area and Raleigh, North Carolina were arrested by ICE HSI Chicago on immigration charges.

    Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

    Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety on X at @HSIChicago.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Working Group to assess impact of US fund withdrawal  

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Tuesday, May 20, 2025

    Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Professor Blade Nzimande has announced the 12 members of the Working Group on Science, Technology, and Innovation Funding (STI-WG).

    The aim of the working group is to advise the Minister on the implications and impact of the recent withdrawal of funding by the United States of America (USA) government from key research and development programmes in South Africa.

    The Working Group comprises  the following persons:
    •    Dr Derrick Swartz – NMU, Working Group Chairperson
    •    Prof Ari Sitas – Acting Director, Institute of African Alternatives, Cape Town
    •    Prof Sarah Mosoetsa – CEO, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)
    •    Dr Mlungisi Cele – CEO, National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI)
    •    Prof Francis Petersen – Chair, Universities South Africa
    •    Prof Thokozani Majozi – President and Chair, Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
    •    Prof Sibusiso Moyo – Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Stellenbosch University
    •    Prof Ntobeko Ntusi – CEO, South African Medical Research Council
    •    Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo – CEO, National Research Foundation
    •    Prof Sibongile Muthwa – Vice-Chancellor, Nelson Mandela University
    •    Prof Xolisa Mtose – Vice-Chancellor, University of Zululand
    •    Dr Thulani Dlamini – CEO, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

    Minister Nzimande on 2 May 2025, announced that he was in the process of appointing a working group.

    The terms of reference of the Working Group are to analyse the impact and implications of the USA withdrawal of funds to South African public research and innovation.

    Other terms of the working group are: 
    •    To analyse the current geo-political risks related to STI and how South Africa should position itself to deal with the current situation
    •    To propose policy and strategic responses to enhance the long-term security and sustainability of the STI system and the role of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) members of the Working Group

    “The Working Group is expected to provide the Minister with its first draft report within four weeks after assumption of the task, and the final report is expected by 30 June 2025,” said the DSTI on Monday. – SAnews.gov.za 
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Dan Goldman’s Statement on Donald Trump Lifting His Stop Work Order for Empire Wind 1

    Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)

    On April 16, the Trump Administration announced a stop work order on the wind farm off the coast of New York that makes landfall in Congressman Goldman’s district that would power 500,000 homes in New York City upon completion. Since then, Congressman Goldman, joined by a coalition of elected officials and advocates, strenuously objected to the economic and national security harm that would have resulted from a permanent cancellation. Today, the Trump Administration lifted the stop work order, allowing Equinor to proceed with the project.  
    Photos and videos of the Congressman’s advocacy can be found here. 
    The Congressman’s efforts were cited in Equinor’s statement on the order being lifted here.   

    “A month ago, the Trump Administration arbitrarily stalled New York’s clean energy transition by placing a stop work order on the Empire Wind 1 wind-farm project, and along with it the promise of 1,500 well-paying union jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars in supply chain investments, and clean energy to 500,000 New York homes. 

    “But today, after relentless advocacy from a coalition of elected officials, organized labor, and advocacy groups, we’re back on track. 

    “The Empire Wind 1 project is a cornerstone of our clean energy transition and a bold step forward for American manufacturing. I remain fully committed to doing everything in my power to see this critical project through to completion.” 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Dan Goldman’s Statement on Trump Prosecuting Rep. LaMonica McIver

    Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)

    “Patriotic Americans must not be fooled: by charging a sitting member of Congress on completely bogus charges, the Trump Administration is weaponizing the Department of Justice in an unprecedented way to silence and intimidate his political opposition.  

    “This is how banana republics and authoritarian dictatorships work, not the oldest democracy in the world.  

    “My Republican colleagues may be drunk on their own power and convinced of their own baseless accusations of the last administration’s weaponization of the federal government, but their cowardice as President Trump lawlessly attacks their own institution will be a permanent stain on each and every one of them. I recommend that they stand up to this tyranny before it is too late or one of them becomes a defendant in a criminal prosecution. 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kim, Meeks Bill to Strengthen U.S.-Indo-Pacific Strategy Passes House

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Young Kim (CA-39)

    Washington, DC – Today, the House passed the Strengthening the Quad Act (H.R. 1263), a bipartisan bill led by Rep. Young Kim (CA-40) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (NY-05) to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to the Quadrilateral Dialogue (Quad) with Japan, Australia, and India. 

    The Strengthening the Quad Act: 

    • Directs the State Department to develop a long-term Quad strategy focused on regional security, economic growth, and democratic resilience; and, 
    • Establishes a Quad Inter-Parliamentary Working Group to enhance legislative collaboration among the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India.   

    “The Quad is vital to advancing America’s interests and countering shared threats in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Rep. Young Kim. “I am glad the House can come together to show our support for our Indo-Pacific partners by passing the Strengthening the Quad Act, and I’ll keep fighting to get this across the finish line.” 

    Watch Rep. Kim speak on the House floor in support of the bill HERE.

    Additional original cosponsors of this bill include Rep. Ami Bera (CA-06), Ranking Member of the East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee, Rep. Bill Huizenga (MI-04), Chairman of the South and Central Asia Subcommittee, and Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Ranking Member of the South and Central Asia Subcommittee.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Issa Announces Service Academy Appointments

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

    Escondido – Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) has announced six outstanding students from California’s 48th Congressional District received appointments to the U.S. Service Academies.

    Issa said, “On behalf of our community, I congratulate these remarkable young students on their distinguished appointments.  I trust they will go on to serve this country with courage and commitment. We are all eager to see the illustrious leaders they will become.”

    Each year, members of the U.S. House and Senate nominate high school seniors from their community for admission to the U.S. Air Force, Merchant Marine, Military and Naval academies. Nominees were reviewed by a skilled panel of local community members.

    Congressman Issa hosted a congratulatory breakfast with the students and their family as well as military community members.

    Feature Photo (from Left to Right): Sawyer Dann, Maximus Cruz, Timothy Ryu, Kelsey Ko.     Not pictured: Jeff Bunch, Elyor Muhammadiyev.

    Air Force Academy

    Kelsey Ko

    Kelsey resides in Temecula and will graduate from the ICL Academy.  She is the Team Captain of her tennis team and earned the MVP award for her outstanding play.  Kelsey is also a member of the National Honor Society.

    Sawyer Dann

    Sawyer resides in Poway and will graduate from Classical Academy High School.  He participates in varsity Track and Field, Soccer and Football. Sawyer is a member of the National Honor Society and he is an Eagle Scout.

    U.S. Military Academy/West Point

    Jett Bunch

    Jett resides in Murrieta and will graduate from Vista Murrieta High School.  He plays varsity Rugby and Football, where he is Team Captain for each.  He is his distinguished Class President.

    Timothy Ry

    Timony resides in Poway and graduated from Poway High School.  He attended the US Naval Sea Cadets program.  He participated in Track and Field and Color Guard.

    Elyor Muhammadiyev

    Elyor is from Murrieta and a 2023 graduate of Murrieta High School.  He participated in the Naval Sea Cadet program.

    Merchant Marine Academy

    Maximus Cruz

    Maximus is from Julian and attends Julian Union High School. Maximus serves as Student Council Treasurer and he plays varsity Football and Baseball.   

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Foreign Secretary statement, 20 May 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Oral statement to Parliament

    Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Foreign Secretary statement, 20 May 2025

    Statement by Foreign Secretary David Lammy to the House of Commons on the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

    With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will make a statement on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

    This weekend, the Israeli Defence Force started a new, extensive ground operation throughout Gaza, Operation Gideon’s Chariot. Five Israeli divisions are now operating there.

    Prime Minister Netanyahu says that they are going to take control of the Strip letting only minimal amounts of food reach Gazans. Madam Deputy Speaker I quote Prime Minister Netanyahu – “just enough to prevent hunger.”

    Fewer than ten trucks entered Gaza yesterday. The UN and WHO have issued stark warnings of the threat of starvation hanging over hundreds of thousands of civilians. Madam Deputy Speaker, this is abominable.

    Civilians in Gaza facing starvation, homelessness, trauma, desperate for this war to end, now confront renewed bombardment, new displacement and new suffering. And the remaining hostages kept apart from their loved ones by Hamas for almost six hundred days are now at heightened risk from the war around them.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, two months ago the ceasefire collapsed. Since then, the humanitarian catastrophe has rapidly intensified.

    For eleven weeks, Israeli forces have blockaded Gaza, leaving the World Food Programme without any any remaining stocks. Israel has repeatedly struck hospitals, with three more hospitals in northern Gaza ceasing operations this weekend.

    Yet more aid workers and medical workers have been killed. After last year proved the deadliest year on record for humanitarian personnel.

    The diplomatic deadlock between Israel and Hamas has sadly also hardened. Despite the efforts of the United States, Qatar and Egypt – which we of course support – no ceasefire has emerged.

    We repeat our demand that Hamas release all the hostages immediately and unconditionally and reiterate that they cannot continue to run Gaza.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, we are now entering a dark new phase in this conflict. Netanyahu’s government is planning to drive Gazans from their homes into a corner of the Strip to the south and permit them a fraction of the aid that they need.

    Yesterday, Minister Smotrich even spoke of Israeli forces “cleansing” Gaza, “destroying what’s left”, of resident Palestinians “being relocated to third countries”.

    We must call this what it is. It is extremism. It is dangerous. It is repellent. It is monstrous. And I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, Israel suffered a heinous attack on October 7th and the Government has always backed Israel’s right to defend itself. We have condemned Hamas and its abhorrent treatment of the hostages. And we have stood with families and demanded their loved ones be released.

    But the planned displacement of so many Gazans is morally unjustifiable, wholly disproportionate and utterly counter-productive. Whatever Israeli ministers claim, this is not the way to bring the hostages safely home.

    Nearly all the hostages have been freed through negotiations, not military force. And that is why hostage families themselves – and many other Israelis – oppose this plan so strongly.

    Nor will this plan eliminate Hamas or make Israel secure. This war has left a generation orphaned and traumatised, ready for Hamas to recruit. As we learned in Northern Ireland to defeat terrorists and their warped ideology you cannot just rely on military might. You have to offer a viable political alternative. Opposing the expansion of a war that’s killed thousands of children is not rewarding Hamas.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, since entering office, we have taken concerted action on Gaza.

    We restored funding to UNRWA. We supported the independence of international courts. We suspended arms export licences. We provided food and medical care to hundreds of thousands of Gazans. We’ve worked with Arab partners on a plan to ensure a reconstructed Gaza no longer run by Hamas.

    And since Israel restarted strikes on Gaza, this Government has demanded Israel change course. Privately, in my conversations with Foreign Minister Sa’ar and Strategic Affairs Minister Dermer, and publicly, in repeated joint statements with my French and German counterparts, we have made clear that Israel’s actions are intolerable.

    We have raised our concerns in the UN Security Council and before the International Court of Justice. Yesterday, my Right Honourable Friend the Prime Minister joined leaders from France and Canada strongly opposing the expansion of Israel’s military operations. And the UK led a further statement with twenty-seven partners criticising Israel’s proposed new aid delivery mechanism and defending the essential humanitarian principles of the international system that the UK did so much to establish in the first place.

    Our message is clear. There is a UN plan ready to deliver aid at scale, needed with mitigations against aid diversion. There are brave humanitarians ready to do their jobs. There are 9,000 trucks at the border. Prime Minister Netanyahu: end this blockade now and let the aid in.

    Regrettably, Madam Deputy Speaker, despite our efforts, this Israeli government’s egregious actions and rhetoric have continued. They are isolating Israel from its friends and partners around the world. Undermining the interests of the Israeli people. And damaging the image of the state of Israel in the eyes of the world.

    I find this deeply painful, as a lifelong friend of Israel and a believer in the values expressed in its declaration of independence.

    As the Prime Minister and fellow leaders said yesterday, we cannot stand by in the face of this new deterioration. It is incompatible with the principles that underpin our bilateral relationship. Rejected by Members across this House and frankly it’s an affront to the values of the British people.

    Therefore today, I am announcing that we have suspended negotiations with this Israeli government on a new free trade agreement. We will be reviewing cooperation with them under the 2030 Bilateral Roadmap.

    The Netanyahu government’s actions have made this necessary. Madam Deputy Speaker, today, my Honourable Friend the Minister for the Middle East is summoning the Israeli Ambassador to the Foreign Office to convey this message.

    I say now to the people of Israel: we want, I want a strong friendship with you based on our shared values with flourishing ties between our people and societies. We are unwavering in our commitment to your security and to your future, to countering the very real threat from Iran, the scourge of terrorism and the evils of antisemitism.

    But the conduct of the war in Gaza is damaging our relationship with your government. And, as the Prime Minister has said, if Israel pursues this military offensive as it has threatened, failing to ensure the unhindered provision of aid, we will take further actions in response.

    The UK, Madam Deputy Speaker, will not give up on a two-state solution. Israelis living in secure borders, recognised and at peace with their neighbours, free from the threat of terrorism. Palestinians living in their own state, in dignity and security, free of occupation.

    The two-state solution remains the ideal framework, indeed, the only framework, for a just and lasting peace. But as the House knows, its very viability is in peril.

    Endangered not only by the war in Gaza, but by the spread of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts across the Occupied West Bank, with the explicit support of this Israeli government.

    There are now weekly meetings to approve new settlement construction. Settlement approval has accelerated while settler violence has soared. Here too, we have acted, repeatedly pressing for a change in this course and direction, sanctioning seven entities last October, and signing a landmark agreement to bolster support for the Palestinian Authority, when Prime Minister Mustafa visited London just last month.

    But here too, we must do more. Today, we are therefore imposing sanctions on a further three individuals and four entities involved in the settler movement.

    I have seen for myself the consequences of settler violence. The fear of its victims. The impunity of its perpetrators. Today, we are demonstrating again that we will continue to act against those who are carrying out heinous abuses of human rights.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, despite the glimmer of hope from January’s ceasefire, the suffering from this conflict has worsened. But January showed another path was possible.

    We urge Netanyahu’s government to choose this path. The world is judging. History will judge them. Blocking aid, expanding the war, dismissing the concerns of your friends and partners. This is indefensible and it must stop.

    I commend this statement to the House.

    Updates to this page

    Published 20 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Testimony Before the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    Chairman Joyce, Ranking Member Hoyer, and members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for inviting me to testify today.[1]

    I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss the SEC, including our important mission on behalf of our fellow citizens, investors, and taxpayers.  I also appreciate the opportunity as well to speak to some of my priorities as Chairman.

    Four weeks ago today, I was sworn in by Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump; my family was by my side. I am honored by the trust and confidence that the President and the Senate placed in me to lead the SEC.

    As I testify before you, this is my 20th working day as Chairman. I have returned to the SEC where I was a Commissioner from 2002 to 2008. In that time, I advocated for greater transparency at the agency and emphasized robust cost-benefit analysis when considering new regulations. I also previously served on the staff of two SEC chairmen—Richard Breeden, appointed by President George H.W. Bush, and Arthur Levitt, appointed by President Bill Clinton.

    With my fellow Commissioners, Congress, and SEC staff, I look forward to working to ensure that the United States is well-positioned to seize on the new excitement for investment and economic opportunity that President Trump’s leadership and pro-growth policies have inspired.

    SEC Mission

    First and foremost, it is a new day at the SEC. I am determined that we return to our core mission that Congress set for us more than 90 years ago.

    The SEC’s three-part mission was enunciated by Congress in the Exchange Act: protecting investors; facilitating capital formation; and maintaining fair, orderly, and efficient markets.  

    Investor protection is vital to our mission—holding accountable those who lie, cheat, and steal. The SEC will remain vigilant in our important role to ensure that investors have confidence to participate in the markets.

    Capital formation is also at the root of what we do—fostering a direct, economical route for investors’ capital to find its way to entrepreneurs and industry to create products and services. This engine of growth employs people, helping them to work and save to achieve their dreams.

    The third core part of our mission is maintaining fair, orderly, and efficient markets. Congress calls on the Commission to ensure that our regulations balance costs and benefits, that they do not become too burdensome by adding needless friction to the marketplace, undermining the capital formation that yields so much benefit.

    During my tenure as chairman, the SEC will not stray from this core three-part mission.

    My time in public service and the private sector, both earlier in my career and more recently, has allowed me to see firsthand how regulations affect markets and investors. They can stoke innovation, facilitate investment goals, and create opportunities—or burdens—on businesses’ ability to compete and serve their customers.

    How we implement regulations at the SEC is crucial; it is one thing to write a regulation, quite another for it to achieve its intended goal. Regulation should be smart, effective, and appropriately tailored within the confines of our statutory authority.

    It takes market experience and focused application to ensure that customers and investors of financial services firms benefit from efficient, effective, and well-designed regulation. Our goal at the SEC must be to facilitate those efforts, analyze their effectiveness, and use our enforcement power to cure and rectify wayward actions.

    In short, clear rules of the road benefit all market participants.

    The SEC is returning rulemaking to regular order. Our comment periods will not be artificially short, and the public will have ample time to provide feedback. The SEC will also be sure to take into consideration how rules overlap and how regulatory burdens build, in keeping with our obligation to consider their costs and benefits. The SEC also looks forward to working with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on our rulemaking.

    I am grateful to Commissioner Mark Uyeda for his stewardship of the agency as acting Chairman of the SEC from January to April, a very productive three months.

    During this transition, he brought clarity to some urgent policy issues that we faced in the courts and some organizational issues as the new Administration came into office.

    He established the Crypto Task Force together with Commissioner Pierce, which  has worked with staff to provide necessary guidance to the industry. He normalized the agency’s stance regarding materiality of disclosure requirements to comply with Supreme Court rulings and backed agency actions to extend certain compliance dates and remove personally identifiable information (PII) from the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT).

    As we look ahead, I am confident in the direction of our work. My experience over the decades will naturally inform my approach as Chairman.

    The Commission will focus on providing meaningful pathways for entrepreneurs to obtain the capital that they need to execute their innovative ideas and grow their companies in both the private and public markets. At the same time, investors that provide such capital must be able to continue to depend on effective enforcement against fraudulent activities.

    Digital Assets

    From 2017 until my nomination, I worked to help develop best practices for the digital assets industry and saw firsthand how ambiguous or nonexistent regulations in this space created uncertainty and inhibited innovation. That lack of regulatory framework also invites fraud. 

    A key priority of my Chairmanship will be to develop a rational regulatory framework for crypto asset markets that establishes clear rules of the road for the issuance, custody, and trading of crypto assets while continuing to discourage bad actors from violating the law. Clear rules of the road are necessary for investor protection against fraud—not the least to help them identify scams that do not comport with the law.

    Policymaking will be done through notice and comment rulemaking not through regulation-by-enforcement. The Commission will utilize its existing authorities to set fit-for-purpose standards for market participants. The Commission’s enforcement approach will return to Congress’ original intent, which is to police violations of these established obligations, particularly as they relate to fraud and manipulation.

    This undertaking requires coordination across multiple offices and divisions within the Commission, which is why I am pleased that Commissioner Uyeda and Commissioner Hester Peirce have worked together to establish the Crypto Task Force. For too long, the Commission has been hindered by policymaking silos. The Crypto Task Force exemplifies how our policy divisions can come together to expeditiously provide long-needed clarity and certainty to the American public.

    I am confident that Commissioner Peirce, known for her principled and tireless advocacy for common-sense policy, is the right person to lead the Crypto Task Force’s effort to come up with a rational regulatory framework for crypto asset markets.

    The task force has held four roundtables so far on further defining security status, tailoring regulation for crypto trading, custody considerations, and tokenization. I look forward to the input from industry and additional public feedback during the next roundtable on decentralized finance.

    This is important work. Entrepreneurs across the United States and around the world are harnessing blockchain technology to modernize aspects of our financial system. I anticipate  benefits from this market innovation for efficiency, cost reduction, transparency, and risk mitigation.

    SEC Commissioner Roles

    In addition to Commissioner Peirce’s continued leadership of the Crypto Task Force, I have asked Commissioner Uyeda to be our “ambassador” to the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw has agreed to take on the SEC’s administrative law proceedings framework and the procedures in adjudications used by our administrative law judges in light of Supreme Court rulings that oblige us to rethink and reform this area.

    SEC Staff Numbers

    The SEC’s Offices and Divisions have decreased headcount by 15% since the beginning of the current fiscal year. Many of our colleagues at the SEC elected to take advantage of the Administration’s Fork in the Road, Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) or Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments (VSIP). Some left to pursue other opportunities. These departures leave vacancies that in many cases need to be filled. When I left the agency in 2008, we had approximately 3,600 employees. At our height a year ago, we had approximately 5,000 employees plus 2,000 contractors. Today we are at approximately 4,200 employees and 1,700 contractors.

    Reorganization

    Under Acting Chairman Uyeda, the reporting lines in the Divisions of Enforcement and Examinations were realigned to better reflect each Division’s national programs to improve efficiency, management, and oversight of the Divisions. There will be targeted, common-sense reorganizations to come at the SEC. To start, I am seeking approval from Congress to disband what is known as agency’s Strategic Hub for Innovation and Financial Technology (FinHub). Innovation should be ingrained into the culture SEC-wide and not limited to a relatively small office. Established in 2018, FinHub was created during a critical period of emerging technologies. The rapid development of distributed ledger technology, including digital assets, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, required a centralized effort to build understanding at the SEC. The principles and priorities under which it was established are being integrated into the very fabric of the SEC.

    Technology Review and Optimizing Efficiency

    We have begun a process to review our technology infrastructure and our contractual obligations. This review is long overdue—call it a spring cleaning and reassessment of contracts, especially regarding information technology.

    We publicly announced last week that the Commission determined that certain masked data fields on publicly available reports on Form N-PORT submitted between Feb. 3, 2025, and May 8, 2025, were inadvertently made public on the SEC’s EDGAR system. This was the result of a software update effective Feb. 3. The masking error has been corrected and did not affect Form N-PORT filings made after May 8, 2025.

    This situation is not acceptable. I have directed the initiation of a comprehensive review of the EDGAR system to ensure for data integrity. We need to evaluate what we have, where our vulnerabilities are, and how we can shore up and improve our systems. We will work on optimizing our efficiency and eliminating redundancy.  

    SEC Regional Offices and Leasing

    The SEC has 10 regional offices across the country. In late February, the GSA informed the SEC that it would terminate leases utilized by the SEC’s Los Angeles Regional Office and the Philadelphia Regional Office. Discussions with the GSA and the landlords are ongoing, and I will keep this committee apprised of those developments.  In the meantime, the leases are in their “soft term” and are not terminated.

    I firmly believe in the SEC’s regional office concept. We cannot and should not have all of the SEC’s staff in Washington and New York. Risk management, human resource development, and practicality for our examination teams –as one example – provide ample reinforcement for the need to maintain these offices.

    SEC Funding

    The SEC’s budget is set through the Appropriations process. Fees on securities transactions that the SEC collects provide an offset. The annual collections–fees paid by SROs based on the aggregate dollar amount of securities sales–go to the Treasury’s general fund.

    On April 8, 2025, the SEC announced that starting on May 14, 2025, the fee rates applicable to most covered sales would be set at $0 per million in securities transactions.[2] The Commission determined this new rate in accordance with Section 31 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

    The Commission collected its entire fiscal year 2025 appropriation before the new fee rate of $0 per million became effective on May 14. The prior fee rate was $27.80 per million. The Commission is required to set the fee rate to a level that generates fees equal to the Commission’s appropriated amount, so no further collections for fiscal year 2025 are required.

    The Commission will continue to keep this committee, and the public, informed of developments relating to fees on the SEC website.

    Conclusion

    As I said at the outset of this testimony, it is a new and brighter day for the SEC.

    We will work with our colleagues in the Administration, especially other financial services regulators, and with Congress to bolster the economy and build on U.S. leadership of the global markets.

    This is a pivotal moment for our economy. Entrepreneurs, businesses, and individuals here at home and across the globe are eager to invest in America.

    This SEC will work to protect investors from fraud, keep politics out of how our securities laws and regulations are applied, and advance clear rules of the road that encourage investment in our economy to the benefit of all Americans.

    This SEC will work to ensure that regulations promote capital formation rather than stifle it. We will work together to ensure American investors get disclosures that actually help them understand the true risks of an investment.

    This SEC will make every effort to ensure that the U.S. is the best and most secure place in the world to invest and do business. Americans should always have utmost confidence when investing their hard-earned dollars to save and provide for their future and the future of their families.

    Thank you.

     

    [1] The views expressed in this testimony are those of the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and do not necessarily represent the views of the President, the full Commission, or any Commissioner. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Georgia’s Gubernatorial Dem Primary Takes Shape

    Source: US Republican Governors Association

    The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –

    WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Republican Governors Association (RGA) issued the following statement in response to Keisha Lance Bottoms’ announcement that she is entering the Georgia gubernatorial race, joining Jason Esteves in the Democratic primary:

    “The gubernatorial primary is shaping up to be nothing but disappointing for Georgia Democrats. Keisha Lance Bottoms’ record as Mayor is one that was a disaster for Atlanta — crime skyrocketed, with incidents of homicide, rape, aggravated assault all surging due to her failed policies. Atlanta was drastically unsafe under Bottoms, and the last thing Georgians want is to bring her policies to the entire state. Bottoms is a risk Georgians cannot afford,” said RGA Communications Director Courtney Alexander. “She joins Jason Esteves who, from opposing the border wall, to standing in the way of parental rights in education, has proven over and over again that he is woefully out of touch with Georgians. And let’s not forget, Democrats are still hopeful that two-time failed candidate Stacey Abrams will hop into the race.”

    Keisha Lance Bottoms’ Record: 

    –Bottoms was a key member of the Biden-Harris campaign teams and their failed administration that was responsible for skyrocketing costs and increasingly dangerous communities.

    –Bottoms did not run for a second term as mayor as crime skyrocketed in Atlanta as homicides, rapes, and aggravated assaults surged due to her failed leadership.

    –Bottoms enacted sanctuary policies, and refused to work with ICE to hold those with immigration violations accountable – letting illegal criminals run free, and making Georgia less safe.

    –Bottoms pushed to implement a statewide mask mandate as Georgia was safely being reopened during the COVID-19 pandemic and fought to keep the state locked down.

    –Bottoms was unable to even be responsible when it came to managing her own finances, and was fined for campaign finance violations.

    Jason Esteves’ Record: 

    -Esteves strongly supported Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ failed administration and even backed him after his disastrous debate performance.

    -Esteves stood against allowing parents to have a choice in their children’s education and opposed a statewide school choice program in Georgia.

    -Esteves opposed safety measures that would hold sanctuary cities accountable for crimes committed by illegal immigrants.

    -Esteves opposed building a Southern border wall to keep families and communities safe, even after Georgia was devastated by crimes committed by illegal aliens.

    -Esteves would allow children to receive irreversible transgender surgeries.

    -Esteves failed to protect girls’ sports, opposing a commonsense bill that banned biological males from playing on girls’ sports teams.

    -Esteves is against Second Amendment rights.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NIST Moonlight Data Will Help Satellites Get a More Accurate Look at Earth

    Source: US Government research organizations

    NASA’s ER-2 taking off with the air-LUSI moonlight collection equipment on board.

    Credit: NASA photo/Ken Ulbrich

    Weather forecasting, mineral prospecting and farming all could improve from a trove of data the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently gathered about moonlight, late at night and far above the clouds.

    NIST’s measurements of the Moon’s brightness — 10 times more accurate than previously available data — are a valuable commodity for engineers, who can use the data to calibrate the visual sensors aboard Earth-observing satellites. Proper calibration can help ensure that these satellites are accurately recording the actual amounts and colors of light from the ground, water and vegetation far below. NIST obtained its new set of moonlight measurements by deploying its equipment on a high-altitude NASA aircraft. 

    “Our goal with this data release is to help the satellite industry develop better models of lunar irradiance,” said Joe Rice, the NIST group leader for the project. “Using the data will help ensure that scientists have a more accurate understanding of what images of Earth from orbit actually mean.”

    Before a satellite can take reliable visuals of the planet, the satellite’s sensors need to be calibrated to make sure they are recording accurate data. Without this vital step, a sensor might indicate that a swath of territory is a different shade or intensity of color than it really is, leading farmers or prospectors to base their decisions on the inaccuracy.

    Measuring Moonlight from the Edge of the Atmosphere

    Researchers want to accurately measure the spectrum of moonlight so that the Moon can be used as a reference to calibrate satellite imagers. However, measuring this spectrum from the ground is challenging because the atmosphere distorts the moonlight, shifting the spectrum. This animation illustrates the NIST team’s solution, which is to place the measurement equipment in a high-altitude plane called the ER-2 and take the spectrum measurement above 95% of Earth’s atmosphere. Credit: Sean Kelley/NIST

    Sometimes engineers calibrate satellites before launch, but it costs time, money and effort, partly because a rocket ride to space puts a lot of stress on a satellite. The acceleration of launch subjects a satellite to forces that are the equivalent of many times Earth’s gravity, and powerful vibrations during flight shake and rattle the instruments vigorously, potentially undoing the effects of the calibrations.

    Larger satellites might carry devices that allow them to self-calibrate after launch, but such devices add weight and use up valuable real estate. And not all satellites are large enough even to have this option. In cubesats, built from a few cubic modules that are 10 centimeters to a side, volume is at a premium.

    An easier approach is to use light from the Moon, which has reflectance properties that change very little over time and therefore offers a consistent benchmark. From time to time, a satellite sensor may take an image that includes the Moon, and the sensor can be calibrated to the different wavelengths of light reflecting from its surface.

    Land-based telescopes have trouble getting accurate details of the Moon’s irradiance because our planet’s constantly changing atmosphere introduces too much uncertainty. So NIST physicist John Woodward and his colleagues arranged to mount a special telescope on a NASA ER-2 aircraft that flies at 70,000 feet, or 21 kilometers, which is higher than 95% of the atmosphere. The mission, called the Airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance Mission (air-LUSI), flew from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center. After several years of engineering and test flights, the project began gathering data in 2022 and conducted its most recent measurements in early 2025.

    The air-LUSI telescope during a calibration. The light on the other side of the room is an “artificial moon,” a stable source of light that has already been well characterized.

    Credit: NASA photo/Ken Ulbrich

    The new dataset allows distinct improvements over previous lunar irradiance models, which were good at measurements that could show how a sensor’s performance was changing over time but made it difficult to know if and how the Earth itself was changing. The new data not only reduces the uncertainty inherent in ground-based data, but it is also directly tied to the International System of Units (SI), making it easier to apply. 

    “This dataset is 10 times more accurate than the data people previously had to use,” said Woodward. “It will permit a distinct improvement over the other ways we have calibrated satellites.”

    The dataset, now available through NIST’s data portal, is in the netCDF format widely used by the scientific community. It contains irradiance measurements along with the time, location and uncertainty associated with them. It includes information about the instrument NIST used, to help people make useful comparisons with their own sensors’ performance. Also available are details of how to read and display the data along with guidance to help users get started working with it.

    Woodward said he was optimistic about the future use of the dataset. One reason is because accurate, consistent calibration among satellites would enable observers on the ground to spot trends more effectively. 

    “Satellites are expensive national assets, and you want them to be as useful as possible,” he said. “If we calibrate them using the Moon, satellite observations could become more valuable. For example, we’d know whether the color of farmland had changed because rain had improved crop health, rather than because two different satellites took two different images at different times.” 

    The air-LUSI project is a collaboration between scientists and engineers from NASA, NIST, the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and Ontario’s McMaster University.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why do protestors use disruptive, confrontational tactics? New research shows they’re not just a last resort

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Mete Sefa Uysal, Lecturer in Social & Political Psychology, University of Exeter

    HJBC/Shutterstock

    Public protests are on the rise globally, from climate marches and university occupations to roadblocks and mass political demonstrations. These actions may sometimes include confrontational tactics such as civil disobedience, disruption and, at times, violent resistance.

    At Columbia University in the US, for instance, pro-Palestine student protests recently captured global attention for their tactics. They ranged from non-confrontational actions such as gatherings and sit-ins to campus encampments and occupations aimed at disrupting daily activities, which eventually led to confrontations with police.

    Actions like these often spark debate. Are activists acting strategically, or simply reacting out of desperation and rage? Our new research sheds light on this question. Contrary to popular belief, people do not only turn to confrontational protest because they are desperate or lack political alternatives.

    Confrontational protests are frequently portrayed negatively. They are often associated with extremism, disorder, or desperation. So it’s long been a mystery why people choose such confrontational forms of protest, especially given more conventional options like petitions or authorised rallies offer broader public support and visibility.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    In our surveys of 3,833 people across three countries – Germany, Turkey and the UK – we found that people choose confrontational action when they believe it is effective and legitimate for achieving their group’s political goals.

    That said, in some protests, confrontational tactics may emerge spontaneously as a self-defence, driven by immediate threats. But it is not simply an emotional outburst or a last resort: it can be a strategic choice.

    This challenges a widely discussed idea in social and political psychology called the “nothing-to-lose” hypothesis. According to this view, people are driven to confrontational protest when they see non-confrontational action (such as voting, petitioning, or authorised marches) as ineffective. This is often because they have little political trust or are oppressed. Our studies ultimately tested this hypothesis.

    We found that most people rated non-confrontational actions as more effective than confrontational ones. But they still saw confrontational tactics as worthwhile if they also seemed effective and justifiable.

    Interestingly, we discovered that low political trust – a lack of belief that the political system works fairly – did not predict confrontational protest. In fact, it was only weakly linked to perceived effectiveness and legitimacy of such tactics.

    While previous theories suggested that people with nothing to lose would be the ones most drawn to radical action, our findings paint a more complex picture. People don’t necessarily need to lose all faith in the political system before considering disruptive protest. Rather, they judge whether a specific tactic will advance their cause and align with their collective moral values.

    Just Stop Oil protestors with hands glued to the frame of da Vinci’s The Last Supper.
    wikipedia, CC BY-SA

    We also found that when people think that protests are more likely to be met with state violence, they are more likely to view confrontational tactics as legitimate and effective. In other words, when crowds foresee push-back, they recalibrate their strategies rather than withdrawing altogether from activism.

    Constructive disruption

    This research matters now more than ever. From climate movement and pro-Palestine rallies in many countries to anti-government and pro-democracy protests in the US, Turkey, Serbia and Argentina, we are witnessing a global wave of protest crowds.

    Understanding what drives people to disruptive and confrontational actions can help both policymakers and the public make sense of protest in today’s divided world. This may be a better option than moralising about good versus bad forms of protests, which serves to silence and criminalise disruptive and confrontational actions.

    The former UK home secretary Suella Braverman labelled climate protesters “extremists” and pro-Palestinian protests “hate marches”. She also proposed harsher crackdowns. But such an approach is only likely to make the protests more disruptive.

    Similarly, several government responses to UK parliamentary reports on protest policing distinguish “right to peaceful protest” from any kind of disruptive and confrontational activism. They also highlight that the legal definition of “serious disruption” has been widened.

    But viewing all disruptive protests as being outside of legal boundaries is likely to create pushback among activists and limit the potential constructive social influence of such protests.

    We argue that it’s time to rethink how we talk about confrontational and disruptive protests. Rather than viewing them as irrational, extreme or born of despair, we should understand it as part of a wider repertoire of political action.

    Here, labelling a set of protests through binary, moralised terms can lead to overlooking and silencing a crucial and effective protest strategy: constructive disruption. Constructive disruption relies on carefully balancing non-violent but disruptive actions. This can apply pressure for change while signalling positive intent that encourages a conciliatory response to protest.

    As a group of social psychologists recently showed, constructive disruption could generate support even among those who are most resistant.

    If we recognise that such tactics are often grounded in a sense of justice and strategic reasoning, we can move away from moralistic judgements and toward democratic dialogue by better engaging with the underlying demands that drive them.

    As protest movements continue to shape political life around the world, we believe it’s time to take their strategies seriously – not just their slogans.

    Mete Sefa Uysal received funding from the International Society of Political Psychology Scholar Under Threat Fund for a part of this study.

    John Drury and Yasemin Gülsüm Acar 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. Why do protestors use disruptive, confrontational tactics? New research shows they’re not just a last resort – https://theconversation.com/why-do-protestors-use-disruptive-confrontational-tactics-new-research-shows-theyre-not-just-a-last-resort-256716

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Rubio testifies before the Senate Committee – 2:00 PM

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio testifies before the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs on the FY26 Department of State Budget Request on Capitol Hill, on May 20, 2025.

    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
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    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
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    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sR-ASE6cmc

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Foreign Affairs Day Celebration

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Senior Bureau Official Lew Olowski deliver remarks at the Department of State’s 60th annual Foreign Affairs Day celebration, on May 2, 2025.

    The AFSA Memorial Plaque Ceremony follows the remarks, honoring those who have lost their lives while serving overseas due to circumstances distinctive to the Foreign Service, including acts of violence or terrorism. AFSA President Tom Yazgerdi presides over the ceremony and delivers welcoming remarks. Deputy Secretary Landau pays tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country around the world.

    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
    X: https://x.com/StateDept
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statedept
    Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/statephotos/
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    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
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    State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
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    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uul_tnjjmnI

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 20 Reasons Why Congress Must Unite Behind the One, Big, Beautiful Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Congressional Republicans MUST unite to pass President Donald J. Trump’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill and take advantage of the once-in-a-generation opportunity they were given by voters.
    Here are 20 reasons why Congress must unite behind the One, Big, Beautiful Bill:
    It delivers the largest tax cut in American history. This means an extra $5,000 in Americans’ pockets with a DOUBLE-DIGIT percent DECREASE to their tax bills. Americans earning between $30,000 and $80,000 will pay around 15% less in taxes.
    It includes NO TAX ON TIPS and NO TAX ON OVERTIME. This makes good on two of President Trump’s cornerstone campaign promises and will benefit hardworking Americans where they need it the most — their paychecks.
    It delivers Big, Beautiful Deportations. The bill permanently secures our borders by making the largest border security investment in history, funding at least one million annual removals of illegal immigrants and ramping up “mass deportation operations to a level never before seen in American history.”
    It finishes President Trump’s border wall. As a result, 701 miles of primary wall, 900 miles of river barriers, 629 miles of secondary barriers, and 141 miles of vehicle and pedestrian barriers will be constructed — stopping deadly fentanyl from flowing into our communities and securing the border from dangerous illegal immigrant murderers and rapists.
    It boosts Border Patrol and ICE agents on the frontlines. It empowers immigration authorities to carry out their mission by hiring 10,000 new ICE personnel, 5,000 new customs officers, and 3,000 new Border Patrol agents — and gives $10,000 bonuses in each of the next four years to agents on the frontlines.
    It protects Medicaid for Americans by kicking 1.4 million illegals off the benefits. This bill eliminates waste, fraud, and abuse by ending benefits for at least 1.4 million illegal immigrants who are gaming the system.
    It requires able-bodied Americans to work if they receive benefits. With 4.8 million able-bodied adults choosing not to work, The One, Big, Beautiful Bill puts work requirements in place and supports them as they find dignity through employment.
    It reverses the spending curse plaguing Washington, D.C. The legislation delivers the largest deficit reduction in nearly 30 years, with $1.6 trillion in mandatory savings.
    It ends taxpayer-funded sex change for minors. It reverses the Biden-era mandate that Medicaid cover so-called “gender transition” procedures for minors — ending the taxpayer-funded chemical castration and mutilation of American children.
    It provides historic tax relief to Social Security recipients. It slashes taxes on seniors’ Social Security benefits.
    It will give Americans PERMANENT tax relief through the Trump Tax Cuts. If the bill doesn’t pass, Americans will see the largest tax increase in history.
    It finally modernizes air traffic control, fulfilling President Trump’s plan to completely overhaul the systems that keep Americans flying safely and efficiently. This will allow President Trump to update our air traffic control systems and act where the Biden Administration failed (despite repeated warnings).
    It ends the taxpayer-funded Green New Scam. The legislation repeals or phases out every “green” corporate welfare subsidy in Democrats’ so-called “Inflation Reduction Act,” immediately stops credits from flowing to China and saves taxpayers $500+ billion every year, and reverses electric vehicle mandates that let radical climate activists set the standards for American energy.
    It incentivizes MADE IN AMERICA. It rewards companies that build their products in America with lower taxes — and allows Americans who buy an American-made vehicle to fully deduct their auto loan interest.
    It is pro-family. The One, Big, Beautiful Bill increases the child tax credit, establishes MAGA Accounts for newborns to start saving, and strengthens paid family leave.
    It repeals Democrats’ insane attack on the gig economy. It repeals the requirement that Venmo, PayPal, and other gig transactions over $600 be reported to the IRS.
    It protects family farmers. The bill prevents the greedy death tax from hitting two million family-owned farms who would otherwise see their exemptions cut in half and cuts taxes on farmers by over $10 billion.
    It’s a once-in-a-generation chance to revolutionize our nation’s defense capabilities and protect the homeland against new threats. It funds President Trump’s Golden Dome, invests in American shipbuilding, and modernizes our military.
    It unleashes American energy dominance. The legislation increases onshore and offshore oil and gas leases, which provides certainty for energy producers, spurs job growth, and makes energy more affordable for American consumers.
    It boosts American mineral development. This bill increases mining of domestic minerals and makes America less dependent on foreign adversaries for critical minerals.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Is this bad for my health? Kenyan study tests three types of warning labels on food

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Shukri F. Mohamed, Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center

    Diet-related health conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity, are on the rise in Kenya, putting immense strain on already over-stretched public health systems. These conditions are often driven by high intake of sugars, salts and unhealthy fats. So it’s more critical than ever for consumers to understand what’s in the foods they’re buying.

    But making sense of nutrition information isn’t always straightforward, especially with the small, complex labels on the back of most packages.

    Our recent study examined whether front-of-pack food labels could help Kenyan consumers make better choices. We tested three types of label designs to see which one was most effective at helping people identify nutrients of concern and make healthier purchase decisions.

    Front-of-pack labels are simplified labels on the front of food packaging, designed to help consumers quickly assess healthiness through symbols, colours, or ratings. Examples include providing a “high in sugar” warning. In contrast, back-of-pack labels provide mandatory, detailed information such as full ingredient lists, nutrition facts and expiry dates typically in a standardised, text-heavy format on the back or side. Front-of-pack labels aren’t mandatory in all countries but back-of-pack labels are.

    Many countries, including Chile, Mexico and Israel, have already introduced mandatory warning labels. Research shows that there has been a positive impact on public health.

    Kenya is planning to take a major step in promoting public health by introducing a front-of-label system that will rank packed foods and non-alcoholic beverages based on their nutritional quality. Currently, packaged foods in Kenya are required to list ingredients, but this information can be hard to interpret. Front-of-pack labels will simplify this by highlighting key nutritional facts at a glance.

    The new system will also guide policies like restricting marketing of unhealthy foods to children and other measures to improve Kenya’s food environment. With rising obesity and diet-related diseases driven by a shift from traditional foods to processed options, changes are urgently needed.



    Read more:
    Marketing unhealthy food as good for kids is fuelling obesity in South Africa: how to curb it

    We have been involved in food environment policies research for the last five years. Our study emphasises the potential of front-of-pack food labels to affect consumers’ choices. Presenting clear information about a product’s nutritional content on the front of packaging could shift consumer behaviour towards healthier choices. In turn, this could lead to better public health outcomes.

    Testing three label types

    The study randomly assigned participants to different label types to compare the results fairly.

    The study involved 2,198 adults from four counties: the capital, Nairobi; Mombasa, the second largest city; Kisumu, which is home to the third largest city; and Garissa in north-eastern Kenya. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three label types: red and green octagon label (RG), red and green octagon with icons (RGI), and black octagon warning label (WL).

    Each label had a unique approach to highlighting sugars, fats and salts, which are the nutrients linked to diet-related diseases.

    • The Red-Green (RG) label used the colours red and green to show if a product had high or within-threshold levels of salt, sugar, fat, or saturated fat. Red meant the nutrients were above the set threshold, making that food unhealthy, while green meant it was below the set threshold levels.

    • The Red-Green with Icons (RGI) label worked like the RG label and it also included icons (like a spoon for sugar, a salt shaker for salt) and abbreviations (F for fat, SF for saturated fat) to make it easier to understand.

    • The black octagon Warning Label (WL) only appeared on products high in salt, sugar or fats, with a clear “high in” warning message to alert consumers.



    Read more:
    Why South Africa should introduce mandatory labelling for fast foods

    Each participant was asked to evaluate a sample of food products based on the label type they were shown. They were also asked about their purchase intentions and perceptions of the products’ healthiness.

    First, the study participants were shown images of packaged foods without any labels, and they were asked to answer questions about them. Then, study participants were shown the same images, but this time with a front-of-pack label added to the images. They were then asked the same questions again to see if the labels influenced their responses.

    Our results showed that warning labels were the most effective in helping consumers identify foods high in sugars, salts and fats. Participants who saw the warning labels were more likely to recognise unhealthy packaged food products and less likely to choose them, compared to those who used the Red and Green labels.

    In the same study we asked consumers about awareness and use of labels and we found that approximately two thirds (64.3%) reported being aware of food labels, while 55.0% reported reading nutrition information before purchasing products.

    Next steps

    Our research provides a strong evidence base to support policymakers in adopting mandatory front-of-pack labelling.

    Moving forward, establishing a clear regulatory framework that mandates simple, effective and standardised labelling systems is essential in reducing diet-related diseases. Ensuring these labels are easily understandable and prominently displayed on all packaged foods will empower consumers to make healthier choices, particularly those in low- and middle-income communities, who are at higher risk of poor dietary outcomes.

    Several law-making processes are in place that Kenya could use to implement mandatory labelling. But efforts are needed to identify and pursue the most effective route to effective legal change.

    Shukri F. Mohamed receives funding from the International Development Research Center.

    – ref. Is this bad for my health? Kenyan study tests three types of warning labels on food – https://theconversation.com/is-this-bad-for-my-health-kenyan-study-tests-three-types-of-warning-labels-on-food-253657

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: In ‘Paying For It,’ ex-lovers reimagine friendship, family and the meaning of sex work

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ummni Khan, Associate Professor, Department of Law and Legal Studies, Carleton University

    Emily Lê and Daniel Beirne star in the film that sees director and multidisciplinary artist Sook-Lin Yee adapt the graphic memoir of her ex-lover, Chester Brown, for the screen. (Wilding Pictures & Hawkeye Pictures)

    The film Paying For It, Sook-Yin Lee’s live-action adaptation of cartoonist Chester Brown’s 2011 graphic memoir, reveals unexpected overlaps between paid sexual encounters and romantic relationships.

    Lee, a boundary-shattering artist working across film, music, acting and broadcast, has never shied away from taboo. With Paying For It, she takes on sex work, romance and the messy labour of chosen family by adapting her ex-lover’s memoir for the screen.

    ‘Paying For It,’ graphic memoir by Chester Brown.
    (Drawn & Quarterly)

    In my 2019 article “Chester Brown and the Queerness of Johns,” I analyze Brown’s original book, which traces his pivot from monogamy with Lee to regularly seeing sex workers in the late 1990s.

    Both a memoir and a manifesto, the book pairs accounts of paid sex with arguments for decriminalizing sex work, voiced through debates with friends and a detailed appendix. In my analysis, I frame Brown’s memoir as a queer intervention, one that disrupts heteronormative ideals of romantic relations, intimate exchanges and sexual propriety.

    Lee’s cinematic version of Paying For It affirms Brown’s stance, but filters the story through her own perceptions and snapshots of her love life. In doing so, she traces how she and Brown reinvented their relationship, while portraying his encounters with sex workers with nuance and care.

    Drawing on my research in sexuality — including scholarship on sex work, client surveillance and client regulation — I see the film as a defiant celebration of unconventional bonds between exes who remain best friends, and between clients and sex workers, where even purchased orgasms can carry moments of tenderness and mutual respect.

    Radical relationship honesty

    The film opens with Sonny (Lee’s fictional persona, played by Emily Lê) confessing to live-in boyfriend Chester (Daniel Beirne) that she’s falling in love with someone else.

    Rather than erupting in rage or jealousy, Chester remains composed. Together, they choose to see what might come next. As Sonny begins seeing other people, Chester continues living in the house and becomes privy to her romantic sagas, from the steamy beginnings to the bitter blowouts. To the bewilderment of his friends, he remains content with the arrangement.

    Eventually, Chester decides to pay for sex, a decision he shares with Sonny.
    What emerges is a portrait of creative kinship where two people refuse the usual scripts and choose radical openness instead.

    Unconventional bond

    Decades after the events depicted in the film, Lee has described Brown as her “best friend” and “as family.”

    Lee and Brown shape personal histories into overlapping narratives. That they’ve promoted the film together, and appeared in joint interviews and public discussions, suggests a sense of mutual trust at the heart of their collaboration.

    Probing the meanings of sex and intimacy

    Chester moves — and sometimes stumbles — through criminalized terrain, figuring out how to find sex workers, engage respectfully and follow the unspoken rules of the exchange. The film suggests sometimes it’s just sex for Chester, and at other times, the exchange carries an emotional connection for him.

    With one sex worker, Chester shares his real name and gifts a book he wrote about Louis Riel.

    Sociologist Elizabeth Bernstein has analyzed how sex workers are sometimes paid to offer their clients an erotic experience “premised upon the performance of authentic interpersonal connection.”

    In the film, a potential for emotional reciprocity between Chester and a sex worker becomes evident. Without giving too much away, by the film’s end we see how a casual and transactional beginning transforms into something more enduring for both parties.

    ‘Paying For It,’ trailer.

    Risks in both romance and sex work

    The film also highlights the risks running through both sex work and romance.

    Sex workers face threats of abuse, arrest, disrespect and boundary violations. The film gestures to these realities in a scene following a police raid on a sex work venue.

    But the film also shows Sonny’s relationships aren’t immune to danger either. One boyfriend’s rage nearly results in harm to her pet.

    Just as navigating risk is part of both romance and sex work, so too is grappling with the social forces that shape desire. In one pointed exchange, Sonny calls out Chester for only paying young, conventionally attractive women. He counters by asking why she doesn’t date Asian men, forcing them both to confront their own biases.

    Sex worker rights

    While Paying For It is deeply personal, it is also unmistakably political, especially in its implicit advocacy for sex worker rights.

    To navigate the ethical complexities of depicting sex work, Lee consulted with performer, activist and author Andrea Werhurn, who wrote a memoir about being a former escort; Werhurn stars in the film as the sex worker Denise.

    Lee also interviewed Valerie Scott — one of the applicants who challenged Canada’s prostitution laws in the Bedford case.

    The film presents sex work as legitimate labour, highlighting the skills and emotional intelligence it demands. At the same time, it underscores how sex workers remain vulnerable to police harassment, violence and social stigma.

    Canada’s perverse laws on sex work

    The marginalized status of sex work, as dramatized in the film, is shaped by a legal system structured by moralism and hypocrisy.

    Set in the 1990s, Paying For It takes place at a time when Canada didn’t criminalize the sale of sex directly but prohibited nearly everything around it, including soliciting, working indoors and operating brothels.

    These contradictions pushed the industry underground, exposing sex workers to abuse, police harassment, sting operations and heightened health risks, while often branding them with criminal records.

    Sex work kept in the shadows

    In 2013, the Supreme Court’s Bedford decision struck down these provisions, ruling that they violated sex workers’ constitutional rights, most importantly, the right to security of the person.

    But the legal victory was short-lived. In 2014, the Conservative government introduced the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, which criminalized the purchase of sexual services while ostensibly decriminalizing its sale.

    In practice, the model keeps paid sex in the shadows, where workers face ongoing risks, limited negotiating power and barriers to reporting abuse or working in safer indoor settings. What’s being protected isn’t sex workers, but a puritanical social order.



    Read more:
    Sex workers are left out in the cold by Ottawa’s unjust conviction amendments

    This puritanical approach also underpins the newly criminalized status of clients. In my chapter “From Average Joe to Deviant John,” I trace how western attitudes toward men who pay for sex evolved from a “boys will be boys” tolerance to a framework that pathologizes and vilifies them.

    Paying For It resists this framing. The film presents Chester as awkward but principled: a considerate client navigating desire in a criminalized and judgmental culture.

    The price of choosing love freely

    Paying For It offers an alternative kind of love story. It spotlights a relationship where former lovers honour the heart (their continued commitment to one another), the body (respecting each other’s sexual autonomy) and the mind (their willingness to question social norms).

    In this way, the film redefines “paying for it” not as a burden but as a conscious and liberating investment in diverse forms of love and intimacy.

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

    – ref. In ‘Paying For It,’ ex-lovers reimagine friendship, family and the meaning of sex work – https://theconversation.com/in-paying-for-it-ex-lovers-reimagine-friendship-family-and-the-meaning-of-sex-work-255294

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Meta’s Community Notes program is promising, but needs to prioritize transparency

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sameer Borwankar, Assistant Professor of Information Systems, McGill University

    Meta has changed its approach to fact-checking, moving away from platform-controlled moderation. (Shutterstock)

    Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has more than 3.35 billion combined monthly active users. Recently, Meta has changed its approach to fact-checking in response to criticisms of its role in circulating fake news and disinformation. The company frames its Community Notes program as a way to uphold free expression.

    Although Meta has not officially announced a launch date for Community Notes in Canada, interested users can join the waitlist via Meta’s Community Notes page.



    Read more:
    Meta shift from fact-checking to crowdsourcing spotlights competing approaches in fight against misinformation and hate speech

    The initiative was first launched in the United States, and will be expanding globally. Meanwhile, X (formerly Twitter) has already experimented with a similar program, with mixed results. The experience of X’s Community Notes (previously known as Birdwatch) underscores that both platforms and regulators must take an active role in refining these programs.

    Meta has the opportunity to learn from four years of Community Notes evolution at X and improve upon its shortcomings. This involves adjusting features, addressing algorithmic biases and ensuring that they function as effective tools rather than mere symbolic gestures.

    CBC reports on Meta ending its fact-checking program.

    Community-driven moderation

    X launched Birdwatch in January 2021 when it was known as Twitter. Marketed as a way to broaden the range of voices beyond platform-based and centralized fact-checking efforts, the program aimed to curb the spread of misinformation through community-driven moderation.

    Over time, the team refined many of its features based on feedback from pilot participants and internal research. When Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, he implemented major changes, including a rebranding of the program’s name.

    Community Notes operates on the principles of crowdsourcing, a method proven effective in various domains. Research has shown that groups of users can collectively identify low-quality news sources and misleading content.

    On X, users participating in the Community Notes program contribute additional context to posts in the form of notes. They can also rate others’ contributions. Notes that receive supportive ratings from a diverse group of users become publicly visible. Once approved, they appear directly beneath the original post, providing added context for the broader audience.

    However, even if a post is widely deemed misleading by Community Notes contributors, the platform does not take action against the post itself or the individuals who spread misinformation. Instead, the program relies solely on surfacing user-generated context rather than the company moderating content.

    Positive impact?

    Preliminary research suggests that the Community Notes program has had a positive impact on curbing the spread of misinformation on the platform. Recent work shows that when a note is attached to a post, authors often voluntarily retract their posts by deleting them.

    On the content creation aspect, participation in the program appears to influence user behaviour: contributors tend to adopt a more measured tone, reducing extreme sentiment in their writing after engaging with the system.

    One of the most notable strengths of X’s Community Notes is its transparency. Since the program’s inception, X has provided public access to both the data and the algorithms that determine which fact-checks are displayed.

    This open-source approach has allowed researchers — both within and outside the company — to study the program and propose improvements. This stands in contrast to the recent trend of social media platforms rolling back data-sharing partnerships.

    Prior to Musk’s acquisition, X also had a dedicated team researching the impact of the program. Early changes to the program were shaped by feedback from participants and internal research.

    For example, in November 2021, X introduced anonymity for fact-checkers to prevent trolling and harassment. This decoupling of roles between content creators and fact-checkers has had a positive effect, reducing the risk of retaliation and fostering a more positive content creation by the participants of the program.

    Groups of users can collectively identify low-quality news sources and misleading content.
    (Shutterstock)

    Challenges and limitations

    Despite its potential, X’s Community Notes program faces several significant challenges, including its low popularity among users. Meta now has an opportunity to address these shortcomings from the outset.

    One of the biggest concerns is manipulation by co-ordination. Given the presence of organized troll networks on social media, there is a high risk that co-ordinated groups could misuse the program to flag legitimate content as misinformation.

    To counteract this, X implemented a consensus-based approach, where a note is only made visible if users with diverse viewpoints agree on its accuracy.

    While this system appears sound in theory, in practice it has led to a severe lack of approved notes as less than nine per cent of submitted notes reach the general audience. Many contributions never gain visibility, often due to insufficient ratings from diverse users.

    Another limitation of the consensus approach is that the algorithm must first recognize diverse viewpoints, which are not always straightforward. Social media platforms operate across hundreds of countries, where political, cultural and social divisions can be complex and nuanced. In such cases, enforcing consensus among a diverse audience may be highly unreliable and require reassessment.

    Shifting responsibility

    There is also the risk that Community Notes serve as a smokescreen, allowing platforms to shift responsibility away from active misinformation management. Since taking over X, Musk has laid off more than 80 per cent of the company’s Trust and Safety team.

    This included members of the Community Notes team, leaving critical gaps in oversight and research. Meta’s recent move to distance itself from third-party fact-checkers suggests a similar retreat from proactive intervention.

    Legal frameworks across different countries add further complications. Although Community Notes contributors remain anonymous to the public, it is unclear how platforms will respond if governments demand access to contributor identities.

    The Wikipedia legal case in India serves as a cautionary example of how platforms may be pressured into compliance. In September 2024, the Delhi High Court issued a contempt-of-court notice to Wikipedia over the site’s delay in providing identifying information about edits.

    No real consequences

    Finally, these programs are further weakened by the platforms’ explicit assurance that they will not take enforcement action based on Community Notes outcomes. Without real consequences for those spreading misinformation, the program risks being a symbolic effort rather than an effective tool for content moderation.

    Overall, there is hope that Meta’s Community Notes program can be effective, but its success will depend on continuous experimentation and improvement. The company must prioritize transparency to rebuild public trust and ensure the program does not become another performative gesture.

    Regulators also have a crucial role in holding platforms accountable, ensuring that data from these programs remains accessible to independent researchers and that the algorithms determining which notes are displayed are fair and unbiased.

    Without these safeguards, Community Notes risks becoming yet another tool that platforms use to shift responsibility rather than a meaningful solution to misinformation.

    Sameer Borwankar receives funding from SSHRC.

    – ref. Meta’s Community Notes program is promising, but needs to prioritize transparency – https://theconversation.com/metas-community-notes-program-is-promising-but-needs-to-prioritize-transparency-248324

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Is this bad for my health? Kenyan study tests three types of warning labels on food

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Shukri F. Mohamed, Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center

    Diet-related health conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity, are on the rise in Kenya, putting immense strain on already over-stretched public health systems. These conditions are often driven by high intake of sugars, salts and unhealthy fats. So it’s more critical than ever for consumers to understand what’s in the foods they’re buying.

    But making sense of nutrition information isn’t always straightforward, especially with the small, complex labels on the back of most packages.

    Our recent study examined whether front-of-pack food labels could help Kenyan consumers make better choices. We tested three types of label designs to see which one was most effective at helping people identify nutrients of concern and make healthier purchase decisions.

    Front-of-pack labels are simplified labels on the front of food packaging, designed to help consumers quickly assess healthiness through symbols, colours, or ratings. Examples include providing a “high in sugar” warning. In contrast, back-of-pack labels provide mandatory, detailed information such as full ingredient lists, nutrition facts and expiry dates typically in a standardised, text-heavy format on the back or side. Front-of-pack labels aren’t mandatory in all countries but back-of-pack labels are.

    Many countries, including Chile, Mexico and Israel, have already introduced mandatory warning labels. Research shows that there has been a positive impact on public health.

    Kenya is planning to take a major step in promoting public health by introducing a front-of-label system that will rank packed foods and non-alcoholic beverages based on their nutritional quality. Currently, packaged foods in Kenya are required to list ingredients, but this information can be hard to interpret. Front-of-pack labels will simplify this by highlighting key nutritional facts at a glance.

    The new system will also guide policies like restricting marketing of unhealthy foods to children and other measures to improve Kenya’s food environment. With rising obesity and diet-related diseases driven by a shift from traditional foods to processed options, changes are urgently needed.

    Read more: Marketing unhealthy food as good for kids is fuelling obesity in South Africa: how to curb it

    We have been involved in food environment policies research for the last five years. Our study emphasises the potential of front-of-pack food labels to affect consumers’ choices. Presenting clear information about a product’s nutritional content on the front of packaging could shift consumer behaviour towards healthier choices. In turn, this could lead to better public health outcomes.

    Testing three label types

    The study randomly assigned participants to different label types to compare the results fairly.

    The study involved 2,198 adults from four counties: the capital, Nairobi; Mombasa, the second largest city; Kisumu, which is home to the third largest city; and Garissa in north-eastern Kenya. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three label types: red and green octagon label (RG), red and green octagon with icons (RGI), and black octagon warning label (WL).

    Each label had a unique approach to highlighting sugars, fats and salts, which are the nutrients linked to diet-related diseases.

    • The Red-Green (RG) label used the colours red and green to show if a product had high or within-threshold levels of salt, sugar, fat, or saturated fat. Red meant the nutrients were above the set threshold, making that food unhealthy, while green meant it was below the set threshold levels.

    • The Red-Green with Icons (RGI) label worked like the RG label and it also included icons (like a spoon for sugar, a salt shaker for salt) and abbreviations (F for fat, SF for saturated fat) to make it easier to understand.

    • The black octagon Warning Label (WL) only appeared on products high in salt, sugar or fats, with a clear “high in” warning message to alert consumers.

    Read more: Why South Africa should introduce mandatory labelling for fast foods

    Each participant was asked to evaluate a sample of food products based on the label type they were shown. They were also asked about their purchase intentions and perceptions of the products’ healthiness.

    First, the study participants were shown images of packaged foods without any labels, and they were asked to answer questions about them. Then, study participants were shown the same images, but this time with a front-of-pack label added to the images. They were then asked the same questions again to see if the labels influenced their responses.

    Our results showed that warning labels were the most effective in helping consumers identify foods high in sugars, salts and fats. Participants who saw the warning labels were more likely to recognise unhealthy packaged food products and less likely to choose them, compared to those who used the Red and Green labels.

    In the same study we asked consumers about awareness and use of labels and we found that approximately two thirds (64.3%) reported being aware of food labels, while 55.0% reported reading nutrition information before purchasing products.

    Next steps

    Our research provides a strong evidence base to support policymakers in adopting mandatory front-of-pack labelling.

    Moving forward, establishing a clear regulatory framework that mandates simple, effective and standardised labelling systems is essential in reducing diet-related diseases. Ensuring these labels are easily understandable and prominently displayed on all packaged foods will empower consumers to make healthier choices, particularly those in low- and middle-income communities, who are at higher risk of poor dietary outcomes.

    Several law-making processes are in place that Kenya could use to implement mandatory labelling. But efforts are needed to identify and pursue the most effective route to effective legal change.

    – Is this bad for my health? Kenyan study tests three types of warning labels on food
    – https://theconversation.com/is-this-bad-for-my-health-kenyan-study-tests-three-types-of-warning-labels-on-food-253657

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King, Blumenthal, Murray Press Trump Administration to Protect Veteran Caregivers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), Ranking Member Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) are calling on the Trump Administration to protect veteran caregivers in Maine and across the country. In a letter to Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins, the Senators press the administration to extend a pause in discharges for legacy caregivers enrolled in the VA caregivers’ program – to give these caregivers– and the veterans they serve – more certainty about the path forward.
    While the Biden Administration issued a Proposed Rule in December 2024 to extend this pause, Congress has received no information about the Trump Administration’s plans for the program to date.
    The Senators began, “We write to request an extension of the pause in discharges for legacy caregivers enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) on or before September 30, 2020. No information has been provided about how the current Administration plans to proceed with this rulemaking process, and we have serious concerns a failure to extend this pause will cause thousands of caregivers and veterans to lose life-changing benefits on September 30, 2025.”
    “In addition, VA has not provided any information as to how the recent firings, resignations, cancellations of contracts and other Trump Administration actions have affected staffing for the Caregiver Support Program (CSP), including PCAFC,” the Senators continued in the letter. “You have said your target is to cut staffing to Fiscal Year 2019 levels, however CSP program participation has more than doubled since that time, due to the MISSION Act expansion of PCAFC to veterans of all eras…If CSP staff are cut to your target levels, the program would simply not be able to maintain the current level of support provided.”
    Representing one of the states with the highest rates of military families and veterans per capita, Senator King is a staunch advocate for America’s servicemembers and veterans. A member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), he works to ensure American veterans receive their earned benefits and that the VA is properly implementing various programs such as the PACT Act, the State Veterans Homes Domiciliary Care Flexibility Act, and the John Scott Hannon Act. Recently, Senator King introduced bipartisan legislation to help reduce suicides among veterans by providing free secure firearm storage to veterans. In addition, he helped pass the Veterans COLA Act, which increased benefits for 30,000 Maine veterans and their families. Senator King has also introduced bipartisan legislation to improve care coordination for veterans who rely on both VA health care and Medicare. Earlier this year, he cosponsored the bipartisan Major Richard Star Act that would provide more combat-injured veterans with their full earned benefits. Most recently, Senator King introduced the bipartisan Review Every Veteran’s Claims Act to make the veteran’s benefits claims process fairer by making sure bureaucracy, mistakes or unplanned schedule conflicts do not prevent veterans from receiving their benefits. 
    The full text of the letter is available here and below. 
    +++
    Dear Secretary Collins,
    We write to request an extension of the pause in discharges for legacy caregivers enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) on or before September 30, 2020.
    President Biden’s Executive Order 14095, Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers, requested VA make appropriate modifications to the eligibility criteria for PCAFC. VA subsequently issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in December 2024, which included an extension of the pause in program discharges for Legacy caregivers. However, no information has been provided about how the current Administration plans to proceed with this rulemaking process, and we have serious concerns a failure to extend this pause will cause thousands of caregivers and veterans to lose life-changing benefits on September 30, 2025.
    In addition, VA has not provided any information as to how the recent firings, resignations, cancellations of contracts and other Trump Administration actions have affected staffing for the Caregiver Support Program (CSP), including PCAFC. You have said your target is to cut staffing to Fiscal Year 2019 levels, however CSP program participation has more than doubled since that time, due to the MISSION Act expansion of PCAFC to veterans of all eras. In Fiscal Year 2024 alone, CSP served more than 86,000 caregivers, and expanded access to critical mental health care, respite care, bereavement and other services. If CSP staff are cut to your target levels, the program would simply not be able to maintain the current level of support provided. In fact, because VA recently cut hours for the Caregiver Support Line, access to that support has decreased because of the elimination of weekend availability and the curtailment of business hours and after-hours availability.
    Since Congress enacted PCAFC in 2010, there have been considerable changes to the program, many of them resulting in caregivers and veterans being unjustifiably denied or discharged from the program. Given this history, VA must work to increase transparency and maintain sufficient staffing and funding levels for CSP, and ensure legacy caregivers are not kicked out of the program in September.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley, Banks Renew Call for Investigation into Milley’s Chain of Command Interference, Efforts to Undermine Civilian Control of the Military

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.) are renewing calls for the Department of Defense (DOD) to finally address alleged misconduct by former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) General Mark Milley.
    In a letter to the DOD’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the senators cite reports Milley tampered with the statutory chain of command, undermined civilian control of the military, violated military code through making derogatory and political public statements and provided inaccurate sworn testimony.
    “The nation’s highest-ranking military officer has a solemn responsibility to set an example of excellence and to model good conduct for all American service members. The record suggests that General Milley failed to meet those standards,” the senators wrote.
    Grassley and Banks are following up on their 2022 request for an independent review of Milley’s actions. Former DOD Inspector General Robert Storch closed the review without providing answers.
    “[Milley’s] conduct and willful undermining of his Commander-in-Chief posed a grave threat to civilian control of the military. The issues raised by Milley’s alleged misconduct are too important to be swept under the rug. They must be examined, and if substantiated, General Milley should be held accountable,” the senators continued.
    In January, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed OIG to conduct a review of Milley’s misconduct and determine whether enough evidence exists for Milley to be stripped of a star in retirement.
    The full text of the letter is available HERE.
    Background:Milley – who, per the Constitution and law, does not have command authority as JCS chairman – reportedly ordered senior officers to check with him before executing orders from President Trump during his first term.
    Milley also has made partisan statements to the press, admissions in the book Peril and derogatory comments about Trump, including those in his now-public draft resignation letter. Milley also reportedly promised a Chinese military official he would alert them ahead of time if the United States was about to attack China.
    In April 2022, Grassley and Banks wrote to Milley regarding their concerns. After months without answers, they sought an inspector general review of Milley’s actions.
    After nearly nine months, the OIG claimed to have conducted a thorough review, but offered no material or details to support its finding to halt its investigation.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK sanctions hit West Bank violence network

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    UK sanctions hit West Bank violence network

    UK sanctions individuals, illegal settler outposts and organisations supporting violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank, as Foreign Secretary pauses Free Trade Agreement negotiations with Israel

    • New sanctions target 3 individuals, 2 illegal settler outposts and 2 organisations supporting violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank. 
    • Today’s measures include financial restrictions and travel bans, including on high-profile extremist settler leader Daniella Weiss
    • In a statement to the House, the Foreign Secretary is set to announce a formal pause of Free Trade Agreement negotiations with Israel, effective immediately.
    • He will make clear the UK’s complete opposition to the IDF’s new, extensive ground operation through Gaza, repeat UK demands that Hamas release all the hostages immediately and unconditionally, and reiterate that Hamas cannot continue to run Gaza.

    In response to the persistent cycle of serious violence undertaken by extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, the Foreign Secretary has announced new sanctions today.

    Today’s measures target 3 individuals, including prominent settler leader Daniella Weiss, as well as 2 illegal outposts and 2 organisations that have supported, incited and promoted violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

    These individuals and entities are now subject to measures including financial restrictions, travel bans, and director disqualifications, and will follow 18 other individuals, entities, and companies already sanctioned relating to serious violence against communities in the West Bank.

    The measures follow a dramatic surge in settler violence in the West Bank, with the UN recording over 1,800 attacks by settlers against Palestinian communities since 1 January 2024.

    In a statement to Parliament, the Foreign Secretary is also set to announce the formal pause of Free Trade Agreement negotiations with Israel, effective immediately. While the UK government remains committed to the existing trade agreement in force, it is not possible to advance discussions on a new, upgraded FTA with a Netanyahu government that is pursuing egregious policies in the West Bank and Gaza.

    His statement will address latest developments on the ground in Gaza, making clear the UK’s complete opposition to the IDF’s new, extensive ground operation through Gaza, the threat of starvation for the Gazan population, and the UK’s condemnation of the Israeli government’s plans to drive Gazans from their homes into a corner of the Strip. The Foreign Secretary will also repeat UK demands that Hamas release all the hostages immediately and unconditionally and reiterate that Hamas cannot continue to run Gaza.

    The new steps follow a joint statement issued by the Prime Minister along with the leaders of France and Canada, setting out their strong opposition to the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and to illegal settlements in the West Bank. They also made clear that if Israel does not cease this action, further action will be taken in response.

    Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

    I have seen for myself the consequences of settler violence. The fear of its victims. The impunity of its perpetrators.

    The sanctioning of Daniella Weiss and others today demonstrates our determination to hold extremist settlers to account as Palestinian communities suffer violence and intimidation at the hands of extremist settlers.

    The Israeli government has a responsibility to intervene and halt these aggressive actions. Their consistent failure to act is putting Palestinian communities and the two-state solution in peril.

    The announcement comes as Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer summons Israel’s Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office over the expansion of military operations in Gaza.

    Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer said:

    Today I will set out to Ambassador Hotovely the government’s opposition to the wholly disproportionate escalation of military activity in Gaza and emphasise that the 11-week block on aid to Gaza has been cruel and indefensible. I will urge Israel to halt settlement expansion and settler violence in the West Bank.

    Israel must abide by its obligations under International Humanitarian Law and ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza. The limited amount of aid entering is simply not enough.

    We must get an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages and a path to a two-state solution is the only way to ensure the long-term peace and security of both Palestinians and Israelis.

    Background

    Individuals and entities sanctioned today:

    • Daniella Weiss – has been involved in threatening, perpetrating, promoting and supporting, acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian individuals. Weiss is now subject to an asset freeze, travel ban, and director disqualification.

    • Harel Libi – Owner of Libi Construction and Infrastructure. Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian individuals. Libi is now subject to an asset freeze, travel ban, and director disqualification.

    • Zohar Sabah – has been involved in threatening, perpetrating, promoting and supporting, acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian individuals. Sabah is now subject to an asset freeze, travel ban, and director disqualification.

    • Coco’s Farm – is associated with a person who is or has been involved in activity which amounts to facilitating, inciting, promoting or providing support for activity which amounts to a serious abuse of the right of individuals not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.  Coco’s Farm is now subject to an asset freeze.

    • Libi Construction and Infrastructure –has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts resulting in the forced displacement of Palestinians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, activities which cause the psychological suffering of Palestinians, and activities which often leads to violence perpetrated against Palestinians. Libi Construction and Infrastructure is now subject to an asset freeze and director disqualification.

    • Nachala – has been involved in facilitating, inciting, promoting and providing logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts and forced displacement of Palestinians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, activities which cause the psychological suffering of Palestinians, and which often lead to violence perpetrated against Palestinians. Nachala is now subject to an asset freeze.

    • Neria’s Farm – is associated with a person who is or has been involved in activity which amounts to facilitating, inciting, promoting or providing support for activity which amounts to a serious abuse of the right of individuals not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neria’s Farm is now subject to an asset freeze.

    Definitions

    • Asset freeze: where an asset freeze applies, in summary, it is generally prohibited within the UK, and for UK persons outside the UK, to: (1) deal with funds or economic resources, owned, held or controlled by a designated person; (2) make funds or economic resources available, directly or indirectly, to, or for the benefit of, a designated person; and (3) engage in actions that, directly or indirectly, circumvent the financial sanctions prohibitions. 
    • Director Disqualification Sanctions: Where director disqualification sanctions apply, it will be an offence for a person designated for the purpose of those sanctions to act as a director of a company or to take part in the management, formation or promotion of a UK company. 
    • Travel ban: an individual subject to a travel ban will be an excluded person under section 8B of the Immigration Act 1971, meaning that they must be refused leave to enter or to remain in the United Kingdom.

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Email the FCDO Newsdesk (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 20 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –