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Category: Americas

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: Harder Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Protect Valley Families from Catastrophic Flooding

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

    Delta region faces higher flood risk than pre-Katrina New Orleans 

    1,100 miles of levees need repairs along the Delta 

    STOCKTON – Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) and Rep. Clay Higgins (LA-03) introduced bipartisan legislation to protect Valley families from devastating flood risks by accelerating repairs to the Delta’s aging levee system. The Safeguarding Our Levees Act streamlines U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) emergency repair projects and eases the financial burden on local communities.

    Delta Flood Risk by the Numbers:

    • The Delta region faces a greater flood risk than New Orleans did before Hurricane Katrina, and in Stockton alone, over 90% of properties are at risk during a major flood event.
    • More than 1,100 miles of Delta levees need repairs, with an estimated cost of up to $3 billion.
    • Red tape and bureaucratic delays regularly slow projects by months—or even years.

    “Valley communities face serious flood threats every year, and our infrastructure simply isn’t keeping up,” said Rep. Harder. “Red tape has stalled desperately needed repairs, putting our families and homes at risk. This bipartisan bill cuts through the delays and gets levees fixed faster – because no family should have to watch floodwater pour into their living room while the government drags its feet.”

    What the Safeguarding Our Levees Act Does:

    • Accelerates Levee Repairs: Requires USACE to complete levee rehabilitation within 180 days of project approval.
    • Eases Local Burden: Establishes a 75% federal / 25% local cost-share structure to make repairs more affordable for local communities.

    The bill is endorsed by the San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency (SJAFCA) and builds on Rep. Harder’s work to bring federal resources back to the Valley. That includes $2.75 million secured last year for flood control projects in Stockton and $1.3 million this year for new flood prevention equipment.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: Harder Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Cut Child Care Costs

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

    3 in 5 California parents live in a child care desert

    California ranks in the top 5 states with highest child care costs

    WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09), a dad of two young daughters, and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) introduced bipartisan legislation to cut skyrocketing child care costs. The Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act lowers costs by investing in the child care workforce and infrastructure to help ensure that access to care meets high demand. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.

    In California, child care is both difficult to find and highly unaffordable. 60% of California parents live in a child care desert, and the state ranks among the top five most expensive in the nation for child care costs. This crisis is estimated to cost California’s economy $17 billion every year.

    “As a dad to two young daughters, my wife and I know firsthand how expensive child care has gotten. Parents are left in a very tough spot trying to find safe, quality child care centers,” said Rep. Harder. “Parents should be able to pay a reasonable price to drop their little ones off at daycare and know they will be safe. This bill is a must-pass for every working parent – we need to get this done.”

    “American families should never have to choose between affordable childcare and the quality their children deserve,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “Our bipartisan and bicameral Child Care Workforce Facilities Act directly confronts the untenable challenges facing childcare in our nation by establishing competitive grant programs that strengthen caregiver education, expand childcare facilities, and bolster the dedicated workforce at the heart of our children’s development. This targeted investment will address shortages in our PA-1 community and nationwide, building a stronger foundation for America’s children, families, and future.”

    The Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act addresses the shortage of affordable child care and qualified child care providers, especially in underserved communities, by:

    • Creating $100 million in new grants to support:
      • Education, training, and retention of child care professionals.
      • Construction, renovation, and expansion of child care facilities in areas like the Central Valley where there is a shortage of child care.
    • Requiring grant recipients to demonstrate how their projects would:
      • Make quality child care more affordable and accessible in their community, especially for parents who work non-traditional hours.
      • Expand career opportunities and flexibility for child care professionals by helping workers obtain portable, stackable credentials.
    • Improving retention and compensation for child care workers.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PHOTO RELEASE: Harder Unveils First-Of-Its-Kind Renewable Fuels Terminal at the Port of Stockton

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

    First MOTEMS-compliant terminal built in California in nearly 30 years

    Expands safety, efficiency, and supports clean air goals

    STOCKTON – Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) joined local, state, and federal leaders at the Port of Stockton to unveil a historic new renewable fuels terminal. Developed by BWC Terminals, the nine-figure investment features the first Marine Oil Terminal Engineering and Maintenance Standards (MOTEMS)-compliant dock built in California in nearly 30 years. 

    “The Port of Stockton is a key economic engine for the Valley, helping to export our world-class crops and bringing business and jobs to our communities. We have to keep building on that leadership,” said Rep. Harder. “This new renewable fuels terminal will make the Port safer and more efficient while creating new jobs and supporting statewide decarbonization goals. We worked hard to bring this new infrastructure to the Port, and I look forward to continuing to fight for smart investments in our local economy’s future.”

    What the new terminal does:

    • Increases safety and efficiency during renewable diesel and biodiesel fuel transfers from marine vessels at the Port of Stockton.
    • Upgrades technology with modern safety and environmental systems, spill containment, fire protection, seismic resilience, and vessel mooring infrastructure.
    • Protects our air by supporting statewide decarbonization efforts.

    Harder was joined by BWC Terminals President and CEO Adam Smith, Port of Stockton Director Kirk DeJesus, members of the San Joaquin Building Trades Council, and local, state, and federal representatives.

    Above: Harder and Port of Stockton Director Kirk DeJesus with the new terminal in the background

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEW CAUCUS: New Bipartisan Build America Caucus Launches to Support Pro-Growth Policies

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

    The new caucus brings together key lawmakers across the ideological spectrum

    Watershed moment for the pro-growth, abundance movement as Congress readies federal action

    WASHINGTON – Today, more than a dozen bipartisan members launched the bipartisan Build America Caucus, a first-of-its-kind effort in Congress to advance pro-growth policies. While momentum for the abundance agenda has grown in cities and states, this caucus marks the first coordinated push to bring that vision to Capitol Hill. The caucus includes nearly 30 members from across the ideological spectrum, many of whom hold key committee assignments, putting the group in a strong position to pass meaningful legislation. Rep. Josh Harder will serve as Chair.

    The Build America Caucus will prioritize:

    • Unleashing American energy through permitting and transmission reform
    • Making housing affordable by incentivizing states and cities to build more homes
    • Speeding up American infrastructure projects by streamlining requirements and cutting red tape

    “Voters have lost faith in government because they don’t see results – they see gridlock, red tape, and delay,” said Chair Josh Harder. “It’s time to get back to building. Housing costs are out of control, our energy grid is strained, and foreign adversaries are racing ahead in critical manufacturing. The Build America Caucus is bringing Republicans and Democrats together to deliver real, pro-growth solutions. Our mission is simple: pass effective legislation that unleashes America’s full potential.”

    “It’s time to rebuild America with purpose and urgency,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis. “I am proud to be a part of the Build America Caucus which will bring together bipartisan voices committed to modernizing our infrastructure, removing needless bureaucratic red tape, reducing costs and ensuring taxpayer dollars go further. Our country needs smart investment, faster timelines, and real results that strengthen our economy and improve lives across the country.” 

    “One of the cruelest ironies in America is that we have more laws restricting the supply of affordable housing than expanding it,” said Rep. Ritchie Torres. “That’s neither progressive nor pro–working class. It’s time for every elected official to embrace an agenda of abundance—an abundance of opportunity for all Americans. The Build America Caucus is fighting to make America work for working people. It’s time to put building over bureaucracy—and progress over process.”

    “Too many families in the Central Valley are struggling due to slow-moving infrastructure projects and the growing unaffordability of housing costs and energy,” said Rep. David Valadao. “To revitalize the American Dream, we need to focus on growth by streamlining rules and regulations, prioritizing innovation, and incentivizing competition. I’m proud to join my colleagues on the bipartisan Build America Caucus to deliver real results for our hardworking families.”

    “Our communities need affordable housing, reliable infrastructure, and clean energy — and they need them now, not years from now,” said Rep. Sharice Davids. “I’m joining the bipartisan Build America Caucus to help cut unnecessary red tape and make sure we’re building a stronger, more affordable future for Kansas and the country.”

    “I am proud to join my colleagues on the Build America Caucus as we work to strengthen our economy and streamline pro-growth policies in Congress,” said Rep. Dan Newhouse. “By cutting bureaucratic red tape and onerous regulations we will identify real solutions to unleash American energy, mitigate the housing affordability crisis, and create good-paying jobs here at home.”

    “I came to Congress to solve problems, and I’m ready to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get s**t done,” said Rep. George Whitesides. “We need to move from a focus on process to a focus on outcomes – how much housing are we building, how many roads are we fixing, how much clean energy infrastructure are we creating, how many rural homes are we connecting to broadband, how many acres of forest are we treating for wildfire risk? It is the outcomes that will dictate whether we are really creating positive impacts for our constituents, and I’m ready to make some progress!”

    “To meet America’s growing demand for energy, housing, and infrastructure, Congress needs to make sure that policies and regulations are supporting, not hindering, the ability to build what America needs,” said Rep. Chuck Edwards. “Unnecessary red tape slows down growth and stifles innovation. As a member of the Build America Caucus, I look forward to fixing how Washington works by making processes more efficient and reasonable so that energy production and the building of our nation’s houses and infrastructure are not stuck in bureaucracy.”

    “Building more affordable housing, developing clean energy, and improving our infrastructure are all key to American growth in the 21st century,” said Rep. Joe Neguse. “That’s why I’m proud to join with a bipartisan group of my colleagues in forming the Build America Caucus, to move America forward by investing in innovation and implementing practical solutions that address the consequential challenges of our time.”

    “America’s strength lies in our workers, our businesses, and our abundant natural resources, but outdated laws and regulations too often hold our country back,” said Rep. Michael McCaul. “I’m proud to join the bipartisan Build America Caucus to drive growth, restore U.S. energy leadership, and unleash our nation’s full potential.”

    “America was built by doers who put bold ideas into action. But for too long, American innovation and production has been tied up in overburdensome regulation and bureaucratic red tape,” said Rep. Adam Gray. “The status quo doesn’t work anymore. It’s time to enact pro-growth policies that will harness American energy resources, increase our housing supply and encourage economic development. I’m proud to represent the Central Valley as a member of the bipartisan Build America Caucus to finally deliver on America’s promise of opportunity for all.”

    “Building more housing, mass transit, and clean energy is essential to making life more affordable and connected. But outdated processes are driving up costs and delaying the projects communities desperately need,” said Rep. Laura Friedman. I’m proud to join the Build America Caucus to help break through the gridlock and give local governments the tools to build more homes, better infrastructure, and clean power — so we can actually meet this moment.”

    “Housing is unaffordable, federally funded projects are delayed, and we’re not thinking clearly about long-term solutions,” said Rep. Janelle Bynum. “We’ve got to cut the red tape, build smarter, and deliver real solutions for the Americans. That’s why I’m proud to join the bipartisan Build America Caucus to help tackle the structural challenges holding back our growth.”

    “To lower costs and compete with China, we need to build more — more housing, stronger roads and bridges, and better energy infrastructure,” said Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet. “Having worked in local government and led a local non-profit, I have seen firsthand how the best of ideas can be derailed by red tape. I look forward to working with Republicans and Democrats with the Build America Caucus to turbocharge American innovation, lower costs, and create good-paying jobs in mid-Michigan.”

    “America prides itself on accomplishing big things, whether it be winning world wars, sending man to the moon, or discovering the next medical breakthrough,” said Rep. Scott Peters. “Unfortunately, we have gotten in our own way with excessive red tape and process that delays progress. The Build America Caucus will be laser-focused on taking on our country’s most fundamental challenges, like the housing shortage, the need for a more reliable grid and cheaper energy, and ensuring America continues to be at the forefront of scientific discovery. I am excited to work with my colleagues from both parties to update our laws to meet the challenges of today and encourage America to build again.”

    “America needs to build 5 million homes and 5 Hoover Dams’ worth of nuclear power this decade,” said Rep. Jake Auchincloss. “The status quo won’t deliver that speed and scale, so Congress needs to take action and relieve bottlenecks in housing and energy that lower prices for the middle class.”

    “In my past life, I built things in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and I’m committed to building a bright future for our constituents,” said Rep. Rob Bresnahan. “I am ready to bring my real-world experience to the policy-making sphere, and I look forward to working with my fellow members of the Build America Caucus to find bipartisan ways to streamline permitting for transportation and energy projects, and ensure we have the workforce to deliver on these projects.”

    “This caucus isn’t about making government bigger or smaller. It’s about making government work better, so we can bring down the cost of housing, build schools for the next generation, and make sure clean energy projects are a reality – not just an idea,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner. “With my experience cutting through red tape as General Treasurer and getting projects over the finish line, I’m excited to be a part of a bipartisan coalition working to bring a results-oriented mentality to Washington.”

    The members of the Build America Caucus are: Reps. Jake Auchincloss, Gus Bilirakis, Rob Bresnahan, Nikki Budzinski, Janelle Bynum, Sharice Davids, Chuck Edwards, Laura Friedman, Adam Gray, Josh Harder, Jim Himes, Jeff Hurd, Jen Kiggans, Seth Magaziner, Nicole Malliotakis, Celeste Maloy, Mike McCaul, Kristen McDonald Rivet, Joe Neguse, Dan Newhouse, Jay Obernolte, Scott Peters, Brittany Pettersen, Pat Ryan, Andrea Salinas, Haley Stevens, Ritchie Torres, David Valadao, and George Whitesides. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Neag School of Education Celebrates 151 Bachelor of Science Graduates

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    UConn’s Neag School of Education held its undergraduate commencement ceremony at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday morning, celebrating 151 Bachelor of Science graduates from its Sport Management and Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s Teacher Education programs.

    The joyful, sunny day began with a beloved Neag School tradition: the procession of graduates down Glenbrook Road from the Gentry Building to the Jorgensen, led by UConn’s mascot Jonathan XV. Once inside the auditorium, the Class of 2025 was greeted by cheers and applause from hundreds of family, friends, and other guests. The Neag School of Education banner was presented and placed onstage by Alexa Granfield, the class representative. Lead Marshal Megan Staples, associate professor of mathematics education, then opened the commencement ceremony before welcoming Dean Jason G. Irizarry to the podium.

    “It may sound cliché, but it is true: our students are special,” Irizarry said. “They are dedicating themselves to career paths that seek to improve education, support sport, and serve youth. As we like to say, there’s no place like the Neag School. Today’s graduates are proof of that. … All of us in the Neag School are already looking forward to the achievements that these selfless, dedicated young people are certain to realize in the years to come.”

    This year’s commencement speaker was Suzanne M. Wilson, the Neag Endowed Professor of Teacher Education and a professor in the Neag School’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She is a nationally known expert on teacher preparation and professional development who has had an indelible impact on the field of education. She was elected to the National Academy of Education in 2013 and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2022.

    “You have all chosen to join what some call the ‘caring professions’,” Wilson said to the graduates. “These professions focus on the emotional, psychological, intellectual, physical, and social well-being of others. Outsiders often think that the caring professions are easy work – after all, you just have to show up and be nice. Care. But these professions entail impossibly demanding work. … The fundamental challenge you face is that the learner or the client is the one who must do the work; no matter how loudly or clearly you talk, you can only offer them motivation and ideas. You can’t make them learn. That’s a tough job, and you never completely master it. You learn and relearn it over a lifetime.”

    So, Wilson offered the Class of 2025 three pieces of advice she said she wished she knew when she completed her bachelor’s degree: learn to hear, embrace your inevitable mistakes, and be kind.

    “Pretty simple, right?” Wilson said. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking that these habits are either personality traits or come naturally. You must consciously decide to practice doing these things for every person you work with, every day. … It takes will and skill, not to mention intelligence and knowledge, empathy and modesty, passion and compassion, patience and persistence, resilience and humility. … Given everything that you — the Class of 2025 — have already done at UConn and elsewhere, I have no doubt that you are up to the challenge.”

    Prior to joining UConn, Wilson was a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, where she served on the faculty for 26 years. She was also the first director of the Teacher Assessment Project, which developed prototype assessments for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

    It may sound cliché, but it is true: our students are special. They are dedicating themselves to career paths that seek to improve education, support sport, and serve youth. &#8212 Dean Jason G. Irizarry

    “Dr. Wilson’s distinguished career has been marked by groundbreaking scholarship, service at the highest levels of our profession, and an unwavering commitment to students and colleagues,” Irizarry said. “A steadfast mentor, collaborator, and advocate, Dr. Wilson’s leadership and advocacy at the national level have also shaped policy and practice in profound ways.”

    As it was Mother’s Day, Irizarry took a moment early on in the ceremony to thank all the mother figures in the audience or elsewhere who guided and supported the graduates. Then a short video played that was a compilation of Mother’s Day wishes recorded by some of the Neag School graduates. It was a heartfelt moment that had many in the audience looking for tissues.

    Another beloved Neag School commencement tradition is a performance by the graduating music education students toward the end of the ceremony. This year, nine graduates performed an arrangement of “Upside Down” by Jack Johnson, prompting their classmates to stand up and dance.

    Provost Anne D’Alleva was in attendance to congratulate the graduates and confer the Bachelor of Science degrees.

    “I charge you now to assume fully the responsibilities of your new status, to enlarge upon the foundations of knowledge which you have acquired, to take upon yourselves the obligations of an enlarged vision, and to seek to do your fair share of the work of this world,” D’Alleva said. “You are now alumni of UConn’s Neag School of Education. … Congratulations!”

    The UConn Neag School of Education commencement ceremony was also livestreamed and is still available for viewing.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Maple Leafs’ goalie Anthony Stolarz’s injury highlights concerns about concussions in ice hockey

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Kewei Bian, Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Western University

    During Game 1 of the Maple Leafs’ ongoing playoff series against the Florida Panthers, Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was struck in the head by Panthers forward Sam Bennett.

    Although Stolarz remained in the game for several minutes following the hit, he eventually skated to the bench, vomited and exited the ice. He was later stretchered out of the arena and taken to a hospital. Stolarz rejoined his teammates the following day, but will not play in Game 2 and isn’t expected to return for the series.

    While it’s unclear whether he was officially diagnosed with a concussion, the incident has once again reignited concern over brain injuries in hockey.

    As researchers specializing in brain injury biomechanics, we use both experimental (laboratory-based) and computational methods to investigate the biomechanical mechanisms of concussion and explore effective prevention strategies.

    Cases like this underscore the importance of concussion detection, management and prevention, particularly in high-impact sports like hockey where head injuries remain a significant risk.

    Concussions and TBI in ice hockey

    Traumatic brain injury (TBI), including concussion, is a growing public health concern worldwide. These injuries result from direct or indirect impacts to the head and can have both immediate and long-term health consequences.

    In the United States alone, 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related TBIs occur annually. In Canada, around 24 per cent of reported concussions are related to sports. In 2019, roughly 1.6 per cent of people in Canada — more than 400,000 people — aged 12 and older reported at least one concussion.

    Ice hockey, one of Canada’s most popular sports, is associated with a particularly high risk of concussion. Around 22 per cent of Canadian ice hockey players between the ages of 10 and 25 experience at least one concussion. According to official injury reports from the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association, concussions can occur up to 24.3 times per 1,000 player game hours.

    At the professional level, the risks remain significant. Based on averages from the 2009–10, 2010-11 and 2011–12 National Hockey League seasons, approximately 5.8 concussions occurred per 100 players each season. Concussion-related salary loss also reached US$42.8 million in one year.

    What happens during a concussion?

    From a biomechanical perspective, a concussion occurs when the head experiences an external impact. Since the skull is very stiff and the brain has inertia, the skull moves immediately while the brain initially remains in its original position. The brain eventually catching up with the skull’s motion.

    In straight-line, or translational, impacts, the skull compresses the brain at the point of contact, creating localized positive pressure. At the same time, on the opposite side of the brain, the skull’s movement creates negative pressure.

    In rotational impacts — when the head is spun — the skull’s movement causes shear forces within the brain tissue, causing it to deform. Since the brain consists of different regions responsible for different functions, this tissue deformation can affect specific brain functional regions, leading to the range of symptoms associated with concussion.

    Understanding concussion symptoms

    Concussions can impact a range of functions, including physical, cognitive, emotional and cognitive abilities.

    Typical symptoms include headache, dizziness, trouble with balance, vomiting, blurry vision, confusion, sleep issues, memory problems and even loss of consciousness.

    These symptoms are commonly seen in athletes, including those in ice hockey. Among NHL athletes, the most commonly reported post-concussion symptoms, in order of frequency, are headaches, dizziness, nausea, neck pain, low energy or fatigue, blurred vision, light sensitivity, nervousness or anxiety, irritability and vomiting.

    A CityNews segment about how Stolarz’s head injury sparked a conversation around concussion awareness.

    Concussions may present immediately following a head impact, or they may emerge hours or even days later. While most concussions can recover within seven to 10 days, some could last longer.

    While the short-term effects typically include headache, vomiting and dizziness, the long-term effects may cause symptoms such long-term memory loss, depression and increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

    Concussion assessment and management

    Diagnosing concussions is challenging because they are not visible on traditional imaging techniques like CT scans. Instead, concussion assessments rely on clinical evaluation of symptoms.

    The NHL has a concussion protocol in place that requires players to be immediately removed from the game for evaluation if one is suspected. The decision is based on observed physical, cognitive, emotional and sleep-related symptoms.

    Other evaluation methods, such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), are also employed to assess TBIs and concussion. The GCS assesses the severity of TBI by evaluating eye opening, verbal response and motor response on a scale. The GCS score of 13-15 is classified as mild TBI, or concussion.

    Those suspected of having a concussion should stop all activities and seek medical attention to begin concussion treatment and receive guidance on recovery and rehabilitation.

    Concussion prevention and prediction

    Reducing sport-related concussion rates requires a multi-faceted approach, including policy changes, stricter enforcement of rules and increased education and awareness.

    Protective equipment also plays a key role. Helmets, in particular, are effective at protecting the head from injury. One study found wearing a helmet in ice hockey can reduce head linear acceleration, rotational velocity and the brain strain resulting from external impacts. Continuous improvements in ice hockey helmet design can further reduce injury risks.

    To better understand and predict concussions, biomechanical researchers have developed injury metrics based on head kinematics and brain strain. Head kinematics-based injury metrics, such as peak linear acceleration and peak rotational acceleration, are derived from sensor-captured movement.

    Another promising approach involves brain strain–based metrics, which use high-fidelity computational models to estimate brain tissue deformation. Since brain strain is closely associated with the risk of brain injury, these models are valuable for predicting and analyzing concussion mechanisms.

    Ultimately, addressing concussions in ice hockey requires continued interdisciplinary research to better understand and address concussions in ice hockey. Protecting players from concussion is paramount to ensuring the game evolves as safely as it does competitively.

    Haojie Mao receives funding from NSERC to investigate brain biomechanics and helmet safety.

    Carter Goan, Emilie Anne Potts, Kewei Bian, and Sakib Ul Islam 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. Maple Leafs’ goalie Anthony Stolarz’s injury highlights concerns about concussions in ice hockey – https://theconversation.com/maple-leafs-goalie-anthony-stolarzs-injury-highlights-concerns-about-concussions-in-ice-hockey-256056

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: LIS Technologies Inc. Announces Platinum Sponsorship of Reuters Events: SMR & Advanced Reactor 2025 Conference with CEO Christo Liebenberg and Co-CTO Viktor Chikan to Lead Presentations

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Oak Ridge, Tennessee, May 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LIS Technologies Inc. (“LIST” or “the Company”), a proprietary developer of advanced laser technology and the only USA-origin and patented laser uranium enrichment company, today announced that it is a Platinum Sponsor of the upcoming Reuters Events: SMR & Advanced Reactor 2025, to be held in Nashville, Tennessee on May 12-13th, 2025, where Co-Founder and CEO Christo Liebenberg and Co-CTO Viktor Chikan are scheduled to present.

    LIS Technologies Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Christo Liebenberg will lead a keynote presentation titled, “Lasers, Wafers, Nuclear, and AI – the Pioneering Journey of LIS Technologies” held at 14:50pm on May 12th.

    Additionally, LIS Technologies Co-CTO, Viktor Chikan, Ph.D., and Chairman of the Executive Advisory Board for UF6 Gas Handling Systems, Randall L. Beatty, Ph.D., will host an invite-only interactive session titled, “Tripling Nuclear Power by 2050 & The Impact on the Global Nuclear Fuel Supply Chain” at 1:05pm on May 12th.

    Reuters Events: SMR & Advanced Reactor 2025 is the only senior-level meeting point for the SMR community, where 600+ leaders from utilities, financiers, reactor developers, technology providers and regulators unite to create meaningful connections, share trusted insights, and obtain lessons-learned to inform your multi-billion-dollar strategy at pace.

    “Reuters Events offer transformative opportunities to connect with leading companies and executives,” said Christo Liebenberg, Co-Founder and CEO of LIS Technologies Inc. “I’m delighted to lead a presentation outlining LIS Technologies’ journey and mission, underlining our substantial potential to support the build out of the United States’ uranium enrichment market with the Company’s patented and independently verified Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 laser uranium enrichment technology.”

    Figure 1 – LIS Technologies Inc. Co-Founder and CEO Christo Liebenberg to Host Presentation at the Reuters Events: SMR & Advanced Reactor 2025 to be held on 12-13thMay 2025.

    “It is a pleasure to participate in this year’s edition of the SMR & Advanced Reactor 2025 conference,” said Viktor Chikan, Ph.D., Co-Chief Technical Officer LIS Technologies Inc. “Industry momentum behind a robust domestic uranium-enrichment program continues to build, and I look forward to discussing its impact and the opportunities ahead for LIS Technologies during our interactive session with attendees.”

    About LIS Technologies Inc.

    LIS Technologies Inc. (LIST) is a USA based, proprietary developer of a patented advanced laser technology, making use of infrared lasers to selectively excite the molecules of desired isotopes to separate them from other isotopes. The Laser Isotope Separation Technology (L.I.S.T) has a huge range of applications, including being the only USA-origin (and patented) laser uranium enrichment company, and several major advantages over traditional methods such as gas diffusion, centrifuges, and prior art laser enrichment. The LIST proprietary laser-based process is more energy-efficient and has the potential to be deployed with highly competitive capital and operational costs. L.I.S.T is optimized for LEU (Low Enriched Uranium) for existing civilian nuclear power plants, High-Assay LEU (HALEU) for the next generation of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and Microreactors, the production of stable isotopes for medical and scientific research, and applications in quantum computing manufacturing for semiconductor technologies. The Company employs a world class nuclear technical team working alongside leading nuclear entrepreneurs and industry professionals, possessing strong relationships with government and private nuclear industries.

    In 2024, LIS Technologies Inc. was selected as one of six domestic companies to participate in the Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) Enrichment Acquisition Program. This initiative allocates up to $3.4 billion overall, with contracts lasting for up to 10 years. Each awardee is slated to receive a minimum contract of $2 million.

    For more information please visit: LaserIsTech.com

    For further information, please contact:
    Email: info@laseristech.com
    Telephone: 800-388-5492
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    Forward Looking Statements

    This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would” or “may” and other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this news release and represent management’s current views and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control. For LIS Technologies Inc., particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following which are, and will be, exacerbated by any worsening of global business and economic environment: (i) risks related to the development of new or advanced technology, including difficulties with design and testing, cost overruns, development of competitive technology, loss of key individuals and uncertainty of success of patent filing, (ii) our ability to obtain contracts and funding to be able to continue operations and (iii) risks related to uncertainty regarding our ability to commercially deploy a competitive laser enrichment technology, (iv) risks related to the impact of government regulation and policies including by the DOE and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and other risks and uncertainties discussed in this and our other filings with the SEC. Only after successful completion of our Phase 2 Pilot Plant demonstration will LIS Technologies be able to make realistic economic predictions for a Commercial Facility. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: U.S. Announces China Trade Deal in Geneva

    Source: The White House

    Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent:“I’m happy to report that we made substantial progress between the United States and China in the very important trade talks. First, I want to thank our Swiss host. The Swiss government has been very kind in providing us this wonderful venue, and I think that led to a great deal of productivity we’ve seen. We will be giving details tomorrow, but I can tell you that the talks were productive. We had the vice premier, two vice ministers, who were integrally involved, Ambassador Jamieson, and myself. And I spoke to President Trump, as did Ambassador Jamieson, last night, and he is fully informed of what is going on. So, there will be a complete briefing tomorrow morning.”

    U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer:“This was, as the Secretary pointed out, a very constructive two days. It’s important to understand how quickly we were able to come to agreement, which reflects that perhaps the differences were not so large as maybe thought. That being said, there was a lot of groundwork that went into these two days. Just remember why we’re here in the first place — the United States has a massive $1.2 trillion trade deficit, so the President declared a national emergency and imposed tariffs, and we’re confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us to work toward resolving that national emergency.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Pope Leo XIV’s recent predecessors at the Vatican defended migrants. Will he do the same?

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Speranta Dumitru, Maitre de Conférences, Université Paris Cité

    Political language is sometimes used to describe the orientations of the Vatican. When the late Pope Francis defended migrants, it was suggested that he was a “left-wing” pope. Today, people are wondering whether Pope Leo XIV will adopt a “progressive” path or, on the contrary, a philosophy on immigration different from that of Francis.

    To answer this question, it is helpful to look at what successive popes have said about welcoming foreigners. We can see that they have defended not only migrants but also a right of immigration. Their approach has been universalist and it rejected all discrimination. Could it change?

    Supporting the right of immigration

    During the period between the second world war and the election of Leo XIV, the Vatican had six popes. The first, Pius XII (1939-1958), seems to have been more in favour of immigration than the United Nations. In 1948, when the UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, emigration was enshrined as a fundamental right: “Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own.”

    This wording does not mention the right to enter a country that is not one’s own, and Pius XII called this vagueness into question. In his 1952 Christmas message, he argued that it resulted in a situation in which “the natural right of every person not to be prevented from emigrating or immigrating is practically annulled, under the pretext of a falsely understood common good”.

    Pius XII believed that immigration was a natural right, but linked it to poverty. He therefore asked governments to facilitate the migration of workers and their families to “regions where they could more easily find the food they needed”. He deplored the “mechanisation of minds” and called for a softening “in politics and economics, of the rigidity of the old framework of geographical boundaries”.

    In the Apostolic Constitution on the Exiled Family, also in 1952, he wrote about why migration was essential for the Church.

    Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) extended this argument in two encyclicals: Mater et magistra in 1961 and Pacem in terris in 1963. Whereas Pius XII had thought that the natural right to emigrate only applied to people in need, John XXIII included everyone: “among man’s personal rights we must include his right to enter a country in which he hopes to be able to provide more fittingly for himself and his dependents” (Pacem in terris 106).

    A refusal of discrimination

    For Paul VI (1963-1978), the Christian duty to serve migrant workers must be fulfilled without discrimination. In a 1965 encyclical, he maintained that “a special obligation binds us to make ourselves the neighbour of every person without exception and of actively helping him when he comes across our path, whether he be an old person abandoned by all, a foreign labourer unjustly looked down upon, a refugee… ” He also stated the requirement “to assist migrants and their families” (Gaudium et spes).

    John Paul II (1978-2005) made numerous statements in favour of immigration. For example, his speech for World Migration Day in 1995 was devoted to undocumented migrants. He wrote: “The Church considers the problem of illegal migrants from the standpoint of Christ, who died to gather together the dispersed children of God (cf Jn 11:52), to rehabilitate the marginalized and to bring close those who are distant, in order to integrate all within a communion that is not based on ethnic, cultural or social membership.”

    Benedict XVI (2005-2013) acknowledged the “feminization of migration” and the fact that”female emigration tends to become more and more autonomous. Women cross the border of their homeland alone in search of work in another country.“ (Message, 2006)

    Welcoming the entry into force of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, he recalled: “The Church encourages the ratification of the international legal instruments that aim to defend the rights of migrants, refugees and their families” (Message 2007).

    Pope Francis (2013-2025) embraced this globally inclusive tradition. His encyclical on “Fraternity and Social Friendship” calls for “recognizing that all people are our brothers and sisters, and seeking forms of social friendship that include everyone” (Fratelli tutti, 2020).

    He insisted that “for a healthy relationship between love of one’s native land and a sound sense of belonging to our larger human family, it is helpful to keep in mind that global society is not the sum total of different countries, but rather the communion that exists among them” (Fratelli tutti, 2020).

    On the question of migration, Francis maintained that “our response to the arrival of migrating persons can be summarized by four words: welcome, protect, promote and integrate” (Fratelli tutti, 2020).

    Not a political preference

    It appears that the pontificate of Leo XIV will reflect a similar commitment. However, this cannot be explained by political preference, or by personal and family history (the US-born pope is the grandson of immigrants and became a naturalized citizen of Peru). Popes do not defend immigrants because they are left-wing or progressive, but because they are at the head of an institution whose raison d’être is “to act in continuity with the mission of Christ”.

    For Christians, welcoming foreigners is meant to be a fundamental duty, a condition of salvation. In the gospel, Matthew has Jesus say that this is one of the criteria for the Last Judgement. Those who welcome the stranger will receive the kingdom of God “as an inheritance”. Others will receive eternal punishment: “For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me” (Matthew, 25:42-43).

    The stranger is at the heart of the New Testament revolution. Of course, the imperatives of hospitality are found in both the Old and New Testaments. It is a hospitality that is demanding (“You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” [Leviticus 19:34]) and unconditional (“Show hospitality without complaining” [Peter 4:9]).

    But the New Testament revolution endows Christianity with a universal aspiration: human beings, by virtue of their origin, all become brothers. Belonging to Christianity itself is reflected by faith in this universality: “We know that we love the children of God when we love God” [John 5:2]. With this message, Christianity blurs the distinction between strangers and relatives: “You are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household” [Ephesians 2:19].

    According to the Letter to Diognetus, this is what makes Christians unique: “They reside each in his own country, but as dwelling strangers. Every foreign land is a homeland to them, and every homeland is a foreign land to them.”

    In his very first homily, Leo XIV suggested that the Christian faith might seem “absurd, reserved for the weak or the less intelligent”. But the institution of which he declared himself a “faithful administrator” has been preaching “universal mercy” for over 2,000 years.

    Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.

    – ref. Pope Leo XIV’s recent predecessors at the Vatican defended migrants. Will he do the same? – https://theconversation.com/pope-leo-xivs-recent-predecessors-at-the-vatican-defended-migrants-will-he-do-the-same-256377

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McCaul Applauds Trump Admin’s Minerals Deal with Ukraine

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee — released the following statement on the signing of a historic economic partnership agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine.

    “The signing of today’s long-awaited minerals deal is a proud moment for Americans, Ukrainians, and all peace-loving people around the world. The result of months of tireless work, this historic deal will strengthen the partnership between our two nations, help Ukraine rebuild and restore its communities, and ensure the American taxpayer benefits from the United States’ investment in freedom. It also telegraphs a strong message to the Kremlin that this administration is not messing around; Putin must stop his incessant attacks on Ukraine, come to the table, and work toward peace – today.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McCaul, Quigley Recognize May as National Brain Tumor Awareness Month

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

    WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Congressman Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) introduced a resolution recognizing May 2025 as National Brain Tumor Awareness Month.

    “Among all childhood cancers, brain tumors are the leading cause of death, with a mere 25% survival rate — an unacceptable reality that no child or their family should have to face,” said Rep. McCaul. “For years, I’ve fought to prioritize essential investments into cancer research, because far too many patients are left with limited options and little hope. This resolution is a step forward in raising awareness and advancing life-saving research to beat cancer once and for all.”

    “Nearly 4,000 Illinois residents are diagnosed with a brain or central nervous system tumor each year. These cases wreak havoc on their patients’ physical, mental, and financial health,” said Rep. Quigley. “I’m proud to cosponsor this resolution each year to honor those who have lost their lives to these tumors and advocate for further research to defeat this disease.”

    Background:

    Each year, tens of thousands of Americans receive a primary brain tumor diagnosis which carries a five-year survival rate of only 36 percent for malignant tumors. Today, more than one million people in the United States are estimated to be living with a primary brain tumor and approximately 94,000 more will be diagnosed in 2025. Unfortunately, mortality rates associated with brain tumors have changed little in recent decades. They remain the leading cause of death from cancer in children and teens.

    In addition to encouraging increased public awareness and expressing support for individuals battling brain tumors, Reps. McCaul and Quigley’s resolution urges a collaborative approach to brain tumor research. This will harness advances made both by private, non-profit research foundations and federally supported medical research institutions.

    Click here to read the full resolution text.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Vice Chair McCaul, Chairman Green Announce Bipartisan Task Force on Enhancing National Security for Upcoming FIFA 2026, 2028 Olympics, US 250th Anniversary

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

    WASHINGTON –Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — chairman emeritus and current vice chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security — and Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-Tenn.) announced the establishment of the “Task Force on Securing the Homeland Amidst Special Events,” which will conduct oversight of the federal government’s security preparations for major upcoming international events, including the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the FIFA World Cup in 2026, the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, the 2025 Ryder Cup, the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026, and the 2027 National Football League (NFL) draft. The task force will be chaired by Vice Chairman McCaul, with other bipartisan task force members to be announced in the coming days. 

    Members of the task force plan to visit select event sites in advance, hold hearings, host roundtables, and release a final report on their findings as part of the committee’s oversight of National Special Security Events (NSSEs) and major Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) events. 

    “As the U.S. prepares to host high-profile events like the Olympics and the World Cup, it’s imperative that we make robust security preparations to ensure Americans — and millions of international guests — can safely enjoy their experience,” said Vice Chairman McCaul. “While these events provide a unique opportunity to showcase the United States’ global leadership and commitment to excellence, they can also attract increased threats as our adversaries and other malign actors seek to exploit and sabotage them. I’m proud our committee is addressing these challenges head-on, in close coordination with the administration, to empower all levels of our government, law enforcement, first responders, and other stakeholders to execute events that are spirited, seamless, and — most importantly — safe.”

    “Over the next four years, major cities across America will host a historic number of international events, with millions of guests from across the globe visiting our communities. While this is an important opportunity to showcase American exceptionalism, we have seen time and time again that mass-spectator events can present unique challenges for law enforcement and prime opportunities for America’s adversaries. From the Boston Marathon bombing and ISIS threats against the recent Paris Olympics, to the New Year’s Day attack in advance of the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, it is of the utmost importance that we learn from the past and ensure the federal government leads robust and coordinated security efforts alongside state and local officials, emergency managers, and all levels of law enforcement to stay ahead of threats in the coming months,” said Chairman Green. 

    “With jurisdiction over DHS, including the Secret Service, FEMA, and TSA, this Committee has an important oversight role when it comes to ensuring the success of President Trump’s newly announced DHS FIFA task force. I look forward to undertaking this essential, bipartisan mission alongside my colleagues to ensure the safety of Americans and international visitors alike during their travel to, and participation in, these events,” Chairman Green continued.

    Background: 

    In March, President Trump created the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 with Executive Order 14234. The task force, housed within the Department of Homeland Security, “shall coordinate with executive departments and agencies (agencies) to assist in the planning, organization, and execution of the events surrounding the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.” The Congressional task force will work to buttress those efforts through legislative means, including oversight. 

    Prior to Congress, Congressman McCaul served as chief of counter terrorism and national security in the U.S. attorney’s office, Western District of Texas, and led the Joint Terrorism Task Force charged with detecting, deterring, and preventing terrorist activity. And during the 113th-115th Congresses, he served as the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, leading the investigations into the Boston bombing to correct deficiencies at the FBI and CIA, and revamping how these agencies communicate with one another. He also led the Foreign Fighter Task Force, which enabled rapid legislative responses to the Paris Attacks.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McCaul, Huizenga Introduce Legislation to Modernize Missile Technology Export Controls

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

    WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee — and Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) announced the introduction of H.R. 3068, the Missile Technology Control Revision Act. The legislation modernizes missile technology export controls by removing unnecessary regulatory barriers — bolstering U.S. national security while ensuring our allies are equipped to address shared security threats in a timely manner. 

    “The Chinese Communist Party is working at lightning speed to advance its military apparatus — and it does not play fair,” said Rep. McCaul. “The Mission Technology Control Revision Act empowers the United States and its allies to meet that generational challenge head-on by removing burdensome red tape that slows down the transfer of critical military technologies. I urge my colleagues to support this important bill that will strengthen crucial partnerships like the AUKUS defense pact and deter the CCP’s malign activity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.”

    “The threats our nation faces have evolved over time; therefore, our approach to keeping America safe must evolve as well,” said Rep. Bill Huizenga. “We cannot allow bureaucratic red tape to hinder our national security. By modernizing the Missile Technology Control Regime to meet the security challenges of today, we can strengthen our defense capabilities and increase our cooperation with our allies, especially Australia and the United Kingdom. The Missile Technology Control Revision Act can act as a force multiplier that allows the United States and our closest allies to address the security challenges we face today and in the future.” 

    Background:

    The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) was signed in 1987 and is a non-binding political arrangement designed to curtail exports and proliferation of WMD delivery vehicles and the underlying technologies. Unfortunately, the MTCR has no independent means to verify whether states adhere to its guidelines or a mechanism to penalize member states if they violate them.  

    The MTCR was established to prevent the proliferation of missile systems capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction, but in practice, its strict implementation through the Arms Export Control Act has often limited the United States’ ability to share certain missile-related technologies, such as advanced drones and space launch systems, with close allies. At the same time, countries like China and Russia, which have a history of violating MTCR norms, have continued to export similar technologies with fewer constraints. This disparity has complicated U.S. efforts to deepen defense cooperation and technology sharing through alliances like NATO, Five Eyes, and AUKUS. 

    Reps. McCaul and Huizenga’s legislation amends the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to allow for expedited defense trade with countries the president determines to be eligible for a defense trade exemption. Additionally, the bill includes a statement of policy that the US shall no longer apply a “presumption of denial” for MTCR items to NATO, major non-NATO allies, and Five Eyes members.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McCaul Announces Winner of 2025 Congressional Art Competition

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) announced Lucy Rees — a junior from Lago Vista High School — as the winner of the 2025 Congressional Art Competition for Texas’ 10th Congressional District. Lucy titled her artwork “Cowpoke” — a depiction of her grandfather working as a cowboy during the 1970s.

    “Congratulations to this year’s Congressional Art Competition winner, Lucy Rees,” said Rep. McCaul. “Lucy’s illustration of her grandfather beautifully depicts a cowboy with a powerful work ethic and points to family commitment — values at the heart of what it means to be a Texan. I am so inspired by the many young, talented artists in my district — including this year’s runners-up — and I look forward to seeing Lucy’s artwork on display in the Capitol.”

    “Cowpoke” by Lucy Rees

    Background:

    The Congressional Art Competition is an opportunity to recognize and encourage artistic talent in high school-aged students throughout the country. The winning selection will be displayed for one year in the United States Capitol alongside artwork from students across the nation. Additionally, first-place Congressional Art Competition winners and one guest receive round-trip tickets to attend the National Reception in Washington, D.C. in June.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Government-Business Partnership focuses on jobs, economic growth

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Government and Business Partnership has committed to working closely over the next three months to accelerate the implementation of key reforms and priority initiatives aimed at driving economic growth and job creation.

    In a statement from the Presidency following a meeting of the partnership, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the need for expediting reforms and performance improvement was underscored. 

    “[This] is crucial to reducing the possible negative impact of the complex global and domestic environment, which continues to present substantial challenges and uncertainty.

    “GDP growth projections for 2025 have been revised down, and current forecasts remain far below the minimum 3% required to create the level of jobs needed to make an impact on the country’s high levels of unemployment,” the statement read.

    The Presidency highlighted that the strength of the Government-Business Partnership has given rise to the unlocking of “many constraints that undermine growth and job creation”.

    “While there is much to improve, the dedication and commitment from both government and business remains undiminished. The pace of our work must increase to match the scale of the challenge,” President Ramaphosa said.
     

    PHOTOS | Government-Business Partnership meeting

    Adrian Gore, BUSA Vice President and business co-convenor of the partnership, said: “We are entering this accelerated execution sprint with a real sense of urgency.

    “Progress has been made, but it’s not enough. This requires a step change in the pace of decision making and execution. 

    “We need to redouble our collective efforts to help shift the country onto a sustained upward trajectory and deliver on our shared ambition of a virtuous cycle of growth, jobs, a more positive narrative and increased investment.”

    Improving Eskom’s performance will remain in focus, while work at Transnet is aimed at increasing exports and revenue collection to support employment growth and the economy.

    “Important progress has been made to lay the groundwork for sustained accelerated action, including the finalisation of the Transnet Network Statement, the launch of a Request for Information to attract private investment in port and rail infrastructure, and NERSA’s approval of electricity wheeling regulations.

    “These reforms enable broader private sector participation in energy and transportation and logistics. Both the crime and corruption and the youth employment focal areas are largely tracking against their plans, which have a longer-term time horizon,” the Presidency said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: South Africa engages USA on resettlement concerns

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has engaged its United States of America (USA) counterparts on the resettlement of South Africans claiming refugee status in that country.

    This follows reports that the US is preparing to fly at least 50 Afrikaaner South Africans to the US as early as this coming week.

    In a statement, DIRCO revealed that Deputy Minister Alvin Botes on Friday held a cordial discussion and raised concern with US Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, in this regard.

    DIRCO noted the internationally recognised definition of refugees, as set out in the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.

    “The Convention defines a refugee as someone with a ‘well-founded fear of persecution’ based on race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. 

    “South Africa acknowledges that the determination of refugee status requires a factual assessment in light of the prevailing circumstances, having due regard for both subjective and objective factors,” the statement read.

    The department maintained that “allegations of discrimination are unfounded” in this particular regard.

    “The South African Police Service (SAPS) statistics on farm related crimes do not support allegations of violent crime targeted at farmers generally or any particular race. There are sufficient structures available within South Africa to address concerns of discrimination. 

    “Moreover, even if there are allegations of discrimination, it is our view that these do not meet the threshold of persecution required under domestic and international refugee law,” DIRCO said.

    The department said it was “most regrettable” that it appears that the resettlement, under the guise of being “refugees”, is “entirely politically motivated and designed to question South Africa’s constitutional democracy”.

    “[South Africa is] a country which has in fact suffered true persecution under apartheid rule and has worked tirelessly to prevent such levels of discrimination from ever occurring again, including through the entrenchment of rights in our Constitution, which is enforced vigorously through our judicial system. 

    “In addition, it is not clear how the principle of non-refoulement will be applied in relation to these citizens once they are resettled,” DIRCO said.

    South Africa’s Constitution strictly prohibits any form of discrimination, directly or indirectly, against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth.

    “Through progressive judgements from the South African courts, particularly the Constitutional Court, our State has demonstrated a principled commitment to protect minorities and vulnerable groups. This shows the extent to which South Africa is working towards a country in which every citizen is free and protected,” the department said.

    Through diplomatic channels, DIRCO has requested the following information:

    • The status of persons that will be departing, whether as asylum seekers, refugees or ordinary citizens, and
    • Assurances as to whether the persons have been appropriately vetted by competent South African authorities to ensure that they do not have any outstanding criminal cases pending against them, amongst others.

    “Whilst South Africa challenges the United States’ assessments of alleged refugee status, it will not block citizens who seek to depart the country from doing so, as it also observes their right of freedom of movement and freedom of choice, specifically the right to leave the country, as contained in section 21(2) of the Constitution. 

    “However, it is essential that in doing so, South Africa ensures that it is compliant with other domestic laws and prescripts.

    “The Government of South Africa remains dedicated to constructive dialogue with United States of America, anchored in mutual respect for sovereignty, the rule of law, and a shared commitment to deepening mutually beneficial bilateral partnership,” the statement concluded. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: 2025 Child Protection Month: Let’s root out child abuse together

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Department of Social Development (DSD) has launched a nationwide child protection programme to combat child abuse, following alarming statistics revealing that more than 26 000 cases of child abuse and neglect were reported in the 2024/25 financial year.

    DSD Minister Sisisi Tolashe launched the 2025 Child Protection Month and 365 Days child protection programme, aimed at curbing violence against children, in Thaba Nchu in the Free State on Sunday afternoon.

    “This is the continuation of the work done in previous years, however with vigour and a sense of urgency to upscale interventions directed at ending violence against children, as our children are under siege, confronted with high levels of violence, despite progressive laws in place to protect them.

    “As a country, we have made strides, putting various measures in place such as child protection laws, policies, strategies and programmes to ensure the protection of children from abuse; however, our children continue to experience violence,” Tolashe said in written remarks for the occasion.

    The Minister revealed worrying statistics of child abuse, including that some 26 852 cases of child abuse and neglect were reported in the 2024/25 financial year.

    “Cases of sexual abuse remained dominant in all provinces, with 9 859 cases throughout the country. Deliberate neglect is the second most prevalent in all provinces, with 9 485 cases, followed by physical abuse, with 3965 recorded cases and 595 cases of abandonment. 

    “Children falling pregnant as young as 10 to 14 years old is a concern and shows the deep-rooted evil against children, who are sexually abused and sexually exploited,” Tolashe said.

    All hands of deck

    President Cyril Ramaphosa has repeatedly called child abuse and gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) South Africa’s “second pandemic”.

    The President has also reiterated government’s commitment to rooting it out. He has called on Cabinet to develop and implement a 90-day strategy with impactful programmes to address this sustained violence.

    “In response to the President’s directive to Cabinet, the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster Ministers and senior officials convened a special sitting on the 14th of April 2025. This urgent meeting was convened in response to the alarming surge in GBVF incidents across the country.

    “It culminated in the adoption of a 90-day acceleration programme to intensify the national response and fast track the implementation of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF. A dedicated GBVF priority committee has been established within the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure,” Tolashe said.

    On a global scale, South Africa has also lent its voice to movements against child abuse.

    Last year at the Global Ministerial Conference in Colombia, South Africa pledged to, in relation to ending violence against children:

    • Parent and caregiver support: Building capacity of parents and caregivers through parenting programmes and ensuring that the home environment is safe for children to help reduce the incidence of child abuse, neglect and exploitation, and stop the use of corporal and physical punishment.
    • Safe environments: Creating safety at home, schools and communities, including safety in digital platforms.
    • Child participation: Advocacy on children’s rights and engaging children in empowerment dialogues.
    • Response care, support and healing:  Promotion of availability and accessibility of psycho-social support, trauma counselling, and raising awareness about available services.
    • Norms and values: Implement social and behaviour change programmes to instil positive norms and values, and working with traditional and religious leaders to address harmful cultural practices and patriarchal norms that normalise the abuse of children.
    • Collaboration and coordination with the African Union: Strengthen collaboration with SADC and the African Union in strengthening child protection systems and creating a better continent that safeguards the well-being of children.
    • Income and economic strengthening: Increase access to the Child Support Grant to reach all vulnerable children in South Africa, and working with Home Affairs to upscale birth registration to enable access to social security and the basket of social protection measures in place to cushion children.

    “Implementing the above-mentioned breakthrough areas will ensure that we address the contributory factors to the high levels of violence against children, preventing its occurrence, whilst also responding to victims of violence,” Tolashe said.

    The Minister emphasised, however, that government cannot root out the scourge on its own and requires citizen participation.

    “[Government] alone cannot succeed in dealing with this monster that we are faced with, hence we appeal to parents, community, religious and traditional leaders to work closer in addressing social ills, harmful social, cultural and religious practices that are detrimental to the well-being of children, and change societal norms and values that perpetuate violence against children.

    “I urge that we continue to scale up interventions at local ward level with all hands on deck to end violence against children, promote care and the protection of children, with a focus on changing societal norms and values that perpetuate violence against children,” Tolashe said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Minister’s statement on National Police Week

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Garry Begg, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, has released the following statement in recognition of National Police Week, May 11-17, 2025:

    “Every day, thousands of police officers in British Columbia answer the call to serve with courage, compassion and professionalism. Whether responding to emergencies, supporting victims or building trust in local neighbourhoods, police officers play a critical role in upholding public safety and fostering community connections.

    “National Police Week is a time to honour the dedicated women and men in uniform who work tirelessly to protect our communities. It serves as a reminder of the risks officers face in the line of duty and gives us an opportunity to reflect on the evolving and essential role of law enforcement.

    “Policing in our province continues to be more complex with the impacts of the toxic-drug crisis, homelessness and mental-health struggles experienced by some in our communities. The recent tragic events that happened after the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver is a heartbreaking reminder of these challenges and the difficult role that police and first responders play when they jump to action so quickly.

    “Our government remains committed to ensuring police officers have the resources, training and supports they need to do their jobs safely and effectively. We’re increasing police academy training seats by 50% so more municipal police officers can be trained faster, and we’re continuing to hire more BC RCMP members through our historic investment of $230 million to ensure rural communities and specialized units have the officers they need. Additionally, every year $100 million is invested to bolster provincial firearm forensic capabilities, strengthen gang enforcement and suppression initiatives, and support community-based prevention and intervention programs.

    “Our work doesn’t stop there. We’re making meaningful investments into mental-health and addiction supports to better equip officers responding to these complex situations. The Province has expanded Mobile Integrated Crisis Response Teams to nine more communities. These teams partner police officers with mental-health professionals to help safely and effectively de-escalate mental-health-related calls.

    “As we reflect on this year’s theme, Committed to Serve Together, I am deeply grateful for the strong partnerships we share with law enforcement agencies throughout the Province. Together, we continue to work collaboratively toward our shared goal of building safer, more resilient communities.

    “To all police officers serving in British Columbia, thank you for your service, your sacrifice, your bravery and your commitment to the people of our province. This week, and every week, we stand with you.”

    Learn More:

    To find out how the province is keeping communities safe and strong, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/safer-communities/

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Pelosi warns the US needs NATO too

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

    Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi sat down with Politico Bureau Chief and Senior Political Columnist Jonathan Martin at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center to discuss the future of the United States’ relationship with NATO at POLITICO’s Securing Europe: NATO’s Next Steps Event.

    “If we as the United States of America do not honor our commitments, I don’t know how we expect people to honor their commitments to us,” Speaker Emerita Pelosi said.

    Read coverage of the event below:

    Politico: Pelosi warns the US needs NATO too
    [Eric Bazail-Eimil, 5/7/25]

    Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday warned that the United States cannot afford to neglect its commitment to mutual defense to its NATO allies in the face of Russian provocations.

    Speaking at a POLITICO event on the sidelines of the Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington, the former House speaker acknowledged that President Donald Trump has spoken “frivolously” about the alliance in the past. Yet the San Francisco Democrat insisted that the U.S. has to support the alliance — and the commitment to mutual defense enshrined in its Article 5 — because the U.S. also needs to know it will have help in future crises.

    “If we as the United States of America do not honor our commitments. I don’t know how we expect people to honor their commitments to us,” Pelosi said.

    She noted that NATO countries came to the United States’ defense following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, saying, “They didn’t ask us how much we were giving to NATO or anything else. They just honored Article 5.” Those attacks were the only time that the alliance has invoked Article 5.

    In reference to Canada, Pelosi blasted Trump’s comments about mutual defense for countries that haven’t met the alliance’s 2 percent of GDP defense spending target. “I don’t think that the president of the United States should say to a NATO country, if you haven’t paid 2 percent, I say to Russia, have at them,” she said.

    Pelosi also said that “I don’t think the door has been shut on” repairing ties between the U.S. and NATO member states.

    Yet she also needled the White House in more humorous ways, striking a more sardonic tone for other Trump administration moves toward the alliance. Dismissing the Trump administration’s efforts to potentially annex Greenland, Pelosi quipped that there are “more people [who] think that Elvis Presley is alive in the United States than Greenlanders who think they want to be part of the United States.”

    She also voiced some measured praise for more conciliatory comments from Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday regarding the transatlantic alliance and peace in Ukraine. Vance had shocked allies in a February speech to the Munich Security Conference — which also organized Wednesday’s meeting — where he assailed Europe for encroaching on free speech and being lackluster partners to the United States.

    When he spoke to the group Wednesday, Vance instead insisted both Europe and the United States are on the “same civilizational team.” He added, “It’s completely ridiculous to think that you’re ever going to be able to drive a firm wedge between the United States and Europe.”

    “It was a better approach,” Pelosi said about Vance’s comments. “I would say it was well received.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pelosi Joins House Democrats in Demanding an Up-or-Down Vote to Protect Medicaid and Food Assistance

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi signed a discharge petition that would force an up-or-down vote in the House to protect Medicaid and food assistance from devastating budget cuts.

    “It is shameful that House Republicans are moving forward with their plan to give tax breaks to their billionaire donors while making hardworking American families foot the bill by ripping away health care from millions and taking food away from children,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said. “Some House Republicans have said that they oppose these devastating cuts. If they are serious, they should join House Democrats in forcing an up-or-down vote on the Hands Off Medicaid and SNAP Act: legislation that would protect these vital basic needs initiatives.”

    In San Francisco, the Republican budget puts 162,583 people, including 33,336 children and 44,000 seniors at risk of losing Medicaid coverage. It also threatens 5.4 million Californians who rely on food assistance to help them make ends meet.

    A discharge petition forces an up-or-down vote on pending legislation that Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to consider. If four House Republicans sign this discharge petition, the Hands Off Medicaid and SNAP Act will be considered in the House immediately.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pelosi Statement on the Election of Pope Leo XIV

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

    Washington, D.C. – Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement on the election of Pope Leo XIV:

    “Joyfully, people around the world have learned of a new Pope elected by one of the largest and most diverse conclaves ever — and the first American pope in history.

    “For many of us, the name Leo XIV happily brings to mind Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum which was a blessing for working people. And it is heartening that His Holiness continued the blessing that Pope Francis gave on Easter Sunday: ‘God loves everyone. Evil will not prevail.’

    “In his own words, Pope Leo XIV said, ‘We can be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges, that is always open to receive everyone.’ 

    “Let us thank God for His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and for this vision of unity. All of us hope and pray for the success of His Holiness and his vision for the Church.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AFSCME’s Saunders on National Law Enforcement Week: We recognize law enforcement officers for their sacrifices and dedication

    Source: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement in recognition of National Law Enforcement Week, which is happening from May 11 through May 17:

    “No matter the emergency, AFSCME members in law enforcement never hesitate and they never quit. They are selfless in the face of danger, putting the safety of others before their own. This week, we pause to recognize the sacrifices they make, and we celebrate their tireless dedication to our communities.

    “These brave professionals understand the risks that come with the job, yet they choose to serve regardless. As we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, we reaffirm our promise to support all who continue to keep our families safe. That support means fighting for better training, top-tier equipment, and adequate staffing — because their safety matters, too.

    “Just as they show up for us without fail, we must show up for them — with gratitude, with action, and with unwavering respect. That is our commitment this National Law Enforcement Week.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Maple Leafs’ goalie Anthony Stolarz’s injury highlights concerns about concussion in ice hockey

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Kewei Bian, Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Western University

    During Game 1 of the Maple Leafs’ ongoing playoff series against the Florida Panthers, Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was struck in the head by Panthers forward Sam Bennett.

    Although Stolarz remained in the game for several minutes following the hit, he eventually skated to the bench, vomited and exited the ice. He was later stretchered out of the arena and taken to a hospital. Stolarz rejoined his teammates the following day, but will not play in Game 2 and isn’t expected to return for the series.

    While it’s unclear whether he was officially diagnosed with a concussion, the incident has once again reignited concern over brain injuries in hockey.

    As researchers specializing in brain injury biomechanics, we use both experimental (laboratory-based) and computational methods to investigate the biomechanical mechanisms of concussion and explore effective prevention strategies.

    Cases like this underscore the importance of concussion detection, management and prevention, particularly in high-impact sports like hockey where head injuries remain a significant risk.

    Concussions and TBI in ice hockey

    Traumatic brain injury (TBI), including concussion, is a growing public health concern worldwide. These injuries result from direct or indirect impacts to the head and can have both immediate and long-term health consequences.

    In the United States alone, 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related TBIs occur annually. In Canada, around 24 per cent of reported concussions are related to sports. In 2019, roughly 1.6 per cent of people in Canada — more than 400,000 people — aged 12 and older reported at least one concussion.

    Ice hockey, one of Canada’s most popular sports, is associated with a particularly high risk of concussion. Around 22 per cent of Canadian ice hockey players between the ages of 10 and 25 experience at least one concussion. According to official injury reports from the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association, concussions can occur up to 24.3 times per 1,000 player game hours.

    At the professional level, the risks remain significant. Based on averages from the 2009–10, 2010-11 and 2011–12 National Hockey League seasons, approximately 5.8 concussions occurred per 100 players each season. Concussion-related salary loss also reached US$42.8 million in one year.

    What happens during a concussion?

    From a biomechanical perspective, a concussion occurs when the head experiences an external impact. Since the skull is very stiff and the brain has inertia, the skull moves immediately while the brain initially remains in its original position. The brain eventually catching up with the skull’s motion.

    In straight-line, or translational, impacts, the skull compresses the brain at the point of contact, creating localized positive pressure. At the same time, on the opposite side of the brain, the skull’s movement creates negative pressure.

    In rotational impacts — when the head is spun — the skull’s movement causes shear forces within the brain tissue, causing it to deform. Since the brain consists of different regions responsible for different functions, this tissue deformation can affect specific brain functional regions, leading to the range of symptoms associated with concussion.

    Understanding concussion symptoms

    Concussions can impact a range of functions, including physical, cognitive, emotional and cognitive abilities.

    Typical symptoms include headache, dizziness, trouble with balance, vomiting, blurry vision, confusion, sleep issues, memory problems and even loss of consciousness.

    These symptoms are commonly seen in athletes, including those in ice hockey. Among NHL athletes, the most commonly reported post-concussion symptoms, in order of frequency, are headaches, dizziness, nausea, neck pain, low energy or fatigue, blurred vision, light sensitivity, nervousness or anxiety, irritability and vomiting.

    A CityNews segment about how Stolarz’s head injury sparked a conversation around concussion awareness.

    Concussions may present immediately following a head impact, or they may emerge hours or even days later. While most concussions can recover within seven to 10 days, some could last longer.

    While the short-term effects typically include headache, vomiting and dizziness, the long-term effects may cause symptoms such long-term memory loss, depression and increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

    Concussion assessment and management

    Diagnosing concussions is challenging because they are not visible on traditional imaging techniques like CT scans. Instead, concussion assessments rely on clinical evaluation of symptoms.

    The NHL has a concussion protocol in place that requires players to be immediately removed from the game for evaluation if one is suspected. The decision is based on observed physical, cognitive, emotional and sleep-related symptoms.

    Other evaluation methods, such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), are also employed to assess TBIs and concussion. The GCS assesses the severity of TBI by evaluating eye opening, verbal response and motor response on a scale. The GCS score of 13-15 is classified as mild TBI, or concussion.

    Those suspected of having a concussion should stop all activities and seek medical attention to begin concussion treatment and receive guidance on recovery and rehabilitation.

    Concussion prevention and prediction

    Reducing sport-related concussion rates requires a multi-faceted approach, including policy changes, stricter enforcement of rules and increased education and awareness.

    Protective equipment also plays a key role. Helmets, in particular, are effective at protecting the head from injury. One study found wearing a helmet in ice hockey can reduce head linear acceleration, rotational velocity and the brain strain resulting from external impacts. Continuous improvements in ice hockey helmet design can further reduce injury risks.

    To better understand and predict concussions, biomechanical researchers have developed injury metrics based on head kinematics and brain strain. Head kinematics-based injury metrics, such as peak linear acceleration and peak rotational acceleration, are derived from sensor-captured movement.

    Another promising approach involves brain strain–based metrics, which use high-fidelity computational models to estimate brain tissue deformation. Since brain strain is closely associated with the risk of brain injury, these models are valuable for predicting and analyzing concussion mechanisms.

    Ultimately, addressing concussions in ice hockey requires continued interdisciplinary research to better understand and address concussions in ice hockey. Protecting players from concussion is paramount to ensuring the game evolves as safely as it does competitively.

    Haojie Mao receives funding from NSERC to investigate brain biomechanics and helmet safety.

    Carter Goan, Emilie Anne Potts, Kewei Bian, and Sakib Ul Islam 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. Maple Leafs’ goalie Anthony Stolarz’s injury highlights concerns about concussion in ice hockey – https://theconversation.com/maple-leafs-goalie-anthony-stolarzs-injury-highlights-concerns-about-concussion-in-ice-hockey-256056

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Population explosions and declines are related to how stable the economy and environment are

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ken G. Drouillard, Professor, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research and Director of the School of the Environment, University of Windsor

    A country’s population is affected by, and in turn affects, environmental and economic issues. (Shutterstock)

    For 200 years, we’ve been warned of unchecked population growth and how it leads to environmental instability. On the other hand, today some countries face decreasing populations, alongside increasing proportions of elderly people, causing economic instability.

    These two facets of population crises — explosions and declines — are occurring in different parts of the world, and have a global impact on the environment and on economies. Discussions about achieving economic and environmental sustainability must consider population changes, technology and the environment, given these concepts are closely interwoven.

    Population explosions and declines are related to both environmental and economic instability; some countries make reactionary choices that trade off short-term domestic economic progress over the environment.

    The crisis of population explosions

    In 1798, English economist Thomas Malthus warned of a population explosion, inferring that population growth will outstrip agricultural production. Malthus’s ideas became re-popularized by American scientist Paul R. Ehrlich in his book published at the height of population growth in the 1960s. Both predicted that a population explosion would cause shortages in resources and escalating environmental damage.

    Like Malthus, Ehrlich was criticized for a crisis “that never happened” because human ingenuity, a byproduct of population, overcomes the worst fears of environmentalists. This counter-argument relies on technological advances making more efficient use of resources while lowering the environmental impacts.

    This is best exemplified by efficiency gains of agriculture that have continued to feed a growing world. Ehrlich’s predictions of cumulative environmental damage are best illustrated by the growing intensity of climate change and species loss as the global population continues to grow even though the current growth rate is slower than it was in the 1960s.

    A graph reflecting how population growth, species diversity and global temperature correlate over time.
    (K. Drouillard), CC BY

    Unified growth theory describes how economies change over the long term. It starts with a period of slow technological progress, low income growth and high population growth. Over time, these conditions give way to a modern growth phase, where technology improves quickly, income rises steadily and population growth slows as societies go through a demographic transition towards stable population sizes.

    Technological progress positively contributes to national economies over the long term. However, early adoption of green technology often relies on finance and government incentives that may imply short-term economic burdens. Yet when green technology is implemented and coupled to slowing population growth, it leads to decreasing national environmental footprints that pave a way towards joint environmental and economic sustainability.

    The crisis of population declines

    Declining populations cause inverted age pyramids with larger numbers of elderly people. These shifting demographics cause economic instability. They also constrain technological progress and social security.

    Population declines work against the gains described by unified growth theory. Presently, 63 countries have reached their peak population and 48 more are expected to peak within 30 years. Fears of population decline are also being forecast at the global scale.

    The global population is predicted to peak between the mid-2060s to 2100, stabilizing at 10.2 billion from its present 8.2 billion.

    In their book, Empty Planet, political scientist Darrell Bricker and political commentator John Ibbitson warn that zero population growth will happen even faster. They argue once a country decreases its fertility to below replacement (2.1 children per woman), the social reinforcements of increasing urbanization, costs of raising children and increased empowerment over family planning make it almost impossible to increase the birth rate.

    For highly affluent countries, the per capita GDP is decreasing as the proportion of elderly in the population increases. Although this pattern doesn’t hold when less affluent countries are added, the figure demonstrates tangible economic impacts for countries grappling with aging populations.

    A graph showing the percentage of elderly people in a country’s population, correlated with GDP and adjusted for inflation.
    (K. Drouillard), CC BY

    Simultaneous explosions and declines

    Affluent nations facing decline can react to economic instability in ways that counter global economic and environmental sustainability.

    In the past, affluent nations were the drivers of green technology. However, economic instability from population declines can cause reluctance to invest, adopt and share green technology crucial for mitigating environmental damage at the global scale.

    The issue is compounded by the fact that many countries overlook how their own decline in population growth contributes to economic instability. They instead focus on short-term solutions to their economic situation that may include unsustainable resource use.

    Left unaddressed, the real issue of population decline becomes unresolved, allowing social anxieties against immigration and global trade to grow. This can exacerbate the issue halting technology sharing, slowing economic growth and increasing economic inequality and environmental damage.

    The above is exemplified by policies now being implemented by the United States. Where immigration was previously used as a backstop against low fertility, growing cultural backlash to immigration pressures rooted in anxiety about economic uncertainties have generated new policies causing the deportation of millions of immigrants and closing borders. This will most likely accelerate a population decline in the U.S., as highlighted by a Congressional Budget Office report.

    At the same time, the U.S. is shifting its energy policy away from increased shares of renewable, green energy sources back to a focus on fossil fuels that will worsen climate damage.

    Climate damage costs are currently two per cent of global GDP, and may increase to between two to 21 per cent of some countries’ incomes by the end of the century. The growing applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and its high energy use will add to climate damage. AI may also contribute to the economic challenges related to population decline if it replaces, rather than supports, labour.

    Finally, tariff wars add new barriers against green technology sharing.

    Canada’s lowered immigration

    Canada, which already has a low fertility rate and is reacting to the U.S. trade war, has its own challenges. This year, immigration targets were decreased by 19 per cent. The lack of support for and subsequent removal of the carbon tax and possible extension of pipeline infrastructure could generate similar delays in the transition away from fossil fuels.



    Read more:
    Who really killed Canada’s carbon tax? Friends and foes alike

    In the most recent federal election, discussions about environmental policy were largely side-tracked by economic issues.

    Our research indicates that Canada and other affluent nations need to establish longer-term solutions to economic instabilities that mitigate environmental damage while promoting sustainable national and global economies.

    The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals offer pathways for economic, social and environmental sustainability. However, realizing these goals requires society to fully acknowledge the intertwined relationships between population growth, economy, environment and international technology-sharing in ways that transcend short-term national interests and reactionary policies.

    The past decade has seen strong momentum from social and natural sciences as well as international organizations, business and civil society. Unfortunately, the current climate of economic uncertainty is halting this progress — unless the public can force broader discussions about sustainable approaches back into the political sphere.

    Ken G. Drouillard receives funding from Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Canadian Water Agency, Environment and Climate Change Canada, St. Clair River Conservation Authority and North Shore of Lake Superior Remedial Action Plans.

    Claudio N. Verani receives/has received funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), Petroleum Research Fund (ACS-PRF), and the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

    Marcelo Arbex has received funding from University of Windsor UW-SSHRC Explore.

    – ref. Population explosions and declines are related to how stable the economy and environment are – https://theconversation.com/population-explosions-and-declines-are-related-to-how-stable-the-economy-and-environment-are-253302

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: New recommendations for regulating neurotechnology in Canada include protecting Indigenous rights

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Judy Illes, Professor of Neurology and Director of Neuroethics Canada; Vice Chair, Bioethics Council for Canada, University of British Columbia

    Advances in neurotechnology, including AI applications, need to be regulated. (Shutterstock)

    With Canada’s federal election behind us, we can now focus on a renewed commitment to our values and to economic growth. Both entail a commitment to the health and well-being of Canadians.

    Brain health in particular has taken on new meanings over the past years, and has garnered substantial recent attention from major international organizations such as UNESCO and the World Health Organization.

    Once centred on finding treatments for conditions that affect the nervous system such as movement disorders and epilepsy, neurotechnology is evolving.

    Advances involve implantable technologies, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS). Other examples include responsive neurostimulation and stimulation of the vagus nerve.

    The market in non-invasive and wearable devices is also growing. These technologies aim to address mental health disorders and improve quality of life for people suffering from conditions like chronic depression and post-traumatic stress disorders.

    Combined with AI, these brain technologies are also finding their way into the non-medical lives of Canadians for personal use, education, workplace and entertainment.



    Read more:
    Two-thirds of Canadians have experimented with generative AI, but most don’t understand its impacts

    Recommendations for neurotechnology

    The finalized version of the UNESCO ethics recommendation for neurotechnology will be negotiated during the week of May 12. This will prepare the way for its formal adoption this fall by the 194 member states.

    The recommendation carefully considers how neurotechnology can respect human dignity and the human rights of privacy, freedom of thought, data authenticity and protection, and justice. Other concerns pertaining to Indigeneity, marginalization, disability and vulnerability are touched upon.

    If Canada adopts the recommendation, it could have far-reaching implications for Canadian citizens. It will influence — if not directly affect — federal funding and resource priorities and relevant government ministries. These include Health Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

    Canadian principles

    In 2024, drawing upon the work of both Health Canada and the Working Party on Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Converging Technologies of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a group of Canadian experts from medicine, law and public health delivered guidance for responsible innovation in neurotechnology.

    These experts — including two of the authors of this article — strategically revised the original nine principles offered by the OECD into five tailored for Canada. These were: physical and personal safety and trust; societal deliberation and stewardship; global collaboration; strong oversight; and inclusivity and Indigeneity.

    In April 2025, Indigenous and non-Indigenous members of the original UNESCO expert group published considerations to further safeguard against the risk of neurotechnology becoming an instrument of colonialism. These considerations include access to neurotechnologies for the relief of neurological conditions, as well as for their adoption in research, industry and daily life guided by the values and rights of Indigenous Peoples about brain health and wellness.

    They included strategies for informed consent processes that align with Indigenous perspectives, and transparency about the use, storage and collection of neural data. Recommendations were also made for investments in digital infrastructure and literacy, and paths to intellectual property protections suitable to holistic and collective knowledge.

    Trust in science

    The behind-the-scenes efforts that led to the UNESCO ethics recommendation must come to the forefront.

    In October 2024, a Bioethics Council for Canada/Le Conseil canadien de bioéthique (BCC-CCB) was legally constituted to provide independent advice to the Canadian government and public. Building on the lessons learned from 140 bioethics councils worldwide, Canada’s new BCC-CCB is poised to ensure that the public’s trust in science is central to the federal government’s mission.

    Trust must be a renewed theme in matters pertaining to brain health and brain data, alongside other advances that will affect future generations. This trust will mitigate the noise and confusion surrounding us in a time of rapid technological progress, and foster leadership that an informed Canada can provide.

    Judy Illes served as a Member of the Ad Hoc Expert Advisory Group on the Ethics of Neurotechnology Recommendation at UNESCO.

    Jennifer Chandler is an external advisory board member for InBrain Neuroelectronics.

    Vardit Ravitsky is President and CEO of The Hastings Center for Bioethics, a research center based in NY, USA.

    Bartha Knoppers and Ross Upshur 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. New recommendations for regulating neurotechnology in Canada include protecting Indigenous rights – https://theconversation.com/new-recommendations-for-regulating-neurotechnology-in-canada-include-protecting-indigenous-rights-256197

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Philosopher Hannah Arendt provokes us to rethink what education is for in the era of AI

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Paul Tarc, Professor, Critical Policy, Equity and Leadership Studies, Western University

    Arendt urged people to question how the human-constructed world can be passed on and ‘set right’ across time. (Barbara Niggl Radloff/Wikipedia), CC BY-SA

    In the 1954 essay The Crisis in Education, German-American philosopher Hannah Arendt argued that crisis can act as an opportunity to revisit questions that have produced presumed and outdated answers.

    Arendt was concerned with how the loss of tradition and authority in larger social and political spheres was reflected in the adoption of child-centred learning in public schooling in the United States.

    She argued that, in education, educators must maintain their authority, which ultimately rested on their taking responsibility for the world and for children. Arendt urged people grappling with “why Johnny can’t read” to leave behind their pre-judged answers, and instead return to the very “essence of education.” For Arendt, this centred on how the human-constructed world can be passed on and “set right” with each new generation and across time.

    The rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) presents a new crisis for the world and for education. Following Arendt, the crises that AI portends is a new vantage — or a rupture — to return to the question of what education is for.

    Rupture of AI

    Technologies have always mediated our understandings and practices of education: not only hardware or pencils, but writing itself can be understood as a technology. In our time, however, AI represents a qualitative rupture in contemporary practices and understandings of education.

    As Yuval Noah Harari has argued, AI should be better understood as an agent than a tool. As an agent, it is designed and evolving as a self-learning entity able to make independent decisions; it alters past interdependencies of humans and technology.

    Facing the impacts and intervention of AI, school policy experts, administrators and educators are pressed to react fairly quickly to try and maintain our favoured practices.

    For example, we try to tweak our practices of assessment in the face of new AI technologies like ChatGPT. A major concern is students “cheating” on assessments and unfairly or illegitimately advancing through school. This knee-jerk approach by educators to tackle the use of AI reflects a dominant, taken-for-granted answer about the purpose of education: that schooling is a mechanism to filter and sort young generations for a merit-based society.

    Concern around how AI is affecting student assessment and potential student cheating reflects assumptions about school as a place that filters students into different groups.
    (Shutterstock)

    Could AI itself be used to catch cheating? Canadian computer science professor Mark Daley doesn’t think so. He writes: “Instead of chasing technological silver bullets, educators need to confront the harder questions: Why are students cheating? … How do we foster a culture of learning rather than one of grade-chasing?”

    Beyond fair grade chasing

    Generally, there is a lot of agreement on the need to go in the direction that Daley recommends.

    For example, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has most recently included “global competence” into its global standardized testing of students. The OECD acknowledges the importance of learning processes, as well as outcomes, and of critical thinking and values like individual responsibility.

    The International Baccalaureate (IB), created in the field of international schools in the 1960s, has now penetrated into both public and private systems across the globe. Although it began as the International Schools Examination Syndicate, its longstanding aspirational vision of creating a better world through a humanist education of the whole person has carried through into the 21st century.

    Both of these more learner-centred visions for education, however, remain founded on these “filtering” uses of education. The IB’s very growth and sustainability and distinction lies in the positional advantage it affords its users. The OECD, more directly, reflects neoliberal, “human capital” conceptions of education that imply students are resources to be developed for the growth of a country’s economy.

    I believe we must go further than (better) assessments of higher-order thinking and processes of learning designed to filter students more creatively and/or efficiently for work. We must nurture an educational orientation over an instrumental one.

    High stakes

    The stakes are high beyond education, because AI portends great disruptions to political economy, work and the organization of human societies. AI and automation might mean that human labour becomes an ever-lower percentage of overall labour and economic productivity. Will our political processes be largely determined by wealthy owners and partners of the AI industry, or by more democratic processes?

    These possible transformations demand a reorientation of educational purpose to inform both school policies pertaining to uses of AI and data, and school curricula and teaching in classrooms.

    Many teachers want to foster critical thinking and student participation over grade chasing in schools. This remains an important goal. But, more fundamentally, schools need to become educational spaces where the concept of cheating, or unfairly beating someone else, becomes senseless.

    In this altered scenario, teachers and students would spend their time together in school examining, as Arendt said, “what the world is like,” how they are located within it and how it might be renewed and passed on across generations.

    A shelter for thinking

    Educators might take the opportunity to reconsider the function of schooling as educating children and youth to come to know, and participate in, a common world facing multiple crises. They are to be introduced to this world, in all its complexity, so that they develop understanding and care for the world and thereby choose to take responsibility for renewing and re-setting it, as adults.

    In returning to Arendt’s question on the essence of education, education researcher Mario Di Paolantonio’s introduces an updated answer for schooling in articulating what is educational in schooling in a world under crises.

    In his view, education provides a place, a “unique human dwelling, where we can maintain and give shelter to a thinking and engagement with ‘something more’ that sustains the hope and affirmation of nevertheless living on with significance.” It offers “a place for passing time together, for sheltering a repertoire of worldly artefacts, common visions, interpretations and aspirations.”

    “These,” he writes, “can be brought into meaningful configurations gathered from the meaningful patterns of the past to help us tend, mend and repair the sense and pull of the world that wears down from generation to generation.”

    Paul Tarc receives funding from Social Science and Humanities Research Council Insight Grant Program and Faculty of Education, Western University

    – ref. Philosopher Hannah Arendt provokes us to rethink what education is for in the era of AI – https://theconversation.com/philosopher-hannah-arendt-provokes-us-to-rethink-what-education-is-for-in-the-era-of-ai-247316

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How AI could help safeguard Indigenous languages

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Anna Luisa Daigneault, PhD Student in Linguistic Anthropology, Université de Montréal

    If there are few speakers left of a language, how does a community revive it? In our current era, 3,000 languages are at risk of extinction due to the pressures of colonization, globalization, forced cultural assimilation, environmental devastation and other factors.

    According to Canada’s Commission for Indigenous Languages, “research shows that no Indigenous language in Canada is safe and that all are in varying stages of endangerment.”

    Our society is also being shaped by the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. Can AI be used for the benefit of Indigenous language survival in Canada and elsewhere?

    According to the World Economic Forum, most AI chatbots are trained on 100 of the world’s 7,000 languages. English is the main driver of most large language models.

    This scenario leaves the bulk of the world’s languages in the dust. In the coming years, will AI contribute to language revitalization, or language oppression?

    A language in a box

    In a 2023 TEDx talk, Northern Cheyenne computer engineer Michael Running Wolf shared his design of a cedar box that looks both ancient and contemporary. He described the dragonfly-adorned device as a “cedar-enclosed, offline Edge AI that contains the inner workings of a minimal voice-based language curricula — in other words, a language in a box.”

    He proposed that conversational AI technology, much like Amazon Alexa or Google Home, could help language learners improve their fluency.

    Running Wolf is the technical director of the First Languages AI Reality initiative at the Québec Institute for Artificial Intelligence. The program propels Indigenous scholars and technologists towards creating innovative solutions regarding language loss.

    A TEDx Talk by Michael Running Wolf on how AI can assist Indigenous langauge learning.

    Voice-controlled tools trained via machine learning could serve as AI assistants for speakers who wish to hear unfamiliar sounds pronounced accurately, and practice their own pronunciation. This technology could establish a new means for facilitating oral transmission, which is crucial when there are few fluent speakers left.

    At the heart of Running Wolf’s project is Indigenous data sovereignty, which ensures that Indigenous people retain control over their data.

    A place in the digital world

    Around the world in the Philippines, AI scholar and politician Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo is on a quest to support the Indigenous languages of her home country. She created NightOwlGPT, a new AI-powered translation app.

    In an email to me, Lamentillo wrote:

    “In the Philippines alone, we are working on nine languages, many of which are endangered. Our goal is to ensure that these languages — not just the dominant ones — have a place in the digital world.”

    NightOwlGPT creator Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo.
    (Arwin Doloricon)

    We have seen that in the hands of the powerful, AI software can lead to oppressive forms of control, such as excessive AI-powered surveillance by Amazon and the U.S. government’s unethical data mining tactics.

    When it comes to the survival or extinction of languages, it is important to question the power behind AI tools. Who controls them, and who benefits from them?

    When I asked about the democratization of AI, Lamentillo noted the need for inclusivity:

    “AI’s rapid advancement could parallel historical patterns of colonization. If AI is truly a black swan event — a disruptive moment in history — then what happens when 99 per cent of languages are left behind? This is more than just a linguistic issue; it’s a serious matter of accessibility, representation and digital equity.

    If we don’t change who is leading AI development, we risk creating a new form of colonization — one where only a small fraction of the world has the tools to thrive.”

    Diversity of voices

    Linguistics professor Emmanuel Ngué Um.
    (Emmanuel Ngué Um)

    At a recent workshop series on endangered languages, Emmanuel Ngué Um, a professor of linguistics at the University of Yaoundé I in Cameroon, spoke on behalf of a research team of African linguists.

    They are currently using Mozilla’s Common Voice platform to create open-source datasets containing thousands of words and audio recordings in 31 African languages.

    The platform aims to make speech recognition and voice-based AI more inclusive by crowd-sourcing a massively multilingual speech corpus. But this process is not without significant challenges in Africa.

    Ngué Um noted that building datasets for languages with many dialects is not straightforward. There may not be a standardized spelling or pronunciation that should be used by AI as the accepted norms for the language.

    Because of postcolonial changes, many African languages do not have one unified or agreed-upon writing system. This issue can slow the creation of teaching tools, but many local efforts backed by UNESCO are underway to change this.

    So, how do automatic speech recognition tools deal with dialectical diversity? And how do text-to-speech models handle competing writing systems?

    As Ngué Um wrote in an email to me:

    “AI has been instrumental in delivering services that applied linguists have promised but are slow to deliver. This is not due to a lack of will or means on the part of linguists, but rather, because of the linguistic reality in Africa.

    Despite the impact of colonization and the imposition of a monolithic ideal on language reality, Africa reflects the plurality, fluidity and resourcefulness that drive human communication…If AI is informed by these intricacies at all phases of its implementation, it will adequately address the diversity of voices…in Africa.”

    It is clear that AI engineers and computational linguists need to integrate thoughtful approaches that take into account unique circumstances of languages.

    In the not-too-distant future, using AI tools to learn and communicate in under-resourced languages may become the norm. However, that shift depends on financial backing, accurate training data for machine learning, and community desire to embrace AI. Ultimately, data sovereignty and equitable access must be at the core of AI tools.

    Anna Luisa Daigneault volunteers for Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, a non-profit organization whose work is not connected to contents of this article.

    – ref. How AI could help safeguard Indigenous languages – https://theconversation.com/how-ai-could-help-safeguard-indigenous-languages-255359

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Is Pope Leo XIV liberal or conservative? Why these labels don’t work for popes

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Mark Yenson, King’s University College, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Vice-President and Academic Dean (Interim), Western University

    The 133 cardinal electors sequestered in the Sistine Chapel elected a new pope May 8. The choice was a surprise — Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost, who has carried out most of his ministry in Peru, before being elevated to Vatican roles by Pope Francis.

    As commentators and the media try to piece together backgrounders on Pope Leo XIV, one obvious question will be, “Is he a liberal or a conservative?” The same question was asked about Pope Francis, and about the cardinals entering this conclave.

    When applied to individual Catholics, the terms “liberal” and “conservative” can mean very different things. One could be conservative in regard to liturgy and church practice while being strongly committed to anti-racism and environmentalism.

    Or one might be considered a social conservative on issues such as marriage, sexuality and gender while holding clearly left-wing, social democratic views on the role of government.

    Even if Catholics are comfortable self-identifying as liberal or conservative Catholics, we should not treat these terms as if their meaning were obvious — especially since even as purely political terms the meaning of “liberal” or “conservative” is contested.

    Papacy as institution

    Things become all the more complicated when we are talking about the pope, the supreme head of the Catholic Church. The papacy as an institution is conservative by definition.

    The pope is considered the successor of the Apostle Peter, and his job description is precisely to maintain the unity and catholicity (“wholeness”) of the Church’s life, not only in space but through time — that is, to ensure continuity.

    But because of this role to maintain the fullness of a tradition and the unity of the Church, the pope cannot be conservative (or liberal) in a political sense.

    Pope Francis legacy

    The pontificate of Francis should have served as a lesson against liberal/conservative labels. From the beginning of his pontificate, he advocated strenuously for migrants and refugees. He reached out personally to LGBTQ+ communities. He initiated a worldwide “synodal” process that included broad consultation and fostered discussion of topics previously considered out of bounds, such as ordination of women as deacons (though not priests). He placed women in high-ranking positions in the Roman curia previously reserved only for clerics.

    But Francis was also critical of “gender ideology,” affirmed Church teaching on abortion and maintained the Church’s reservation of ordination to men only. While he angered self-identified conservatives, he often disappointed self-identified liberals.

    Instead of trying to impose political categories, it makes more sense to try to uncover the internal dynamics and motivations of a pope’s teaching and ministry. For example, Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical letter, Laudato si’, was a landmark in Catholic teaching on ecology. Far from being a political manifesto, the letter presents a vision of the human being within creation, informed by the Bible, theological reflection and modern Catholic social teaching. Francis frequently references the social thought of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who himself affirmed that the Church “must defend not only earth, water and air as gifts of creation that belong to everyone.”



    Read more:
    Laudato Si’: A look back on Pope Francis’s environmental legacy

    As the British theologian Anna Rowlands astutely notes, Catholic social teaching “functions as a social philosophy that never fully baptizes a liberal philosophy or sentiment. It remains locked in a complex dialogue … with liberal democracy.”

    The role of the pope, highlighted in Francis’s teaching on ecology, is to inspire a different kind of social and moral imagination, one not reducible to particular ideological positions.

    Catholic teaching, conscience

    Another example that subverts the liberal/conservative dichotomy was the well-known response of Pope Francis to a journalist’s question about homosexuality in the priesthood: “Who am I to judge?” Francis did not overturn “conservative” teachings in sexual ethics.

    But he did speak as a member of the Jesuit religious order and as a pastor, who knows that the general law must be applied in specific cases that introduce complexities and require nuanced concrete responses.

    There was also a tacit appeal to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council (1962–65), that an individual is bound to follow their conscience.

    For his part, Benedict XVI (as then-Cardinal Ratzinger), in a 1991 address to American bishops in Dallas, alluded to “the classical principle of moral tradition that conscience is the highest norm which [the human person] is to follow even in opposition to authority.” According to this principle, while church teaching authority would inform conscience, “conscience … would retain the final word.”

    There is no doubt that LGBTQ+ Catholics were able to hear something different in Francis’s language than they had heard in Benedict’s. However, both Benedict and Francis could appeal to shared principles, which were theological rather than political, and not reducible to liberal versus conservative categories.

    Weight of political polarization

    In our current political context, political terms like “liberal” and “conservative” tend to carry the weight of American political polarization.

    In the American context at the moment, “conservative Catholic” in its most radical form blends theological traditionalism — devotion to the traditional Latin mass, emphasis on doctrinal orthodoxy and opposition to Francis’s reformist papacy — with support for the Republican party and MAGA movement.

    As professor of moral philosophy Massimo Borghesi has argued, this radical conservative opposition to Francis has its genesis in the pro-capitalist Catholic neo-conservatism of the 1980s and 90s, and is a predominantly American phenomenon.

    In addition, as writer and editor James T. Keane noted in a 2021 article in the Jesuit magazine America, the political polarizations that have seeped into the American Catholic Church should not set the map for the rest of the world, least of all the papacy. It is important to remember this fact as the first North American pope begins his pontificate.

    Choice of name Leo

    Cardinal Robert Prevost, who has become Pope Leo XIV, has given indications of being critical of the Trump administration on issues of peace and migration, very much in line with Francis.

    His choice of the name Leo harkens back to Pope Leo XIII, the pope credited with initiating modern Catholic social teaching, and signals an emphasis on the Church’s advocacy for peace and justice. The new pope’s first Urbi et Orbi (“To the City and to the World”) address from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica signalled continuity with Francis — peace, dialogue, encounter, bridge-building.

    And Pope Leo’s career as a missionary, bishop and Vatican cardinal outside of the U.S. means that his context is not confined to the polarizations of the U.S. Catholic Church and its bishops.

    Will the new Pope, Leo XIV, be liberal or conservative? Pope Francis did not fit neatly into these categories: I hope Pope Leo won’t either.

    Mark Yenson 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. Is Pope Leo XIV liberal or conservative? Why these labels don’t work for popes – https://theconversation.com/is-pope-leo-xiv-liberal-or-conservative-why-these-labels-dont-work-for-popes-256180

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: There’s no legacy without Army moms!

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    Video by: Sgt. James Heffron, Defense Media Activity Army Production

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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlU5uMexxDc

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Norton Highlights Federal Employees in Remarks During Oversight Committee Reconciliation Markup

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released her remarks from today’s Committee on Oversight and Accountability (COA) markup of its portion of the reconciliation bill, where she highlighted the valuable contributions America’s federal employees continue to make in the face of unprecedented attacks by the Trump administration. The reconciliation bill advances several proposals to reduce the pay, benefits, and protections for federal employees.

    “The administration and Republicans in Congress are trying to dismantle much of the federal government, gut the federal workforce and fill federal jobs with political loyalists, in violation of the Constitution, statutes and regulations,” Norton said. “Most recently, the administration stripped federal employees of their collective bargaining rights. Federal employees, who provide invaluable services to the American people, deserve praise—not derision, cruelty, fear, chaos and illegal firings. These actions would – and have – deprived the federal government of expertise and experience. This harms the services the federal government provides to all Americans.”

    Norton’s remarks follow.

    Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

    Oversight Committee Reconciliation Markup Statement

    April 30, 2025

    I strongly oppose the reconciliation bill, including this committee’s portion.  Republicans are taking away Medicaid, food assistance, pay, benefits and protections for federal employees and other critical federal funding and programs to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations.

    The Trump administration and Congress have launched unprecedented attacks on federal employees, federal contract workers, federal agencies, federal programs, the rule of law and the Constitution, among other things.  Most recently, the administration stripped federal employees of their collective bargaining rights. 

    The administration and Republicans in Congress are trying to dismantle much of the federal government, gut the federal workforce and fill federal jobs with political loyalists, in violation of the Constitution, statutes and regulations.  Federal employees, who provide invaluable services to the American people, deserve praise—not derision, cruelty, fear, chaos and illegal firings.  These actions would – and have – deprived the federal government of expertise and experience. This harms the services the federal government provides to all Americans.

    Instead of attacking federal employees, this committee should be considering bills to support the federal workforce, such as my bill to combat federal pay compression.  I yield back.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –