NewzIntel.com

Category: Asia Pacific

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Te Roopu Tupeka Kore Launches Powerful New Documentary on Māori Tobacco Control

    Source: Hapai Te Hauora

    Te Roopu Tupeka Kore, the Māori Tobacco Control network, is proud to launch Our Documentary: The Whakapapa of Māori Tobacco Control in Aotearoa New Zealand at Wainuiomata Marae, Lower Hutt, on 30th May 2025, as part of World Smokefree May.
    The collective, made up of Māori organisations and advocates, has long fought to reduce the harm caused by tobacco and its disproportionate impact on Māori communities.
    “Our documentary shares our journey and amplifies the collective voice of Māori in tobacco control,” says Anaru Waa, Interim Chair of Te Roopu Tupeka Kore and recent recipient of the Dame Tariana Turia Award for global leadership in Indigenous tobacco control.
    Dame Tariana Turia, who passed away in January, led the introduction of the world-leading Smokefree 2025 Aotearoa goal during her time in Parliament.
    “That leadership, born from the Māori Affairs Select Committee inquiry into tobacco use-led by Hone Harawira and Dame Tariana-set a global example,” says Waa.
    While 2025 marked the target for a smokefree Aotearoa, Māori continue to face higher rates of nicotine addiction than non-Māori. Despite national progress, smoking-related inequities persist.
    “This documentary isn’t an attack on any one government,” says Waa, “but a call to acknowledge how politics has too often derailed efforts to protect our people from tobacco harm.”
    Told through the voices of Māori tobacco control leaders, the documentary is a snapshot of decades of advocacy, offering a deeper understanding of the movement and the passion driving it.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Universities – Experts examine climate impacts on Pacific health – UoA

    Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

    The devastating impacts of climate change on health in the Pacific Islands will be discussed at a symposium at the University of Auckland on 5 June.

    Dr Roannie Ng Shiu, a director of the university’s Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa – Centre for Pacific and Global Health, says the symposium will not only examine the health impacts of climate change in the Pacific, but share potential solutions.

    Climate change is driving up temperatures in the islands – and heat is a “silent killer”, says Ng Shiu, a key speaker at the symposium.

    “More than 2000 people died of heat-related conditions in the Pacific Islands between 2000 and 2022. Heat stroke is the main cause of death,” she says.

    While health services can advise people to stay cool and hydrated, poor access to clean drinking water in many Pacific Islands makes that more difficult, Ng Shiu says.

    “What we really need is a better international commitment to reducing greenhouse gases.

    “Pacific people are resilient. We’ve been adapting for years, but our adaptation measures can’t keep up with the rate the climate is changing,” she says.

    Increasingly hot, wet weather is causing spikes of diseases, such as dengue fever, zika, chikungunya, which are spread throughout the Pacific by Aedes mosquitos. In Papua New Guinea, malaria is also a growing risk.

    “Two young people have died from dengue fever in Fiji and Samoa over the past few weeks – one was a 12-year-old boy – and there’s an outbreak in Tonga too.”

    Ng Shiu says one solution to infectious diseases rising as the climate warms is to better integrate health and meteorological surveillance systems.

    She says more funding is needed so weather services can provide warnings to Pacific health services about upcoming periods of wet, hot weather, enabling agencies to fumigate areas where mosquitos breed.

    Funding is also required for research into the mental health impacts of climate change in the Pacific, Ng Shiu says.

    “We’re hearing about children in Fiji who have been traumatised by cyclones destroying their villages, so as soon as they hear strong winds, they run away from school in terror.”

    New Zealand government policies are exacerbating climate change, rather than turning the tide, she says.

    “New Zealand is supposed to be the heart of the Pacific, so they should be doing more to protect it.”

    Speakers at the symposium will include Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa director Professor Sir Collin Tukuitonga, Te Whatu Ora Director of Public Health Dr Corina Grey, University of Auckland Professor Cliona Ni Mhurchu, and Fred Hollows Foundation NZ chief executive Dr Audrey Aumua.

    Pacific Islands experts travelling to Aotearoa to speak at the event include director of the Fiji Institute of Pacific Health Research at Fiji National University Associate Professor Donald Wilson and Samoa’s Director General of Health Aiono Professor Alec Ekeroma.

    Te Poutoko council chair and former New Zealand Director-General of Health Professor Sir Ashley Bloomfield will facilitate a panel discussion at the symposium, featuring University of Auckland Professors Jemaima Tiatia-Siau and Dame Teuila Percival, and Ekeroma, Wilson and Grey.

    Tagata Pasifika director and reporter John Pulu will be MC and Reverend Igasiatama Mokele will offer opening and closing prayers.

    The symposium on Vulnerability to Vitality – Pacific and Global Health responses in a changing climate is on 5 June from 9am to 4pm at Fale Pasifika, 22 Wynyard Street, Auckland.

    The public and media are welcome to attend. Register here: http://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/te-poutoko-ora-a-kiwa-research-symposium-2025-tickets-1235148936719

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Smokefree 2025: A promise gone up in smoke – Asthma Foundation

    Source: Asthma and Respiratory Foundation

    Smokefree 2025 was within reach. Now, it’s a milestone we’re set to miss.
    As the globe marks World Smokefree Day this Saturday, 31 May, the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ is reminding Kiwis that this was the year New Zealand was meant to become smokefree.
    “Instead, the Government rolled back the clock and stoked the fire, derailing years of public health progress,” Foundation Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says.
    Ms Harding says there is little to celebrate and much to be concerned about.
    “We were on track to lead the world in tobacco control, now we appear to be leading the world in vaping.
    “Our previous Smokefree laws were bold, evidence-based, and targeted at protecting future generations, but the repeal of those measures blindsided everyone.”
    The Foundation has been one of the strongest advocates for a smokefree Aotearoa for many years.
    It backed policies that would have phased out tobacco sales for future generations, reduced nicotine levels, and supported drastically cutting the number of retailers.
    Back in 2021, the Foundation celebrated the bold steps taken toward Smokefree 2025, calling it a “significant step forward” in reducing respiratory disease and health inequities, particularly for Māori and Pacific communities.
    Fast forward to today, and the mood has shifted.
    The Foundation has been vocal in its disappointment over the coalition Government’s decision to roll back key Smokefree laws, warning about the implications to the health of New Zealanders and a missed opportunity to lead the world in tobacco control.
    At the same time, the Foundation is deeply concerned by the new approach to achieving Smokefree Aotearoa – simply shifting the problem to vapes.
    “The Government’s strategy seems to be ‘let’s just add vapes to the mix’, which is just another product that has harmful health effects and ensures future generations are nicotine dependent,” said Ms Harding.
    “As we have said previously, that rationale is like letting stoats in to eradicate rabbits – that’s not a solution.
    “We’re not breaking the cycle of nicotine dependency – we’re just redirecting it,” she says.
    “Let’s free Aotearoa from the shackles of big tobacco, who make money on the back of nicotine dependency.”
    The goal shouldn’t just be a smokefree New Zealand – it should be vape-free too, Ms Harding says.
    “Otherwise, we’re just chasing a new kind of addiction – and calling it progress.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: NIWA releases Seasonal Climate Outlook – June to August 2025

    Source: NIWA

    Air temperatures are expected to be above average across all New Zealand regions for this winter season, according to NIWA’s Seasonal Climate Outlook for June – August 2025. While cold snaps and frost will occur, they are expected to be less frequent than usual, says NIWA Principal Scientist Chris Brandolino.
    Rainfall totals during the three months ahead are expected to be above normal for the north of the North Island and near normal for the east of the South Island. For all remaining regions of the country, rainfall is forecast to be near normal or above normal.
    Higher than normal atmospheric pressure is expected to the east of the country, leading to north-easterly flow anomalies that may shift to a more north-westerly direction towards the end of the three-month period. Low pressure systems forming north of the country are still expected to affect New Zealand and may lead to heightened risks for heavy rainfall events.
    More – including what it means for where you are: 
    Please see the attached Word or PDF for the full Seasonal Climate Outlook for June – August 2025, including background, summaries, graphs and regional outlooks . 
    The SCO is also available via the NIWA website:  Seasonal Climate Outlook June – August 2025 | NIWA
    Watch the video presentation of the Seasonal Climate Outlook with Principal Scientist – Forecasting and Media, Chris Brandolino for more detailed week-by-week rainfall tr

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Home consents down in the month of April 2025 – Stats NZ media and information release: Building consents issued: April 2025

    Home consents down in the month of April 2025 – media release

    30 May 2025

    There were 2,418 new homes consented in April 2025, down 17 percent compared with April 2024, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

    “The drop in number of new homes consented in April 2025 may have been impacted by the timing of Easter weekend and Anzac Day, with people potentially taking time off in between,” economic indicators spokesperson Michelle Feyen said.

    Of the 2,418 new homes consented, there were:

    • 1,148 stand-alone houses consented (down 15 percent compared with April 2024)
    • 1,270 multi-unit homes consented (down 19 percent).

    Visit our website to read this news story and information release and to download CSV files:

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Stats NZ information release: Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): Year ended 2023

    Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): Year ended 2023 – information release

    30 May 2025

    Greenhouse gas emissions statistics include the emissions by gas type for both industries and households, the emissions intensity (emissions in relation to GDP/economic output) for industries, and tourism-related emissions.

    Industry and household emissions estimates use the latest New Zealand Greenhouse Gas Inventory data from the Ministry for the Environment and show updated production-based gross emissions for the years ended December 2007 through to 2023, on a System of Environmental-Economic Accounts (SEEA) basis.

    Key facts

    Year ended December 2023

    • Gross greenhouse gas emissions from New Zealand’s industries and households were 78,778 kilotonnes (kt) of carbon dioxide equivalent. This is a fall of 0.8 percent (612 kt) from 2022.
    • The fall was driven by a 1.0 percent decrease (720 kt) in industry-related emissions.
    • Household emissions increased 1.3 percent (107 kt) due to an increase in household transport emissions.

    Visit our website to read this information release and to download CSV files:

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Employment Issues – Community Corrections staff gearing up for industrial action – PSA

    Source: PSA

    Community Corrections staff – who manage the 26,000 people the Department of Corrections is responsible for outside of prisons – are gearing up to take industrial action.
    Community Corrections staff – including Probation Officers and Electronic Monitoring staff – are frustrated with low pay and ballooning workloads further fuelled by anger over the Government’s rushed changes to the Pay Equity Act, says Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
    “We will be looking to take industrial action if we do not get an improved offer from Corrections, and the mediation, set down for Wednesday 4 June, fails,” Fitzsimons says.
    Community Corrections staff are 68% female, which falls just agonisingly short of the Government’s new threshold requiring a workforce to be made up of 70% women to take a pay equity claim.
    “Up until the recent reversal, Probation Officers were subject to a five-year long pay equity claim, they were found to be significantly undervalued and their claim was before the Employment Relations Authority to be settled, Fitzsimons says.
    “With the ability to raise a pay equity claim cynically extinguished by the Government, underpaid Community Corrections workers will be expecting to see a significantly improved offer from Corrections,” Fitzsimons says.
    Community Corrections workers include probation officers, programme facilitators, electronic monitoring staff, community work supervisors, bail support officers, administration staff, and many others.
    On any given day, Community Corrections staff work with 70% of the people Correction is responsible for, about 26,000 people living in the community. These people include those: who have been released from prison; who are serving Community-based sentences; who are electronically monitored; and who are on electronic bail.
    PSA union Community Corrections members have been negotiating with Corrections since December and have been offered increases of around 1%, further embedding their low pay, Fitzsimons says.
    The PSA is balloting members on taking three escalating actions – a complete withdrawal of labour for two, then four then eight hours. An indicative poll of Delegates showed unanimous support for industrial action.
    The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Local News – Hutt City Council considers non-binding referendum question on exploring council amalgamation

    Source: Hutt City Council

    Hutt City Council is considering adding a non-binding referendum question to this year’s local election ballot, asking whether the community supports exploring regional amalgamation.
    If approved at a full council meeting next month, the following question will be included in voting papers:
    “Should Hutt City Council work with councils in Wellington, Upper Hutt, Porirua and the Wellington Regional Council to explore the possibility of creating one single council, that combines relevant services and functions regionally, while keeping appropriate local services and decision making local?”
    Mayor Campbell Barry said debate about reorganisation has existed for some time.
    “This question simply asks our residents and ratepayers if they want us to explore things further.
    “I will be putting this forward for council’s consideration in June, and encourage other councils in the Wellington region to do the same.”
    The move comes after Porirua City Council agreed yesterday to include in voting papers the question of whether to explore council amalgamation.
    The referendum is non-binding and it will be up to the future Council to consider the results after the election.
    Voting in the upcoming local elections opens on 9 September and closes at midday on Saturday, 11 October 2025. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Northland News – Finalists for Whakamānawa ā Taiao – Environmental Awards

    Source: Northland Regional Council

    Finalists have been named for the sixth Northland Regional Council Whakamānawa ā Taiao – Environmental Awards which recognise individuals, groups and organisations helping to protect and improve Northland’s environment.
    Council Chair Geoff Crawford says the 2025 awards are the first since the transition to a biennial event. (The previous awards were in 2023.)
    Chair Crawford says entering the Environmental Awards helps tell the story of the environmental work happening in Northland and shows that collectively we are making a difference.
    Finalists (in alphabetical order) are:
    • Bay of Islands International Academy
    • Bream Head Conservation Trust Reserve Revegetation
    • Earth Buddies
    • Hokianga Harbor Care Incorporated Society
    • Hurupaki School
    • India Clarke
    • Jill Mortensen
    • Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust
    • Ngā Kaitiaki O Ngā Wai Māori
    • Ngā Kaitiaki o te Ahi
    • Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust – Te Pou Taiao
    • Piroa Conservation Trust
    • Project Island Song
    • Roman Makara
    • Te Kura O Hato Hohepa Te Kamura
    • Te Runanga Nui O Te Aupouri- Oranga Whenua Oranga Tangata Taiao Team
    • The Love Bittern Project
    • Tū Mai Rā Energy Northland
    • Weed Action Native Habitat Restoration Trust
    • Whangārei Girls’ High School
    Award categories include:
    • Environmental action in the community
    • Environmental action to protect native life
    • Environmental action in water quality improvement
    • Environmental action in education
    • Environmental leadership
    • Youth environmental leader
    • Kaitiakitanga
    • Environmental action in business
    • Environmental action to address climate change
    Chair Crawford says winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at Waitangi on Thursday 26 June.
    People interested in learning more about the awards – including previous winners – can visit: awards.nrc.govt.nz

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Port of Auckland fee increases cause concern for industry – Transporting NZ

    Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

    National road freight association Transporting New Zealand is voicing strong concerns over the Port of Auckland’s (POAL) announced increases to Vehicle Booking System (VBS) fees, warning these price hikes at the country’s largest import port will have major repercussions for businesses and consumers.
    Trucks have been charged $130 per visit in access fees to the container terminal during peak hours since January 2025. This will increase to $180 in January 2026, $230 by July 2026 and $350 by January 2027. These fees are levied each time a truck accesses the terminal to deliver or collect a container.
    Billy Clemens, Head of Policy & Advocacy at Transporting New Zealand, is questioning the justification for these large increases, noting that POAL’s productivity improvements have been minimal.
    “Our road freight members and their customers haven’t seen an associated increase in Port productivity,” he says.
    “In fact, from financial year 2023 to 2024 POAL’s average truck turnaround time improved by only 1.5 per cent, or 17 seconds. I don’t know of any road freight companies who could hike their prices by 170 per cent over two years following that level of performance.”
    Clemens also challenges POAL’s rationale that higher peak-time fees will incentivise off-peak deliveries.
    “ Traffic data confirms that our members already do their best to avoid peak traffic because it’s a nightmare in Auckland as it is. If they could, they would.”
    “A survey by one of our major North Island members revealed that only 12 per cent of their customers could accept night-time deliveries of containers.”
    Transporting New Zealand is warning that these increased costs will inevitably be passed on to consumers and exporters, making New Zealand goods less competitive on the international stage. All at a time when the Port is already comfortably surpassing its profit targets.
    Productive alternatives 
    Clemens urges POAL and its owner, Auckland Council, to focus on enhancing productivity and performance rather than imposing higher fees on industry stakeholders.
    “One practical option we’ve previously raised with POAL is to lower VBS charges for dual bookings, where a freighter both drops off and picks up containers on the same trip.”
    “If POAL wants to improve productivity, it should also look to its 2024 Annual Report. POAL was comfortably meeting its peak vs off-peak truck target, but failing on crane rate, ship rate, and import dwell time, amongst others.”
    Cargo owners share concern at price increases
    Mike Knowles, chair of the New Zealand Cargo Owners Council, says the time-of-use approach is too simplistic to achieve significant behaviour change as the port is just one part of a complex supply chain.
    The Cargo Owners Council believes it is time for benchmarking of NZ port productivity against their charge structures.
    “We think the time is long overdue for a closer look at arbitrary fee increases that do not result in measurable service or infrastructure improvement – as things stand the ultimate loser here is NZ Inc.”
    About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand 
    Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand  is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter- regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country.
    Road is the dominant freight mode in New Zealand, transporting 92.8% of the freight task on a tonnage basis, and 75.1% on a tonne-km basis. The road freight transport industry employs over 34,000 people across more than 4700 businesses, with an annual turnover of $6 billion.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Photo & Video Chronology — May 28 & 29, 2025 — After Kīlauea Episode 23

    Source: US Geological Survey

    A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist collects high-precision ground positions using a kinematic GPS instrument that measures its vertical and horizontal position. Once processed, these measurements will help scientists determine the thickness of the tephra deposit downwind of the ongoing Halema‘uma‘u eruption at Kīlauea summit. The tephra has primarily been falling in a closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, an area that HVO scientists access with permission from, and in coordination with, the National Park Service. USGS photo taken on May 29, 2025, by L. DeSmither. 

    During the pause after episode 23 of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption, a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist collects data on the tephra deposits. Buckets are used to collect tephra, and emptied between episodes, to ensure that samples from each episode are isolated to track geochemical changes and determine the amount of tephra that fell at each site. The steak also helps scientists measure the thickness of tephra fall in that area. USGS photo taken by L. DeSmither on May 29, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: MediPharm Labs Refuses to Answer Direct Questions Regarding Credible Securities Fraud Allegations Says Apollo Capital

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Demands Management’s Board Nominees John Medland and Emily Jameson Withdraw Immediately or Face Public Complicity in Ongoing Alleged Systemic Violations of Securities Laws

    URGES SHAREHOLDERS TO VOTE THE GOLD PROXY CARD “FOR” APOLLO CAPITAL’S SIX DIRECTOR NOMINEES AND DISREGARD MEDIPHARM LABS’ GREEN PROXY CARD

    TORONTO, May 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo Technology Capital Corporation (“Apollo Capital”), which together with its affiliates and associates collectively is one of the largest shareholders of MediPharm Labs Corp. (TSX: LABS) (OTCQB: MEDIF) (FSE: MLZ) (“MediPharm”, “MediPharm Labs”, or the “Company”), owning approximately 3% of the Company’s common stock, today condemned MediPharm Labs and its leadership team for their blatant failure and outright refusal to answer simple, direct, and highly serious questions concerning credible allegations of alleged extensive securities act disclosure violations committed by the MediPharm Labs’ Board of Directors (the “Board”) and management team.

    In a deeply troubling display of evasion and obfuscation, MediPharm Labs’ senior management and current board—including Chairman Chris Taves (Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets for Asia at BMO), CEO David Pidduck (former CEO of OxyContin® Manufacturer Purdue Pharma), Shelley Potts, Chris Halyk, Keith Strachan, and recently resigned Audit Committee Chair Michael Bumby—have persistently refused to respond meaningfully to allegations of systemic and intentional securities fraud.

    Apollo Capital asks incoming MediPharm Labs Board nominees John Medland and Emily Jameson: How long will you continue standing for election to a board that consistently refuses to answer basic questions about credible allegations of securities fraud? Are you prepared to potentially permanently stain your professional reputations by associating yourselves with an entity that has been accused of deliberately evading accountability and transparency?

    Apollo Capital demands immediate, straightforward answers from MediPharm’s directors to the following questions:

    Has MediPharm Labs changed its revenue recognition practices from those in place two years ago?

    Is any purported growth simply a result of creative accounting designed to deceive shareholders?

    Given the undeniable gravity and credible evidence surrounding these allegations, Apollo Capital reiterates its urgent call for an immediate, comprehensive investigation by regulatory authorities including the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

    Earlier this week, Apollo Capital raised broader concerns about the current Board’s commitment to ethical conduct, asking its fellow shareholders if they felt like Chairman Chris Taves properly fulfilled his fiduciary and moral duties and obligations to make them fully aware of David Pidduck’s history as CEO and VP of Marketing for OxyContin® Manufacturer Purdue Pharma, and whether they felt like details of Pidduck’s very recent past were MATERIAL facts that Chairman Taves should have made crystal clear before asking them on multiple occasions to vote in favour of Pidduck’s outrageous and off-market compensation package.

    Apollo Capital’s nominees, experienced professionals known for corporate turnarounds, have clearly outlined their mission: to root out any corporate rot, restore credibility, and return value to shareholders.

    MediPharm Labs shareholders deserve accountability, transparency and competent leadership—not empty claims, evasive tactics and an almost complete destruction of investor value.

    Previous Apollo Capital press releases detailing allegations of fraudulent and unethical activities at MediPharm Labs can be accessed here:

    MediPharm Labs Shareholders can visit www.CureMediPharm.com, to sign up for important campaign updates.

    VOTE THE GOLD PROXY CARD “FOR” APOLLO CAPITAL’S SIX DIRECTOR NOMINEES AND DISREGARD MEDIPHARM LABS’ GREEN PROXY CARD

    To access Apollo Capital’s Circular and related proxy materials, including a proxy or voting instruction form, visit SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

    Contacts

    For Shareholders:
    Carson Proxy
    North American Toll-Free Phone: 1-800-530-5189
    Local or Text Message: 416-751-2066 (collect calls accepted)
    E: info@carsonproxy.com

    For Media:
    CureMediPharm@gasthalter.com

    Legal Disclosures

    Information in Support of Public Broadcast Exemption under Canadian Law

    In connection with the Annual Meeting, Apollo Capital has filed an amended and restated dissident information circular (the “Circular”) in compliance with applicable corporate and securities laws. Apollo Capital has provided in, or incorporated by reference into, this press release the disclosure required under section 9.2(4) of NI 51-102 – Continuous Disclosure Obligations (“NI 51-102”) and the corresponding exemption under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario), and has filed the Circular, available under MediPharm’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The Circular contains disclosure prescribed by applicable corporate law and disclosure required under section 9.2(6) of NI 51-102 in respect of Apollo Capital’s director nominees, in accordance with corporate and securities laws applicable to public broadcast solicitations. The Circular is hereby incorporated by reference into this press release and is available under MediPharm’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The registered office of the Company is 151 John Street, Barrie, Ontario, Canada L4N 2L1.

    SHAREHOLDERS OF MEDIPHARM ARE URGED TO READ THE CIRCULAR CAREFULLY BECAUSE IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and shareholders are able to obtain free copies of the Circular and any amendments or supplements thereto and further proxy circulars at no charge under MediPharm’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. In addition, shareholders are also able to obtain free copies of the Circular and other relevant documents by contacting Apollo Capital’s proxy solicitor, Carson Proxy Advisors Ltd. (“Carson Proxy”) at 1-800-530-5189, local (collect outside North America): 416-751-2066 or by email at info@carsonproxy.com.

    Proxies may be revoked in accordance with subsection 110(4) of the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) by a registered shareholder of Company shares: (a) by completing and signing a valid proxy bearing a later date and returning it in accordance with the instructions contained in the accompanying form of proxy; (b) by depositing an instrument in writing executed by the shareholder or by the shareholder’s attorney authorized in writing; (c) by transmitting by telephonic or electronic means a revocation that is signed by electronic signature in accordance with applicable law, as the case may be: (i) at the registered office of the Company at any time up to and including the last business day preceding the day the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting is to be held, or (ii) with the chair of the Annual Meeting on the day of the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting; or (d) in any other manner permitted by law. In addition, proxies may be revoked by a non-registered holder of Company shares at any time by written notice to the intermediary in accordance with the instructions given to the non-registered holder by its intermediary. It should be noted that revocation of proxies or voting instructions by a non-registered holder can take several days or even longer to complete and, accordingly, any such revocation should be completed well in advance of the deadline prescribed in the form of proxy or voting instruction form to ensure it is given effect in respect of the Annual Meeting.

    The costs incurred in the preparation and mailing of any circular or proxy solicitation by Apollo Capital and any other participants named herein will be borne directly and indirectly by Apollo Capital. However, to the extent permitted under applicable law, Apollo Capital intends to seek reimbursement from the Company of all expenses incurred in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the election of its director nominees at the Annual Meeting.

    This press release and any solicitation made by Apollo Capital is, or will be, as applicable, made by such parties, and not by or on behalf of the management of the Company. Proxies may be solicited by proxy circular, mail, telephone, email or other electronic means, as well as by newspaper or other media advertising and in person by managers, directors, officers and employees of Apollo Capital who will not be specifically remunerated therefor. In addition, Apollo Capital may solicit proxies by way of public broadcast, including press release, speech or publication and any other manner permitted under applicable Canadian laws, and may engage the services of one or more agents and authorize other persons to assist it in soliciting proxies on their behalf.

    Apollo Capital has entered into an agreement with Carson Proxy Advisors (“Carson Proxy”) for solicitation and advisory services in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Meeting, for which Carson Proxy will receive a fee not to exceed $250,000, together with reimbursement for reasonable and out-of-pocket expenses. Apollo Capital has also engaged Gasthalter & Co. LP (“G&Co”) to act as communications consultant to provide Apollo Capital with certain communications, public relations and related services, for which G&Co will receive a minimum fee of US$75,000 in addition to a performance fee of US$250,000 in the event that Apollo Capital’s nominees make up a majority of the Board following the Annual Meeting, plus excess fees, related costs and expenses.

    No member of Apollo Capital nor any of their associates or affiliates has or has had any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction since the beginning of the Company’s last completed financial year or in any proposed transaction that has materially affected or will or would materially affect the Company or any of the Company’s affiliates. No member of Apollo Capital nor any of their associates or affiliates has any material interest, direct or indirect, by way of beneficial ownership of securities or otherwise, in any matter to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting, other than setting the number of directors, the election of directors, the appointment of auditors and the approval of the ordinary resolution approving, among other things, the Company’s amended and restated equity incentive plan dated May 8, 2025 and the unallocated awards available thereunder.

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward‐looking statements. All statements contained in this filing that are not clearly historical in nature or that necessarily depend on future events are forward‐looking, and the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “estimate,” “plan,” and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward‐looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of Apollo Capital and currently available information. They are not guarantees of future performance, involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. All forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as of the date hereof and Apollo Capital disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently occur, or of which Apollo Capital hereafter becomes aware, except as required by applicable law.

    Hashtags: #ShareholderActivism #CorporateGovernance #InvestorProtection #Investor Alert #Investor Fraud #FinancialRegulation #CorporateCrime #FinancialCrime #HomelandSecurity #DHS #OpioidCrisis #OpioidEpidemic #OpioidLitigation #OpioidVictims #BMO #DEA #ONDCP

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall and Padilla Introduce Bipartisan Plant Biostimulant Act to Advance Agricultural Innovation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) joined U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-California) to introduce the Plant Biostimulant Act to establish a standardized process for approving the commercial use of plant biostimulants as alternatives to synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Plant biostimulants have demonstrated potential in advancing sustainable practices, including carbon sequestration and water quality enhancement. The legislation would also support research into the benefits of these technologies for soil health.
    “Innovation is the cornerstone of American agriculture, and creating pathways for new agronomic tools like plant biostimulants to be approved for use allows our nation’s farmers to produce more food with fewer crop protection tools and fertilizers,” said Senator Marshall. “I am proud to lead this bipartisan legislation alongside Senator Padilla as we work together to improve soil health.”
    “California’s agriculture industry is essential to our national economy and puts food on the table for families across the country,” said Senator Padilla. “As we make our agriculture sector more sustainable, our evolving practices must be properly implemented to ensure their efficacy and safety.  Oversight and regulatory standards for plant biostimulants, which could replace or reduce the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, are critical to maintain California’s leadership at the forefront of this bio-based agricultural technology.”
    Representatives Jim Baird (R-Indiana-4) and Jimmy Panetta (D-California-20) introduced the House companion bill.
    “Our farmers and ranchers deserve a regulatory process that provides a clear path for their products to go to market, especially as new technologies become available for farmers and producers to improve the efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of our agriculture industry,” said Representative Baird. “Biostimulants have significant potential benefits for producers and their sustainability footprint. Defining these products and creating a consistent process is an important step in giving farmers better access to plant biostimulants and other new technologies to ensure our agriculture sector can thrive.”
    “The lack of a standard regulatory definition or pathway to market for plant biostimulants makes it harder for producers to access this sustainable and effective technology,” said Representative Panetta.” By reintroducing this bipartisan bill, we’re pushing for the clarity and federal coordination needed to encourage the adoption of biostimulants. Increasing access to these products helps our farmers improve crop yields, protect our environment, and maintain U.S. leadership in sustainable agriculture.”
    The Plant Biostimulant Act is endorsed by Agriculture Retailers Association (ARA), American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), Biological Products Industry Alliance (BPIA), Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology (CPDA), CropLife America (CLA), The Fertilizer Institute Biostimulant Council, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), Humic Products Trade Association (HPTA), International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment), Southern Crop Production Association (SCPA), and Western Growers.
    “We thank Senators Marshall and Padilla for championing the Plant Biostimulant Act,” said Russell Taylor, President, Humic Products Trade Association. “This essential bill provides a clear regulatory path for innovative products, including humic substances, that build soil resilience and optimize nutrient use. It delivers the certainty needed to advance science-backed tools for a more sustainable American food supply.
    “I’d like to thank Senators Marshall and Padilla for reintroducing the Plant Biostimulant Act,” said Megan Provost, President of Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment. “Plant biostimulants help homeowners, landscape professionals, and golf course superintendents provide healthy greenspaces that benefit us all. This legislation will help to clarify how they are defined and ensure access to these valuable products. We are excited to see bipartisan, bicameral legislation now gaining traction and hope for its inclusion in the upcoming Farm Bill.”
    “I’d like to thank Senators Marshall and Padilla for reintroducing the Plant Biostimulant Act,” said Rhett Evans, CEO of the Golf Courses Superintendents Association of America. ”Plant biostimulants help golf course superintendents provide healthy green spaces that benefit everyone.  This legislation will help ensure golf’s access to this valuable product.”
    “The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) thanks Senators Marshall and Padilla for reintroducing this important legislation. This bill provides a critical definition for plant biostimulants, which will help states establish a clear path to market for these important products and technologies, critical to a variety of growers,” said Corey Rosenbusch, President and CEO of the Fertilizer Institute.
    “The reintroduction of the Plant Biostimulant Act in the Senate is a pivotal step forward, and we commend Senators Roger Marshall and Alex Padilla for their leadership,” said Keith Jones, Executive Director of the Biological Products Industry Alliance. “This bipartisan legislation provides much-needed regulatory clarity for plant biostimulants – ensuring a consistent federal definition and a predictable path to market for these innovative tools. By enabling greater investment in U.S. agricultural innovation, it strengthens our global competitiveness and supports long-term sustainability. BPIA stands ready to work with Congress, growers, and partners across the agricultural community to get this bill passed and deliver the solutions our farmers deserve.”
    The full text of the legislation can be found HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Deputy Secretary-General’s remarks at the Opening Session of the International Conference for Glaciers’ Preservation [as delivered]

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    Your Excellency Mr. Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan,

    Your Excellency, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr.  Shehbaz Sharif,

    Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

    I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the Government and the people of the Republic of Tajikistan for convening this High-Level International Conference and championing 2025 as the United Nations declared International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation.  

    Mr. President, I thank you for the opportunity to visit the Glaciers in the Pamir mountain range. This was a reality check to how fragile the ecosystem is and needs preservation.

    Your commitment to glaciers – the water towers of the world, holding nearly 70% of Earth’s freshwater – stands as a beacon of hope, towards keeping global momentum, securing our planet’s vital water sources, and raising urgent climate ambition.

    A decade has passed since the world embraced the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement, setting out a bold vision for a more just, resilient, and sustainable future.

    In spite of the recent geopolitical tensions and the pushback on multilateralism, this Conference convenes at a pivotal moment—with a decisive call to turn commitments into action, and shape the trajectory of our planet, economies, and the well-being of generations to come.

    The time for ambition is an imperative now, and the stakes have never been higher.

    Allow me to recognize the invaluable contributions of the World Meteorological Organization, UNESCO, the Asian Development Bank, and all other dedicated partners whose collaboration has made this conference – and this growing momentum – possible.

    Your steady dedication to glacier research and monitoring throughout the 2025-2034 Decade of Action on Cryosphere Sciences has been instrumental in raising awareness and advancing scientific knowledge to safeguard our planet’s equilibrium.

    Excellencies, Friends,

    Since 1975, over 9,000 billion tons of ice have disappeared – equivalent to a 25-meter-thick block covering all of Germany.

    In the past six years, glaciers have been retreating at an unprecedented pace, marking the fastest loss in recorded history.

    Between 2022 and 2024 alone, the world witnessed the largest three-year glacier mass loss ever observed – a staggering acceleration of ice melt.

    At current rates, many glaciers may not survive this century, reshaping landscapes, ecosystems, livelihoods and water security on a global scale.

    This is not just a mountain crisis – it is a slow-moving global catastrophe with far-reaching consequences for  planet and people.

    Glacier loss threatens water and food security, biodiversity loss, infrastructure, and the stability and health of communities worldwide.

    Billions of people depend on glaciers for drinking water, irrigation, livelihoods, and energy production, making their preservation essential for human survival and sustainable development.

    Yet those at the frontline of glacier loss – primarily in developing regions – face the greatest injustices.

    With shrinking water resources, vulnerable communities endure worsening poverty, forced migration, and harsh living conditions all while relying on glacier-fed supplies that are rapidly disappearing.

    Melting glaciers also drive sea-level rise, endangering coastal megacities and displacing millions downstream.

    Each millimeter of rising seas puts hundreds of thousands at risk of annual flooding and much more.

    In my own country Nigeria, I witness firsthand the impact of sea level rise in Lagos, which is threatened and in the Niger Delta which as seen unprecedented changes in its ecosystem. And we also see states once not affected by flooding are experiencing them at unprecedented levels.

    Beyond the physical impacts, glacier loss is also an erosion of culture, of history, and identity.

    Communities tied to mountain landscapes face the disappearance of ancestral lands, traditional knowledge, and linguistic heritage, severing connections that have existed for generations.

    Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

    With a third of mountain ice already lost due to climate change, these consequences will only intensify without immediate mitigation measures to keep global temperatures within the 1.5 degrees threshold.

    Let me note at this time 83% of these emissions for this mitigation agenda, are within the hands of 35 countries.

    Stepping up our ambition and scaling up action is imperative, before dwindling water resources destabilize ecosystems and economic disruptions become irreversible.

    Strategies for glacier preservation must enable integrated, inclusive, data-driven and locally grounded adaptation responses that meet the needs of those most vulnerable.

    Investing in adaptation should be recognized as a catalyst of sustainable growth and resilience.

    Yet, adaptation and risk reduction tools cannot succeed without sustained, predictable financing to support resilience-building at every level.

    The upcoming Financing for Development Conference in Seville is an opportunity to make the Clarion Call, for more investment in adaptation a reality.

    This year’s Global Assessment Report on disaster risk reduction informs us that “Resilience Pays”.

    Every dollar spent on resilience enhances early warning systems, safeguards infrastructure, and protects livelihoods from extreme climate events. It reinforces food and water security and strengthens economies against future shocks.

    But we must significantly scale up financing and investments – integrating risk reduction into core policy decisions.

    Failing to invest now, will result in exponentially higher costs – ranging from economic loss, development setbacks to humanitarian crisis.

    As we embark on the Decade for Glaciers’ Preservation, I have three messages:

    First, let us ensure that this conference signals an urgent call to action, uniting multilateral cooperation and strategic global partnerships.

    These partnerships should be engines for the design and delivery of ambitious, economy-wide Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – as we go to Belem in Brazil later this year. These should not only as climate pledges, but as investment of roadmaps that drive SDG implementation.

    Second, ensure that your national climate plans set measurable adaptation targets across water, infrastructure, energy, and food systems to build resilience, secure financing, and protect livelihoods. These plans need to be linked to national budgets to optimize resource allocations, avert losses, and build institutional capacities to fill gaps in technical expertise but also to create an enabling environment for large scale and urgent investments.

    Third, identify pipelines of market-ready investments, backed by high-quality data and evidence-based tools that forecast returns, demonstrate co-benefits for job creation and economic growth, and unlock new financial services.

    Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

    Together, we can galvanize impactful solutions to safeguard the cryosphere, polar regions, and mountain ecosystems.

    Early warning systems could be strengthened with hydro-climatic experts to reinforce datasets that help anticipate water-related risks and ensuring a constant state of preparedness to enable early action.

    Data-driven predicative analytics and AI could also complement skills, while generating baselines that help identify and anticipate fault lines, aligning with the Secretary General’s Early Warnings for All initiative.

    This year’s Fourth Financing for Development Conference presents an opportunity to ensure that development funding is not just allocated, but strategically risk-informed – across all types of shocks-strengthening resilience and safeguarding development gains.

    Let us use other global milestones including – COP30 in Brazil, the Third UN Ocean Conference in Nice, the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the Second World Summit on Sustainable Development in Doha, Qatar – to elevate political will and sharpen our focus on glaciers for people, planet and prosperity.

    In conclusion, as we look forward to the 2026 UN Water Conference, co-hosted by Senegal and the United Arab Emirates, I also wish to recognize the co-hosts of the 2023 UN Water Conference – Tajikistan and the Netherlands – for their continued political commitment to the International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development 2018–2028.

    Let us act with the urgency that SDG 6 demands by protecting water-related ecosystems.

    The UN – as always – stands ready to ensure that we meet this target. For our communities, for our economies, for our children’s future and those yet born.

    Let our children not know thirst.

    Thank you.

    ***

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI: Athene Announces Redemption of All Outstanding Series C Preferred Stock and Related Depositary Shares

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, May 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Athene Holding Ltd. (“Athene”) today announced it will redeem all outstanding shares of its 6.375% Fixed-Rate Reset Perpetual Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series C (the “Series C Preferred Stock”), and the corresponding depositary shares (CUSIP: 04686J 309; ISIN: US04686J3095) (the “Depositary Shares”), each representing a 1/1,000th interest in a share of the Series C Preferred Stock.

    The Series C Preferred Stock will be redeemed on the upcoming dividend payment date on June 30, 2025 (the “Redemption Date”). All 24,000,000 Depositary Shares currently outstanding will be redeemed on the Redemption Date. On and after the Redemption Date, no shares of Series C Preferred Stock or Depositary Shares will remain outstanding.

    The Depositary Shares will be redeemed at a redemption price of $25.00 per Depositary Share (equivalent to $25,000 per share of Series C Preferred Stock) (the “Redemption Price”). The regular quarterly dividend on the Depositary Shares was separately declared and will be paid separately on June 30, 2025 to holders of record on June 15, 2025 for such dividend payment in the customary manner. Accordingly, the Redemption Price does not include any accrued and unpaid dividends. No further dividends will be declared or paid following the Redemption Date.

    Simultaneously with the redemption of the Series C Preferred Stock, the outstanding Depositary Shares will be redeemed on the Redemption Date in accordance with the applicable procedures of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), for an amount per Depositary Share equal to the Redemption Price. All Depositary Shares are held in book-entry form through DTC. Payment to DTC for the Depositary Shares will be made by Computershare Inc. and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., collectively, as redemption agent. The address for the redemption agent is as follows:

    Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
    Attn: Corporate Actions
    150 Royall St.
    Canton, MA 02021

    Investors in the Depositary Shares should contact the bank or broker through which they hold a beneficial interest in the Depositary Shares for information about obtaining the Redemption Price for the shares of Depositary Shares in which they have a beneficial interest.

    About Athene
    Athene is the leading retirement services company with over $380 billion of total assets as of March 31, 2025, and operations in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, and Japan. Athene is focused on providing financial security to individuals by offering an attractive suite of retirement income and savings products and also serves as a solutions provider to corporations.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release contains, and certain oral statements made by Athene’s representatives from time to time may contain, forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results, events and developments to differ materially from those set forth in, or implied by, such statements. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of Athene’s management and the management of Athene’s subsidiaries. Generally, forward-looking statements include actions, events, results, strategies and expectations and are often identifiable by use of the words “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “projects,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “might,” “should,” or “continues” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements within this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future growth prospects and financial performance. Although Athene management believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties related to Athene’s forward-looking statements, see its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, which can be found at the SEC’s website www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements described herein are qualified by these cautionary statements and there can be no assurance that the actual results, events or developments referenced herein will occur or be realized. Athene does not undertake any obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results.

    Media Contact
    Jeanne Hess
    VP, External Relations
    +1 646 768 7319
    jeanne.hess@athene.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Blumenthal Fight To Continue Funding For Emergency Housing Voucher Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif.-43), and nearly 100 lawmakers in urging Congressional Appropriations leadership to include robust funding for the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program as part of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding legislation. Tens of thousands of Americans depend on this vital program for safe, stable, and affordable housing. The letter comes as the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced in March that the program will soon run out of money due largely to rents rising at the fastest pace in decades.

    “[Public Housing Agencies] in every state have benefited from the improved voucher issuance and utilization that the EHV program provides, as have the people and communities they serve,” wrote the lawmakers. “Congress must provide sufficient and robust funding to ensure that the families who rely on EHVs don’t lose their housing.”

    “The EHV program provides rental assistance to help end and prevent homelessness. At a time when housing costs and homelessness continue to rise, we respectfully request that you provide adequate funding in the FY26 THUD Appropriations bill to renew all EHVs to ensure that those who have been served by the program do not lose their housing support and to ensure landlords continue receiving the rental payments they depend on to maintain their properties,” the lawmakers concluded.

    As of April, this critical program supports 107,000 individuals who are mostly children under five years old, older adults, individuals with disabilities, and domestic violence survivors. In Connecticut, hundreds of families rely on EHVs for housing, but the program is now at risk. Support for the program is especially important as the Trump Administration cuts vital HUD funding and support staff. The EHV program was established in 2021 through the American Rescue Plan. Congress originally authorized $5 billion in funding for 70,000 vouchers through September 2030, with increased flexibilities for public housing authorities that made the program more successful than typical housing vouchers.

    Several leading national housing groups — including the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA), Public Housing Authorities Directors Association (PHADA), National Association of Housing Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), the Moving-to-Work (MTW) Collaborative, and the National Housing Law Project (NHLP) — wrote a separate letter to Congressional appropriations leadership pushing for adequate funding and flexibilities for the EHV program.

    In addition to Murphy, Blumenthal, Padilla, Warren, and Waters, the bicameral letter was also signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), as well as Representatives Alma Adams (D-N.C.-12), Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.-03), Becca Balint (D-Vt.-AL), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.-44), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio-03), Donald Beyer (D-Va.-08), Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.-02), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.-01), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.-26), Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.-05), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24), André Carson (D-Ind.-07), Greg Casar (D-Texas-35), Gilbert Cisneros (D-Calif.-31), Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-Mo.-05), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.-09), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.-02), Sharice Davids (D-Kan.-03), Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.-07), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.-03), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas-37), Cleo Fields (D-La.-06), Bill Foster (D-Ill.-11), Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.-04), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.-30), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-Ill.-04), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas-29), Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.-10), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.-02), Al Green (D-Texas-09), Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.-05), James Himes (D-Conn.-04), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.-04), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.-01), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.-51), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.-02), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio-01), John Larson (D-Conn.-01), Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.-16), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.-36), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.-08), Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.-03), James McGovern (D-Mass.-02), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.-10), Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.-05), Dave Min (D-Calif.-47), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.-04), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.-15), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-AL), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.-14), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.-05), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.-19), Scott Peters (D-Calif.-50), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.-07), Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.-AL), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.-07), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.-03), Luz Rivas (D-Calif.-29), Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.-25), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.-06), Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.-38), Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.-09), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.-10), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.-13), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), Derek Tran (D-Calif.-45), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.-07), Nikema Williams (D-Ga.-05), and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.-24).

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Chair Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Gillibrand, Chair Womack, and Ranking Member Clyburn:

    As you develop the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we respectfully request that you include funding to ensure that the nearly 60,000 households who are currently being served by the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program do not fall into homelessness.

    During the pandemic, Congress appropriated $5 billion in mandatory funding for the EHV program to help people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, including survivors of domestic violence and victims of human trafficking, access safe, stable and affordable housing during a moment of crisis.

    Since 2021, the success of the EHV program and its design, which includes critical administrative flexibilities that are responsive to a tumultuous housing market, cannot be overstated. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported that EHVs are leasing at a rate faster than any previous housing voucher program within HUD and drove unprecedented collaboration among public housing agencies (PHAs), homeless services organizations, and victim services organizations to provide rapid and effective housing assistance to vulnerable populations. PHAs in every state have benefited from the improved voucher issuance and utilization that the EHV program provides, as have the people and communities they serve. Congress must provide sufficient and robust funding to ensure that the families who rely on EHVs don’t lose their housing.

    We understand that the Subcommittee must make difficult decisions. However, the EHV program provides rental assistance to help end and prevent homelessness. At a time when housing costs and homelessness continue to rise, we respectfully request that you provide adequate funding in the FY26 THUD Appropriations bill to renew all EHVs to ensure that those who have been served by the program do not lose their housing support and to ensure landlords continue receiving the rental payments they depend on to maintain their properties. Thank you for your consideration of this request and your continued support for the most vulnerable Americans.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: CPC Delegation Attends International Conference of Asian Political Parties

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    Moscow, May 30 /Xinhua/ — A delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) led by Sun Haiyan, deputy director of the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee, visited Russia from May 28 to 30.

    During the visit, the delegation took part in a meeting of the Standing Committee of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties and in the Eurasian International Socio-Political Hearings organized by the United Russia party.

    Sun Haiyan also met with Vladimir Yakushev, Secretary of the General Council of United Russia. The two sides exchanged views on strengthening exchanges between the ruling parties of China and Russia and jointly implementing important agreements reached by the leaders of the two countries.

    In addition, Sun Haiyan acquainted V. Yakushev with the key theses of the central meeting on work in relation to neighboring countries, which took place in April in China. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: NZ and India cement progress as four-country tour ends

    Source: New Zealand Government

    New Zealand and India have discussed their enhanced relationship across a broad range of domains, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  
    “New Zealand and India have agreed that we can and should be doing more together,” Mr Peters says.
    “Both countries have worked hard over the last 18 months to bring energy, focus and deeper practical cooperation to the relationship.”
    While in New Delhi, Mr Peters held official talks and had a working dinner with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
    “This has been an excellent opportunity to take stock of the progress we have made over the past year-and-a-half, while also discussing the pressing regional and global challenges our countries face,” Mr Peters says.
    “New Zealand and India have a shared interest in promoting a stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. My discussions with Minister Jaishankar and have been invaluable in understanding Indian perspectives on recent events and charting our course for enhanced bilateral cooperation.”
    Mr Peters noted that, over the past 18 months, New Zealand and India had made concrete steps towards closer engagement across a wide range of domains, including defence and security, trade and economic cooperation, science and technology and sport.  
    While in New Delhi, Mr Peters also had meetings with the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, JP Nadda, and the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi; and delivered a speech about New Zealand’s strengthening ties with South and South East Asia under the Foreign Policy Reset.  
    His visit to India concluded a four-country tour which also included trips to Australia, Sri Lanka and Nepal.  
    “New Zealand’s strategic and economic interests are inextricably tied to the Indo-Pacific, including South Asia. It is crucial that we continue to invest in and strengthen our relationships here,” Mr Peters says.  
    “This week has also highlighted the quality of our relationships in South Asia, characterised by rich people-to-people connections, a common desire to do more together, and shared perspectives on the challenges facing our region.”
    During the first half of this Parliamentary term (from December 2023 to May 2025), Mr Peters has visited 45 countries and spent 154 days overseas on official visits.
    Mr Peters returns to New Zealand later today (31 May). 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Labrador Letter: Defending Biological Reality in Federal Corrections Policy

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom Labrador Letter: Defending Biological Reality in Federal Corrections Policy

    Op-Ed: Defending Biological Reality in Federal Corrections Policy
    by Attorney General Raúl Labrador
    How transgender-identifying individuals are housed in federal prisons is not a theoretical question. It directly affects the safety, privacy, and dignity of inmates, particularly women. Under the Biden Administration, federal agencies were instructed to disregard biological sex and could instead classify inmates based solely on how they self-identified. That policy treated personal identity claims as if they were biological facts and authorized prison officials to treat male inmates who identified as women the same as biological females in housing assignments and private spaces.
    This shift did not occur in isolation. It reflected a broader federal posture that prioritized gender ideology over operational safety and common sense. Prison officials were expected to override objective assessments in favor of self-identification, even when that meant placing biological males in private women’s facilities. This put the dignity, safety, and privacy of female inmates at risk on top of ignoring basic truth.
    In January, in one of President Trump’s first acts, he restored clarity and truth and away from gender ideology. Through Executive Order 14168, his administration reaffirmed that biological sex was the standard for housing inmates. The order also prohibited the use of federal taxpayer dollars to fund sex-reassignment surgeries and hormone procedures for inmates.
    Shortly after Executive Order 14168 was issued, multiple lawsuits were filed in federal court seeking to block its enforcement. The plaintiffs in those cases argued that housing transgender-identifying male inmates in male facilities and denying access to taxpayer-funded sex-reassignment procedures, violated the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. In response, a federal district court issued a preliminary injunction,halting the Trump administration’s policy before it could be fully implemented.
    That is when Idaho stepped forward. Together with Indiana, we led a 26-state coalition urging the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to reverse the lower court’s rulings. We filed an amicus brief defending the executive order and the authority of the federal government to establish policies that preserve safety, security, and institutional order within its correctional system.
    Our position is straightforward and common sense. The federal government is responsible for protecting the welfare of all prisoners in its custody. The Trump Administration has rightly determined that placing biological males in female spaces creates unacceptable and dangerous risks. Those risks include increased chances of violence and sexual assault, the violation of female inmates’ rights to privacy and dignity, and the coerced use of language and conduct that contradicts biological reality and truth.
    Contrary to the claims made in these lawsuits, the Constitution does not require the government to disregard biological sex. The Eighth Amendment does not prohibit policies that seek to protect the safety of inmates based on evidence and professional judgment. In fact, constitutional principles require that these policies be made by accountable decision-makers, not imposed through litigation.
    This case is part of a broader legal and cultural conflict. If federal policy treats gender identity as a substitute for biological sex, that approach will not remain limited to the prison system. It will affect how schools assign housing, how athletic programs determine eligibility, how shelters are operated, and how medical professionals are required to provide care. The consequences will be felt most by women and girls, who will be forced to bear the cost of policies built on fiction rather than fact.
    Idaho has led on this issue consistently. We were the first state to protect the integrity of women’s sports. We enacted laws to protect minors from irreversible gender procedures. And now we are leading again by defending a federal policy that affirms biological reality, respects constitutional boundaries, and places public safety above political ideology.
    Our coalition’s brief makes clear that the federal courts must allow the Executive Branch to exercise its lawful authority to run the prison system based on the realities faced by those who work in it. Policies grounded in biological truth are not discriminatory. They are essential to fairness, order, and the protection of individual rights.
    Idaho will not retreat from this responsibility. We will stand for the truth, for the Constitution, and for the women whose dignity and safety depend on it.
    This op-ed originally ran in TownHall on May 24, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Proclamation Honors May as AAPI Heritage Month

    Source: US State of New York

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    May 30, 2025

    Albany, NY

    Proclamation Declares May Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

    16 State Landmarks to be Illuminated Red and Gold to Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month on May 30

    View the Proclamation Here

    Governor Kathy Hochul today issued a proclamation celebrating May 2025 as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Governor Hochul also announced 16 state landmarks will be illuminated red and gold tonight, May 30, in celebration.

    “New York has long served as a beacon of hope for immigrants and marginalized communities who are looking for a safe haven and a land of new opportunities,” Governor Hochul said. “The AAPI community continues to enrich our State, fostering strength and resilience through their boundless contributions.”

    Landmarks to be illuminated red and gold include:

    • One World Trade Center
    • Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
    • Kosciuszko Bridge
    • The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building
    • State Education Building
    • Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
    • Empire State Plaza
    • State Fairgrounds – Main Gate & Expo Center
    • Niagara Falls
    • The “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge
    • Grand Central Terminal – Pershing Square Viaduct
    • Albany International Airport Gateway
    • MTA LIRR – East End Gateway at Penn Station
    • Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal
    • Moynihan Train Hall
    • Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park

    View more information on the Governor’s commitment to supporting AAPI New Yorkers.

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    The State of New York does not imply approval of the listed destinations, warrant the accuracy of any information set out in those destinations, or endorse any opinions expressed therein. External web sites operate at the direction of their respective owners who should be contacted directly with questions regarding the content of these sites.

    Visit Site

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: United States Secures the Extraditions of Individuals Accused of Violent and Other Serious Crimes from Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius,

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    United States Also Returned International Fugitives Wanted for Terrorism, Murder, Attempted Murder and Child Sexual Abuse to Canada, India, and Mexico

    Note: The defendants whose names are underlined hyperlink to press releases.

    WASHINGTON — Extensive coordination between the Justice Department and law enforcement authorities in Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Panama, Peru, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Kingdom (UK) resulted in the extraditions in April and May of dozens of individuals. The defendants returned to the United States are alleged to have committed crimes — including child sexual abuse and rape, murder, hate crimes, assault, narcoterrorism, drug trafficking, alien smuggling, cybercrime, money laundering, fraud, aggravated robbery and extortion — in a number of U.S. states and federal districts, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia.

    The fugitives extradited to the United States include:

    • Michail Chkhikvishvili, also known as Mishka, Michael, Commander Butcher, and Butcher, 21, a Georgian national and alleged leader of a white supremacist group, was extradited from Moldova to face charges in the Eastern District of New York for soliciting hate crimes and planning a mass casualty attack in New York City. As the alleged leader of the white supremacist group “Maniac Murder Cult,” an international, racially motivated violent extremist group that adheres to a neo-Nazi ideology and promotes violence against racial minorities, the Jewish community, and other groups that it deems “undesirables,” Chkhikvishvili allegedly traveled to Brooklyn in 2022 and actively solicited acts of mass violence with a person who was, unbeknownst to Chkhikvishvili, an undercover FBI employee. In November 2023, Chkhikvishvili allegedly began planning a mass casualty attack to take place on New Year’s Eve, which would involve an individual dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out candy laced with poison to racial minorities. In January 2024, as alleged, the scheme evolved and Chkhikvishvili specifically directed the undercover FBI employee to target the Jewish community, Jewish schools, and Jewish children in Brooklyn.

    • Liridon Masurica, also known as @blackdb, 33, a national of Kosovo and alleged administrator of an online criminal marketplace, was extradited from Kosovo to face charges of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and fraudulent use of 15 or more unauthorized access devices in the Middle District of Florida.

    • Adrian Alberto Cano Gomez, also known as Andrea, 45, a national of Colombia and an alleged member of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), a designated foreign terrorist organization, was extradited from Colombia to face charges in the Southern District of Texas of narco-terrorism and distributing kilogram quantities of cocaine from Colombia.

    • Aler Baldomero Samayoa-Recinos, also known as Chicharra, 58, a national of Guatemala and alleged leader of a prolific Guatemalan drug trafficking organization, was extradited from Guatemala to face charges in the District of Columbia of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms of cocaine for importation to the United States.

    • Daniel Flores, 49, a national of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face charges of first-degree murder for the 1995 killing of two brothers, both U.S. Marines, ages 22 and 19, in Cook County, Illinois.

    • Manuel Alejandro Vasquez, 47, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face a charge of murder in Ventura County, California. Vasquez’s two co-defendants were convicted in 1999 and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1998 murder of a man in his home over an alleged unpaid debt. Vasquez fled to Mexico before charges could be filed against him.

    • Tyler Buchanan, 23, a UK national, was extradited from Spain to face charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft in the Central District of California. Among other crimes, Buchanan and his co-conspirators allegedly stole cryptocurrency worth millions of dollars following phishing attacks on over 45 companies based in the United States, Canada, and the UK.

    • Felix Manuel Mejia-Gonzalez, 33, a Dominican citizen, was extradited from the Dominican Republic to face charges of fentanyl trafficking in the District of New Hampshire.

    • Samuel Steven Huggler, 28, a U.S. citizen, was extradited from Spain, to face charges relating to the alleged murder and attempted murders of three of his siblings in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. Huggler is charged with aiding, inducing, or causing murder, three counts of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of aiding, inducing, or causing attempted murder, and possession of an altered firearm. 

    • Michel Patrick Desalles, 54, a Mauritian national, was extradited from Mauritius to face a charge of murder in the second degree in the State of New York. Desalles allegedly choked his employer to death with zip ties and immediately fled the United States in 2017.

    • Juan Miguel Roman-Balderas, 45, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face two charges of murder in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Roman-Balderas is alleged to have stabbed to death his 28-year-old ex-girlfriend in April 2014 in Greenbelt, Maryland.

    • Rody L. Wilcox, 50, a U.S. citizen, was extradited from Georgia to face charges of lewd conduct with a minor under 16 years of age filed in Latah County, Idaho. Wilcox allegedly sexually assaulted a six-year-old child on multiple occasions in 2023. In 2024, Wilcox fled Idaho while on bond. Through OIA’s cooperation with the FBI, U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service and Georgian authorities, Wilcox was arrested in Georgia on Aug. 16, 2024, while en route to the Russian Federation.

    • Miguel Angel Urbano-Vazquez, 48, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face charges of aggravated first-degree murder and rape in Pierce County, Washington. Urbano-Vazquez is alleged to have raped four victims between March and October 2002, one of whom he is also alleged to have murdered in the course of rape.

    • Gilberto Gutierrez, 46, a citizen of El Salvador, was extradited from El Salvador to face charges of rape, child abuse, and related sex offenses in Wicomico County, Maryland. Gutierrez allegedly repeatedly sexually abused two girls under the age of 10 years old between approximately 1999 and 2004.

    • Ramon Manriquez Castillo, 68, a dual U.S. and Mexican citizen; Edgar Rodriguez Ruano, 29, a Mexican citizen; Fernando Javier Escobar Tito, 48, an Ecuadorian citizen; and Anderson Jair Gamboa Nieto, 30, a Colombian citizen, were surrendered by Guinea-Bissau to face drug trafficking charges in the Southern District of Florida. The co-defendants are alleged members of a transnational drug trafficking organization comprised of several cartels in Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela, and they allegedly conspired to distribute large quantities of cocaine through Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Guinea-Bissau using a U.S.-registered airplane, with a U.S. citizen onboard, from about November 2023 to September 2024. They are also charged with distributing cocaine in these countries using an airplane with a U.S. citizen onboard.

    • Artem Aleksandrovych Stryzhak, 35, a Ukrainian national, was extradited from Spain to face charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion, and related activity in connection with computers in the Eastern District of New York and the Middle District of Florida. According to the charges in the Eastern District of New York, Stryzhak is one of the administrators of the Nefilim ransomware gang. The Middle District of Florida charges allege that Stryzhak used the Hive ransomware to engage in a computer hacking and extortion scheme that targeted businesses in the United States and abroad. The Hive ransomware group is estimated to have attacked approximately 1,500 victims and extorted approximately $110 million in ransom payments.

    The fugitives extradited by the United States include:

    • Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 64, a Canadian citizen, native of Pakistan, and convicted terrorist, was extradited to India to stand trial on 10 criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai that killed 160 people, including six Americans, and wounded hundreds more.

    • Aaron Seth Juarez, 26, a U.S. citizen, was extradited to Mexico to be prosecuted for femicide for the 2019 killing of his approximately 31-year-old stepmother, whose body he allegedly buried in the backyard of her Tijuana home. 

    The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA), along with the U.S. Marshals Service, provided significant assistance in securing the defendants’ arrests and extraditions. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Central District of California and the Eastern District of California litigated with OIA the successful outgoing extradition cases for Rana and Juarez, respectively. OIA and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions from Colombia. The Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) also provided assistance with the extraditions from Guatemala and Kosovo. The Justice Department thanks and acknowledges the instrumental role of its law enforcement partners in Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Panama, Peru, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Kingdom for making these extraditions possible.

    An indictment and criminal complaint are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Committee on the Rights of the Child Closes Ninety-Ninth Session after Adopting Concluding Observations on Reports of Brazil, Indonesia, Iraq, Norway, Qatar and Romania

    Source: United Nations – Geneva

    The Committee on the Rights of the Child this afternoon closed its ninety-ninth session after adopting its concluding observations on the reports of Brazil, Indonesia, Iraq, Norway, Qatar and Romania under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as the report on Brazil’s efforts to implement the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

    The concluding observations will be available on the webpage of the session on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Thursday, 5 June 2025. 

    Presenting the report of the session, Sophie Kiladze, Committee Chairperson, said there had been a lot of improvements regarding the realisation of child rights in certain countries.  However, after more than 35 years of entry into force of the Convention, the child rights situation was still very alarming in many States parties. Millions of children were victims of armed conflicts in many different parts of the world.  The armed conflicts were taking their lives or lives of their parents and family members, leaving them in unimaginable sorrow for the whole of their lives.  Many who survived were living in camps under deteriorating conditions.  Millions of children were living in poverty, without access to education, health and digital environment, among others.  The list was very long and many hours would not be enough to express the suffering of these children.

    Ms. Kiladze said the United Nations was undergoing a huge liquidity crisis, which was affecting the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which had to work without knowing whether next sessions would be held.  She asked the Secretary-General 

    and all relevant States parties to ensure that the Committee on the Rights of the Child, as well as other treaty bodies, continued their work.  She said the Committee regretted the cancellation of the pre-sessional working group, expected to be held during the week following the end of the session, because of the liquidity situation. 

    Under the Optional Protocol on a communication procedure, the Committee adopted decisions on eight individual communications on the following issues: children in the context of migration, access to school during the COVID pandemic, and parental contact with children.

    The Committee found no violation of the Convention in one case against Switzerland. It found three communications inadmissible in a case against Italy and two cases against Switzerland.  It also discontinued the consideration of four cases against Finland and Switzerland after they had become moot.  The Committee was satisfied that these discontinuances followed the positive resolution of these four cases.  The Committee also discussed inquiries under article 13 of the Optional Protocol.  It was currently dealing with four inquiries.

    Also during the session, the Committee discussed amendments to its rules of procedure and working methods.  It continued its discussion on follow-up to the treaty body strengthening process in the context of the United Nations liquidity crisis.  It also continued its work on the next general comment no. 27 on children’s rights to access to justice and to an effective remedy.

    The Committee continued its work on trends of the modern world regarding child rights, including artificial intelligence, and discussed a draft joint statement on artificial intelligence and child rights.  Nine international organizations were co-signatories of the statement, co-led by the International Telecommunication Union and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

    The Committee then adopted the report of the session.

    On the first day of the session, which was held from 12 to 30 May, Ms. Kiladze (Georgia) was elected as Chair and Cephas Lumina (Zambia), Thuwayba Al Barwani (Oman), Philip D. Jaffe (Switzerland), and Mary Beloff (Argentina) were elected as Vice-Chairs.

    The Committee also welcomed four new members – Timothy. P.T. Ekesa (Kenya), Mariana Ianachevici (Republic of Moldova), Juliana Scerri Ferrante (Malta), and Zeinebou Taleb Moussa (Mauritania) – and welcomed back Mr. Lumina, who previously served as a member from 2017 to 2021.   They made their solemn declaration. 

    Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, and webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.  The programme of work of the Committee’s ninety-ninth session and other documents related to the session can be found here.

    The Committee is expected to hold its one hundredth session in September 2025.  However, this session is currently pending confirmation because of the liquidity situation. 

    ___________

    Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media; 
    not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

     

    CRC25.016E

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Integrating risk into national development: Fiji’s approach to a risk-informed disaster risk reduction strategy

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Fiji’s United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2027 was developed with a comprehensive risk analysis integrated from the outset. Recognizing the country’s acute vulnerability to climate change, cyclones, flooding, sea-level rise and economic shocks, the UNSDCF underscored the importance of resilience-building and disaster risk reduction (DRR) across all sectors-not limited to environmental or disaster portfolios, but extending to health, education, gender, and economic sectors.

    Concurrently, Fiji updated key national frameworks, including the National Disaster Risk Reduction Policy 2018-2030 and the Climate Change Act 2021. These instruments were directly informed by risk and vulnerability assessments that also contributed to the UNSDCF.

    The National DRR Policy is aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and incorporates core principles from the UNSDCF, including a whole-of-society approach, strengthened risk governance, investment in risk reduction, and the principle of building back better.

    The coordination between the Government of Fiji and the UN system was notably robust, particularly through the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management and the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO). This ensured a bi-directional flow of risk information-informing both the UNSDCF and national DRR strategies.

    Fiji has transitioned from a reactive model of disaster response to a proactive, risk-informed development paradigm-saving lives, safeguarding infrastructure, and bolstering resilience to future shocks to safeguard development. The evolution of its DRR policies in tandem with the UNSDCF has repositioned resilience and risk management as central elements of national development, rather than peripheral emergency response mechanisms.

    Key impacts

    • Mainstreaming DRR across sectors: Risk reduction is now integrated into planning, budgeting and implementation across education, health, infrastructure, gender equality and climate policy. For instance, new schools and health facilities must be cyclone-resilient by design.
    • Strengthened risk governance and institutions: The Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management has received enhanced capacity and resources. Local authorities now have clearer mandates for disaster preparedness and early action. Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) initiatives at the village level empower communities to manage risk.
    • Improved access to climate finance and international support: With coherent, risk-informed national strategies, Fiji has secured funding from sources such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF), supporting major investments in resilient infrastructure development and early warning systems.
    • Enhanced early warning and anticipatory action systems: With support through the UNSDCF, Fiji has upgraded early warning systems for cyclones, tsunamis and floods, linking them to community evacuation plans and drills. Anticipatory actions such as evacuation and supply pre-positioning now occur before hazards strike, reducing casualties and economic losses.
    • Resilient recovery through “Build Back Better” principles: Post-disaster reconstruction projects-such as those following Tropical Cyclone Harold in 2020-have not merely restored infrastructure but have improved it to better withstand future events.

    Lessons learned for replication and adaptation

    1. Risk-informed UNSDCFs anchor DRR in national development: In Fiji, the UNSDCF served as a strategic platform to align government priorities with international support and evidence-based risk analysis. It enabled integration of DRR at national, sectoral and community levels.
    2. Political leadership and institutional coordination are essential: The success of Fiji’s approach is attributed to strong leadership from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Disaster Management, coupled with cross-sectoral coordination among ministries.
    3. Localization and community participation are critical: CBDRM initiatives have ensured that national DRR policies are locally owned and contextually relevant, integrating indigenous knowledge into planning and action.
    4. UNSDCFs support resource for DRR and resilience investments: A clearly articulated, risk-informed development agenda helped Fiji attract international climate and development finance, while also catalyzing partnerships with civil society and the private sector.
    5. Policy coherence between DRR and climate change enhances outcomes: Fiji developed its Climate Change Act 2021 and National DRR Policy in a coordinated manner, reinforcing synergies and avoiding policy fragmentation.
    6. Investing in risk information systems strengthens accountability: Fiji’s efforts to enhance data systems-including hazard mapping, GIS, and disaggregated vulnerability data-have improved planning, monitoring and targeted interventions.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Pioneering regional resilience: Kazakhstan’s model for transboundary disaster risk reduction

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Kazakhstan has positioned itself as a regional leader by embedding transboundary cooperation into its national disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategy-an innovative step in a region like Central Asia, where natural hazards such as floods, earthquakes and extreme weather frequently transcend national borders.

    A major milestone in Kazakhstan’s approach was the establishment of the Centre for Emergency Situations and Disaster Risk Reduction (CESDRR) in Almaty in 2016, in partnership with Kyrgyzstan and with support from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). CESDRR operates as a regional coordination platform, enhancing disaster preparedness and response across Central Asia through joint training, information exchange, and shared risk assessments.

    Kazakhstan’s national DRR strategy -developed after 2016 as part of broader DRR reforms extending through to 2030- is aligned with the Sendai Framework and explicitly prioritizes regional and international cooperation. It identifies shared hazards, particularly in seismically active zones and transboundary river basins such as the Syr Darya and Irtysh, as requiring coordinated risk management.

    One practical application of this strategy is the development of joint early warning systems for glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) along the Tien Shan mountains. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan jointly manage hydrological monitoring responsibilities in these areas, enabling harmonized alerts to reach communities in both countries more quickly-reducing risk to life and property.

    Kazakhstan also participates in cross-border emergency simulations facilitated by CESDRR. These exercises, led nationally by the Ministry for Emergency Situations, strengthen readiness and operational coordination for regional hazards, including earthquakes and large-scale wildfires.

    In addition, Kazakhstan’s transboundary water governance efforts-particularly with Uzbekistan-have helped integrate DRR considerations into river basin management. Shared hydrometeorological data and coordinated flood prevention strategies mitigate the risk of downstream disasters during heavy rainfall or snowmelt periods.

    International partnerships, such as with the European Union, have further supported Kazakhstan’s risk governance through regional projects focused on institutional capacity-building and early warning systems. These complement national efforts by enhancing data-sharing protocols and strengthening technical capacity.

    Kazakhstan’s DRR strategy stands out for formalizing transboundary cooperation within national planning frameworks. This approach moves beyond ad hoc collaboration by institutionalizing cross-border risk reduction-a model cited in UNDRR reports as a good practice for other regions facing shared hazards. Through coordinated monitoring, planning and emergency response, Kazakhstan demonstrates how national strategies can actively contribute to regional resilience.

    Key impacts

    • Mutually reinforcing structures: The creation of CESDRR contributed to the formulation of Kazakhstan’s national DRR strategy, which later formalized and institutionalized CESDRR’s role within the national risk governance framework.
    • Expanded early warning systems: Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan’s implementation of joint GLOF warning systems has improved emergency response capabilities and reduced glacier-related disaster risks in high-altitude transboundary areas.
    • Strengthened regional readiness: Regular cross-border emergency simulations have enhanced the preparedness and interoperability of emergency services across Central Asia.
    • Shared data and knowledge: Regional cooperation has led to the standardization of risk assessments and more effective hydrometeorological data exchange-especially valuable for flood forecasting and drought planning.
    • Integrated water governance: Kazakhstan’s transboundary water collaboration has reduced flood risks downstream and improved joint river basin management strategies.
    • Policy recognition and leadership: UNDRR regional reviews have highlighted Kazakhstan’s institutionalized transboundary DRR approach as a best practice in Central Asia.

    Lessons learned for replication and adaptation

    1. Integrate cooperation into national strategy: Embedding transboundary mechanisms into national DRR strategies, rather than relying on ad hoc or project-based agreements, ensures long-term sustainability beyond political cycles.
    2. Harmonize early warning protocols: Joint investment in monitoring technology must be underpinned by shared operational procedures and trust-based information sharing.
    3. Leverage regional mechanisms: Kazakhstan’s engagement with CESDRR illustrates how pooling regional expertise and resources can reinforce national DRR efforts.
    4. Ensure community-level preparedness: Effective cross-border DRR requires that awareness and response capacity extend to at-risk communities on both sides of a border.
    5. Align DRR and climate risk planning: Kazakhstan’s integration of climate-related hazards into its DRR planning offers a replicable model for countries managing complex, overlapping risks.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Tajikistan: Anchoring early warning systems as part of the national DRR strategy

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    In July 2024, Tajikistan reached a significant milestone in disaster risk reduction (DRR) by endorsing a costed national roadmap for Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS). This achievement followed the national launch of the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative in August 2023, backed by high-level political commitment, including the appointment of a Deputy Prime Minister as the government focal point.

    The roadmap sets out priority actions and investment needs in early warning and DRR, aligned with Target G of the Sendai Framework and building on the foundations of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (2019-2034). A key element of success has been the robust coordination mechanism led by the Tajikistan National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. This platform facilitates integration among national and local actors across key sectors, ensuring that early warnings are timely, actionable, and reach the most at-risk communities. Clearly defined institutional roles have strengthened information flow across the MHEWS value chain.

    In partnership with the Swiss Cooperation Office, UNDRR supported Tajikistan in positioning early warning systems within its DRR priorities. As part of this process, over 50 representatives from government ministries, technical sectors and vulnerable communities came together to develop a comprehensive national risk assessment methodology. This approach reflects Tajikistan’s status as a landlocked developing country (LLDC) highly exposed to natural hazards, guiding evidence-based decision-making,planning and climate risk adaptation.

    Tajikistan has also strengthened regional collaboration. In 2024, it joined Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in calling for the establishment of a Regional Early Warning and Mutual Information System under the EW4All initiative., underscoring the importance of cross-border cooperation and shared risk information.Tajikistan’s National DRR Strategy (2019-2034) has played a central role in advancing early warning capabilities, as evidenced by its contribution to the MHEWS road map.

    Key impacts include:

    • Policy alignment and institutional commitment: The MHEWS roadmap is anchored in the national DRR strategy, ensuring coherence with broader DRR goals. Alignment with Sendai Framework Target G reinforces risk-informed governance. The appointment of a Deputy Prime Minister as the EW4All focal point reflects strong political ownership.
    • Enhanced coordination: The National Platform for DRR enabled multi-sectoral integration for MHEWS development. By involving ministries and local actors, and clarifying institutional roles, the platform facilitated the efficient flow of disaster information to communities.
    • Regional engagement: The national strategy’s emphasis on collaboration has reinforced Tajikistan’s role in regional efforts to strengthen early warning systems, notably through joint advocacy with neighbouring Central Asian states.
    • Risk assessment and climate resilience: The strategy guided the design of a national risk assessment methodology, helping identify emerging hazards and climate risks and informing the prioritization of investments under the MHEWS road map.
    • Strategic foundation: The DRR strategy served as a critical policy anchor, providing coordination, direction and technical underpinnings for a scalable and sustainable early warning system.

    Lessons learned for replication or adaptation

    1. DRR strategies as enablers: National strategies provide a solid foundation for the development and expansion of early warning systems. Alignment with international targets, such as the Sendai Framework’s Target G, supports a coherent, structured approach.
    2. Political leadership is critical: High-level commitment, exemplified by the appointment of a Deputy Prime Minister as EW4All focal point, helps accelerate implementation and secure long-term investment.
    3. Integrated coordination mechanisms: Multistakeholder platforms-such as Tajikistan’s National Platform-enhance coordination across government levels and sectors, improving the timeliness and relevance of early warnings.
    4. Regional cooperation enhances resilience: Tajikistan’s joint action with Central Asian neighbours demonstrates the value of coordinated responses and shared data to tackle transboundary risks more effectively.
    5. Data-driven planning supports adaptability: National risk assessments allow for a better understanding of evolving hazards, enabling targeted investments and improving the effectiveness of early warning systems.

    By leveraging its national DRR strategy, fostering political commitment, and investing in coordination and regional collaboration, Tajikistan has established a comprehensive and sustainable model for strengthening early warning systems. This approach not only enhances national disaster preparedness but also contributes to regional resilience against shared hazards.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Montenegro’s inclusive, expert-led approach boosts quality, coherence and alignment with global frameworks

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    In April 2024, Montenegro requested support from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) to conduct an external evaluation of its zero-draft Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction with the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Strategy for the Period 2025-2030. This successor strategy builds upon Montenegro’s previous DRR framework for 2018-2023.

    A drafting committee was established using a whole-of-society approach, involving governmental institutions, academic entities and civil society organizations to ensure inclusive participation. This approach significantly strengthened national disaster risk governance and resilience-building at the policy level.

    UNDRR’s Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ROECA) coordinated the initial assessment, which involved 11 external experts from diverse technical backgrounds. Using the DRR Strategy Qualitative Assessment Tool, this peer review identified gaps and opportunities for strengthening the zero draft.

    By September 2024, a second round of evaluation reflected clear improvements. The revised strategy incorporated key elements of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, including measurable targets, hazard and sector-specific risk assessments, and timelines. It demonstrated a commitment to inclusivity, integrating gender equality, the needs of at-risk groups, alongside innovative nature-based solutions (NbS) to enhance sustainability. ). It also aligned with national development priorities and global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    The accompanying Action Plan translated these strategic goals into operational action-empowering municipalities and organizations to tackle localized vulnerabilities. It also linked DRR interventions to broader development objectives such as poverty reduction, climate adaptation, and ecosystem conservation, while incorporating monitoring mechanisms for accountability and continuous improvement.

    Key impacts

    • Elevated strategy quality and coherence: The structured peer review led by 11 external experts significantly enhanced the quality, relevance and strategic coherence of Montenegro’s 2025-2030 DRR framework.. The process grounded the strategy in national realities while ensuring global alignment.
    • Improved strategic maturity: Feedback from the first review allowed Montenegro’s drafting committee to make targeted revisions. The improved draft featured clearer goals, indicators, and stronger sectoral risk analysis. It also established institutional clarity through defined governance structures and multistakeholder coordination.
    • Global alignment and policy coherence: The strategy now closely mirrors the Sendai Framework, reinforcing Montenegro’s international DRR commitments and its understanding of cross-sectoral risk.
    • Inclusivity and innovation: Peer contributions helped embed gender equality, support for at-risk populations, and nature-based solutions into the strategy, underscoring Montenegro’s commitment to an inclusive and sustainable DRR approach.
    • Strengthened stakeholder engagement: The review process deepened national ownership by involving local authorities, academia, and civil society in shaping a DRR strategy with broad legitimacy and relevance.
    • Operational clarity and monitoring: The revised Action Plan clarified roles, responsibilities, timelines and budgets, while introducing robust monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure the strategy’s accountability and long-term impact.

    Lessons learned for replication and adaptation

    1. Structured external feedback enhances quality: A peer reviewusing tools like UNDRR’s DRR Strategy Qualitative Assessment Tool provides objective, comparative insights often overlooked in internal reviews.
    2. Multi-stakeholder engagement is essential: Inclusive participation from local and national institutions, civil society and academia fosters strategy ownership and enhance relevance through diverse perspectives.
    3. Staged reviews ensure measurable improvements: Conducting at least two rounds of review allows time for meaningful revisions and enhances strategic outcomes.
    4. Ensure coherence with global frameworks: Peer reviews can serve as checkpoints to align national strategies with the Sendai Framework, SDGs and the Paris Agreement.
    5. Promote innovation and inclusivity: Engaging external experts from varied backgrounds encourages the adoption of emerging practices tailored to national contexts.
    6. Link to monitoring and accountability mechanisms: Peer reviewers emphasized the need for a detailed action plan with clear timelines responsible entitiesand M&E systems.to ensure implementation is feasible and trackable.
    7. Neutral coordination by a trusted third party is key: UNDRR’s facilitation ensured neutrality, consistency and quality control throughout the review. Engaging an experienced third party with the right tools and expertise is essential to a credible peer review process.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DBEDT NEWS RELEASE: Visitor Industry Grows Again in April 2025

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    DBEDT NEWS RELEASE: Visitor Industry Grows Again in April 2025

    Posted on May 29, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

     

     

     

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI

    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

     

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
    GOVERNOR

    KE KIAʻĀINA

    DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM

    KA ʻOIHANA HOʻOMOHALA PĀʻOIHANA, ʻIMI WAIWAI A HOʻOMĀKAʻIKAʻI

     

    RESEARCH AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS DIVISION

     

    JAMES KUNANE TOKIOKA

    DIRECTOR

    KA LUNA HOʻOKELE

     

    1. EUGENE TIAN

    CHIEF STATE ECONOMIST

     

     

    VISITOR INDUSTRY GROWS AGAIN IN APRIL 2025

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    May 29, 2025

     

    HONOLULU – According to preliminary statistics from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), total visitor arrivals and total visitor spending in April 2025 increased compared to the same month last year. There were 833,219 visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in April 2025, up 7.9 percent from April 2024. Total visitor spending measured in nominal dollars was $1.69 billion, which was growth of 9.4 percent from April 2024. When compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels, April 2025 total visitor arrivals represent a 98.1 percent recovery from April 2019 and total visitor spending was higher than April 2019 ($1.32 billion, +28.3%).

    In April 2025, 810,276 visitors arrived by air service, mainly from the U.S. West and U.S. East. Additionally, 22,943 visitors came via out-of-state cruise ships. In comparison, 740,720 visitors (+9.4%) arrived by air and 31,695 visitors (-27.6%) came by cruise ships in April 2024, and 824,610 visitors (-1.7%) arrived by air and 24,787 visitors (-7.4%) came by cruise ships in April 2019. The average length of stay by all visitors in April 2025 was 8.36 days, compared to 8.28 days (+1.1%) in April 2024 and 8.25 days (+1.4%) in April 2019. The statewide average daily census was 232,323 visitors in April 2025, compared to 213,080 visitors (+9.0%) in April 2024 and 233,616 visitors (-0.6%) in April 2019.

    In April 2025, 457,248 visitors arrived from the U.S. West, which was an increase compared to April 2024 (400,070 visitors, +14.3%) and April 2019 (388,573 visitors, +17.7%). U.S. West visitor spending of $855.0 million rose from April 2024 ($765.2 million, +11.7%), and was much higher than April 2019 ($547.0 million, +56.3%). Daily spending by U.S. West visitors in April 2025 ($234 per person) decreased slightly from April 2024 ($236 per person, -0.8%) but was up considerably from April 2019 ($171 per person, +36.7%).

    In April 2025, arrivals from the U.S. East of 180,383 visitors increased from April 2024 (176,339 visitors, +2.3%) and April 2019 (159,115 visitors, +13.4%). U.S. East visitor spending of $449.1 million rose from April 2024 ($436.8 million, +2.8%) and was significantly more than April 2019 ($286.8 million, +56.6%). Daily spending by U.S. East visitors in April 2025 ($277 per person) increased from April 2024 ($273 per person, +1.4%) and was much more than April 2019 ($200 per person, +38.4%).

    There were 52,358 visitors from Japan in April 2025, an increase from April 2024 (50,626 visitors, +3.4%) but continued to be much lower than April 2019 (119,487 visitors, -56.2%). Visitors from Japan spent $77.4 million in April 2025, compared to $75.1 million (+3.0%) in April 2024 and $164.0 million (-52.8%) in April 2019. Daily spending by Japanese visitors in April 2025 ($245 per person) was higher than April 2024 ($238 per person, +3.2%) and April 2019 ($234 per person, +5.0%).

    In April 2025, 36,381 visitors arrived from Canada, down from April 2024 (38,936 visitors, -6.6%) and April 2019 (56,749 visitors, -35.9%). Visitors from Canada spent $91.0 million in April 2025 compared to $88.3 million (+3.0%) in April 2024 and $100.2 million (-9.2%) in April 2019. Daily spending by Canadian visitors in April 2025 ($224 per person) increased from April 2024 ($221 per person, +1.6%) and was much higher than April 2019 ($154 per person, +45.8%).

    There were 83,905 visitors from all other international markets in April 2025, which included visitors from Oceania, Other Asia, Europe, Latin America, Guam, the Philippines, and the Pacific Islands. In comparison, there were 74,749 visitors (+12.2%) from all other international markets in April 2024 and 100,686 visitors (-16.7%) in April 2019.

    In April 2025, a total of 4,885 transpacific flights with 1,085,113 seats serviced the Hawaiian Islands. Total air capacity was similar to April 2024 (4,890 flights, -0.1% with 1,080,344 seats +0.4%) but less than April 2019 (5,031 flights, -2.9% with 1,112,200 seats, -2.4%).

    Year-to-Date 2025

     

    A total of 3,288,966 visitors arrived in the first four months of 2025, up 3.2 percent from 3,186,223 visitors in the first four months of 2024. Total arrivals decreased 2.6 percent when compared to 3,376,675 visitors in the first four months of 2019.

    In the first four months of 2025, total visitor spending was $7.30 billion, an increase compared to the first four months of 2024 ($6.82 billion, +7.2%) and the first four months of 2019 ($5.81 billion, +25.7%).

    VIEW FULL NEWS RELEASE AND TABLES

     

    Statement by DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka

     

    April was a solid month for the visitor industry. The industry has performed well during the first four months of 2025, mainly driven by continued growth in the U.S. markets (U.S. West and U.S. East). U.S. arrivals grew by 5.5 percent, offsetting the decline in arrivals from international markets.

     

    We expect a modest slowdown in tourism during the summer season caused by uncertainties in the political and economic environment both nationally and internationally. We believe the situation will be temporary and anticipate the state’s tourism industry to rebound in 2026.

    # # #

     

     

    Media Contacts:

     

    Laci Goshi 

    Communications Officer

    Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism

    Cell: 808-518-5480

    Email: [email protected]

     

    Jennifer Chun

    Director of Tourism Research

    Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism

    Phone: 808-973-9446

    Email: [email protected]

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DOA News release on specialty crop grant program

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    DOA News release on specialty crop grant program

    Posted on May 29, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

        

         

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI

    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

     

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
     GOVERNOR

    KE KIAʻĀINA

    DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

    ʻOIHANA MAHIʻAI

     

    SHARON HURD
    CHAIRPERSON

    KA LUNA HOʻOKELE

     

    DEAN M. MATSUKAWA
    DEPUTY TO THE CHAIRPERSON

    KA HOPE LUNA HOʻOKELE

     

     

    HDOA SPECIALTY CROP GRANT PROGRAM ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

    Grant Funding Totals More than $500,000

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       

    May 29, 2025

    NR25-12

     

    HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA), Market Development Branch (MDB), is accepting applications for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) for Fiscal Year 2025. The funding for this year’s program totals $512,663 and seeks project proposals that increase the competitiveness of Hawai‘i’s specialty crops. Award amounts range from $20,000 to $50,000.

    Under the program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) allocated funding to each state based on the value of the specialty crops produced. Specialty crops are defined by the USDA as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture). Much of Hawai‘i’s diversified agriculture falls under this specialty crop designation.

     

    Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, local, state and federal government entities, for-profit organizations, universities and individuals for projects that enhance the competitiveness of Hawai‘i’s specialty crops. Applicants must reside in, or their business or educational affiliation must be registered in Hawai‘i.

     

    The primary goal of this grant program is to support projects that could provide the highest measurable benefits or return-on-investment to the specialty crop segment in Hawai‘i. Projects must enhance the competitiveness of Hawai‘i-grown specialty crops, in either domestic or foreign markets. Preference will be given to projects that measurably increase the production and/or consumption of specialty crops, and/or foster the development of fledging crops and organic operations.

    Application information for the Request for Proposals (RFP25-03-MDB) is available on the State Procurement Office website at: https://hands.ehawaii.gov/hands/opportunities

     

    The application deadline is noon on June 20, 2025. 

    To assist applicants, an instructional video will be posted on the SCBGP website at: https://hdoa.hawaii.gov/add/scbgp/

     

    Inquiries may be addressed to 808-973-9594 or email: [email protected]

    # # #

    Media Contact:
    Janelle Saneishi
    Public Information Officer
    Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture
    Phone: 808-973-9560
    Cell: 808-341-5528
    Email:     [email protected]
    Website:     http://hdoa.hawaii.gov

     

     

    HDOA is committed to maintaining an environment free from discrimination, retaliation, or harassment on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability, or any other class as protected under federal or state law, with respect to any program or activity.

                                                             

    For more information, including language accessibility and filing a complaint, please contact HDOA Non-Discrimination Coordinator at 808-973-9591, or visit HDOA’s website at http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/.

     

    To request translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, or other auxiliary aids or services for this document, contact the HDOA at 808-973-9591 or email [email protected].

    Aloha,

    Janelle Saneishi

    Public Information Officer

    Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture
    ph: (808) 973-9560
    email: [email protected]

    Website: https://hdoa.hawaii.gov/

    Confidentiality Notice:  This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and/or privileged information.  Any review, use, disclosure, or distribution by unintended recipients is prohibited.  If you are not the intended recipient(s), please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: As Trump cuts U.S. Forest Service, California deploys an extra $72 million to reduce wildfire risk and ‘rake the forest,’ fast-tracks critical projects

    Source: US State of California 2

    May 30, 2025

    What you need to know: CAL FIRE is awarding $72 million to projects across the state that help reduce catastrophic wildfire risk across California. Governor Newsom also announced 13 vegetation management projects spanning nearly 7,000 acres have already been approved for fast-tracking under his emergency proclamation.

    SACRAMENTO – As the Trump administration cuts the U.S. Forest Service and creates rampant uncertainty ahead of peak wildfire season, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the state is continuing to ramp up its efforts to reduce wildfire risk and increase forest health. 

    CAL FIRE awarded nearly $72 million today to support large-scale, regionally based land management projects aimed at restoring forest health and resilience throughout California, while enhancing long-term carbon storage.

    Additionally, Governor Newsom announced that under his wildfire prevention emergency proclamation, which became operational on April 17, the state has already fast-tracked approval for 13 projects totaling nearly 7,000 acres, on top of the 2 million acres treated in recent years. These projects involve tribes and other partners, natural resource managers and fire districts. This is part of statewide efforts to advance projects in key locations to help protect communities from catastrophic wildfires. One week after applications opened to fast-track critical wildfire safety projects in mid-April, the state began issuing fast-track approvals for wildfire safety projects.

    “California is ‘raking the forests’ at a faster pace than ever before. Where’s the federal government?”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    While 57% of California’s forests are federally managed, the state government manages only 3% of the forestland. The other 40% is privately owned and this work relies on partnership with private forestland owners. 

    More than 2,200 vegetation management projects are complete or underway, and in recent years, California has treated nearly 2 million acres – made possible by scaling up investments to 10 times the amount from when the Governor took office in 2019. California has funded over $350 million worth of projects on federal lands in the same time. CAL FIRE estimates that 83% of all tree mortality in California, which poses a significant wildfire risk, is on national forest lands. 

    ‘Raking the forest’ 

    Through its Forest Health Program, CAL FIRE is awarding 12 grants to local and regional partners carrying out projects on state, local, tribal, federal, and private lands. Designed to address critical forest health needs, these initiatives will reduce wildfire risk, improve ecosystem resilience, and enhance carbon sequestration across California’s diverse landscapes.

    Forest health grant projects focus on large, landscape-scale forestlands – no less than 800 acres in size – that are composed of one or more landowners and may cover multiple jurisdictions. 

    “CAL FIRE is proud to award Forest Health grants that will increase the wildfire resilience of California’s landscapes and communities and help restore ecosystems following wildfire,” said Alan Talhelm, Assistant Deputy Director of Climate and Energy at CAL FIRE. “These grants will provide our partners around the state with funds to complete projects that support local economies, protect watersheds, increase public safety, and sequester carbon.”

    The projects will employ a wide array of forest management strategies, with goals of wildfire resilience, watershed protection, habitat conservation for endangered species, recovery of fire-scarred and drought-impacted forests, and the reintroduction of fire as a natural ecological process. Projects include:

    • The Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority will conduct fuels reduction on 1,288 acres in El Dorado National Forest using mastication and hand thinning. This aims to lower wildfire risk, protect communities, improve forest resilience, and enhance wildlife habitat.
    • The Redwood Forest Foundation, Inc. will treat 867 acres of forest fuel in a rural, low-income area in Northern Mendocino County. This will create over 80 forestry jobs and additional jobs/learning for young adults via California Conservation Corps trail work.

    The majority of CAL FIRE’s Forest Health grants are funded through the Timber Regulation and Forest Restoration Fund (TRFRF), with additional support provided by California Climate Investments (CCI), a statewide initiative that directs billions of Cap-and-Invest dollars toward achieving the state’s climate goals.

    Fast-tracking critical wildfire prevention projects

    The approved projects for fast-tracking are focused on removing flammable dead or dying trees, creating strategic fuel breaks, creating safe egress along roadways, manual and mechanical removal of ladder fuels and beneficial fire use. Some of the approved projects include:  

    • The Prosper Ridge Community Wildfire Resilience Project in Humboldt County is the first approved project under the Governor’s emergency proclamation on wildfire. This collaborative state, federal, and tribal project will treat nearly 450 acres with a combination of mechanical thinning, manual treatments, and prescribed fire.
    • The Tonner Canyon South Vegetation Management Project aims to reduce wildfire risk on 354 acres south of Diamond Bar in Los Angeles County through hazardous vegetation removal, fuel break creation, and defensible space improvement.
    • The Scott Valley/Callahan Fuels Reduction and Forest Resiliency Project located on 2,917 acres in the Scott River watershed in Siskiyou County will use mechanical and manual treatments to increase vigor of the residual stands of timber for improved carbon sequestration, fire resiliency and individual tree health.
    • The Weed Community Forest Restoration and Enhancement Project located on 1,923 acres near the 2022 Mill Fire and is designed to protect the surrounding the community of Weed in Siskiyou County and provide safe ingress/egress to emergency responders.
    • The Sycuan Wildfire Resiliency Project covers over 240 acres in San Diego County and aims to protect the Sycuan Reservation from wildfire by reducing fire hazard, ensuring defensible space, and providing safe egress with the use of 300 grazing goats. 

    To move faster without compromising important environmental protections, the state developed a new Statewide Fuels Reduction Environmental Protection Plan. State agencies will monitor and oversee these projects from initiation to completion to provide support and ensure environmental protections and best management practices are followed.

    Accelerating investments in fuels reduction and wildfire resilience

    Following action by Governor Newsom and the Legislature last month, state conservancies are moving to deploy $170 million in voter-approved funding for wildfire resilience projects. The accelerated funding is part of the “early action” 2025 budget package. Governor Newsom signed the funding bill along with an executive order to ensure the wildfire safety projects benefit from the streamlining process created under the March 1 State of Emergency proclamation.

    Building on unprecedented progress 

    This builds on consecutive years of intensive and focused work by California to confront the severe ongoing risk of catastrophic wildfires, and Governor Newsom’s emergency proclamation signed in March to fast-track forest and vegetation management projects throughout the state. Additionally, to bolster the state’s ability to respond to fires, Governor Newsom announced last week that the state’s second C-130 Hercules airtanker is ready for firefighting operations, adding to the largest aerial firefighting fleet in the world. 

    New, bold moves to streamline state-level regulatory processes builds long-term efforts already underway in California to increase wildfire response and forest management in the face of a hotter, drier climate. A full list of California’s progress on wildfire resilience is available here.

    Highlights of achievements to date include:

    • Historic investments — Overall, the state has more than doubled investments in wildfire prevention and landscape resilience efforts, providing more than $2.5 billion in wildfire resilience since 2020, with an additional $1.5 billion to be allocated from the 2024 Climate Bond.
    • On-the-ground progress — More than 2,200 landscape health and fire prevention projects are complete or underway, and from 2021-2023, the State and its partners treated nearly 1.9 million acres, including nearly 730,000 acres in 2023.
    • Increasing transparency — The Governor’s Task Force launched an Interagency Treatment Dashboard to display wildfire resilience work across federal, state, local, and privately managed lands across the State. The Dashboard, launched in 2023, provides transparency, tracks progress, facilitates planning, and informs firefighting efforts.
    • Hardening communities — Adding to California’s nation-leading fire safety  standards, Governor Newsom signed an executive order to further improve community hardening and wildfire mitigation strategies to neighborhood resilience statewide. Since 2019, CAL FIRE has awarded more than $450 million for 450 wildfire prevention projects across the state and conducts Defensible Space Inspections on more than 250,000 homes each year.
    • Leveraging cutting-edge technology — On top of expanding the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet, CAL FIRE has doubled its use of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) and the state is utilizing AI-powered tools to spot fires quicker.

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    May 29, 2025

    News What you need to know: California is launching CalHeatScore – a groundbreaking tool to help protect vulnerable populations from dangerous heatwaves. The state’s new tool provides localized warnings and resources for extreme heat events. Governor Newsom is also…

    May 29, 2025

    News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring May 2025, as “Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.”The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below: PROCLAMATIONCalifornia is home to more than 6…

    May 28, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:LaCandice Ochoa, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director of the Independent Living and Community Access Division at the Department of Rehabilitation. Ochoa has been Dean of…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Secures the Extraditions of Individuals Accused of Violent and Other Serious Crimes from Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius,

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    United States Also Returned International Fugitives Wanted for Terrorism, Murder, Attempted Murder and Child Sexual Abuse to Canada, India, and Mexico

    Note: The defendants whose names are underlined hyperlink to press releases.

    WASHINGTON — Extensive coordination between the Justice Department and law enforcement authorities in Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Panama, Peru, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Kingdom (UK) resulted in the extraditions in April and May of dozens of individuals. The defendants returned to the United States are alleged to have committed crimes — including child sexual abuse and rape, murder, hate crimes, assault, narcoterrorism, drug trafficking, alien smuggling, cybercrime, money laundering, fraud, aggravated robbery and extortion — in a number of U.S. states and federal districts, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia.

    The fugitives extradited to the United States include:

    • Michail Chkhikvishvili, also known as Mishka, Michael, Commander Butcher, and Butcher, 21, a Georgian national and alleged leader of a white supremacist group, was extradited from Moldova to face charges in the Eastern District of New York for soliciting hate crimes and planning a mass casualty attack in New York City. As the alleged leader of the white supremacist group “Maniac Murder Cult,” an international, racially motivated violent extremist group that adheres to a neo-Nazi ideology and promotes violence against racial minorities, the Jewish community, and other groups that it deems “undesirables,” Chkhikvishvili allegedly traveled to Brooklyn in 2022 and actively solicited acts of mass violence with a person who was, unbeknownst to Chkhikvishvili, an undercover FBI employee. In November 2023, Chkhikvishvili allegedly began planning a mass casualty attack to take place on New Year’s Eve, which would involve an individual dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out candy laced with poison to racial minorities. In January 2024, as alleged, the scheme evolved and Chkhikvishvili specifically directed the undercover FBI employee to target the Jewish community, Jewish schools, and Jewish children in Brooklyn.

    • Liridon Masurica, also known as @blackdb, 33, a national of Kosovo and alleged administrator of an online criminal marketplace, was extradited from Kosovo to face charges of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and fraudulent use of 15 or more unauthorized access devices in the Middle District of Florida.

    • Adrian Alberto Cano Gomez, also known as Andrea, 45, a national of Colombia and an alleged member of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), a designated foreign terrorist organization, was extradited from Colombia to face charges in the Southern District of Texas of narco-terrorism and distributing kilogram quantities of cocaine from Colombia.

    • Aler Baldomero Samayoa-Recinos, also known as Chicharra, 58, a national of Guatemala and alleged leader of a prolific Guatemalan drug trafficking organization, was extradited from Guatemala to face charges in the District of Columbia of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms of cocaine for importation to the United States.

    • Daniel Flores, 49, a national of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face charges of first-degree murder for the 1995 killing of two brothers, both U.S. Marines, ages 22 and 19, in Cook County, Illinois.

    • Manuel Alejandro Vasquez, 47, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face a charge of murder in Ventura County, California. Vasquez’s two co-defendants were convicted in 1999 and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1998 murder of a man in his home over an alleged unpaid debt. Vasquez fled to Mexico before charges could be filed against him.

    • Tyler Buchanan, 23, a UK national, was extradited from Spain to face charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft in the Central District of California. Among other crimes, Buchanan and his co-conspirators allegedly stole cryptocurrency worth millions of dollars following phishing attacks on over 45 companies based in the United States, Canada, and the UK.

    • Felix Manuel Mejia-Gonzalez, 33, a Dominican citizen, was extradited from the Dominican Republic to face charges of fentanyl trafficking in the District of New Hampshire.

    • Samuel Steven Huggler, 28, a U.S. citizen, was extradited from Spain, to face charges relating to the alleged murder and attempted murders of three of his siblings in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. Huggler is charged with aiding, inducing, or causing murder, three counts of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of aiding, inducing, or causing attempted murder, and possession of an altered firearm. 

    • Michel Patrick Desalles, 54, a Mauritian national, was extradited from Mauritius to face a charge of murder in the second degree in the State of New York. Desalles allegedly choked his employer to death with zip ties and immediately fled the United States in 2017.

    • Juan Miguel Roman-Balderas, 45, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face two charges of murder in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Roman-Balderas is alleged to have stabbed to death his 28-year-old ex-girlfriend in April 2014 in Greenbelt, Maryland.

    • Rody L. Wilcox, 50, a U.S. citizen, was extradited from Georgia to face charges of lewd conduct with a minor under 16 years of age filed in Latah County, Idaho. Wilcox allegedly sexually assaulted a six-year-old child on multiple occasions in 2023. In 2024, Wilcox fled Idaho while on bond. Through OIA’s cooperation with the FBI, U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service and Georgian authorities, Wilcox was arrested in Georgia on Aug. 16, 2024, while en route to the Russian Federation.

    • Miguel Angel Urbano-Vazquez, 48, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face charges of aggravated first-degree murder and rape in Pierce County, Washington. Urbano-Vazquez is alleged to have raped four victims between March and October 2002, one of whom he is also alleged to have murdered in the course of rape.

    • Gilberto Gutierrez, 46, a citizen of El Salvador, was extradited from El Salvador to face charges of rape, child abuse, and related sex offenses in Wicomico County, Maryland. Gutierrez allegedly repeatedly sexually abused two girls under the age of 10 years old between approximately 1999 and 2004.

    • Ramon Manriquez Castillo, 68, a dual U.S. and Mexican citizen; Edgar Rodriguez Ruano, 29, a Mexican citizen; Fernando Javier Escobar Tito, 48, an Ecuadorian citizen; and Anderson Jair Gamboa Nieto, 30, a Colombian citizen, were surrendered by Guinea-Bissau to face drug trafficking charges in the Southern District of Florida. The co-defendants are alleged members of a transnational drug trafficking organization comprised of several cartels in Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela, and they allegedly conspired to distribute large quantities of cocaine through Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Guinea-Bissau using a U.S.-registered airplane, with a U.S. citizen onboard, from about November 2023 to September 2024. They are also charged with distributing cocaine in these countries using an airplane with a U.S. citizen onboard.

    • Artem Aleksandrovych Stryzhak, 35, a Ukrainian national, was extradited from Spain to face charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion, and related activity in connection with computers in the Eastern District of New York and the Middle District of Florida. According to the charges in the Eastern District of New York, Stryzhak is one of the administrators of the Nefilim ransomware gang. The Middle District of Florida charges allege that Stryzhak used the Hive ransomware to engage in a computer hacking and extortion scheme that targeted businesses in the United States and abroad. The Hive ransomware group is estimated to have attacked approximately 1,500 victims and extorted approximately $110 million in ransom payments.

    The fugitives extradited by the United States include:

    • Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 64, a Canadian citizen, native of Pakistan, and convicted terrorist, was extradited to India to stand trial on 10 criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai that killed 160 people, including six Americans, and wounded hundreds more.

    • Aaron Seth Juarez, 26, a U.S. citizen, was extradited to Mexico to be prosecuted for femicide for the 2019 killing of his approximately 31-year-old stepmother, whose body he allegedly buried in the backyard of her Tijuana home. 

    The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA), along with the U.S. Marshals Service, provided significant assistance in securing the defendants’ arrests and extraditions. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Central District of California and the Eastern District of California litigated with OIA the successful outgoing extradition cases for Rana and Juarez, respectively. OIA and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions from Colombia. The Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) also provided assistance with the extraditions from Guatemala and Kosovo. The Justice Department thanks and acknowledges the instrumental role of its law enforcement partners in Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Panama, Peru, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Kingdom for making these extraditions possible.

    An indictment and criminal complaint are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –