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  • MIL-OSI USA: Federal Agencies Working Together in Multimillion-Dollar Mission to Remove Debris in Virginia

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Federal Agencies Working Together in Multimillion-Dollar Mission to Remove Debris in Virginia

    Federal Agencies Working Together in Multimillion-Dollar Mission to Remove Debris in Virginia

    BRISTOL, Va.— Tropical Storm Helene devastated communities throughout southwestern Virginia. Since then, federal agencies have been working with Commonwealth and local partners to address communities’ needs and help individuals on their journey to recovery. At the request of the Commonwealth, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have announced a multimillion-dollar commitment dedicated to removal of debris in and around Claytor Lake State Park and the South Holston Lake Area, which were impacted by Tropical Storm Helene.

    Alongside rain, tornados, wind and flooding, Tropical Storm Helene left debris on land and in waterways. Lakes in Virginia are a source of drinking water, provide power through hydropower dams, serve as recreation sites for boating and fishing and support many species of wildlife. 

    A significant amount of debris, including woody debris, boats, propane and fuel tanks, and pieces of structures litter Claytor Lake State Park and the South Holston Lake Area, threatening critical functions of the parks and waterways. Boating, kayaking, swimming and fishing are not currently possible at Claytor Lake State Park because of debris in the water and on the park shoreline.

    Debris in Claytor Lake, Va., Oct. 9, 2024 Photo: FEMA. 

    Due to the extent of debris, the Commonwealth has requested support for debris removal. In support of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s request, as directed by and in coordination with FEMA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will be removing debris from public property in the South Holston area and on Claytor Lake to reduce threats to public health and safety. 

    This is the largest debris mission in Virginia since 2003 and will last for over three months. “This debris mission shows the full federal family’s commitment to Virginia communities,” said FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Timothy Pheil. “Recovery cannot be achieved alone, with one program or one agency. I am grateful to the Commonwealth and to our federal partners for responding to the needs of the whole community.” 

    The Army Corps of Engineers will be taking on the multimillion-dollar mission, which includes waterway debris removal for Claytor Lake and South Holston River at South Fork. USACE crews began land and water debris assessment Oct. 4, and continue providing assistance to the Virginia debris task force. The USACE contractor will mobilize and begin removing debris next week. USACE estimates the work could take about 120 days to complete.   

    The waterway debris removal presents unique challenges for the USACE team. Crews will operate heavy equipment from land and afloat on barges to collect the debris, moving it to land for sorting and disposal. USACE debris specialists estimate up to 300 acres of debris in the two waterways. 

    “Debris removal on the water is inherently more complex,” said Col. Sonny Avichal, commander of USACE’s Norfolk District, “and our first priority is ensuring the safety of the public and our teams. We’re working together toward the same goal, so we also want to make sure we’re talking with the communities frequently to share information and listen to concerns.”

    EPA’s first responders have been at the site assisting federal and state agencies since Sept. 29, and received federal approval to begin oil and hazardous material cleanup on Oct. 6. The EPA’s mission in the debris removal efforts includes assessing and cleaning up hazardous material, white goods, and oil across the entire impacted area to ensure human health and the environment is protected. 

    “A person’s safety is always our top priority, especially following a natural disaster like Hurricane Helene,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “We are incredibly proud of our first responders who are working tirelessly along with our local, state and federal partners to remove hazardous materials and protect drinking water that our communities depend on. We are committed to ensuring affected families in the Commonwealth have the support and resources they need to move forward.”

    EPA crews lay yellow horizontal boom which acts as a barrier that protects access to boat ramps and also collects debris and makes it more effective for crews to retrieve hazardous waste containers. Photo: EPA.
    FEMA and local officials surveying debris in Claytor Lake. Photo: FEMA. 

    The debris mission does not include private property. If residents have household hazardous materials or oil containers that were damaged by the storm, they can be brought to 919 S. Shady Avenue in Damascus, Va. seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Find resources for residents and business owners, including tips for staying safe and information on agencies that can help here: 9 Ways to Stay Safe Cleaning Up Debris After a Disaster | FEMA.gov.

    For more information on Virginia’s disaster recovery, visit vaemergency.gov,  the Virginia Department of Emergency Management Facebook page , fema.gov/disaster/4831 and facebook.com/FEMA. 

    ###

    FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters. FEMA Region 3’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Follow us on X at x.com/FEMAregion3 and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/femaregion3.

    To apply for FEMA assistance, please call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362, visit https://www.disasterassistance.gov/, or download and apply on the FEMA App. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service. Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish and 3 for other languages). Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status.

              

    erika.osullivan

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Grigorenko: The main challenge in digitalization is to fulfill the planned

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Dmitry Grigorenko took part in the forum of innovative financial technologies Finopolis 2024 in Sochi

    Deputy Prime Minister – Chief of the Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko took part in the session “Digital technologies serving society: a new look at fintech and government services” as part of the Finopolis 2024 forum of innovative financial technologies in Sochi.

    He noted that Russia is currently integrated into the global IT space. This is proven by the fact that our country faces the same digitalization challenges as all other countries. The key tasks remain the development of data transmission and processing infrastructure, the introduction of artificial intelligence, information protection, overcoming regulatory barriers and adaptation to changes in consumer expectations.

    The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that these challenges concern both public and private institutions, including the banking sector.

    “We have designed a national project, “Data Economy”. This is the basis for work. But it is important to remember that plans alone will not lead to results. Therefore, the main challenge in digitalization is to implement everything planned,” said Dmitry Grigorenko.

    Today, the financial sector is helping to implement measures aimed at creating a safe digital space for citizens and businesses. In particular, together with the Bank of Russia, the Government is developing the architecture of a single anti-fraud platform. It is expected that it will ensure online interaction between government agencies, banks, telecom operators and digital platforms to combat telephone fraud. In addition, the platform will allow for the prompt identification and blocking of phishing sites, fraudsters’ phone numbers, as well as their accounts and cards, stolen accounts and suspicious transactions.

    Currently, the development of a legislative initiative to combat cyber fraud is also being discussed together with the banking sector. It is aimed at eliminating the current problem of fraud, when criminals issue microloans to third-party accounts or anonymous electronic wallets.

    It is assumed that the initiative will establish a ban on issuing microloans to third parties and will establish a requirement for the loan amount to be transferred exclusively to the borrower’s bank account. To open an account, the borrower will have to undergo an identification procedure – this can be done using biometrics or in person at the bank.

    Earlier, as part of the work to combat cyber fraud, the Government approved a procedure for self-prohibition on the issuance of consumer loans and microloans. The corresponding resolution has been signed.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://government.ru/nevs/53011/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Government of Canada National Action Plan results in 19 per cent decline in auto theft

    Source: Government of Canada News

    News release

    October 16, 2024 – Oakville, ON

    Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Transport, released an update on the progress made under the National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft.

    The Action Plan, which was developed following the National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft, focuses on disrupting, dismantling and prosecuting the organized crime groups involved in auto theft. It is built on the following pillars: Intelligence and information sharing; Intervention; and Legislation, regulations and governance.

    The Government of Canada’s efforts, guided by the Action Plan and done in collaboration with its domestic and international partners, including provinces, territories, municipalities, industry, and law enforcement, are yielding results. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, national auto theft trends for 2024 have shown a 19 per cent decline in auto theft in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year. As well, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has intercepted more than 1,900 stolen vehicles in railyards and ports this year, already exceeding last year’s total. In the Greater Toronto Area alone, 620 stolen vehicles have been intercepted by the CBSA in 2024.

    To date, the following key milestones have been achieved through the Action Plan.

    • Changes to the Criminal Code to provide additional tools for law enforcement and prosecutors to address auto theft, including the addition of new offences targeting the use of violence in the commission of a vehicle theft and links to organized crime, as well as offences for the possession or distribution of electronic tools used to commit auto theft and laundering proceeds of crime for the benefit of a criminal organization. These changes strengthen an already robust framework to address organized crime and auto theft.
    • Enhancements to intelligence and information sharing between municipal, provincial, federal and international police and customs officials.
    • Expansion of scanning technology, data analytics and targeting to increase the examination of shipping containers – including the deployment of additional scanning technology in the Greater Toronto Area.
    • Launch of up-to-date specialized anti-auto theft training for law enforcement, delivered by the Canadian Police College.
    • Radiocommunication Act amendments to regulate the sale, distribution, and importation of radio devices used for auto theft.
    • Establishment of a National Intergovernmental Working Group on Auto Theft to coordinate actions, monitor progress and explore new initiatives to combat auto theft and transnational organized crime.
    • New supports for the development of early-stage, pre-commercial, anti-theft technologies.

    While this downward trend is promising, maintaining it will require continued focus and collaboration. Canadians can rest assured that the Government of Canada, as well as our law enforcement agencies, will continue to be vigilant.

    Quotes

    “When we see that auto theft rates are declining, we know that we’re taking steps in the right direction. Our Government is fighting to keep Canadians safe and implementing our Action Plan, including exploring new anti-theft technologies, regulatory updates, and improving port security.”

    – The Honourable Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Transport

    “Today’s Action Plan update highlights some significant steps forward in our fight to combat this complex crime. Our government will continue to build on this progress to ensure we remain responsive and adaptable in our approach to combat auto theft and the organized crime groups behind it.”

    – The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs

    “We have shown that by working together, we can tackle complex issues and ensure that all people in Canada can feel safe in their communities. We strengthened the Criminal Code to give law enforcement the full range of tools they need to address auto theft and ensure that offenders are held to account, while strengthening penalties to deter crime.”

    – The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

    “No Canadian should wake up to discover their means of getting to work, school, or the grocery store has been stolen. We are working with Canadian companies, online retailers and the automotive industry to come up with new initiatives such as Innovative Solutions Canada’ Vehicle Theft Prevention challenge, launched last month. By fostering innovative ideas that will enhance vehicle security and working collaboratively, we can protect our communities and put a stop to auto theft.”

    – The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

    “We have a common goal to prevent and reduce auto theft crimes, enforce the law and keep Canadians safe. The RCMP has been actively sharing intelligence and information between all levels of law enforcement partners across Canada and internationally, and training investigators with the latest techniques to better detect and disrupt this criminal activity.”

    – Michael Duheme, Commissioner, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    “Combatting auto theft and the organized crime groups that benefit from it is a priority for the CBSA. So far this year, the CBSA has intercepted more than 1,900 stolen vehicles, already exceeding last year’s total. We have also deployed additional scanning technology in the Greater Toronto Area. Moreover, we continue to act on 100% of referrals by enforcement partners and have expanded data analytics and targeting to increase the targeting of shipping containers. Finally, we have established a 24/7 central point of contact for police to coordinate requests to locate vehicles that may be tracked to a port. While we are pleased with what has already been achieved through the National Action Plan, we know more work needs to be done and we will continue collaborating with our partners to intercept stolen vehicles before they leave the country.”

    – Erin O’Gorman, President of the Canada Border Services Agency

    Quick facts

    • The Government of Canada has been engaging with industry and other stakeholders on auto theft, including port authorities, rail and shipping companies, as well as the automotive and insurance industries, as part of our collective effort to combat this crime.

    • While the investigation of these types of offences falls under the police of jurisdiction, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) are supporting important work being done to make progress on this issue. 

    • The RCMP and CBSA continue to be involved in integrated task forces led by the Ontario Provincial Police and Sûreté du Québec. 

    • The CBSA has established a 24/7 central point of contact for police to coordinate requests to locate vehicles that may be tracked to a marine port or intermodal facility and continues to act on 100% of referrals.

    • The RCMP continues to process international notifications and requests received through INTERPOL’s stolen motor vehicle database to better track stolen vehicles with international partners. From February to August 2024, the RCMP received 2,310 alerts about Canadian vehicles and 424 international collaboration requests.

    • The CBSA, in collaboration with police forces across Ontario and Quebec, announced the recovery of nearly 600 stolen vehicles from the Port of Montreal through Project Vector, in April 2024.

    • The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) continues to produce financial intelligence disclosures to law enforcement in support or investigations into organized crime, including auto theft.

    • Police services have been encouraged to collect information from victims relating to tracking technology present in their vehicles (i.e., Apple AirTag, Tile Tracker, Samsung SmartTracker) and add this information to the Canadian Police Information Centre system.

    • Transnational organized criminal groups are believed to be involved in the export of stolen vehicles from Canada; however, most vehicle thefts involve lower-level threat groups, with violent street gangs being the most prevalent.

    • Most stolen vehicles exported are destined for Africa and the Middle East. Some stolen vehicles also remain in Canada, enabling other crimes to be committed with the vehicles and are destroyed afterwards.

    Related products

    Associated links

    Contacts

    Gabriel Brunet
    Press Secretary
    Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
    Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
    819-665-6527
    gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca  

    Media Relations
    Public Safety Canada
    613-991-0657
    media@ps-sp.gc.ca

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Federal government invests to strengthen Canada’s expertise in satellite communications

    Source: Government of Canada News

    News release

    Kepler Communications is developing an in-orbit, high-speed connectivity network

    October 16, 2024 – Toronto, Ontario 

    Canada is a world leader in satellite communications, an industry that contributes billions of dollars to the Canadian economy each year and supports thousands of good-paying jobs. The federal government is committed to strengthening this crucial sector of our economy through key investments that will cement Canada’s global leadership position and expertise in space.

    Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced a $20 million investment through the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) to support Kepler Communications’ development of the Aether constellation and its in-orbit, high-speed connectivity network, a project valued at $280.3 million. Kepler Communications, a Canadian leader in small satellite mass manufacturing, also received $2 million in funding for this project from the Canadian Space Agency in September 2024.

    Today’s investment will advance Canada’s satellite communications capabilities to deliver higher-speed data relay between space and the earth by using optical intersatellite link laser technology. These SIF contributions will also enable Kepler to create 95 full-time jobs and 346 future co-op positions for students. Kepler will undertake this work at its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario.

    The federal government is committed to strengthening the Canadian space sector’s leadership in space exploration, science and innovation.

    Quotes

    “Today, the government is investing in Kepler Communications’ Aether Network, an innovative project to establish an in-orbit high-speed connectivity network, which will create and maintain hundreds of highly skilled jobs and internships for Canadians in addition to partnerships with small and medium-sized enterprises and with universities and colleges. Through this investment and others, the government is positioning Canada as a global leader in space and developing critical technologies for Canadians.”

    – The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

    “Space innovations such as the Aether constellation reinforce Canada’s reputation as a key player in the global space industry—for today and tomorrow. Thanks to our long-standing collaboration with the European Space Agency, Kepler will further advance its technology by leading a major mission, HydRON-DS, and will be positioned to become a global leader in providing Internet-like connectivity in space.”

    – Lisa Campbell, President of the Canadian Space Agency

    Quick facts

    • In 2022, Canada’s space sector employed over 12,000 people and contributed over $3.2 billion to Canada’s GDP. The sector is highly innovative and R&D-intensive.

    • Since 2016, the government has committed over $9 billion to the country’s space sector.

    • Kepler Communications Inc. is a vertically integrated satellite manufacturing and telecommunications company that fully designs, manufactures and operates its satellites in-house.

    • The company intends to further its satellite technology in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) in the next phase of its satellite technology development and demonstration program, the High thRoughput Optical Network program, or HydRON Demonstration System. 

    • This contract is made possible by the long-standing cooperation agreement between Canada and the ESA.

    • Canada has held the privileged position of being the only non-European cooperating state of the ESA since 1979, resulting in commercial sales and job creation, as well as knowledge and expertise sharing, all of which benefit the Canadian economy.

    Associated links

    Contacts

    Audrey Milette
    Press Secretary
    Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
    audrey.milette@ised-isde.gc.ca

    Media Relations
    Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
    media@ised-isde.gc.ca

    Canadian Space Agency
    Media Relations Office
    asc.medias-media.csa@asc-csa.gc.ca

    Stay connected

    Find more services and information on the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada website.

    Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on social media.

    X (Twitter): @ISED_CA | Facebook: Canadian Innovation | Instagram: @cdninnovation | LinkedIn: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: $220.98 Million in Federal Funding Now Set for Washington Bridge Replacement

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02)

    Building on previous Mega award, new $95.5 million INFRA grant is second significant pledge of federal aid totaling $220.98 million

    Providence, RI – The effort to replace the westbound Washington Bridge got a major boost today as U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Representatives Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo today joined with Governor Dan McKee in announcing a $95,589,533 INFRA (Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects program) grant for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT).

    Together, with a previous $125.39 million Mega grant(also known as the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program) that the state was awarded in September, Rhode Island has now received $220.98 million in federal funding to replace the Washington Bridge, fully funding the state’s request for the project.

    The new federal funds are being made available thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), which Reed and Whitehouse supported and was signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021, delivering a 50 percent increase in the amount of available funding for INFRA grants, as well as resources for improving Rhode Island’s roads, bridges, public transportation, and water infrastructure.

    The Washington Bridge, which spans the Seekonk River connecting East Providence to Providence and has a daily traffic volume of 90,000 vehicles, was shut down on December 11, 2023 after RIDOT discovered broken anchor rods that put the bridge at risk of failure.

    “Securing this federal investment has been a top priority.  Now the state must utilize this $220.98 million in federal funding to accelerate progress toward a new bridge that meets capacity and safety needs now and in the future,” said Reed, a leading member of the Appropriations Committee.  “Passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law paved the way for this funding.  I commend the Biden-Harris administration for its leadership, support, and commitment to a modern and resilient infrastructure system.  The state must put this money to work and keep the public updated with a clear timetable for progress.”

    “This INFRA Program infusion for the Washington Bridge fills in a major missing piece of the funding puzzle to ensure the state can get the job done right,” said Whitehouse, who helped author the INFRA program as a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.  “I am very proud that the INFRA Program is yet again delivering for Rhode Island’s infrastructure.  We will continue to work as a delegation to secure whatever the state needs from the federal government to fix this situation for drivers.”

    “My colleagues in the congressional delegation and I have done everything in our power to secure federal funding to rebuild the Washington Bridge, and with this latest tranche of funding, we have now brought over $220 million dollars for Rhode Island,” said Magaziner. “We are grateful for the Biden-Harris administration for their leadership and support in addressing this urgent matter. We will continue working together to ensure the Washington Bridge is rebuilt safely and properly.”

    “I am excited to build off last month’s announcement that we are bringing home more federal funding to help Rhode Island replace the Washington Bridge,” said Amo. “Led by our state’s appropriator-in-chief, Senator Jack Reed, our delegation has fought tooth and nail to secure the resources our state requested. I thank President Joe Biden and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg for listening to our repeated overtures about the need for resources to alleviate the burden on residents, small businesses, and first responders. I look forward to reviewing the plan from state officials so we can move towards the next chapter of getting our bridge built.”

    “Securing a second major federal grant marks another important milestone in our work to build a brand new Washington Bridge,” said McKee. “We know that ensuring this complex project is done right will take time, but it’s encouraging to see demolition resuming this week, the rebuild bidding process moving forward, and additional federal dollars coming in. We thank the Biden-Harris Administration for their commitment to Rhode Island and our top-notch congressional delegation for helping us secure this crucial funding.”

    Overall, the state requested $220.9 million in federal funds to help replace the Washington Bridge and was initially awarded $125.39 million out of the total pool of about $1 billion of federal funds available for Mega grants of this size and scope nationwide.

    Demolition of the bridge has already begun.  In May of 2024, RIDOT estimated the price tag for replacing the bridge would include $58.2 million for demolition as well as $368.3 million for the design-build process.

    Separate from the demolition and rebuild costs for the Washington Bridge, the state also estimated costs of approximately $46 million for emergency expenses, including work to stabilize the old bridge and estimated funding to account for both state and municipal safety and transportation-related expenses.

    Rhode Island previously received a $60.3 million INFRA grant in 2019 to rebuild the Northbound Providence Viaduct; a $65 million INFRA grant in 2020 to overhaul Route 146; an $82.5 million INFRA grant in 2022 to upgrade the Pell Bridge; and an $81 million INFRA grant earlier this year to create a ‘missing move’ between I-95 and Quonset Business Park.

    Rhode Island has now received two Mega awards to fund the Washington Bridge, totaling $125.39 million, as well as this new INFRA award.

    These grants come on top of a $251 million federal Bridge Investment Grant the delegation secured earlier this year to repair 15 bridges along the I-95 corridor in Providence and Cranston. 

    Additionally, Rhode Island will also receive a total of $255 million in bridge formula funds over the life of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

    With about 50,000 U.S. bridges with very significant issues awaiting attention, an estimated 40 percent of them can be rehabilitated, but at least 35 percent will require a complete replacement due to their condition, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). 

    This level of federal funding for Rhode Island infrastructure improvements stands in stark contrast to the previous administration.  While Donald Trump routinely declared “Infrastructure Week,” his administration had little to show for it, whereas President Joe Biden oversaw passage of the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which has delivered hundreds of millions of dollars for bridge improvements across the Ocean State and continues to invest billions annually in America’s transportation network, communities, and workers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Wawanesa Accepting Applications for Community Wildfire Prevention Grants

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Oct. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — To help Canadians safeguard their communities from the threat of wildfires, Wawanesa Insurance is offering $150,000 in Community Wildfire Prevention Grants in partnership with FireSmart Canada and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction. The deadline to apply for the Community Wildfire Prevention Grants is November 29, 2024.

    The initiative is part of Wawanesa’s commitment to building stronger, more resilient communities through its Climate Champions Program, which provides $2 million annually to support people on the front lines of climate change. Through the Community Wildfire Prevention Grants, up to $15,000 will be provided to as many as 10 organizations working to make a difference.

    “This summer’s devastating wildfire season was another stark reminder of the growing concern over climate change and its profound impact on the environment,” said Jackie De Pape Hornick, Director of Communications & Community Impact at Wawanesa. “As a mutual insurer, we have a critical role to play in protecting our communities. By providing local organizations with the support needed to proactively implement wildfire prevention measures, Wawanesa is helping build a safer, healthier, more sustainable future.”

    This is the third straight year Wawanesa has offered Community Wildfire Prevention Grants. Some of the previous recipients include rural municipalities, Indigenous communities, residents’ associations, and volunteer fire departments. Funding allocated through the grant program has supported a wide range of activities, from vegetation management programs and community risk assessments to public awareness events and wildfire education campaigns.

    All submissions for Community Wildfire Prevention Grants will be evaluated by a committee of wildfire prevention experts from Wawanesa, FireSmart Canada, and ICLR, with funding recipients announced in March 2025. For project eligibility and application criteria, please visit wawanesa.com/wildfire-grants.

    About The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company
    The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, founded in 1896, is one of Canada’s largest mutual insurers, with over $3.5 billion in annual revenue and assets of $10 billion. Wawanesa Mutual, with its National Headquarters in Winnipeg, is the parent company of Wawanesa Life, which provides life insurance products and services throughout Canada, and Western Financial Group, which distributes personal and business insurance across Canada. Wawanesa proudly serves more than 1.7 million members in Canada. The company actively gives back to organizations that strengthen communities, donating more than $3.5 million annually to charitable organizations, including over $2 million annually in support of people on the front lines of climate change. Learn more at wawanesa.com.

    For more information:
    Michel Rosset
    Manager, Corporate Communications & Media Relations
    The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company
    media@wawanesa.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis announces $800,000 in pre-development grants now available for Tribal Nations Housing Development Assistance Program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis (“FHLBank Indianapolis” or the “Bank”) announced today that pre-development affordable housing grants are now available to the 12 federally recognized tribal nations located in Michigan through the Tribal Nations Housing Development Assistance Program (TNHDAP).

    Announced earlier this year, the TNHDAP is a unique and innovative capacity-building housing development grant program in partnership with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The TNHDAP provides dedicated training and technical assistance coupled with grant funding opportunities to support tribal nations in creating innovative housing solutions tailored to the unique needs of each nation. The Bank’s program grant of up to $3 million marks the largest investment to a single organization in FHLBank Indianapolis history.

    FHLBank Indianapolis is making $800,000 available for project-specific pre-development grants with up to $75,000 available per project. Pre-development dollar grants may support either rental or homeownership projects, dependent upon individual tribal priorities.

    “Pre-development grants are often the hardest type of funding to find, and one of the most impactful tools to help kickstart projects,” said Anna Shires, VP, Community Investment Outreach Partner at the Bank. “We’re excited to complement all of the technical assistance underway, and help tribes get one major step closer to providing safe and affordable housing for their communities.”

    Through the program, the Bank also will be providing project-specific gap funding subsidies as well as supporting additional capacity building needs identified by tribal nations in Michigan. Through next year, each tribe also will receive dedicated technical assistance to identify their unique housing needs, support for overall housing initiatives and project-specific guidance.

    In keeping with the knowledge and capacity-building focus of the program, the National American Indian Housing Council and its partners facilitated a series of training sessions earlier this year focusing on the wide range of available affordable housing solutions. Sessions focused on multi-unit development, Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LITHC) and other funding sources, housing development for special needs populations, and homeownership development opportunities. Sessions included presentations and discussions between the tribes and FHLBank Indianapolis, MSHDA, HUD leadership, the Michigan Balance of State Continuum of Care, and local and national housing and finance industry leaders.

    “The completion of this training series represents a significant commitment of time and effort, and we commend everyone involved for their dedication to this critical work,” said Karen Gagnon, Tribal Liaison for MSHDA. “It’s truly exciting to see the program entering its next phase. This support will play a pivotal role in advancing essential housing projects for these communities, and we look forward to the far-reaching impact of these new investments and partnerships.”

    For more information about the pre-development grants, visit the Tribal Nations Housing Development Assistance Program page on MSHDA’s website.

    More information on the Tribal Nations Housing Development Assistance Program is available at fhlbi.com. For information on FHLBank Indianapolis’ other programs to support affordable housing and community development, see the Community Programs page on fhlbi.com.

    Media contact information:
    For more information, contact Katherine Marshall, Corporate Communications Specialist, at kmarshall@fhlbi.com.

    Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis: Building Partnerships. Serving Communities
    FHLBank Indianapolis is a regional bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System. FHLBanks are government-sponsored enterprises created by Congress to provide access to low-cost funding for their member financial institutions, with particular attention paid to providing solutions that support the housing and small business needs of members’ customers. FHLBanks are privately capitalized and funded, and they receive no Congressional appropriations. One of 11 independent regional cooperative banks across the U.S., FHLBank Indianapolis is owned by its Indiana and Michigan financial institution members, including commercial banks, credit unions, insurance companies, savings institutions and community development financial institutions. For more information about FHLBank Indianapolis, visit http://www.fhlbi.com and follow the Bank on LinkedIn, and Instagram and X at @FHLBankIndy.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Subsea 7 S.A.: Notification of major holding

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Subsea 7 S.A. has received notification of transactions in its shares by a major shareholder. Please see the attached forms for details. This information is pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: World Food Day: How the new Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance will use digital technologies to help farmers in Africa feed the continent

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, October 16, 2024/APO Group/ —

    The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) and Mastercard are co-chairing a new initiative called Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance Africa, which aims to provide digital access to critical services for 100 million people and businesses in Africa over the next 10 years. In the first phase of its $300 million commitment to the Alliance’s initial five years of programming, the African Development Bank aims to bring 3 million farmers in Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria into the digital economy via Mastercard Community Pass. Community Pass gives farmers a digital credential to access a network of digital agricultural agents.

    Alliance members include Equity Bank Group, Microsoft, Heifer International, Sustainable Agriculture Foundation, Unconnected.org, Yara, Kenya National Farmers’ Federation, Shell Foundation, and CRDB Bank. The Alliance also utilizes financial support from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

    For World Food Day, we asked African Development Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Dr. Beth Dunford, about the possibilities digitalization brings to Africa’s farmers and food systems.

    Why did MADE Alliance Africa choose to focus on the digitization of agriculture for smallholder farmers and women as its first initiative, and why do you think the African agriculture sector holds so much potential?  

    Dunford: Africa is home to 65% of the planet’s remaining uncultivated, arable land, and we believe that agriculture is a critical sector to drive Africa’s development. Agriculture accounts for nearly 60% of total employment in Africa and accounts for more than 25% of GDP in its low-income countries. Across the continent, there’s no agriculture without women. They provide an estimated 60% to 80% of labor input to the sector. Growth in agriculture is terribly effective compared to many other sectors in lifting people out of poverty, providing degrees of agency to women, feeding Africa’s people, and positioning the continent as a breadbasket to the world.

    Our challenge is that the majority of Africa’s food systems producers are smallholder farmers who, simply put, struggle from season to season due to a lack of access to quality inputs like seeds and fertilizer, or access to affordable financing to purchase farming necessities. Africa’s smallholder farmers have various needs that the MADE Alliance Africa can solve by boosting sustainable digital access to critical services. Through the MADE Alliance, Mastercard Community Pass works with local banks to provide digital credentials to millions of smallholder farmers and women. Digital identities are the gateway to accessing digital services and to high-quality inputs. Digitalizing agriculture and the distribution of goods will bring enormous efficiencies to the marketplace, as well as reduce waste and fraud across the ecosystem.

    Mastercard’s Community Pass can help establish digital credentials for millions of farmers, bring more transparency to pricing and help them access agricultural inputs. What are the challenges involved in bringing this solution to market, and how can they be overcome?

    Dunford: Community Pass is designed to operate in remote and rural communities — often with limited connectivity and energy access. This technology, to adapt a popular phrase, “meets farmers where they are.” However, there are challenges involved in delivering these solutions and connecting smallholder farmers and women to financial institutions — challenges that we believe can be overcome or mitigated through capacity building, infrastructure and new models for governments and the private sector to work together.

    To scale these technologies to more farmers in a timely manner, we need to work with farmer cooperatives and networks of member farmers who reap many benefits of doing business as a unit. The challenge is that the majority of farmer cooperatives in Africa are not as operationally efficient as they are in other regions, and the prevalence of digital literacy is relatively low. Africa needs significant investment to educate farmers on how they can benefit from digital technologies to access resources.

    MADE Alliance’s digital services can connect farmers to new buyers and suppliers who are physically far away, but costs to transport goods to market remain a barrier. Critically, farmers and women need digital devices and reliable connectivity to take advantage of the digital economy.

    Can you talk a little more about how the MADE Alliance will benefit women?

    Dunford: Roughly half of Africa’s smallholder farmers are women, with the majority of agriculture sector labor carried out by women. However, compared to their male counterparts, female farmers struggle to create a sustainable livelihood in agriculture because they are less likely to own property titles or other assets often needed to access financial services. Women farmers have less access to information and extension services, and they lack access to inputs such as seeds and fertilizers. They are disproportionately impacted by climate risks. Collectively, these challenges result in women farmers typically producing up to 20% to 30% less output than male farmers.

    Community Pass helps women make farming a sustainable livelihood by enabling access to critical service providers like banks and agricultural buyers, as well as creating transparency.

    Women are the backbone of African economies, and investing in women entrepreneurs fosters women’s empowerment and agency over decisions around business, family and community. Investing in Africa’s women entrepreneurs is smart economics. Investing in Africa’s women has been a cornerstone of the Bank’s work. In fact, no Bank project or program will receive Bank financing unless it details how it will benefit women.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Security: CISA and FBI Release Product Security Bad Practices for Public Comment

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    WASHINGTON – The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released the Product Security Bad Practices for public comment today. This catalog outlines practices that are deemed exceptionally risky and provides recommendations for software manufacturers to mitigate these risks. It urges software manufacturers to avoid these bad practices, especially those who produce software used in service of critical infrastructure or national critical functions (NCFs). Members of the public may submit public comment on this guidance starting today.

    The National Cybersecurity Strategy calls for a fundamental shift to rebalance the responsibility to defend cyber space onto those best positioned to bear it; namely, the software manufacturers who build products underpinning our collective digital infrastructure. Fully realizing this shift requires an understanding of the most egregious software development practices that software manufacturers must avoid. This catalog enumerates such practices.

    “It’s 2024, and basic, preventable software defects continue to enable crippling attacks against hospitals, schools, and other critical infrastructure. This has to stop. These product security bad practices pose unacceptable risks in this day and age, and yet are all too common.” said CISA Director Jen Easterly. “We hope that by following this clear-cut, voluntary guidance, software manufacturers can lead by example in taking ownership of their customers’ security outcomes and fostering a secure by design future. Please provide input and let us know how we can improve this list of bad practices.”

    “Our National Cybersecurity Strategy highlights the importance of securing our nation’s critical infrastructure and shoring up our cyber defenses,” said White House National Cyber Director Harry Coker Jr. “The impact of product security bad practices has wide-ranging consequences across our nation and is often felt by the American people. Our private sector partners must shoulder their responsibility and build secure products and I’m glad to see this document as another tool to help software manufacturers do just that. We need to work together to prioritize best practices to better protect our nation.”

    “Bad practices in software development, especially when that software will be used by critical infrastructure, put both customers and our national security at risk,” said Assistant Director of the FBI’s Cyber Division Bryan Vorndran. “The FBI urges software manufacturers to avoid the risky practices described in this guidance, which lead to vulnerabilities that malicious actors routinely exploit.”

    These product security bad practices represent the next major step in CISA and partners’ global Secure by Design initiative, which has joined forces with 18 U.S. and international agencies to publish guidance and catalyzed commitments from over 220 software manufacturers to CISA’s Secure by Design Pledge. The bad practices build on practices laid out in the pledge and other guidance including NIST’s Secure Software Development Framework. This catalog will be a central guiding document in CISA’s Secure by Design initiative going forward, playing a key role informing future guidance and actions.

    This joint guidance lists the bad practices in three categories:

    • Product properties, which describe observable, security-related qualities of a software product.
    • Security features, which describe the security functionalities that a product supports.
    • Organizational processes and policies, which describe the actions taken by a software manufacturer to ensure strong transparency in its approach to security.

    CISA selected the bad practices based on the threat landscape as representing the most dangerous and pressing items that software manufacturers should avoid.

    The public comment period concludes on Monday, December 2, 2024. During the comment period, members of the public can provide comments and feedback via the Federal Register at Request for Comment on Product Security Bad Practices Guidance. Following the public comment period, CISA will issue a revised version of the bad practices.

    To learn more about the Secure by Design initiative, visit Secure by Design on CISA.gov.

    ###

    About CISA 

    As the nation’s cyber defense agency and national coordinator for critical infrastructure security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency leads the national effort to understand, manage, and reduce risk to the digital and physical infrastructure Americans rely on every hour of every day.

    Visit CISA.gov for more information and follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Pressley Joins Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Economic Mobility Hub at Rindge Commons

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    Pressley Secured $250K in Federal Funds to Support Project

    Video (YouTube) | Photo (Dropbox)

    BOSTON – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) joined Just A Start, elected officials and community advocates and members for the formal ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the Economic Mobility Hub at Rindge Commons, a 70,000-square-foot facility designed to address the evolving needs of the community. Rep. Pressley secured $250,000 in federal community project funding to support the center.

    The center brings together affordable housing, state-of-the-art job training for youth and adults, Universal Pre-K classrooms, and community resources—all under one roof. By consolidating services, the Hub will serve over 2,800 individuals annually, building long-term pathways to economic stability and opportunity in the region.

    “Today’s ribbon-cutting ceremony at Rindge Commons is a testament to the commitment Just A Start and our communities have to uplifting one another and expanding economic opportunities for our neighbors,” said Rep. Pressley. “I was proud to secure $250,000 in federal community project funding to make this effort a reality, and I look forward to seeing the long-term impact the Economic Mobility Hub will have on families across the Massachusetts 7th.” 

    “The Rindge Commons is an incredible example of collaboration and partnership,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Not only did its development involve federal and state agencies and the private sector, but this building also addresses our state’s need for affordable housing and promotes economic development in Cambridge. Our administration was proud to support this expansion, and we congratulate the team at Just A Start for their hard work.”

    “We are thrilled to see Just A Start growing with its new addition of the Economic Mobility Hub at Rindge Commons,” said Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao. “This project will support affordable housing, a safe space for children, and career training for adults. We congratulate Just a Start on its expansion, and we’re so grateful for its work supporting Massachusetts residents.”

    “MassHousing is thrilled to be a partner in Just A Start’s Rindge Commons that has delivered 24 brand-new affordable rental homes as well the dynamic Economic Mobility Hub that will be providing educational and job-training opportunities for youth and adults,” said MassHousing CEO Chrystal Kornegay. “This development will also allow Just A Start to coordinate its many mission-driven community programs and efforts to promote equitable communities in greater Cambridge from one new, integrated space.”

    “The Rindge Commons development is aligned with LIIF’s commitment to support projects that build equity, opportunity, and wellbeing in communities that need it most,” said Kirsten Shaw, Vice President of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Regions of Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF). “The development’s wide-ranging impact will improve vibrancy and quality of life in the community, and we’re thrilled to have had the opportunity to support this project with New Markets Tax Credits and additional financing. The Rindge project demonstrates how important public-private partnerships are to driving community revitalization and resiliency efforts.”

    Footage of the event can be found here and photos are here.

    Rep. Pressley secured federal funding for the center in the Fiscal Year 2024 government spending package that passed Congress and was signed into law by President Biden. Rep. Pressley has secured approximately $35 million in federal community project funding for the Massachusetts 7th since Fiscal Year 2022.

    • On June 18, 2024, Rep. Pressley visited Boston Medical Center (BMC) to celebrate $370,000 in federal community project funding she secured to support BMC’s Violence Intervention Advocacy Program. 
    • On June 18, 2024, Rep. Pressley visited Chelsea HealthCare Center to celebrate $1,150,000 in federal community project funding she secured to support Massachusetts General Hospital’s (MGH) efforts to address the statewide shortage of bilingual, culturally diverse mental health providers for immigrant and limited English proficiency communities.
    • On April 22, 2204, Rep. Pressley and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) visited Nubian Square in Roxbury for a roundtable discussion to celebrate the $1,000,000 million in federal funding they secured for the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA).
    • On March 28, 2024, Rep. Pressley visited Roxbury to celebrate the $1,000,000 in federal funding she secured to provide emergency childcare support for families experiencing homelessness in the City of Boston.
    • In February 2024, Rep. Pressley visited Chelsea City Hall for a roundtable and press conference to celebrate the $750,000 in federal funding she secured for the City of Chelsea’s and City of Everett’s Island End River Coastal Flood Resilience Project.
    • In January 2024, Rep. Pressley visited Somerville to celebrate the $2.4 million in federal funding she secured to support the community-led transformation of the Clarendon Hill housing community, an ethnically, linguistically and economically diverse neighborhood.
    • In December 2023, Rep. Pressley visited Brighton to celebrate $400,000 she delivered for Amplify Latinx’s ALX Small Business Program.
    • In November 2023, Rep. Pressley visited Roxbury Community College (RCC) to celebrate $1 million in federal community project funding she secured for Northeastern University’s Roxbury Associate’s to Master’s Workforce Accelerator (RA2MWA).
    • In June 2023, Rep. Pressley visited Chelsea to celebrate $2,000,000 in federal community project funding she secured to improve the Broadway Corridor—home to an array of BIPOC-owned small businesses, vibrant public spaces, high frequency public transit routes, and dense residential housing.
    • In April 2023, Rep. Pressley visited Randolph to celebrate $524,000 she secured for Randolph Public Schools to support a mobile library and STEM programming.
    • In March 2023, Rep. Pressley visited Dorchester to celebrate $250,000 in new Community Project Funding she secured for Big Sister Association of Greater Boston’s one-to-one mentoring and enrichment programs for girls.
    • In February 2023, Rep. Pressley visited the African Community Economic Development of New England (ACEDONE) to celebrate the $643,003 in community project funding she secured for ACEDONE to support small businesses in predominately Black, brown and African immigrant communities.
    • In October 2022, Rep. Pressley visited The Dimock Center in Roxbury to celebrate $1 million in federal community project funding she secured to support substance use treatment and programming at the health center. 
    • In August 2022, Rep. Pressley visited Randolph to deliver $275,000 in federal community project funding for culturally responsive resources and digital literacy tools for Randolph Public Schools.
    • In June 2022, Rep. Pressley visited the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology to deliver $300,000 in direct federal funding for the development of a Clean Energy Building Automation Systems certificate and associate degree program.
    • In May 2022, she visited Bunker Hill Community College to celebrate the $1,000,000 in federal community project funding she secured to expand the City of Boston’s Tuition-Free Community College program.
    • In April 2022, she visited Randolph to deliver $1,000,000 in federal community project funding for a new school-based community health center at Randolph High School. 
    • In March 2022, she visited La Colaborativa in Chelsea to celebrate the $300,000 in federal community project funding that she delivered for La Colaborativa’s COVID Employment Recovery Program.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Morgan McGarvey Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Help Expedite Veterans Appeals Claims through Stronger Workforce

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan McGarvey (Kentucky-03)

    October 16, 2024

    WASHINGTON, DC (October 16, 2024) – Recently, Congressman Morgan McGarvey alongside Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL- 12) introduced H.R.9046, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney Retention and Backlog Reduction Act, which would allow the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA) to increase the salary of its top attorneys to better recruit and retain experts in veterans law. 

    “Veterans in Louisville and across the US deserve a speedy and efficient VA – especially when appealing a denied claim,” said Rep. Morgan McGarvey. “These decisions don’t come out of thin air, they require staffing by expert attorneys in veterans law which takes years to master. Whether in the public or private sector, the same principle applies: you can’t retain top talent by denying your employees competitive compensation. I’m proud to champion this bipartisan legislation to empower BVA with the tools needed to address the claims backlog, retain talented attorneys, and ensure our veterans get the benefits they’ve earned.”

    “Too often, the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) continues to be a roadblock for timely processing of VA claims,” said Rep. Bilirakis. “The Veteran Appeals backlog unnecessarily delays our nation’s heroes from accessing the benefits they’ve earned and is a concern that has been raised by many of my constituents. Our bill addresses BVA performance and staffing concerns by creating a level playing field with BVA and other federal agencies.  When coupled with the quality assurance metrics and accountability measures we have recently pushed, this important piece of the legislation is a key part of the overall solution.”

    “AFGE and the National Veterans Affairs Council commend Representative Morgan McGarvey and Representative Gus Bilirakis for leading H.R. 9046, the ‘Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney Retention and Backlog Reduction Act,’” said Douglas Massey, President of AFGE Local 17 which represents Board of Veterans’ Appeals attorneys.  “This critical legislation will both raise the career ladder of the dedicated board attorneys who diligently process veterans’ appeals and will improve the recruitment and retention of experienced attorneys at the Board, which will greatly reduce the backlog of Veterans’ appeals.”

    The Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) adjudicates appeals on veteran benefits, such as disability compensation and pension benefits. Though progress has been made, BVA is currently mired in a 200,000-case backlog with many citing staff turnover – due to lower relative compensation and lack of support by management – as the cause. In the May 2024 Partnership for Public Service “Best Places to Work in Federal Government” rankings, BVA ranked 444th out of 459. 

    The Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney Retention and Backlog Reduction Act would allow BVA attorneys in non-supervisory roles to reach a GS-15 level on the federal pay scale, which represents about a $10,000 difference in salary from the current BVA cap of GS-14. Other entities within VA, such as the Office of General Counsel (OGC), allow non-supervisory attorneys to reach GS-15, often leading to attorneys “jumping” to OGC for higher pay. The legislation does not mandate new hiring or promotion of attorneys; it grants BVA the flexibility and tools to increase pay within its existing appropriations, just as in other entities at VA.

    Rep. McGarvey previously spoke about the need for the bill at a Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs legislative hearing, asking VA Deputy Under Secretary Glenn Powers about the bill here and asking Mr. Nicholas Keogh, 2nd Vice President, Local 17, American Federation Government Employees, about the bill here. 

    The bill text is linked here. 

    ###

    Congressman Morgan McGarvey represents Kentucky’s Third Congressional District, including Louisville and Jefferson County. He serves on the House Veterans Affairs and House Small Business Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: This year’s Nobel prize exposes economics’ problem with colonialism

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jostein Hauge, Assistant Professor in Development Studies, University of Cambridge

    Bumble Dee / Shutterstock

    Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson have been awarded the 2024 Nobel memorial prize in economics for their influential work on how institutions shape economic development. Some would say the decision to award these scholars the Nobel was long overdue.

    The paper that formed the basis of their work is one of the most cited in economics. Acemoglu and Robinson’s subsequent book, Why Nations Fail, has also been hugely influential.

    These works have inspired a rich debate on the relationship between societal institutions and economic development – so in that sense, congratulations are in order. But they have also been the subject of substantial criticism. In the aftermath of the award, it is fitting to highlight the blind spots in their analysis.

    The most important piece of criticism concerns the connection between the quality of a country’s societal institutions and its level of economic development. Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson’s work divides institutions into two categories: “inclusive” and “extractive”.

    Inclusive institutions – such as those that enforce property rights, protect democracy and limit corruption – foster economic development, according to the laureates. In contrast, extractive institutions, which give rise to a high concentration of power and limited political freedom, seek to concentrate resources in the hands of a small elite and thus stifle economic development.

    The laureates claim the introduction of inclusive institutions has had a positive long-term effect on economic prosperity. Indeed, these institutions are today found primarily in high-income countries in the west.

    A huge problem with this analysis, however, is the claim that certain institutions are a precondition for economic development.

    Mushtaq Khan, a professor of economics at Soas, University of London, has analysed Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson’s work extensively. He argues that it mainly shows today’s high-income countries score higher on western-based institution indexes, and not that economic development was achieved because states first established inclusive institutions.

    In fact, history is rife with examples of countries that grew rapidly without having these inclusive institutions in place as a precondition for growth. East Asian states such as Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan are good examples. Most recently, so too is China.

    Yuen Yuen Ang’s award-winning books on China’s development process have laid out in detail how China was riddled with corruption during its growth process. In the wake of this year’s Nobel award, Ang went as far as saying that the laureates’ theory not only fails to explain growth in China, but also growth in the west. She points out that institutions in the US were smeared with corruption during the country’s development process.

    Ignoring the brutality of colonialism

    Nations are not wrong to pursue some of the inclusive institutions outlined in Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson’s work. But another worrying part of their analysis is that it legitimises the supremacy of western institutions – and, at worst, processes of imperialism and colonialism.

    Their work has, indeed, been criticised for not paying attention to the brutality of colonialism. We need to dig a bit deeper into their methods to understand this criticism.

    The laureates establish their claim by looking at long-term development in settler colonies versus non-settler colonies. In settler colonies, such as the US, Canada and Australia, Europeans established inclusive institutions. But in non-settler colonies, which include large parts of Africa and Latin America, Europeans established extractive institutions.

    Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson point out that, over time, settler colonies perform better. European institutions are thus better for development, they argue.

    But, considering that the process of colonisation is a central method of their paper, it’s a mystery that the laureates do not discuss the costs of colonialism more broadly.

    Even in settler colonies, where inclusive institutions were eventually developed, years of violence – in many cases verging on the genocide of native populations – predated the development of such institutions. Should this not be factored into the development process?

    According to this year’s laureates, Europeans settled in the poorest and most sparsely populated places, and introduced institutions that contributed to long-term prosperity.
    Johan Jarnestad / Nobel Prize Outreach

    After receiving the award, Acemoglu said that normative questions of colonialism didn’t concern them: “Rather than asking whether colonialism is good or bad, we note that different colonial strategies have led to different institutional patterns that have persisted over time.”

    This statement might come a shock to some people – why is Acemoglu not concerned about whether colonialism is good or bad? But for those familiar with the inner workings of the economics discipline, this statement doesn’t come as a surprise.

    It has, sadly, become a badge of honour in mainstream economics to analyse the world without a normative lens or value judgments. This is a broader issue with the discipline and, in part, explains why economics has become increasingly insular and distant from other social sciences.

    The Nobel prize in economics, which actually wasn’t among the five original Nobel prizes, also illustrates this problem. The list of past winners is narrow in geographical and institutional scope, mainly consisting of economists based at economics faculties in a small number of elite universities in the US.

    Furthermore, a recent study found the institutional and geographic concentration of awards in economics is much higher than in other academic fields. Almost all the winners of major awards have had to journey through one of the top US universities (limited to less than ten) in their career.

    This year’s Nobel prize in economics is no exception. Perhaps this is why it feels like every year, the prize goes to someone who asks “how does a change in variable X affect variable Y”, rather than asking difficult questions about colonialism, imperialism or capitalism – and daring to question the supremacy of western institutions.

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

    – ref. This year’s Nobel prize exposes economics’ problem with colonialism – https://theconversation.com/this-years-nobel-prize-exposes-economics-problem-with-colonialism-241400

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Azure Cobalt 100-based Virtual Machines are now generally available

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Azure Cobalt 100-based Virtual Machines are now generally available

    We are excited to announce the general availability of the new Azure Cobalt 100 Virtual Machines (VMs). These VMs run on Microsoft’s first fully custom Arm-based Cobalt 100 CPU and represent a significant milestone in our end-to-end approach to building cloud infrastructure.

    Today we are announcing the general availability of the new Azure Cobalt 100-based Virtual Machines (VMs). These VMs run on Microsoft’s first 64-bit Arm-based Azure Cobalt 100 CPU, which has been fully designed in-house. They represent a significant milestone in our journey in designing and building out our cloud infrastructure, with optimization and customization across every layer of the infrastructure stack—from silicon, to servers, to services. Through vertical integration across hardware and software, Azure Cobalt 100-based VMs are one of Microsoft’s latest examples of innovating to enhance and optimize our cloud infrastructure with an end-to-end systems approach, to deliver the right mix of performance, power efficiency, and scale for our customers.

    The Cobalt 100-based VMs consist of our new general purpose Dpsv6-series and Dplsv6-series and our memory-optimized Epsv6-series VM series. They offer up to 50% better price performance than our previous generation Arm-based VMs, making them an attractive option for a wide range of scale-out and cloud-native Linux-based workloads, including data analytics, web and application servers, open source databases, caches, and more. 

    The new Azure Cobalt 100-based VMs deliver leading performance across various workloads compared to previous generations of Azure Arm-based VMs: up to 1.4x CPU performance, up to 1.5x performance on Java-based workloads, and up to 2x performance on web servers, .NET applications, and in-memory cache applications compared to the previous generation Azure Arm-based VMs. These VMs also support 4x local storage IOPS (with NVMe) and up to 1.5x network bandwidth compared to the previous generation Azure Arm-based VMs.

    The new VMs are broadly available in Canada Central, Central US, East US 2, East US, Germany West Central, Japan East, Mexico Central, North Europe, Southeast Asia, Sweden Central, Switzerland North, UAE North, West Europe, and West US 2. The number of regions will continue to expand in 2024 and beyond with Australia East, Brazil South, France Central, India Central, South Central US, UK South, West US 3, and West US coming soon.

    Customer adoption and scenarios

    We have been working with several internal and external customers during the preview period. For example, IC3, the platform that powers billions of customer conversations in Microsoft Teams, is serving its growing customer base more efficiently, achieving up to 45% better performance on Cobalt 100-based VMs.

    We’re also delivering Cobalt 100-based VMs to many of our independent software vendor (ISV) partners offering platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS) solutions on Microsoft Azure.

    “The Cobalt 100, Microsoft Azure’s new Arm-based processor, represents a huge step forward for optimizing performance and productivity. Cadence and Microsoft’s collaboration helps our mutual customers tackle the demands of giga-scale compute that advanced-node silicon design demands. The Cobalt 100 helps our thousands of electronic design automation (EDA) and systems customers meet their ever-increasing demands for throughput to speed time-to-market.” —Mahesh Turaga, Vice President (VP) of Cloud Business Development, Cadence

     “We are really excited about the new Cobalt 100 VMs. We are making them the primary platform for our Databricks SQL Serverless offering on Azure, as they offer outstanding efficiency and allow us to deliver significant price-performance improvements to our customers. Customers using our Azure Databricks classic Jobs offering will also greatly benefit from Cobalt VMs by selecting them for their Jobs cluster nodes, achieving noticeable performance improvements while keeping operating costs down.” —Michael Kiermaier, VP of Business Strategy and Operations, Databricks

    “At Elastic, we are driving innovation and cost-efficiency by enabling customers to leverage our Search AI-powered observability, security, and search solutions on Arm-based architecture. Azure Virtual Machines with Cobalt 100 Arm CPUs enables Elastic to deliver better throughput and up to 37% improved performance compared to Azure’ previous generation Arm based VMs.”  —Uri Cohen, Vice President, Product Management, Elastic

    “At Rescale, our mission is to elevate innovation by providing the best tools in high performance computing, data, and AI to organizations of every size to deliver engineering and scientific breakthroughs that enrich humanity. We have tested the Azure Cobalt 100 VMs to power our high-performance computing platform and found it to deliver about a 40% improvement in performance compared to Azure’s previous generation Arm-based VMs. We look forward to upgrading our Azure infrastructure to these new VMs and offer comparable performance improvements to our customers so they can tackle complex challenges with greater speed and efficiency.” —Adam McKenzie, Chief Technology Officer, Rescale 

    “Siemens EDA continues to expand its partnership with Microsoft to develop innovative solutions for our mutual silicon and electronic systems customers. Our collaboration around Microsoft Azure Cobalt 100 Arm-based VMs running analog, standard-cell, memory, and digital verification workloads has demonstrated compelling performance and economic benefits. The general availability of these new VMs marks an important milestone for the industry, highlighting its fast-growing reliance on continuously advancing hardware and software platforms optimized for high throughput and efficiency.” —Craig Johnson, Vice President, Siemens EDA Strategy

    “We have extensively tested Azure’s new Cobalt 100 VMs and compared them to the previous generation Arm VMs on Azure using Snowflake workloads. We’re thrilled with the significant improvements in performance. And now, we’re excited to adopt these latest Cobalt 100 VMs and share that performance improvement with our customers!” —Gabe Bryant, Senior Manager, Snowflake

    “In the face of unprecedented compute and memory demands driven by increasingly sophisticated systems, designers are leveraging the cloud to scale their computing resources. Our close collaboration with Microsoft Azure facilitates the adoption of Arm architecture-based compute resources by providing customers with industry-leading, AI-driven EDA tools enabled on the Azure cloud to help them address the escalating workload demands.” —Sanjay Bali, senior vice president of EDA strategy and product management at Synopsys

    “Templafy relies on the stability and scalability of Microsoft Azure to run our document generation platform for enterprises worldwide, and we’re excited about the new Azure Cobalt 100 VMs. After evaluation we’ve observed significant performance improvements, including approximately 25% higher throughput and 35% lower CPU usage compared to Azure’s previous generation Arm-based VMs. We look forward to harnessing these advancements to enhance our platform’s performance and deliver even better experiences for our customers when it comes to their critical business documents.”  —Marco van Kimmenade, Director of Engineering, Templafy

    Synergy with our technology partners

    We value the collaboration with our technology partners.

    “The Cobalt 100 processor is a fantastic example of how Arm-based silicon, supported by a robust software ecosystem, is addressing the growing compute complexity of modern infrastructure,” said Mohamed Awad, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Infrastructure Business, Arm. “Following years of collaboration with Microsoft to bring Arm-based VMs to market, the general availability of Cobalt 100 marks an important milestone in our partnership, and demonstrates the power, efficiency and flexibility of Arm Compute Subsystems in driving the workloads of the future.”

    The journey to Arm: Embracing innovation and customer benefits

    Microsoft has a longstanding history of contributing to Arm architecture and integrating Arm technology. This experience has enabled us to develop important industry standards that prepared the Arm architecture for datacenter-scale computing. We have also been working closely with Arm on industry initiatives such as ServerReady and SystemReady and received industry recognition for both initiatives. Our journey into Arm-based VMs is based on a vision to deliver superior price-performance and power efficiency. The Cobalt 100-based VMs embody this vision by offering these benefits. By embracing Arm-based VMs, we have been able to offer our customers a unique combination of performance and cost effectiveness.

    Developer ecosystem 

    The developer ecosystem for Arm continues to thrive and has seen tremendous progress in the last couple of years. Major developer platforms and languages such as C++, .NET, and Java provide Arm-native versions. We have invested in Arm-specific optimizations for each of these platforms and languages so we’re fully leveraging the capabilities of the Arm architecture.  

    The larger ecosystem has embraced Arm with many popular infrastructure and deployment solutions now available with native Arm support. GitHub Actions, GitHub’s continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) workflow engine, is an integral part of many developers’ workflows and used to continuously build, test, and deploy apps. This is now available for Arm in two flavors—self-hosted runners that can be hosted on an Arm VM or on local Arm hardware, and GitHub-hosted runners. 

    Containers are a popular deployment target for many reasons: a streamlined development workflow, isolation and security, efficient resource utilization, portability, and reproducibility. Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) now supports the creation of Arm agent nodes as well as mixing x86 and Arm architecture nodes within a cluster. 

    Specifications

    You can select from a range of Azure Virtual Machines of three memory ratios for a given vCPU size, giving you the flexibility to choose the configuration that works best for your workloads in terms of CPU performance and memory needs. All these VM series are available with and without local disks so that you can deploy the option that best fits your workload.  

    • The new Dpsv6-series and Dpdsv6-series general-purpose VMs offer up to 96 vCPUs and 384 GiB of RAM (4:1 memory-to-vCPU ratio). They are ideal for scale-out workloads, cloud-native solutions like AKS, small to medium open-source databases, application servers, and web servers. Arm developers can use these VMs in CI/CD pipelines, development, and test scenarios.
    • The new Dplsv6-series and Dpldsv6-series VMs provide up to 96 vCPUs and 192 GiB of RAM (2:1 memory-to-vCPU ratio). They are perfect for media encoding, small databases, gaming servers, microservices, and workloads that don’t need high RAM per vCPU.  
    • The new Epsv6-series and Epdsv6-series memory-optimized VMs offer up to 96 vCPUs and 672 GiB of RAM (up to 8:1 memory-to-vCPU ratio). These VMs are designed for memory-intensive workloads such as large databases, in-memory caching applications, and data analytics.

    The new virtual machines support all remote disk types such as Standard SSD, Standard HDD, Premium SSD and Ultra Disk storage. To learn more about various disk types and their regional availability, please refer to Azure managed disk type. Disk storage is billed separately from virtual machines. You can deploy these new VMs using existing methods including the Azure portal, SDKs, APIs, PowerShell, and the command-line interface (CLI). 

    You can learn more about the new Azure Cobalt 100-based VMs by visiting the specification pages: Dpsv6-series, Dpdsv6-series, Dplsv6-series, Dpldsv6-series, Epsv6-series, Epdsv6-series.   

    Pricing 

    To learn more about the pricing of Azure Cobalt 100-based VMs, please visit the Azure Virtual Machines pricing and Pricing calculator pages. 

    You can also take advantage of Reserved Instances, Azure savings plan for compute, and Spot Virtual Machines to lower your costs. Reserved VM Instances can reduce costs and improve your budget forecasting through upfront one-year or three-year commitments. For a limited time, you can save up to 15% more when you purchase one-year Azure Reserved Virtual Machine (VM) Instances for select Linux VMs. This offer is available between from October 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025. See here for more details. The Azure savings plan for compute gives you the flexibility to save across multiple Azure services, including Azure VMs. Spot Virtual Machines can significantly reduce the cost of running in Azure and further optimize your cloud spend for workloads that can tolerate interruptions and have flexible execution time.

    A new era of price performance and power efficiency

    The general availability of Azure Cobalt 100-based VMs marks the beginning of a new era in Azure’s infrastructure. With our custom silicon program, we are delivering exceptional price performance and power efficiency to our customers. We are excited to see the impact of these innovations on our customers’ businesses and we look forward to bringing even better solutions to our customers in the future.

    Thank you for joining us on this exciting journey.

    For questions, please go to Azure Support and our experts will be there to help you. 

    Additional resources 

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin Pushes USDA to Provide Immediate Assistance for Wisconsin Farmers Impacted by Pure Prairie Poultry Closure

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
    WISCONSIN – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide immediate assistance for Wisconsin farmers impacted by the sudden closure of Pure Prairie Poultry, which has left poultry farmers in Wisconsin staring down crippling financial losses without feed and a processor for their birds.
    “Hard-working Wisconsin farmers across our state have been left high and dry by the abrupt closure of Pure Prairie Poultry,” said Senator Baldwin. “Our agriculture industry is the beating heart of many of our communities and, in the face of this dire situation, I’m calling on USDA to do everything they can for these Wisconsin farmers who now stare down financial ruin through no fault of their own.”
    In September, Pure Prairie Poultry, an Iowa-based Poultry processor, abruptly closed its plant, leaving farmers across Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota without access to feed for their chickens or capacity to process the birds. In her letter today, Senator Baldwin continues her to call on USDA to intervene and assist farmers who now face extreme financial hardship, especially given USDA’s substantial investment of over $47 million in Pure Prairie Poultry prior to their closure. 
    Senator Baldwin also raised concerns for the animal’s well-being and the potential for this closure to exasperate the avian flu outbreak as farmers are resorting to giving away chickens by the tens of thousands.
    Today, Senator Baldwin called on USDA to immediately address this emergency for Wisconsin farmers by:
    Engaging with the Wisconsin State Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) to locate all impacted producers;
    Providing feed and/or financial assistance to all impacted farmers to make them whole again;
    Providing recommendations for legislative or regulatory solutions to ensure a preventable emergency like this never happens again.
    A full version of this letter is available here and below.
    Dear Secretary Vilsack,
    I write to you to request immediate assistance for Wisconsin farmers and producers impacted by the bankruptcy of Pure Prairie Poultry.
    In September, Pure Prairie Poultry filed for bankruptcy and has since abruptly closed, leaving farmers without access to feed for their chickens or capacity to process the birds. As the lead federal agency with a significant financial interest in the company, including over $47 million in investments by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I urge to use your resources and authority to mitigate this hardship for impacted farms in Wisconsin.
    This situation remains urgent due to the hundreds of thousands of animals’ lives at risk and the financial hit for the farmers that contracted with this processor. I believe there is a strong case for the agency to intervene based on the animal welfare concerns. There is also an ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza that poses a serious risk of spreading as farmers have no better option than to give away chickens by the tens of thousands. The hardship for producers and potential threat of this disease underscores the need for timely support for Wisconsin farmers.
    Therefore, I request that the agency take the following steps to mitigate the ongoing animal welfare and farmgate emergency in Wisconsin:
    Engage with the Wisconsin State Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection to locate all impacted producers;
    Provide feed and/or financial assistance to all impacted farmers to make them whole again;
    Provide recommendations for legislative or regulatory solutions to ensure a preventable emergency like this never happens again.
    Thank you for your time an attention to this matter. I hope we can work together to provide a solution to Wisconsin farmers who need it.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: EXL Schedules Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results Conference Call

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ExlService Service Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXLS), a leading data analytics and digital operations and solutions company, will release financial results for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2024, on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, after the market closes. An earnings news release, investor fact sheet and presentation will be published on the company’s investor relations website offering an overview of the financial results.

    The company will host a conference call at 10:00 a.m. EDT the following day, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, with Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rohit Kapoor and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Maurizio Nicolelli, who will provide insights into the company’s operational and financial results.

    To listen to an audio-only live webcast or to participate in the call, please register here. A replay of the webcast will be available for approximately one year.

    EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS) is a leading data analytics and digital operations and solutions company. We partner with clients using a data and AI-led approach to reinvent business models, drive better business outcomes and unlock growth with speed. EXL harnesses the power of data, analytics, AI, and deep industry knowledge to transform operations for the world’s leading corporations in industries including insurance, healthcare, banking and financial services, media and retail, among others. EXL was founded in 1999 with the core values of innovation, collaboration, excellence, integrity and respect. We are headquartered in New York and have more than 55,000 employees spanning six continents. For more information, visit http://www.exlservice.com.

    Contact:
    John Kristoff
    Vice President, Head of Investor Relations
    +1 212 209 4613
    ir@exlservice.com 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Polis Administration Announces Three New IHIP Grant Recipients Supporting Creation of Over 480 Housing Units

    Source: US State of Colorado

    DENVER – Today, Governor Polis and the Business Funding & Incentives division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced three new recipients of the Innovative Housing Incentive Program (IHIP) grant. This transformational grant continues the Polis Administration’s work to increase the supply of housing across Colorado. The funding announced today will directly incentivize the creation of over 480 attainable housing units across Colorado.

    “We need more housing now, and this new round of IHIP grant funding will help create 480 new housing units for Coloradans,” said Governor Jared Polis. “With more housing, more people will be able to live in terrific communities  close to work and recreation.”

    With this latest round of grants, the Polis Administration has awarded 12 IHIP grants directly incentivizing the creation of 2,000 attainable housing units across Colorado and contributing to the recipients’ work to create more than 7,500 units over the next three years.

    “The Innovative Housing Incentive Program Is making a measurable difference in Colorado’s housing supply, and we know that impact will grow over time ,” says Eve Lieberman, Executive Director of OEDIT. “We’re proud of the work these companies are doing to address Colorado’s housing shortage and help us ensure that our state has housing for every budget.”

    All three grant recipients are based in Colorado, with awards ranging from $100,000 to $722,000 in performance-based funding. Recipients include:

    3D West – Colorado Springs- 3D West offers modern building technologies and pre-manufactured building methods for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU), affordable housing and multifamily units. The company plans to build their first four units in partnership with Alquist 3D and StructureBot, both companies that have been supported by OEDIT programming to expand in the state. 3D West is approved for up to $100,000.

    BYLD – Commerce City- This software and hardware company is transforming the construction industry with its unique paint-by-numbers approach, which significantly reduces labor costs and accelerates construction timelines. This innovative method streamlines the building process, enhancing efficiency and productivity. BYLD is approved for up to $722,000 in per-unit cash rewards for constructing over 350 units across Colorado over the next three years.

    Studio Shed – Louisville- Established in 2008, Studio Shed is a leading manufacturer of panelized kit buildings, specializing in backyard sheds, ADUs and multifamily housing. Studio Shed has been at the forefront of innovative, scalable building solutions and has been approved to receive up to $180,000 in performance-based grant funding, at $1,500 per unit. The company plans to in turn share a $1,500 discount with its customers.

    About the Innovative Housing Incentive Program

    The Innovative Housing Incentive Program (IHIP) helps address Colorado’s housing shortage by supporting the development and expansion of the state’s innovative housing manufacturing businesses. IHIP is part of an emerging suite of OEDIT-affiliated programs that offer housing financing tools to help increase the supply of affordable and attainable housing across Colorado. These programs include the Proposition 123 Affordable Housing Financing Fund, staffing of the Middle Income Housing Authority and work by the Colorado Creative Industries Division via the Community Revitalization and Space to Create programs.

    About Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)

    The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) works with partners to create a positive business climate that encourages dynamic economic development and sustainable job growth. Under the leadership of Governor Jared Polis, we strive to advance the State’s economy through financial and technical assistance that fosters local and regional economic development activities throughout Colorado. OEDIT offers a host of programs and services tailored to support business development at every level including business retention services, business relocation services, and business funding and incentives. Our office includes the Global Business Development division; Colorado Tourism Office; Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office; Colorado Creative Industries; Business Financing & Incentives division; the Colorado Small Business Development Network; Cannabis Business Office; Colorado Office of Film, TV & Media; the Minority Business Office; Employee Ownership Office; and Rural Opportunity Office. Learn more at oedit.colorado.gov.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Speech for the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, at the Canadian Climate Institute and Net-Zero Advisory Body’s Fourth Annual Climate Conference

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Speech for the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, at the Canadian Climate Institute and Net-Zero Advisory Body’s Fourth Annual Climate Conference

    October 10, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario

    Check against delivery. This speech has been translated in accordance with the Government of Canada’s official languages policy and edited for posting and distribution in accordance with its communications policy.

    Hello.

    Thank you Gaëtan for that great scene-setting intro.

    I would first like to recognize the fact that we are on the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People.

    I am grateful to the caretakers of this land and water, and I ask that you join me in honouring the connection that the Anishnaabeg People have had to this land for millennia.

    This conference comes at a pivotal time.

    Building a cleaner and stronger economy in Canada is the course we are on.

    It is why we are all gathered here – we share a collective understanding and appreciation for both the economic opportunities and the environmental necessity in front of us.

    Now, I see many familiar faces around the audience.

    I know many of you have likely come from out of town.

    There are lots of hard-working people constructively working to attract and steer investment.

    Building a clean economy, like anything that is transformational, requires a vision and clear, bold steps to advance toward it.

    In every sector, we can see examples of that leadership—those stepping up with real vision.

    I think we just heard some great examples of that vision from the previous keynote.

    Two and a half years ago, the Government of Canada launched its climate plan, the most comprehensive plan in our history.

    We did our homework, building on the work of our predecessors, to give Canada a truly credible path towards carbon neutrality.

    Sector-by-sector, we showed how we could do it – how we could really do it – together.

    And since then, with the help of everyone in this room, we’ve put that plan into motion.

    Combine industry leadership, with a careful but ambitious balance of investments and regulatory tools: we are bending the curve on Canada’s emissions.

    I can tell you this is something I hear all the time.

    But more importantly our plan is working. Evidence of progress is rolling in.

    Recently, the Canadian Climate Institute, showed our country’s net emissions are starting to drop, between 2022 to 2023.

    The Institute also found that Canada’s economy continued to grow while emissions declined—what we call “decoupling.”

    What does that mean?

    It means growing the economy in 2024 does not mean more pollution.

    In fact, it points to the larger transformation underway.

    Now, Canadians may best associate our climate plan with carbon pricing.

    Could you blame them?

    But there are in fact over 100 measures we have put in place as part of our climate plan that serve as the foundation of a cleaner economy for Canada.

    Those measures have taken us from a place where, in 2015, we were projected to blow past our emission targets for 2030, to where we are now.

    Our emissions are now at their lowest point in 25 years.

    Never have we seen a drop in emissions, while our economy is chugging at full steam.

    This progress should not be taken for granted.

    We need to keep our horse in the race of a global economy that is moving faster than ever.

    I’m very pleased to share some exciting news from yesterday on how we’re trying to move the dial further on developing a clean energy economy.

    First: yesterday, the Deputy Prime Minister Freeland announced the guidelines for a Made-in-Canada sustainable investment taxonomy and mandatory climate disclosures for the largest Canadian private businesses.

    The sustainable investment taxonomy gives investors certainty on whether their investments are consistent with meeting global climate targets.

    It provides needed clarity that will boost financing from the private sector for sustainable activities across the Canadian economy.

    That includes things like building EV batteries, generating clean energy and decarbonization projects in heavy industries.

    The taxonomy will help direct investment to much-needed job-creating activities.

    Many of you will have seen the headlines on this…

    Simply put: Projects need to be credibly aligned with limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius to be considered a “green” or “transition” investment.

    Of course, developing these guidelines do not prevent investors from deciding where they wish to put their money.

    They are purely voluntary.

    But they do provide a common language on whether investments support climate goals or not.

    Similarly, requiring large businesses to provide climate-related financial disclosures to shareholders will help attract investment into sustainable activities across the economy.

    Disclosures help investors better understand how large businesses are thinking about and managing risks related to climate change.

    And we look forward to fleshing out that regulatory approach.

    We are building on the success of our Green Bond program.

    Like the taxonomy, Green Bonds direct financial flows towards those business opportunities that are key to reaching our net-zero targets.

    We have now launched Green Bonds twice in the market. First in 2022, and again earlier this year.

    Both times, the final book orders far exceeded the original offering.

    And because of that demand, we re-opened a third Green Bond this week.

    I am pleased to report that demand is still strong, and we are well over the offering amount.

    So, sustainable finance is the way to go.

    Let me give you another more tangible example.

    Last year, the Government of Canada delivered on the Clean Fuel Regulations, which encourages oil and gas refineries to lower the carbon intensity of their fuel production.

    Because of built-in incentives within this policy, we have already seen significant investments:

    Over $53 billion in investments have been announced across Canada in low-carbon intensity fuels such as green hydrogen, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel.

    For example, the oil refinery in Come-By-Chance, Newfoundland was converted into a major renewable diesel facility.

    The federal government supported Braya Renewable Fuels to commercialize its production of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel.

    It started operations in February 2024 and now produces up to 18,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel.

    Two hundred people work there full-time.

    These and similar companies now have the ability to create and sell valuable credits for supplying low carbon fuel to Canada.

    That’s progress.

    And it comes from creating the right support and incentive structures for the industry.

    I was delighted to listen to our previous speaker Adam Auer, the President and CEO of the Cement Association of Canada.

    It has taken determination to turn words into action, and guide the change we’ve witnessed in the cement industry over the past two years.

    It takes a lot of heat and energy to make cement using conventional processes.

    As you heard earlier this morning, the Cement Association of Canada decided they had to change.

    This industry released their roadmap to cleaner sources of fuel. And as you heard, they stuck to their plan.

    The results were apparent to me this summer, when I visited a green cement plant in St. Marys, Ontario.

    This is where carbon pricing—and in this case industrial carbon pricing—really gets a chance to shine.

    With money collected by the federal government from carbon pricing system on industry, we re-invested those revenues into an emissions reduction project at St. Marys Cement.

    There is so much misinformation coming at us through various channels that not everyone is sure carbon pricing works.

    It does, and here’s how:

    With money collected by the federal government from industrial pollution pricing, we re-invested in an emissions reduction project at St. Marys Cement.

    New kiln technology was installed that uses low-carbon fuels.

    This new process reduces the use of high-priced carbon-intensive fuels by up to 30%.

    This means less climate pollution and cleaner air for the town.

    It also increases the company’s long-term competitiveness and sustainability. And pride!

    Take a town like St. Marys with a population of under nine thousand people.

    A major employer in that town makes a significant low-carbon change in its production process.

    From that, we get direct positive results:

    • First, the sustainability of the jobs at the cement plant.
    • Second, the drop in greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to 9,400 gas-powered cars off the road for a year.
    • Third, they are saving energy costs for their business.

    Examples like this play out in countless communities across the country.

    Government has an important role in mobilizing the investments to get these projects underway.

    But how does Canada keep up the momentum? Well, let’s just look at the growing clean energy sector.

    Internationally, this sector has achieved lift-off.

    I mean, Europe is now at three quarters of renewable and clean energy sources. It’s incredible.

    Clean sources of power are reliable, they are increasingly cheaper to build and the energy generated is cheaper to store.

    Clean energy enterprises are in a state of super-evolution.

    In New Brunswick, the Burchill Wind Energy Project is one of the largest battery energy storage facilities in Atlantic Canada.

    It’s just outside of Saint John and is overseen by the Tobique First Nation.

    When I visited earlier this year, Tobique First Nation Chief Ross Perley, said it best:

    “One of our traditional values as a nation is to take care of the environment.

    Green energy projects are going to start taking over, and they’re going to dominate, and that’s the way to the future.”

    Chief Perley got it right.

    And it’s no coincidence that Indigenous Peoples in Canada are playing such a major role in the clean energy revolution. We see it from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

    Canada is already in a good position with the vast majority of our electricity from non-emitting sources.

    We know that demand will likely double over the coming decades.

    It is no longer a matter of doing the “right thing for the environment” but also the “right thing for business”

    Across the countries, companies are shifting investment towards cleaner industry to meet our future energy demands.

    That’s why we launched new investment tax credits for clean electricity production, which add to a range of programs supporting electricity.

    Labour groups have endorsed these credits because for employers to receive their full value they must commit to fair payment of good-paying union-level jobs.

    And we will launch the clean electricity regulations that back our strategy for a cleaner grid in Canada.

    There are so many opportunities awaiting, nationwide.

    You’re in this room because you have seen a business pivot or you have guided a business to respond to events, to adjust, to morph, to reinvent itself.

    Changing the way we power our daily lives and our Canadian society really starts with changing the way that we THINK.

    The federal government is here to guide growth, to support the science and to spark investment.

    Canada’s robust, clean economy will allow us to enjoy prosperous lives while respecting the natural environment, instead of destroying or exploiting it.

    The climate crisis requires us to be innovative together, to encourage each other, and to keep the conversations going.

    Thank you for your time, your thoughtfulness and for the perspective you’ll bring back home from this conference.

    Enjoy the day.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Press Release: FDIC Appoints Hansel Cordeiro as Director of New Office of Professional Conduct

    Source: US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation FDIC

    WASHINGTON – The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today announced its Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Hansel J. Cordeiro as Director of the agency’s new Office of Professional Conduct (OPC). 

    In June, the Board announced the creation of the OPC to serve as a single point of entry for employee complaints of harassment and other interpersonal misconduct.  In this role, Mr. Cordeiro will lead the OPC’s work to receive, investigate and report on complaints of interpersonal misconduct within the FDIC workplace. OPC will also determine and discipline anyone violating the FDIC’s anti-harassment or anti-retaliation policies.  Mr. Cordeiro will report on the work of the OPC directly to the FDIC Board. 

    Mr. Cordeiro was selected from among several highly qualified candidates after a competitive nationwide public solicitation.  Most recently, he served as Executive Director of Accountability and Strategic Business Management at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  In that role, Mr. Cordeiro led the FAA’s anti-harassment program, the largest program within the U.S. Department of Transportation; established the agency’s anti-harassment policies; and oversaw the receipt and investigation of allegations of harassment, sexual misconduct, and retaliation involving FAA employees and contractors, as well as management actions on substantiated allegations.  In addition, he oversaw anti-harassment training for more than 45,000 FAA employees and contractors. 

    Prior to his role at FAA, Mr. Cordeiro served at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in various executive and leadership positions, including leading efforts to remediate deficiencies in the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, which is responsible for improving personnel and organizational accountability within VA. Mr. Cordeiro also served in the Office of General Counsel as a principal legal advisor to several Secretaries of Veterans Affairs on employment and labor law issues. Mr. Cordeiro began his government career at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, where he developed and implemented several landmark reforms to the federal government’s personnel systems.

    Mr. Cordeiro has a Juris Doctor from the Washburn University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York.

    ###

    MEDIA CONTACT: 
    MediaRequests@fdic.gov

    FDIC: PR-89-2024

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DOE and NREL Launch Programa Acceso Solar (Solar Access Program) Providing Subsidized Solar Panels and Battery Storage to Puerto Rican Households

    Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

    Effort To Increase Grid Resilience and Energy Access for Low-Income Communities in Puerto Rico Enters Its Next Phase

    After Hurricane Fiona in October 2022, President Joe Biden visited Puerto Rico and pledged to leverage the technical support of federal agencies to improve the archipelago’s electric grid.

    In December 2022, President Biden signed the Fiscal Year 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act into law, which included $1 billion to establish the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF) to drive key investments in renewable and resilient energy infrastructure in the commonwealth. The fund also supports Puerto Rico’s goal of meeting 100% of its electricity needs with renewable energy by 2050. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Grid Deployment Office launched the PR-ERF in February 2023 to alleviate both the energy cost and grid resilience challenges that Puerto Ricans face.

    In the summer of 2023, DOE issued a funding opportunity announcement—a public notice to fund installations and consumer protection for its new Programa Acceso Solar, an initiative to connect low-income households across Puerto Rico with subsidized rooftop solar and battery storage systems. The funding opportunity announcement gave solar companies, nonprofits, energy cooperatives, and governmental bodies a chance to apply for federal funding. DOE also launched the Solar Ambassador Prize, a complementary competitive funding opportunity for organizations in Puerto Rico to help identify, engage, and assist with the intake processing of qualifying households for residential solar and battery installations. Currently, 14 solar ambassadors selected through the prize are actively working to identify eligible households for subsidized solar and battery storage installations through Programa Acceso Solar.

    The Programa Acceso Solar and the Solar Ambassador Prize make up the first round of PR-ERF funding. In July 2024, DOE announced the second phase—the Programa de Comunidades Resilientes (Resilient Communities Program)—to increase energy resilience for community healthcare facilities and shared spaces within subsidized multifamily housing. These PR-ERF programs will be implemented over the next few years with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) continued support of the program design.

    Building Energy Resilience Through Collaborative Success of the Programa Acceso Solar

    Applications are currently open for Puerto Rican households to apply to the Programa Acceso Solar, and solar installers have already begun installing subsidized solar and battery storage systems for low-income homeowners. The Programa Acceso Solar provides these installations with zero upfront costs, including education and support on how to use and maintain the systems through partnerships with several installers and community-based organizations.

    “The impact of the Programa Acceso Solar will be incredible,” NREL Project Lead Mike Campton said. “Thousands of people will be able to access reliable and affordable electricity for their homes. I am incredibly proud to say that NRELians played a huge role in delivering this positive impact to Puerto Ricans.”

    NREL’s team helped DOE determine which homes qualified for solar and battery installation and facilitated outreach and intake efforts. NREL’s Caleigh Isaacks, project manager, led the team assisting DOE’s Grid Deployment Office in developing, implementing, and managing the prize since the program’s inception. In addition, the NREL team has also contributed to outreach efforts, including webinars and training sessions, and played a key role in shaping the funding structure and rules.

    “It is truly special to be a part of such an important project,” Isaacks said. “The team’s efforts in collaborating with local community-based organizations for outreach and directly assisting homeowners across Puerto Rico are critical to rebuilding the grid there.”

    Thousands of low-income households across Puerto Rico are eligible for solar and battery storage systems through the Programa Acceso Solar. This includes households in areas most affected by frequent and prolonged power outages, as well as those with residents dependent on electricity-powered medical equipment.

    Energy analysts and software engineers at NREL, like Brian Mirletz, lead the research efforts to support the Programa Acceso Solar. Mirletz evaluated potential designs for residential solar-plus-battery storage systems using NREL’s System Advisor Model™. With this model, Mirletz determined how factors such as the energy needs of equipment for people with disabilities could impact the systems’ ability to meet critical loads during power outages.

    Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and the Mayor of Loíza, Julia Nazario Fuentes, talk with a homeowner who received one of the first solar and battery storage systems through the Programa Acceso Solar in July 2024. Photo by DOE

    In early July, inspectors from partner installers evaluated the first applicants’ homes to receive systems through Programa Acceso Solar. One inspected home now awaits the installation of an almost 6-kilowatt solar and battery system. The program will cover the majority of the homeowner’s nearly $200 monthly electricity costs. Once the system is installed, the homeowner will pay only $20 per month to cover maintenance expenses.

    “I’m thrilled to hear about the first of those systems being installed!” Mirletz said. “It is amazing to see a physical realization of the analysis work our team has done for this project in the last year and what it will mean for communities in Puerto Rico in the future.”

    Learn more about the Puerto Rico Grid Resilience and Transitions to 100% Renewable Energy Study and the Solar Ambassador Prize. Read about NREL’s grid modernization research.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lycoming County Disaster Recovery Center To Close

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Lycoming County Disaster Recovery Center To Close

    Lycoming County Disaster Recovery Center To Close

    HARRISBURG, Pa. – The joint Disaster Recovery Center located in Lycoming County will permanently close Friday, October 18 at 6 p.m. 

    Residents who continue to need the services available at a DRC can visit the other center: 

    • Valley Christian Church, 146 Maple Street, Westfield, Tioga County.

    The center is open Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

    Individuals and households impacted by Tropical Storm Debby from August 9-10 in Lycoming, Potter, Tioga and Union counties can visit any DRC to receive help and information. 

    Disaster survivors who have not yet applied for FEMA assistance can apply at a Disaster Recovery Center, apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA App on your phone, or call 800-621-3362. If you use a relay service such as video relay service, captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service when you apply.

    The deadline for applying to FEMA for disaster assistance is November 12.

    You can visit a DRC for help with other parts of the disaster recovery process. If you received a letter from FEMA about your application status, visit a DRC to learn more about next steps. DRC staff can help you submit additional information or supporting documentation for FEMA to continue to process your application. At a DRC you can also meet with representatives from Commonwealth of Pennsylvania agencies and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). 

    For more information on Pennsylvania’s disaster recovery, visit the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Facebook page, fema.gov/disaster/4815 and facebook.com/FEMA.  

                                                                                              ###                                                                                             

    FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters. FEMA Region 3’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Follow us on X at x.com/FEMAregion3 and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/femaregion3.

    Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 833-285-7448. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service. Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish and 3 for other languages).

    erika.osullivan

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Enovix to Release Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results on October 29, 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FREMONT, Calif., Oct. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Enovix Corporation (“Enovix”) (Nasdaq: ENVX), a global high-performance battery company, today announced it will release financial results for the third quarter of 2024 on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, after the close of the market.

    Enovix will hold a live video call at 2:00 PM PT / 5:00 PM ET on October 29, 2024, to discuss the company’s business updates, key milestones, and financial results. To join the call, participants must use the following link to register: https://enovix-q3-2024.open-exchange.net/registration. This link will also be available via the Investor Relations section of Enovix’s website at https://ir.enovix.com. Investors may also submit questions on the registration page that they would like addressed on the call by Enovix management.

    An archived version of the call will be available on the Enovix investor website for one year at https://ir.enovix.com.

    About Enovix

    Enovix is on a mission to deliver high-performance batteries that unlock the full potential of technology products. Everything from IoT, mobile, and computing devices, to the vehicle you drive, needs a better battery. Enovix partners with OEMs worldwide to usher in a new era of user experiences. Our innovative, materials-agnostic approach to building a higher performing battery without compromising safety keeps us flexible and on the cutting-edge of battery technology innovation.

    Enovix is headquartered in Silicon Valley with facilities in India, Korea and Malaysia. For more information visit http://www.enovix.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

    For media and investor inquiries, please contact:

    Enovix Corporation

    Robert Lahey

    Email: ir@enovix.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Return of UFC Octagon puts Sydney cage on the world stage

    Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

    Published: 17 October 2024

    Released by: The Premier, Minister for Jobs, Minister for Sport, Minister for Tourism

    The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will return to Sydney, attracting tens of thousands of fans, millions of dollars in spending, and millions of global television viewers, as the Minns Labor Government delivers on another election commitment.

    The UFC 312 event will be held in The Octagon at Qudos Bank Arena on 9 February 2025. This event is the second of three mega events the Minns Government secured as part of a four year deal with the world’s premier mixed martial arts organisation.

    The first event in the Sydney series (UFC 293) in September 2023 sold out in 13 minutes with 18,168 people attending. 9,500 (52%) were from overseas or interstate, injecting more than $15.3 million into the NSW visitor economy.

    The highly anticipated UFC 312 is also expected to sell-out and deliver another significant boost to the NSW visitor economy. It will also generate valuable global exposure for Sydney as the nation’s premier city for major sporting events through the UFC’s huge pay-per-view television audience and online following.

    There are now more than 700 million UFC fans across the globe, including a combined 233 million followers across UFC’s social media channels. In Australia and New Zealand combined, UFC has more than 4.3 million fans and 6 million social media followers.

    The UFC’s contribution to NSW goes beyond the Octagon, earlier this year the UFC signed a three-year partnership with PCYC NSW Fit for Life program to establish the UFC’s first youth mentoring initiative in the country.

    Today the NSW Premier Chris Minns, the Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham and the Minister for Sport Steve Kamper will join UFC Vice President for Australia/NZ Pete Kloczko and No.1 UFC featherweight and former champion Alex Volkanovski, to announce the global juggernaut will again light up the NSW sporting calendar.

    Ticket sales and the fight card for UFC 312 will be announced later this year. For all the latest information head to ufc.com/Sydney.

    NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

    “UFC’s return to Sydney is another step in us delivering on this election commitment.

    “Last years event was a huge success and we expect next years event will match that, showcasing Sydney on the global stage as a top destination for sporting events.

    “We are continuing to secure a calendar of unmissable events that help local businesses and create jobs, and that’s exactly what these UFC events do.”

    Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham said:

    “Hosting the UFC cage puts Sydney on the world stage, demonstrating that we punch above our weight when it comes to hosting blockbuster events.

    “When the Octagon comes to town, so do thousands of visitors who stay in our hotels, eat in our cafes and restaurants and visit other attractions.

    “Hosting the UFC alongside our calendar of incredible arts and cultural events like Vivid or SXSW Sydney, shows NSW has a diverse world class offering that will continue driving our visitor economy to new heights.”

    Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said:

    “The Minns Labor Government is focused on securing Sydney’s place as the premier destination of the Asia Pacific, and we are once again ready to showcase Sydney to millions around the world with UFC 312.

    “This partnership is delivering more than just a boost to our economy, with PCYC NSW and UFC partnering together to deliver a life changing program which will promote a healthy lifestyle and positive decision making.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 10.16.2024 Sen. Cruz Celebrates Announcement of Direct Flight from San Antonio to Washington, D.C.

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) released the following statement after the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced their intent to award an additional, beyond perimeter slot for a nonstop flight between San Antonio International Airport (SAT) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
    In May, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which Sen. Cruz co-authored as the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, was signed into law allocating five new, round-trip flights between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and previously excluded beyond-perimeter locations. In July, Sen. Cruz and Reps. Roy and Castro led a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers in urging the DOT to award a direct flight for the proposed SAT-DCA route.
    Upon the announcement, Sen. Cruz said, “I’m proud to have led Republicans and Democrats in delivering a landmark victory not just for the City of San Antonio but the entire Lone Star State. The new American Airlines SAT-DCA flight is the culmination of a years-long effort to connect our nation’s capital with the fastest-growing city in the country. My bipartisan provision adding five long-haul slots in this year’s FAA reauthorization bill overcame fierce, well-funded opposition. I am thankful to the many city leaders, partners, and stakeholders across the greater San Antonio region who entrusted me with this responsibility and united behind our effort to deliver for Military City USA. I am looking forward to soon celebrating with my friends in San Antonio as we step foot onto the very first direct flight from SAT to DCA.”
    Jesus Saenz, Director of Airports, San Antonio Airport System said, “The City of San Antonio has been fighting for a direct flight to Washington, D.C. for decades. Today’s announcement from the Department of Transportation is tremendous news for San Antonians and Texans and would not have been possible without the strong leadership of Senator Ted Cruz and Representatives Chip Roy and Joaquin Castro. San Antonio is excited for American Airlines to begin flying from Military City USA to Washington, D.C. very soon.”
    Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, President and CEO, greater:SATX said, “Today is monumental for San Antonio with the approval of a new nonstop route from San Antonio International Airport (SAT) to Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C. We are grateful to Senator Ted Cruz who championed this effort and to the Texas congressional delegation. San Antonio—previously the largest U.S. city without nonstop DCA service—now gains critical access to D.C. and Northern Virginia. This route will boost corporate retention, expansion, and recruitment, supporting San Antonio’s rapid growth and future development.”
    Lamar Smith, Former U.S. Representative, 21st Congressional District of Texas said, “Today’s announcement that the Department of Transportation will award a direct flight from Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport to San Antonio is a tremendous win for Texans, and especially for the people of San Antonio. This victory is the result of years of hard work and a united effort from countless stakeholders, including the City of San Antonio and organizations across South Texas. I was proud to play a part in that effort during the years I represented Texas’s 21st congressional district, and I am delighted to see it finally come to a positive resolution. The strong, bipartisan leadership from Senator Ted Cruz, who authored the provision and fought to include it in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, deserves special recognition as well. His relentless advocacy for San Antonio ensured this got over the finish line, even in the face of stiff opposition. This new, direct flight will help provide lower prices for consumers, bolster Military City USA’s connection to D.C., and grow the region’s leadership in healthcare, science, and defense sectors, and that is something we can all be proud of.”
    Wayne Peacock, CEO, USAA said, “Nonstop air service connecting Military City, USA to DCA in our nation’s capital has been a top priority for our region for decades. Securing direct-service flights will have a significant impact on the military community and their families serving here, as well as our fast-growing business community. This is a phenomenal milestone and the culmination of decades of persistent effort by local and statewide leaders working on behalf of our San Antonio region. Business leaders stand ready to support this new nonstop route and continue to build San Antonio’s presence as one of America’s leading cities for economic growth and development.”
    Joe Straus, Former Speaker, Texas House of Representatives said, “San Antonians have long sought nonstop air service to the heart of our nation’s capital and today is a victory in that effort. Nonstop air service to Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) is critical to San Antonio’s economic strength — especially in the sectors of cybersecurity, defense contracting, aerospace and financial services. Thanks to the dedicated advocacy of our elected leaders in Washington and key voices here in our community, our region is now positioned for continued opportunity and economic activity.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Barragán, García, and Horsford Introduce Resolution to Recognize September 22, 2024, as National Hispanic Nurses Day

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

    15 October 2024 

    Contact: Kevin G. McGuire, 202-538-2386 (mobile) 

    Kevin.McGuire@mail.house.gov 

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Representative Nanette Barragán (CA-44), alongside Reps. Jesus “Chuy” García (IL-04) and Steven Horsford (NV-04), introduced a resolution to designate September 22, 2024, as “National Hispanic Nurses Day” and to recognize the work of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) as the leading organization in representing and advocating for Hispanic Nurses.

     
    The designation of National Hispanic Nurses Day would raise awareness of the significant contributions of Hispanic nurses in their communities and the country, recognizing the importance of culturally and ethnically competent care within the nursing profession, particularly within underserved communities.

    The resolution also shows support for the goals and ideas of NAHN, including the promotion of health care equity and the elimination of health care disparities within the United States. Since 1975, NAHN has been the nation’s leading professional society for Latino nurses. With a growing membership and more than 40 local chapters, the non-profit organization represents the voices of Latino nurses throughout the United States.

    “As the sister of a nurse, I see firsthand the hard work of Hispanic nurses within all of our communities,” said Rep. Barragan. “Hispanic nurses play a critical role in advancing healthcare for under resourced communities and add much needed diversity to the nursing profession. As we close out National Hispanic Heritage Month, which recognizes the history and contributions of all Hispanic Americans, I am proud to reintroduce this resolution to recognize the unique care provided by Hispanic nurses as well as NAHN’s work to support our current workforce and future nursing generations. Today, and every day, we must advocate for increased honor and support for our healthcare professionals.”

    “Hispanic nurses are key advocates for our community’s health care needs,” said Rep. García. “They provide care through culturally sensitive practices including speaking the language our community prefers. Their efforts uplifting appropriate treatments and approaches to address Latino community needs is critical to policy-making and resource allocation across federal, state and local agencies. On National Hispanic Nurses Day I’m proud to co-lead this resolution recognizing their work.”

    “Hispanic nurses often serve as the backbone of our healthcare system, leading the charge in providing lifesaving care and reducing health disparities in underserved communities,” said Rep. Horsford. “By recognizing National Hispanic Nurses Day, we can honor their commitment and contributions to the well-being of millions. I’m proud to join my colleagues in celebrating the essential role Hispanic nurses play in creating a healthier, more equitable future.”

    “The collective strength of Hispanic nurses is rooted not only in our professional expertise but also in our unwavering commitment to making a difference in the lives of those we serve,” said Veronica Vital, National Association of Hispanic Nurses, President. “The National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) has played a pivotal role in advancing health equity, promoting higher education, and empowering our members to become influential leaders shaping health policy. As a rich, diverse mosaic, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive and safe environment where every voice is heard and valued.”

    In addition to García and Horsford, the National Hispanic Nurses Day resolution is cosponsored by 13 original cosponsors: Representatives Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), Luis Correa (CA-46), Jim Costa (CA-21), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Rául Grijalva (AZ-7), Delia Ramirez (IL-3), Andrea Salinas (OR-6), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Darren Soto (FL-9), Mark Takano (CA-39), Juan Vargas (CA-52), and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07).

    The resolution is endorsed by the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.

    The full text of the legislation can be found here.

    # # # 

    Congressmember Nanette Barragán represents California’s 44th District.  She sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and works on environmental justice and healthcare issues.  She is also Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China, Pakistan renew currency swap agreement

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

    BEIJING, Oct. 16 — China’s central bank on Wednesday said that it has renewed a bilateral currency swap agreement with the State Bank of Pakistan.

    The total value of the agreement is 30 billion yuan (about 4.21 billion U.S. dollars), or 1.18 trillion Pakistani rupees, the People’s Bank of China said in a statement on its website.

    The agreement is valid for three years and can be renewed upon mutual consent, according to the statement.

    The currency swap arrangement will strengthen financial cooperation between China and Pakistan, expand the use of the two currencies, and promote and facilitate bilateral trade and investment, the statement said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Pokies? Lotto? Sports betting? Which forms of problem gambling affect Australians the most?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Russell, Principal Research Fellow, CQUniversity Australia

    ArliftAtoz2205/Shutterstock

    Gambling, especially sports and race betting, is a hot political issue at the moment.

    This is largely due to the recommendations from a 2023 report from a nonpartisan federal government committee, chaired by the late Peta Murphy, called You Win Some, You Lose More.

    This report recommended “the Australian government, with the cooperation of the states and territories, implement a comprehensive ban on all forms of advertising for online gambling”.

    This has led to lots of debate and controversy.

    Recently, Peter V’landys, head of the NRL and Racing NSW, claimed lotteries were more harmful than race and sports betting combined, citing independent statistics.

    Let’s explore the relative harm of different types of gambling and see if this claim holds up.

    Australians love a punt

    Gambling is widespread in Australia, with more than half of adults engaging in at least one form each year.

    According to the latest national data, lotteries are the most common type (40% of Australians buy a ticket annually), followed by race betting (17%), pokies (16%), scratchies (15.7%) and sports betting (9.6%).

    However, the popularity of a gambling form doesn’t necessarily reflect its harm. Different gambling activities have distinct characteristics.

    Two key factors mean that some gambling forms are more harmful than others: the speed of gambling and bet size.

    Pokies allow for frequent, small bets, with spins every three seconds. Race and sports betting can involve much larger sums and betting that is relatively fast, but still slower than pokie spins.

    Sports betting, in particular, is getting faster with in-play betting and microbetting.

    Poker machines, or ‘pokies’ are the biggest single source of gambling losses in Australia.

    Lotteries, on the other hand, are much slower-paced.

    People typically spend a small amount on tickets and wait for a draw to find out if they’ve won.

    Although it’s possible to spend a lot on tickets, people tend not to, unlike with faster gambling forms.

    The average spend on pokies among the 16% who play them is around $4,782 per year, compared to an average spend on lotteries of $377 per year. These are averages. Most won’t spend these amounts but some will spend far more, which raises the average amount.

    V’landys’ claim about lotteries being more harmful than race and sports betting was based on “independent statistics”.

    He said that of 100 people seeking help from a gambling hotline, 70 had issues with pokies, 15 with lotteries, eight with race betting, four with sports betting, and three with casinos.

    We were unable to verify these figures – if anyone has the data, we’d love to see the research to assess them.

    However, we do have publicly available data.

    What the data say

    The NSW GambleAware website’s 2020-21 report shows that of 2,886 people seeking help, 73.3% identified pokies as their primary form of gambling, while only 13 people (less than 1%) listed lotteries. Race betting accounted for 13.1%, and sports betting for 7.9%.

    These patterns were consistent with previous years.

    People who experience problems also usually take part in more than one form of gambling, as the NSW report showed.

    When these secondary gambling activities were considered, sports betting was cited by 35.5%, race betting by 33.5%, pokies by 19.5%, and lotteries by 13.7%.

    What we discovered

    The best evidence on gambling problems and harm comes from large-scale prevalence studies, typically commissioned by governments and conducted by independent researchers.

    These studies offer high-quality insights into how each gambling form contributes to problems.

    While one prevalence study is great, our team recently combined data from seven national and state-based prevalence studies. This resulted in a very high-quality dataset that we can use to study this question.

    In our analysis, we used statistical techniques to show how strongly each gambling form is associated with problems.

    These techniques give us regression coefficients, which are just numbers that tell us how strong the association is. A higher number means a stronger association between that form and gambling problems.

    The most problematic form was pokies (coefficient = 0.147), followed by casino games (0.136), sports betting (0.068) and race betting (0.038).

    Lotteries, with a coefficient of 0.001, were the least problematic and were not statistically significant even in our large sample.

    As you might guess from such a low number, there’s very little relationship between lotteries and gambling problems.

    What about prevalence?

    Prevalence matters too – while pokies were most strongly associated with problems, the number of people participating in each gambling form is also important.

    Let’s consider an analogy – a car that gives out a lot of exhaust fumes. That car is harmful, but if virtually no one owns one, then it’s not going to account for much pollution.

    The same idea applies for gambling forms. If a gambling form is very harmful but very few people do it, it doesn’t account for many problems in the population.

    It works the other way, too – if there is a very clean type of car that many people drive, they also won’t add up to much pollution.

    Similarly, if we have gambling forms that have very little association with problems, it won’t add up to many problems in the population, even if lots of people take part.

    The regression coefficients tell us how problematic each gambling form is. Prevalance tells us how many people do it.

    When we combine these two bits of information, we can work out the degree of problems in the community that come from each form.

    When we did this, pokies were responsible for 52-57% of gambling problems in the community.

    Sports and race betting each contributed 9-11%, with a combined total of around 20%.

    Lotteries accounted for just 0.1-1% of problems.

    Even if we include scratchies as part of lotteries, this only adds another 2-5% of problems, still far below sports and race betting.

    The real issue

    What’s the takeaway?

    Lotteries are widely played but are not typically associated with much harm.

    Sports and race betting, despite having fewer participants, are more harmful due to their faster pace and the potential for large, frequent bets.

    Lotteries involve slower betting and lower spending, making them much less risky.

    If we aim to reduce gambling harm in our community, the focus should be on pokies, which are widespread in pubs and clubs outside WA, casino games and race and sports betting.

    These forms have features that make them far more harmful than slower-paced gambling like lotteries.

    Alex Russell receives funding from Gambling Research Australia, the Department of Social Services, the NSW Responsible Gambling Fund, the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission, the New Zealand Ministry of Health, the South Australian Government, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, the Northern Territory Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade, the Alberta Gambling Research Institute and Arts Queensland. He previously provided statistical advice on projects to inform a casino group about gambling and gambling problems amongst their employees, and what could be done to reduce this.

    He is a board member for the Australian Loneliness Research Foundation.

    Matthew Browne has received funding from the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission, the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling, the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, Gambling Research Australia, the Alberta Gambling Research Institute, the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General, the Commonwealth Department of Social Services, the Office of Responsible Gambling, and the South Australian Independent Gambling Authority for various research studies on gambling behaviour, youth gambling, and the social costs of gambling, and gambling-related harm.

    Matthew Rockloff receives funding from Matthew Rockloff has received funding from the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission, the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling, the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, Gambling Research Australia, the Alberta Gambling Research Institute, the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General, the Commonwealth Department of Social Services, the Office of Responsible Gambling, and the South Australian Independent Gambling Authority for various research studies on gambling behaviour, youth gambling, and the social costs of gambling, and gambling-related harm.

    – ref. Pokies? Lotto? Sports betting? Which forms of problem gambling affect Australians the most? – https://theconversation.com/pokies-lotto-sports-betting-which-forms-of-problem-gambling-affect-australians-the-most-240665

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Daily progress for Thursday, 17 October 2024

    Source: New Zealand Parliament

    Order Paper for Thursday, 17 October 2024

    2.00pm

    Business statement

    Hon Chris Bishop, Leader of the House, made a statement about the business of the House for the sitting week commencing on Tuesday, 22 October 2024.

    Introduction of bills

    The introduction of the Auckland Harbour Board and Takapuna Borough Council Empowering Act Amendment Bill was announced.

    Oral questions

    Question Time is in progress.

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Victorian students will get ‘anti-Tate’ lessons – but much more is needed to tackle gendered violence in schools

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephanie Wescott, Lecturer in Humanities and Social Sciences, Monash University

    Monkey Business Images/ Shutterstock

    The Victorian government has announced new teaching resources to tackle the influence of “manosphere” figures, such as Andrew Tate, in the state’s schools.

    This follows ongoing reports of disturbing events involving sexist abuse by students in both independent and government schools in Victoria and around the country.

    But while this week’s announcement is a welcome and necessary step, we need a more comprehensive plan to eliminate gender-based violence in our schools.

    What is the ‘manosphere’?

    The “manosphere” is an overlapping collection of extreme men’s communities on social media that are anti-women and against women’s empowerment. This includes Tate, the “misogynist influencer” who is facing trial in Romania on charges of human trafficking and rape (which he denies).

    Our recent research found women teachers are increasingly exposed to sexism, misogyny and sexual harassment as the result of boys’ exposure to “manfluencer” ideas and behaviours. These problems are further compounded by the infiltration of far-right sentiments into schools, which has been linked to far-right online forums.

    At the same time, women teachers report they are not being supported by school leadership.



    Read more:
    We research online ‘misogynist radicalisation’. Here’s what parents of boys should know

    What’s in the Victorian resources?

    The new teaching resources were developed by education academics Helen Cahill and Debbie Ollis, in consultation with teachers, students and parents.

    They aim to give students skills to counter the influence of “Tate-types”, and to navigate issues such as consent, sextortion, pornography and gender-based bullying.

    They will be part of respectful relationships education, which is mandatory in Victorian government schools (following a recommendation of the 2015 Royal Commission into Family Violence).

    Problems with respecful relationship education

    There have been implementation issues with respectful relationships education.

    A 2022 review (of which one of us, Naomi Pfitzner, was an author) found problems with the funding, quality of resources and training supplied to schools, and with schools’ levels of commitment

    Previous research also suggests teachers may be hesitant to engage with controversial or tricky topics. There is a risk some issues are being left out of classroom discussions.

    Crucially, respectful relationships is not mandatory in all Victorian schools — independent and faith-based schools in Victoria need to opt in.

    In other Australian states and territories, respectful relationships education is not compulsory in any school system.

    We need more information

    Education departments around the country collect various forms of data about school life, such as learning and attendance. But we don’t have accurate national data on the prevalence of gender-based violence in schools.

    Without the full picture of how widespread gender-based violence is in Australian schools, it is difficult to resource and design an appropriate response.

    Gender-based violence in schools is inextricably connected to the endemic levels of violence against women in Australia.

    We cannot separate a broader culture that enables gendered slurs, misogyny and gender inequity — known enablers of gender-based violence — from attitudes towards women and girls in schools.

    We need more information about the experiences of female students and staff in Australian schools.
    Monkey Business Images/ Shutterstock

    What now?

    Women have been raising the alarm about sexual harassment of female teachers for decades. But on top of already slow or inadequate responses, the problem has become more complex.

    The proliferation of online misogynist content requires a new, tailored approach.

    Our current project with Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety is examining how online misogyny in the manosphere influences young boys and men in Australia. We will then create resources to support teachers and help make schools safer for all young people.

    It is shameful many girls’ first experience of gendered violence happens as students at school. And teachers deserve a safe workplace free from misogyny and sexism.

    Stephanie Wescott receives funding from Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS).

    Alexandra Phelan receives funding from Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS).

    Naomi Pfitzner has received funding from the Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety, the Victorian and Queensland governments and the Australian government. She was an author of the review into Respectful Relationships Education in Australia mentioned in this article.

    Sarah McCook receives funding from Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS).

    Steven Roberts receives funding from Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS), the Australian government and the Australian Research Council. He is a Board Director at Respect Victoria, but this article is written wholly independently from that role.

    – ref. Victorian students will get ‘anti-Tate’ lessons – but much more is needed to tackle gendered violence in schools – https://theconversation.com/victorian-students-will-get-anti-tate-lessons-but-much-more-is-needed-to-tackle-gendered-violence-in-schools-241473

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Select committee hearings on banking inquiry to start next week

    Source: New Zealand Parliament

    Media release

    Organisation: Finance and Expenditure Committee

    For release: 17 October 2024

    Select committee hearings on banking inquiry to start next week

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has released its plans for the parliamentary inquiry into banking competition, along with the written submissions received on the inquiry so far.

    Public hearings on the inquiry are set to kick off next week on Wednesday, 23 October.

    The committee has hearings scheduled with all the major banks—including the Australian-owned “Big 4” and the main New Zealand-owned banks—over the remainder of 2024. The schedule of hearings is appended to this media release as Appendix 1. Please note that the schedule is subject to change at short notice, particularly if the House of Representatives sits under urgency. Up to date information for the week ahead can be found on the Parliament website (see links at end).

    The committee received over 140 written submissions in response to its call for public submissions. Written submissions have been published online and are available on the Parliament website (see links at end). Over 60 submitters have asked to speak to the committee at public hearings.

    The committee intends to progress hearings with all submitters—including organisations and individual members of the public—in 2024. Submitters will be contacted in the coming weeks to schedule their time with the committee. We intend to organise one hearing focused particularly on rural communities and agricultural lending. Once the schedule of hearings has been finalised, we intend to publish the schedule via a further media release.

    The committee has invited members of the Primary Production Committee to attend all hearings. The Primary Production Committee has a particular interest in the relationship between rural bank lending and banking competition. We look forward to working with our colleagues from that committee over the course of our inquiry.

    The committee intends to consider the overall timetable for completing the inquiry once hearings have been completed. The committee also intends to consider whether it is necessary to invite targeted written cross-submissions once hearings have been completed.

    LINKS
    ENDS

    For media enquiries contact:
    Clerk of Committee
    Finance and Expenditure Committee
    Finance.Expenditure@parliament.govt.nz 

    Appendix 1—Schedule of confirmed hearings as at Wednesday, 16 October 2024
    Inquiry into banking competition

    Weds 16 Oct Weds 23 Oct Wed 30 Oct Weds 6 Nov Weds 13 Nov Weds 20 Nov Weds 27 Nov 2 – 6 Dec Weds 11 Dec Weds 18 Dec
    House sitting House sitting House not sitting House sitting House sitting House sitting  House not sitting Scrutiny week House sitting House sitting
      ANZ
    9.00am –
    9.45am    		   Rabobank
    9.00am –
    9.45am    		 ASB
    9.00am –
    9.45am    		 Westpac
    9.00am –
    9.45am    		     BNZ
    8.00am –
    8.45am
    TSB
    8.45am –
    9.05am    		 Kiwibank
    9.00am –
    9.30am
    Heartland
    9.30am
    9.50am
    Cooperative
    Bank
    10.00am –
    10.20am
    SBS
    10.20am –
    10.40am

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