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  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘Upcycled’ food is on the rise – here’s what you need to know

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Simona Grasso, Assistant Professor & Ad Astra Fellow in Food Science and Nutrition, University College Dublin

    Wonky veg are ‘upcycled’ from the dustbin. Civil/Shutterstock

    Whether customers are pleased to hear it or not, firms are selling “upcycled” food to tackle food waste internationally.

    Food with ingredients that were saved from the waste heap via verifiable supply chains is said to be “upcycled”. The term originated in the US, though it’s also been adopted on this side of the Atlantic.

    This rather broad definition includes byproducts from the food industry, such as spent grains left over from beer manufacturing, or apple pulp that doesn’t make it into juice.

    If you’re not familiar with the idea, perhaps you have already bought upcycled produce in the form of wonky carrots and potatoes. This is food that does not meet the visual standards of most supermarkets but is nevertheless still tasty to eat. Elsewhere, food manufacturers are making products that include upcycled ingredients.

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

    Why upcycle food in the first place? The US Environmental Protection Agency rates it as just as effective as donating or redistributing food to restaurants and shelters for reducing the environmental impact of the food system. Wasted food, after all, can generate potent greenhouse gases such as methane if left to rot in landfills.

    So it’s good for the planet if ingredients that would not have gone to human consumption are transformed into new food-grade products. But just how good exactly?

    How much of a product contains upcycled ingredients will influence its sustainability credentials. If they are listed at the beginning of the ingredients on the packaging then that indicates a large percentage of inclusion. Far down at the bottom suggests a smaller percentage.

    How much of a food has to be upcycled to count?
    Dean Drobot/Shutterstock

    Of course, there is only so much of an upcycled ingredient that can be added to food before it affects the colour, taste or flavour of the final product. It is important to keep a balance.

    According to the US upcycled food certification standard, a product only needs to contain a minimum of 10% upcycled inputs by weight in order to be certified as upcycled. This may only make a slight difference to a single product’s overall sustainability.

    Compare it with organic food. Both in the US and in the EU, a product must contain a minimum of 95% of certified organic ingredients to be labelled organic. The EU loosely defines “organic” as food that “respects the environment and animal welfare”.

    This is very far from the 10% required by the certified standard for upcycling used in the US. Of course, it would be quite hard to make an upcycled product with at least 95% upcycled ingredients. Think about a biscuit. Most of the major ingredients – flour, butter, sugar – would need to be upcycled. On the other hand, would 10% be enough to encourage you to buy food certified as upcycled?

    Before you spend on spent grain …

    While I believe that attempts to include upcycled ingredients in food formulations should be encouraged, however big or small, it is important to have rules in place.

    In the EU, upcycled foods are not regulated and there are no certification standards, though some product packaging may claim it contains upcycled ingredients. Consumers might buy a product with a sprinkling of upcycled ingredients thinking that it is a more sustainable choice.

    For example, a loaf of bread recently sold in Tesco was reported to contain 2.5% spent grain by weight. In other cases, the level of inclusion appears to be quite substantial. Granola sold in Ireland claims 30% spent grain from brewers, but it is not clearly stated in the ingredient list.

    Put to good use: spent grains from beermaking.
    BearFotos/Shutterstock

    Often, consumers are asked to pay more for upcycled food, even though it contains ingredients that would have otherwise gone to waste. This is because the producers are often small start-ups with high production costs that they must recoup with high prices.

    If sustainability claims are at stake, and if consumers are asked to pay more for upcycled foods, it is important to prevent deceptive marketing that could present products as more sustainable than they actually are. One way to do so is by carrying out a life-cycle assessment, a measurement of a product’s environmental impact from its production to its disposal. The manufacturer could do this as a way of reassuring the consumer and backing up any claims with evidence.

    If we want upcycled foods to become more common, and so reduce waste, we have to make sure consumers aren’t being misled. If consumers trust, value and understand these products, they are more likely to succeed in the market.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Simona Grasso 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. ‘Upcycled’ food is on the rise – here’s what you need to know – https://theconversation.com/upcycled-food-is-on-the-rise-heres-what-you-need-to-know-253306

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘Upcycled’ food is on the rise – here’s what you need to know

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Simona Grasso, Assistant Professor & Ad Astra Fellow in Food Science and Nutrition, University College Dublin

    Wonky veg are ‘upcycled’ from the dustbin. Civil/Shutterstock

    Whether customers are pleased to hear it or not, firms are selling “upcycled” food to tackle food waste internationally.

    Food with ingredients that were saved from the waste heap via verifiable supply chains is said to be “upcycled”. The term originated in the US, though it’s also been adopted on this side of the Atlantic.

    This rather broad definition includes byproducts from the food industry, such as spent grains left over from beer manufacturing, or apple pulp that doesn’t make it into juice.

    If you’re not familiar with the idea, perhaps you have already bought upcycled produce in the form of wonky carrots and potatoes. This is food that does not meet the visual standards of most supermarkets but is nevertheless still tasty to eat. Elsewhere, food manufacturers are making products that include upcycled ingredients.

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

    Why upcycle food in the first place? The US Environmental Protection Agency rates it as just as effective as donating or redistributing food to restaurants and shelters for reducing the environmental impact of the food system. Wasted food, after all, can generate potent greenhouse gases such as methane if left to rot in landfills.

    So it’s good for the planet if ingredients that would not have gone to human consumption are transformed into new food-grade products. But just how good exactly?

    How much of a product contains upcycled ingredients will influence its sustainability credentials. If they are listed at the beginning of the ingredients on the packaging then that indicates a large percentage of inclusion. Far down at the bottom suggests a smaller percentage.

    How much of a food has to be upcycled to count?
    Dean Drobot/Shutterstock

    Of course, there is only so much of an upcycled ingredient that can be added to food before it affects the colour, taste or flavour of the final product. It is important to keep a balance.

    According to the US upcycled food certification standard, a product only needs to contain a minimum of 10% upcycled inputs by weight in order to be certified as upcycled. This may only make a slight difference to a single product’s overall sustainability.

    Compare it with organic food. Both in the US and in the EU, a product must contain a minimum of 95% of certified organic ingredients to be labelled organic. The EU loosely defines “organic” as food that “respects the environment and animal welfare”.

    This is very far from the 10% required by the certified standard for upcycling used in the US. Of course, it would be quite hard to make an upcycled product with at least 95% upcycled ingredients. Think about a biscuit. Most of the major ingredients – flour, butter, sugar – would need to be upcycled. On the other hand, would 10% be enough to encourage you to buy food certified as upcycled?

    Before you spend on spent grain …

    While I believe that attempts to include upcycled ingredients in food formulations should be encouraged, however big or small, it is important to have rules in place.

    In the EU, upcycled foods are not regulated and there are no certification standards, though some product packaging may claim it contains upcycled ingredients. Consumers might buy a product with a sprinkling of upcycled ingredients thinking that it is a more sustainable choice.

    For example, a loaf of bread recently sold in Tesco was reported to contain 2.5% spent grain by weight. In other cases, the level of inclusion appears to be quite substantial. Granola sold in Ireland claims 30% spent grain from brewers, but it is not clearly stated in the ingredient list.

    Put to good use: spent grains from beermaking.
    BearFotos/Shutterstock

    Often, consumers are asked to pay more for upcycled food, even though it contains ingredients that would have otherwise gone to waste. This is because the producers are often small start-ups with high production costs that they must recoup with high prices.

    If sustainability claims are at stake, and if consumers are asked to pay more for upcycled foods, it is important to prevent deceptive marketing that could present products as more sustainable than they actually are. One way to do so is by carrying out a life-cycle assessment, a measurement of a product’s environmental impact from its production to its disposal. The manufacturer could do this as a way of reassuring the consumer and backing up any claims with evidence.

    If we want upcycled foods to become more common, and so reduce waste, we have to make sure consumers aren’t being misled. If consumers trust, value and understand these products, they are more likely to succeed in the market.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Simona Grasso 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. ‘Upcycled’ food is on the rise – here’s what you need to know – https://theconversation.com/upcycled-food-is-on-the-rise-heres-what-you-need-to-know-253306

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Bombing Iran: has the UN charter failed?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Caleb H. Wheeler, Senior Lecturer in Law, Cardiff University

    The recent US attack on Iran’s nuclear sites has prompted renewed questions about whether the UN charter’s prohibition on the use of force is meaningful.

    Considered one of the keystones of international law, article 2(4) of the charter specifically forbids member states from using force – or threatening to do so – against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state, or “in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations”.

    A significant amount of commentary exists about what the prohibition entails. This tries to clarify ambiguities around the terms “force”, “threats of force”, “territorial integrity” and “political independence”. Although no absolute consensus has been reached, it is commonly thought that member states are prohibited from launching armed attacks against other states, or threatening to do so, unless acting in self-defence or with the authorisation of the UN security council.

    Other exceptions have been suggested. These include use of force as part of a larger humanitarian intervention operation. There’s also a question of whether it’s permissible when a state is rescuing its nationals abroad. But the legality of either of these situations is contentious and remains unsettled.

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

    Early in its existence, the UN made concerted efforts to protect and respect article 2(4) and to comply with its provisions. In 1950, the security council authorised UN member states to provide South Korea with the assistance necessary to repel the armed attack launched by North Korea, triggering the increased internationalisation of the Korean war.

    While article 2(4) was not explicitly mentioned in resolution 83, it was alluded to through repeated references to North Korea’s “armed attack” against South Korea. As such, it can be interpreted as an effort by the security council to use its authority to address a violation of article 2(4), even if it did not clearly frame it in those terms.

    The security council also authorised member states in 2011 to take all necessary measures to protect civilians in Libya. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that the member states may have exceeded their authority in Libya and carried out acts that could themselves be construed as violations of the UN charter.

    Rather than just protecting civilians, as the security council resolution instructed, legal experts were concerned they had effectively intervened in a civil war. Any possible violations went unpunished by the security council.

    Security council actions taken with regard to Korea were, in many ways, the high watermark for the prohibition of the use of force, given the scale of the conflict. There are two reasons for that. First, a significant proportion of the wars taking place after 1945 have been domestic and not subject to the provisions of article 2(4). The prohibition specifically applies to a member state’s international relations so is not inapplicable when a member state attacks a group within its own borders.

    Second, the UN has failed to address many of the acts occurring after 1945 that might fall under the provisions of article 2(4). The reason for this inaction lies primarily in the flawed structure on which the UN is built.

    Chapter VII of the charter makes the security council responsible for addressing acts of aggression that would constitute uses of force under article 2(4). But it has repeatedly failed to fill that role, allowing states to commit these acts without meaningful response.

    The UN veto problem

    UN security council decisions can only be enacted when at least nine members vote in favour. This must also include the affirmative vote or abstention of all five of the permanent members: the US, Russia, China, the UK and France. This essentially gives each of the permanent members the right to veto security council resolutions.

    Permanent members have commonly used the threat of their veto in their own political interests. This can be seen in a variety of instances, most notably the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Both situations clearly involved uses of force prohibited by article 2(4), and in both situations the security council was prevented from acting by some of its permanent members.

    This inaction is consistent with the UN’s failure to address many other acts that might fall under the provisions of article 2(4), including US involvement in south-east Asia in the 1960s and the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.

    The security council’s failure to adequately perform its role has caused some to try and find a workaround. The Council of Europe, disappointed at the lack of accountability for Russia’s acts of aggression against Ukraine, has entered into an agreement with Ukraine to establish a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

    In the special tribunal’s draft statute, an act of aggression is defined to almost exactly mirror the type of conduct that would constitute a use of force under the UN charter.

    Bombing Iran

    Which brings us to the current situation in Iran. There is little question that the US violated article 2(4) when it bombed Iranian nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan on the evening of Saturday June 21. This is a clear use of force against the territory of another state.

    But even if the attacks themselves were not enough to establish a violation, they were also accompanied by US president Donald Trump’s suggestion that a regime change in Iran might be appropriate. These comments, coming immediately after the initial attack, could be construed as a threat of further force against Iran’s political independence should such a change not occur.

    Under the UN charter, such threats and uses of force should elicit a response from the security council. But just as with Iraq in 2003 and Ukraine in 2022, none will probably be forthcoming as the US will block any efforts to hold it to account.

    But equally chilling is the lack of condemnation of the US actions by its allies. German chancellor Friedrich Merz saw “no reason to criticise” the bombings, and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte insisted that the bombings did not violate international law.

    As the respected Dutch scholar of international law André Nollkaemper suggests, this refusal to condemn a clear violation of the prohibition of the use of force creates a real danger that the bar for when a state can legally use force will be lowered.

    Should that be allowed to happen it could further hollow out the prohibition, effectively making it less likely that states will be held to account for violating international law. Further, it could also lead to the return of a world where “might makes right”. This would undo more than a century of legal evolution.

    Caleb H. Wheeler 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. Bombing Iran: has the UN charter failed? – https://theconversation.com/bombing-iran-has-the-un-charter-failed-259751

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: People with severe diabetes cured in small stem cell trial

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Craig Beall, Senior Lecturer in Experimental Diabetes, University of Exeter

    A man having his continuous glucose monitor checked by his doctor. Halfpoint/Shutterstock

    The cure for diabetes is a life free from daily insulin injections. Based on that criterion, ten out of 12 people (83%) in a new clinical trial were cured of their diabetes one year after receiving an advanced stem cell therapy.

    This study used laboratory-grown pancreatic islet cells. They were infused into the liver, where they took up residence. Within a year, most participants no longer required insulin injections.

    One of the most striking benefits was the rapid prevention of dangerously low blood sugar levels, called hypoglycaemia. Before transplantation, all participants had at least two episodes of severe hypoglycaemia within the previous year.

    After transplantation, these episodes disappeared for all participants.

    These are impressive results, but what are stem cell therapies? How does the treatment work? How do they compare to other treatments? And what are the possible side-effects?

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

    What are stem cell therapies?

    Stem cells are cells that can be turned into almost any other cell type. The major benefit is that scientists in the lab can create the correct cells, the ones needed to treat a disease, and in the desired amount.

    In the case of type 1 diabetes, the required cells are pancreatic islets. Most of the cells in these islets make insulin.

    How does the treatment work?

    The laboratory-grown cells are infused into the body. A common place is in a liver vein, where the cells attach. The advantage here is that insulin delivered towards the liver works much better than, say, just under the skin.

    This is because switching off excessive liver glucose production is the primary action of insulin to correct blood sugar levels.

    In the current study, the function of the transplanted cells, a treatment called XV-880, improved within the first three months. Blood glucose levels were better controlled. No severe hypoglycaemia was found and a marker of insulin production improved.

    Throughout the first year, participants were able to reduce the amount of insulin they took, until most were free from insulin injections.

    What are the side-effects?

    The biggest downside of this new treatment is that all participants will need to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their lives. This will reduce the immune system’s ability to recognise the transplanted cells and remove them.

    This increases the risk of infections and certain types of cancer. That’s because the immune system plays an important role in removing potentially cancerous cells.

    In this new study, two participants died. On closer inspection, these were unrelated to the treatment itself. Most participants had upset tummies, with diarrhoea as the most common side-effect, in 11 of 14 people. More than half also had headaches and nausea.

    Is it better than other treatments?

    For many years, people struggling with severe hypoglycaemia have been able to receive new pancreatic islets from deceased donors. For a minority, this also leads to freedom from insulin injections over the longer term.

    Typically, two or three donor pancreases need to be pooled together to give to one recipient. People may also need a second infusion within a relatively short time frame. Islet transplants are typically limited by the amount of donor cells available, which is not enough.

    This new approach gives a standardised dose of cells, of known quality. The timing of the procedure is also not tied to the deaths of donors.

    This new study is also not the first. In 2024, a 25-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes received a stem cell-derived islet transplant, which also led to freedom from insulin injections.

    A 59-year-old man with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes was also cured with another type of stem cell transplant.

    Both of these treatments will require lifelong immunosuppression. This is undesirable for many people and may limit uptake.

    This is driving efforts to create treatment versions that do not require immunosuppression. There are efforts to enclose the transplanted cells inside devices that let insulin out but prevent the immune cells from getting in. There are also genetic editing techniques being used to cloak cells from the immune system.

    However, these approaches are further behind in clinical development.

    When might this be more widely available?

    This is difficult to estimate. Larger trials with XV-880 are planned. The same company planned to test an immunosuppression-free version of their cell therapy, called XV-264. However, this failed to work well enough in a small pilot study and will no longer progress through trials.

    There is also the issue of cost. It is not yet clear how much a treatment like this will cost. This will affect who can access advanced cell therapies. We also don’t yet know if and when the transplanted cells may start to fail.

    In this trial, the company is monitoring recipients for ten years in total. An initial five-year follow-up then a five-year extension study.

    This gives an idea of how long we might need to wait. Despite this, the recent developments give reason for cautious optimism. It may be possible in the not-so-distant future to have a life without daily insulin injections.

    Craig Beall currently receives funding from Diabetes UK, Breakthrough T1D, Steve Morgan Foundation Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge, Medical Research Council, NC3Rs, Society for Endocrinology and British Society for Neuroendocrinology.

    – ref. People with severe diabetes cured in small stem cell trial – https://theconversation.com/people-with-severe-diabetes-cured-in-small-stem-cell-trial-259569

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Alasdair Gray: unseen artworks offer insight into a profoundly creative and original artist

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Blane Savage, Lecturer in MA Creative Media Practice and BA(Hons) Graphic Art & Moving Image, University of the West of Scotland

    Artist, writer, playwright, illustrator – and the man who made the Oscar-winning film Poor Things possible – Alasdair Gray was one of Scotland’s great creative polymaths and eccentrics, now celebrated every year on “Gray Day” (February 25). A new exhibition at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow has opened to reveal a selection of nine previously unseen artworks from The Morag McAlpine Bequest.

    This is the first time works have been on display from the bequest gifted by him to Glasgow Life Museums following the death of his wife in 2014, which comprises artworks he created for her on anniversaries, birthdays and Christmas.

    A small show like this cannot fully do justice to the vibrancy and volume of Gray’s output, but these nine pieces give a broad flavour of the artist’s working style and idiosyncratic idea development.

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    Gray was a graduate of Glasgow School of Art where he specialised in murals and stained glass. In addition to being a talented artist and writer, he was also a professor of creative writing at Glasgow University.

    His landmark novel Lanark: A Life in Four Books (1981), a story within a story of adolescence, with the mythical Unthank standing in for Glasgow, has been praised as a modern classic.

    His influence on the Scottish art and literary scene was a powerful one. Regarded as the father figure of the Scottish Renaissance in art and literature, Gray’s postmodern work was a merging of realism, fantasy and science fiction, interwoven with his socialist political views. This was supported by his own book illustrations and typography. He inspired many young Scottish writers, including Irvine Welsh and Iain Banks.

    Gray was also a strong Scottish nationalist. Inspired by a poem by Dennis Lee, Gray’s epigram, “Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation” was inscribed on the wall of the new Scottish Parliament building when it opened in 2004.

    His creative works are deeply embedded in the psyche of the west end of Glasgow. Several of his murals are on display there, such as the one at the top of the escalators in Hillhead subway station, the surreal collages in The Ubiquitous Chip restaurant and the extraordinary night-sky ceiling fresco in Òran Mór, a church-turned-bar. These murals are a hybrid of styles, often black and white linear illustrations filled with colour, traditional painting and printmaking techniques.

    These “new” artworks on display show different aspects, stages and details of Gray’s creative practice when designing artwork for print, such as the Tippex-infused works that allowed him to merge disparate elements of his cut-out collages.

    The highlights of the show include the original artwork for his novel Poor Things, a subversive post-modern rewrite of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, set in and around Glasgow, and adapted by filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos in 2023.



    Read more:
    Poor Things: meet the radical Scottish visionary behind the new hit film

    The illustration features the anti-hero Godwin Baxter hugging two smaller figures – the reanimated Bella Baxter and Archibald McCandless MD, the primary narrator of the novel. They are surrounded by anatomical illustrations of body parts and in the centre a woman’s head has been cut open revealing her brain. Gray’s illustrative style utilises bold ink outlines, watercolour washes and solid blocks of colour.

    The front cover illustration of Agnes Owen’s A Working Mother (1994) with black line work and solid acrylic colour washes, reflects Gray’s interest in everyday life and how alcohol smooths over the cracks. Hung beside it are two versions of working class figurative character sketches for People Like That (1996), in a similar style.

    A black and white illustrated jacket design for Old Negatives (1989), Gray’s four-verse sequence describing aspects of love in its “absences and reverses”, has been designed using solid blocks of black with repeating motifs engraved within them.

    Also included is a self-portrait of Gray as playwright, together with a series of 12 small black-and-white portraits of the performers of his play in Working Legs: A Play for Those Without Them (1997) performed by the Bird of Paradise Theatre Company. Set in a world of wheelchair users, those who can walk are monitored by the welfare state.

    Gray was known for illustrating friends and family as revealed in his artwork Simon Berry and Bill MacLellan, Glasgow Publishers, Jim Taylor, Australian Writer and Printer, Shelley Killen, USA artist, where are all the figures of the title are roughly drawn with pencil and ink. The solid blue background is painted in acrylic, overlaid with Gray’s inked observations of each.

    On the ground floor is what Gray called “my best big oil painting”, of a Cowcaddens streetscape in the 1950s which is by far the strongest piece on display here. Gray takes a wide-angled, almost fish-eye lens perspective to capture a famous Glasgow neighbourhood that was partially demolished and modernised in postwar development.

    St Aloysius Church in Garnethill and Speir’s Wharf at Port Dundas can still be clearly seen, connecting us to the Glasgow of the present day. Gray’s narrative-driven imagery of daily life plays out, with local characters, playing children and besuited pals going out for the evening, all framed by street lamps and tenements immersed in a dark foreboding industrialised landscape.

    Gray’s illustrations and artworks resonate not only with a celebration of Glasgow’s places, characters and life, they also give us insights into the intensely personal psyche of a creative genius. It’s a shame that more of this particular bequest could not have been displayed, but an opportunity to see these previously unseen works is most welcome.

    Alasdair Gray: Works from the Morag McAlpine Bequest will be on show at the Fragile Gallery, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow until June 2026

    This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something, The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

    Blane Savage 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. Alasdair Gray: unseen artworks offer insight into a profoundly creative and original artist – https://theconversation.com/alasdair-gray-unseen-artworks-offer-insight-into-a-profoundly-creative-and-original-artist-259470

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The South African apartheid movement’s close relationship with the American right – then and now

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Daniel Conway, Reader in Politics and International Studies, University of Westminster

    The allegations of a “white genocide” against Afrikaner farmers that emerged during the tense Oval Office meeting between the US president, Donald Trump, and South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, on May 21 shocked many around the world. But it was merely the latest example of what has been a long-running obsession for Trump, which has been evident since well before he took office in January.

    In early February, Trump issued an executive order: “Addressing Egregious Actions of The Republic of South Africa”. The order included the allegation of “unjust racial discrimination” against the white Afrikaner community and recommended the establishment of an Afrikaner refugee scheme. In his meeting with Ramaphosa, Trump doubled down on US hostility to the South African government. He repeatedly claimed – and produced purported evidence of – so-called genocide against Afrikaner farmers.

    This level of hostility towards multi-racial, post-apartheid South Africa may seem to have come out of the blue. Some may think it was inspired by Trump’s close relationship, at the time at least, with South Africa-born business leader Elon Musk – who could be seen standing in the corner of the Oval Office watching the uncomfortable scene unfold. But the claim that white Afrikaners are victims of violent and vengeful black South Africans has a much longer history.

    It’s a history that goes back almost five decades. It connects white supremacy in southern Africa and the apartheid government’s international disinformation strategy with the evangelical Christian right in American politics. Some of the individuals and institutions that were vocal advocates of white-minority rule against the threat of black government in South Africa are the same people who have the Trump administration’s ear today.

    As the South African academic Nicky Falkof has observed, the claim of white victimhood is nothing new. She believes that “entire political agendas develop around the idea that white people must be protected because they face exceptional threats”.



    Read more:
    Trump and South Africa: what is white victimhood, and how is it linked to white supremacy?

    The apartheid years

    The idea that white South Africans face an existential threat emerged in the violent final decade of apartheid rule. It was a key narrative that the National Party government of president P.W. Botha liked to present to the outside world.

    In 2021, a former apartheid intelligence officer named Paul Erasmus published his autobiography detailing his work for Stratcom, the apartheid government’s international covert communications and intelligence agency. Erasmas detailed his work in the US and, in particular, Stratcom’s close links with Republican policymakers.

    One of the primary US conservative contacts was said to be Dr Edwin Feulner, a founder and president of the Heritage Foundation. Erasmus wrote that Feulner, who was a foreign policy advisor to Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, was “already well positioned to serve Stratcom the kind of high-level advice that we needed to temper growing international affection for the ANC as the first ruling party of a democratic South Africa”.

    The Conversation approached Dr Feulner through the Heritage Foundation to seek his comments on specifically whether he had any past association with the apartheid-era government in South Africa and received no reply on the matter. But in 1986, during Feulner’s presidency of the Heritage Foundation, it published a report presenting alleging “close links between the ANC [African National Congresss] and the communists and the way in which the communists exploit the ANC to manipulate Western opinion”.

    This history is key to understanding Trump Oval Office meeting with the South African president. The Heritage Foundation continues to have close links with Afrikaner nationalists. And it is well known that the foundation is central to Trump’s governing strategy, having published its Project 2025 on which much of this administration’s policy is based.

    The South African media outlet, the Daily Maverick, has investigated links between the self-defined Afrikaner minority rights movement, Afriforum, the Heritage Foundation and the Republican Party. Since Trump was first inaugurated in 2017, Afriforum representatives – including CEO Kallie Kriel and his deputy Dr Ernst Roets – have made several visits to Washington, most recently in February 2025, to speak with senior representatives of the Trump administration and representatives of the Heritage Foundation. For some time, Afriforum has claimed there is a white genocide against Afrikaner farmers.

    When asked directly about its relationship with Afriforum, a Heritage Foundation spokesperson denied any particularly close links between the two organisations, saying: “We meet with hundreds of individuals and groups every year.” He pointed to the Heritage Foundation’s recent round table and stressed the foundations’s “well-documented and long-running effort to work with leaders from across Africa”.

    Trump began to tweet about the killing of farmers in South Africa in 2018 and is very opposed to South Africa’s recently passed Expropriation Act. This act allows for the expropriation of land without compensation, but only if it is “just and equitable and in the public interest” to do so.

    In May 2024, the Heritage Foundation called for the cancellation of US aid to South Africa. It accused the ANC government of supporting Hamas and not aligning “with American values”.

    Religious links

    America’s evangelical Christian community was a strong supporter of the apartheid regime in South Africa. This is a key constituency of Trump’s electoral base. The historian Augusta Dell’Omo has documented the South African government lobbying of US televangelists such as Pat Robertson – an outspoken supporter of apartheid South Africa. As Dell’Omo argues, Christian evangelicals were not just vexed by threats to apartheid in South Africa. They were drawing a “direct link between the causes of Black grievances in the US and South Africa and a global threat to conservative and religious values”.

    There is not just an historical – but also an ideological – link between Trump’s attitudes to farm killings and land expropriation in South Africa and his vehement opposition to diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) programmes in the US. This white grievance politics continues to consider South Africa as a symbol of the overthrow of white privilege and the disorder that multiculturalism and black-led government ostensibly creates.

    As academic Nicky Falkof has argued in The Conversation: “The architecture of white supremacy depends on the idea that white people are extraordinary victims. This is the driving notion beneath the great replacement theory, a far-right conspiracy theory claiming that Jews and non-white foreigners are plotting to ‘replace’ whites.”

    Trump’s accusations against the current government in South Africa have their roots in the murky international disinformation campaigns of apartheid’s final years and the willing cooperation of key actors on the right of US politics and society. That white-supremacist politics from the past would continue to have currency in today’s White House is shocking. It should be opposed by all who support a democratic, multiracial and prosperous South Africa.

    Daniel Conway 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. The South African apartheid movement’s close relationship with the American right – then and now – https://theconversation.com/the-south-african-apartheid-movements-close-relationship-with-the-american-right-then-and-now-257663

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese Premier Attends Symposium with Industry and Business Representatives as Part of Summer Davos 2025

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    TIANJIN, June 25 (Xinhua) — Chinese Premier Li Qiang attended a symposium with industry and business leaders at the 16th annual meeting of emerging global leaders of the World Economic Forum, also known as “Summer Davos,” in north China’s Tianjin Municipality.

    After listening to the speeches, Li Qiang noted that the current international situation is undergoing profound and complex changes, creating serious challenges for the economic development of all countries.

    The symposium was attended by about 160 business representatives from more than 30 countries and regions.

    As the head of the Chinese government stated, the Chinese economy maintains the dynamics of stable growth, which is due not only to steadily improving basic indicators and active macroeconomic policy, but also to increased attention to the use of the potential of the market and enterprises. Companies with foreign capital also make an important contribution to this, Li Qiang added.

    China, the Premier of the State Council continued, offers broad opportunities for the development of enterprises with foreign capital.

    Li Qiang pointed out that in a chaotic and unstable world, it is necessary to act in accordance with the trends of the times, actively and effectively confront various challenges and uncertainties, and create a favorable environment for the development of enterprises.

    Against the backdrop of the profound restructuring of the global industrial chain architecture, the quality and efficiency of the industrial complex are particularly important, the Premier of the State Council noted. He added that China has strong industrial complex potential, and its industrial and supply chains are constantly being optimized.

    Stressing the importance of the speed of industrial adoption of new technologies and the capacity for incremental technological upgrading, Li Qiang pointed to China’s large initial user base of various products and services, which facilitates effective interaction between scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation.

    The Premier stressed that there is ample space and great opportunities for foreign enterprises to participate in scientific and technological cooperation and joint innovation in China.

    Noting that a stable environment for business development is of utmost importance, Li Qiang said that China’s economy has demonstrated stability that can withstand external shocks and maintain its own momentum. This stability, he added, is also reflected in China’s unwavering commitment to opening up, allowing multinational enterprises to achieve greater success and make greater progress in China.

    The Premier expressed the hope that enterprises from various countries will supply more high-quality products and services to the Chinese market, strengthen scientific, technological and industrial cooperation with Chinese companies, more effectively match supply and demand for mutual benefit and win-win results, and jointly promote technological progress and enhance industrial competitiveness.

    The Chinese side will, as before, encourage foreign enterprises to invest in China and establish business here, the head of the Chinese government assured.

    The symposium participants stressed that they remain confident in China’s economic prospects and open cooperation. They expressed their willingness to increase investment in scientific and technological innovation and ensure the smooth operation of industrial and supply chains, thereby achieving greater progress for enterprises in integrating into China’s high-quality development. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The Presidents of Belarus and Cuba Discussed Trade and Economic Cooperation in Minsk

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    MINSK, June 25 (Xinhua) — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Minsk on Wednesday, the press service of the Belarusian head of state reported.

    During the meeting, the leaders of the two countries discussed ways to strengthen bilateral dialogue with an emphasis on developing trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation. The parties also considered issues on the global and regional agenda, and the interaction of the two states on multilateral platforms.

    A. Lukashenko noted that Belarus offers Cuba not only the export of goods and services, but also active participation in the work to develop all mutually beneficial areas and directions based on a comprehensive and strategic partnership. “We are ready to introduce modern scientific achievements and technologies into the Cuban economy for the successful implementation of joint projects designed for a long-term economic and, above all, social effect,” the Belarusian president said.

    M. Diaz-Canel, in turn, pointed out that Cuba has the political will to give impetus to bilateral relations with Belarus in all areas, especially in the trade and economic sphere. “We are interested in stimulating and encouraging trade in goods. We strive for Belarusian companies to participate more in the implementation of the national plan for the socio-economic development of Cuba until 2030,” the President of Cuba emphasized. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar, Clyburn, And Over 40 Members of the House and Senate to the Trump Administration: Reverse Course and Fully Implement Broadband

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Representative Jim Clyburn (D-SC) and over 40 of their colleagues called on Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to fully implement the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program as Congress intended to connect all Americans to high-quality, affordable internet. This letter comes as the Department of Commerce announced substantial changes to the implementation of the BEAD program. 

    “We write to express our opposition to the Department of Commerce’s recently announced BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice,” wrote the Lawmakers. “The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program was established by Congress in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide high-quality, affordable, and sustainable broadband to connect the nearly 25 million Americans that continue to wait for high-speed internet access. We urge you to ensure that states receive the full funding and flexibility they retained prior to the issuance of the restructuring notice to fully meet these statutory objectives.” 

    “The broadband division of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law begins with this congressional finding: ‘Access to affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband is essential to full participation in modern life in the United States,’” the Lawmakers continued. “This fundamental reality is why the BEAD program was established to fulfill the subsequent finding that ‘the benefits of broadband should be broadly enjoyed by all.’”

    The letter was also signed by Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Angus King (I-ME), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) as well as Representatives Leger Fernández (D-NM-03), Bishop (D-GA-02), Bynum (D-OR-05), Carson (D-IN-07), Carter (D-LA-02), Cleaver (D-MO-05),  Davis (D-IL-07), DelBene (D-WA-01), Evans (D-PA-03),  Fields (D-LA-06), Figures (D-AL-02), Garcia (D-TX-29), Goodlander (D-NH-02), Hoyle (D-OR-04), Huffman (D-CA-02), Lofgren (D-CA-18), McGovern (D-MA-02), Menendez (D-NJ-08), Mrvan (D-IN-01), Neguse (D-CO-02), Pappas (D-NH-01), Scholten (D-MI-03), Sewell (D-AL-07), Soto (D-FL-09), Thompson (D-MS-02), Titus (D-NV-01), Tlaib (D-MI-12), Tokuda (D-HI-02), Williams (D-GA-05), and Wilson (D-FL-24).  

    The full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Secretary Lutnick: 

    We write to express our opposition to the Department of Commerce’s recently announced BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice. The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program was established by Congress in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide high-quality, affordable, and sustainable broadband to connect the nearly 25 million Americans that continue to wait for high-speed internet access. We urge you to ensure that states receive the full funding and flexibility they retained prior to the issuance of the restructuring notice to fully meet these statutory objectives. 

    The broadband division of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law begins with this congressional finding: “Access to affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband is essential to full participation in modern life in the United States.” This fundamental reality is why the BEAD program was established to fulfill the subsequent finding that “the benefits of broadband should be broadly enjoyed by all.” To achieve this goal, the statute states that funding recipients must “ensure coverage of broadband service to all unserved locations” before using any funds for other purposes. The restructuring notice appears to violate this requirement by allowing applicants to exclude certain unserved locations. Such an allowance would defy bipartisan congressional intent, which was predicated on the understanding that public investment was needed to achieve universal service precisely because building the infrastructure to cover many rural areas was too costly to be profitable. 

    In addition to excluding unserved, predominantly rural locations, the restructuring notice would likely result in others receiving worse service. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requires that “priority broadband projects” funded by the program be “designed to provide broadband service that meets speed, latency, reliability, consistency in quality of service, and related criteria as the Assistant Secretary shall determine; and [to] ensure that the network[s] built by the project[s] can easily scale speeds over time to meet the evolving connectivity needs of households and businesses, and support the deployment of 5G, successor wireless technologies, and other advanced services.” Of currently available technologies, fiber-optic networks are faster and more reliable and can scale speeds much more easily. We made the decision to invest larger sums now in broadband infrastructure that would be resilient and capable of meeting Americans’ growing digital demands for decades. 

    The restructuring notice also undermines the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s provisions designed to ensure that broadband service is affordable and put to good use. The new rules remove specific requirements that ensured that participating providers would provide a low-cost internet option for low-income customers as required by the statute. Additionally, while the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law specifically allows funds to be spent on “broadband adoption, including programs to provide affordable internet-capable devices,” the notice rescinds approval of previously approved “non-deployment activities” and puts all funding for these activities on hold. For example, this provision of the notice puts on hold a South Carolina plan to use BEAD program funds for virtual primary health—equipping low-income households in rural health deserts with access to the full suite of virtual health services at no cost to the patients. If the broadband infrastructure being built by BEAD program funds isn’t put to good use, much of the investment will have been wasted. 

    As reflected in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s congressional findings, high-quality internet access is a requirement to fully participate in the world, and the BEAD program is our once-in-a century opportunity to finish closing the digital divide. We fear this opportunity would be squandered by the restructuring notice and its changes to coverage, quality, and affordability. We therefore urge you to implement the BEAD program in accordance with the best reading of the statute so we can make high-quality internet accessible and affordable for all Americans.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK partners with Gavi to help save up to eight million lives by 2030

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Press release

    UK partners with Gavi to help save up to eight million lives by 2030

    New UK support will see millions of children vaccinated against some of the world’s deadliest diseases, Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced today at Gavi’s global summit in Brussels.

    • The UK will support Gavi as a leading investor in the Vaccine Alliance, committing £1.25 billion to vaccinate millions of children between 2026-2030.
    • The commitment will help Gavi protect up to 500 million children from some of the world’s deadliest diseases like meningitis, cholera and measles.
    • Gavi’s global vaccination work prevents the spread of dangerous infectious diseases while boosting investment and jobs in UK science as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.

    New UK support will see millions of children vaccinated against some of the world’s deadliest diseases, Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced today at Gavi’s global summit in Brussels.

    The UK’s new £1.25 billion pledge to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, extends a close 25-year partnership which has helped to vaccinate over one billion children globally against diseases like meningitis, to prevent more than 18 million lives being lost, and to improve countries economic prospects. Since 2000, when the UK was a founding member, Gavi has generated $250 billion in economic benefits through reduced death and disability. Gavi now receives investment from 56 countries and over 60 organisations. 19 countries have graduated from Gavi support, including India and Indonesia who have now become donors to Gavi.

    Today’s pledge will help Gavi in their mission to protect up to 500 million children between 2026-2030 and save up to eight million more lives.

    It will also have a positive impact at home, creating British jobs and growth, through partnerships with health companies like GSK, which employs about 14,000 people in the UK, as the government delivers on its Plan for Change to boost economic growth.

    Gavi helps strengthen the UK’s health security by preventing the spread of dangerous infectious diseases before they reach our borders. This reduces pressures on our hospitals and health workers, enabling an NHS fit for the future.

    UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy said:

    Gavi’s global impact is undeniable. Over 1 billion children vaccinated, over 18 million lives saved, over $250 billion injected into the global economy.

    I’m immensely proud of the role the UK has played in reaching these milestones. Our ongoing partnership with Gavi will give millions of children a better start, save lives and protect us all from the spread of deadly diseases.

    GSK is a leading supplier to Gavi, providing vaccines for diseases like malaria and human papillomavirus (HPV). Their partnership supports UK research, science and innovation.

    Earlier this week, Minister for Development Baroness Chapman visited GSK’s research campus in Stevenage, alongside the Gavi CEO, Dr Sania Nishtar and and GSK’s President of Global Health, Deborah Waterhouse. Together they discussed some of the world-leading research being conducted by British scientists, including on new malaria and TB vaccines.

    UK Minister for Development, Jenny Chapman said:

    Our modern approach to development means focussing on where we can have the biggest impact, and on areas the UK can lead. We must ensure every pound delivers for the UK taxpayer and the people we support.

    Our partnership with Gavi does just that. It will save the lives of millions of children around the world, to grow up safe from deadly diseases like cholera and measles. And it will make the world and the UK healthier and safer, helping prevent future pandemics.

    It is partnership based on the UK’s world-leading expertise, not just money. By rolling out vaccines developed by British scientists, Gavi puts our best brains and their innovations on the world stage, and supports UK jobs and growth.

    CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Dr Sania Nishtar said:

    The United Kingdom is one of Gavi’s longest and most committed partners. This pledge for our next strategic period reaffirms its status as a leader in global health and I am delighted that we will be able to count on its support in our next strategic period, working together and leveraging some of the best in British science and innovation as we save lives and fight outbreaks around the world.

    President Global Health at GSK, Deborah Waterhouse said:

    The UK’s world-class infectious disease research continues to inform our work at GSK and combined with our scientific expertise, is enabling GSK to advance malaria prevention and control, directly impacting global health agendas and access strategies.

    As a longstanding partner of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance – an organisation that plays a vital role in delivering vaccines to children in lower-income countries – we welcome the UK Government’s new pledge to Gavi, to help save up to eight million lives by 2030 and get ahead of disease together.

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

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

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Havasupai Tribe Private Nonprofits Affected by Flooding

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in the Havasupai Tribe of the July 25, 2025 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by flooding occurring Aug. 22-23, 2024.

    Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to PNPs providing non-critical services of a governmental nature who suffered financial losses directly related to the disaster. Examples of eligible non-critical PNPs include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools and colleges.

    EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    “SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”

    The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 3.25% and terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    The SBA encourages applicants to submit their loan applications promptly. Applications will be prioritized in the order they are received, and the SBA remains committed to processing them as efficiently as possible.

    Applicants may apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    Submit completed loan applications to the SBA no later than July 25.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to California Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by the Chinatown Apartment Complex Fire

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding small businesses  and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in California of the July 25, 2025 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the Chinatown Apartment Complex Fire occurring Sept. 13, 2024.

    The disaster declaration covers the California counties of Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Ventura.

    Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs impacted by financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.

    EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the small business did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    “SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”

    The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    Submit completed loan applications to the SBA no later than July 25.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Fengate Asset Management and Tilbury Properties break ground on new P3 student residence

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SARNIA, Ontario, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fengate Asset Management (Fengate), in partnership with Tilbury Properties (Tilbury), broke ground today on the new Lambton College student residence in Sarnia, marking the official start of construction.

    Fengate and Tilbury joined Lambton College students, employees, elected officials, partners, and community stakeholders on site for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the new student residence.

    “Fengate and our partners at Tilbury are proud to be delivering this essential home-away-from-home for students of Lambton College, and we are proud to be on site to break ground on the largest project in the college’s history,” said Mac Bell, Managing Director, Infrastructure Investments at Fengate.

    “Tilbury has deep roots in the local Sarnia community,” said Michael Kaye, Founding Partner at Tilbury. “In 1969, my grandfather’s construction company was awarded the contract to build the first ever Lambton College building on this campus. To be following in his footsteps and partnering with the College on this legacy project that will have a similar impact on the community and Lambton College students for decades to come is truly an honour.”

    Located in the heart of Lambton County, Lambton College is a globally recognized leader in education, innovation, and applied research. As the sole postsecondary institution in the region, the College plays a vital role in the community, driving economic development and diversification, propelling social and environmental innovation, and providing quality education to domestic and international students to ensure a thriving skilled workforce.

    Fengate and Tilbury were selected to design, construct, finance, operate, and maintain the new residence under a public-private partnership (P3) following a competitive procurement process. The partnership recently achieved financial close on the 311-bed on-campus residence and are targeting an opening date of September 2027.

    About Fengate

    Fengate is a leading alternative investment manager focused on infrastructure, private equity and real estate strategies, with more than $10 billion of capital commitments under management. The firm has been investing in infrastructure since 2006 with a focus on mid-market greenfield and brownfield infrastructure assets in the transportation, social, energy transition and digital sectors. Fengate is one of North America’s most active infrastructure investors and developers with a portfolio of more than 50 assets. Learn more at www.fengate.com.

    About Tilbury

    Tilbury Properties is a Canadian real estate development firm focused on purpose-built student housing. Founded in 2020, the company has over 1,000 student beds in various stages of development, making it one of the leading developers in Canada’s student housing sector. Learn more at www.tilburyprop.com.

    Media Contact

    Maddison Sharples
    Vice President, Communications and Marketing
    Fengate Asset Management
    +1 416-254-3326
    Maddison.Sharples@fengate.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: XRP Weakness Will Pass, PFMCrypto Launches XRP Mining Contracts to Turn Market Slump into Opportunity

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TRENTON, N.J., June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As XRP struggles to hold above the critical $2 resistance level, investors are increasingly exploring alternative strategies to navigate the volatility. Among the most prominent is PFMCrypto—a pioneering AI-powered cloud mining platform that’s making headlines with its newly launched XRP mining contracts, giving holders a fresh way to earn daily income.
    Though analysts warn that XRP may retrace to as low as $1.18, its long-term fundamentals remain strong. Many XRP holders—both institutional and retail—are now turning to PFMCrypto’s short-term contracts to secure stable returns even amid bearish market sentiment.

    Click here to explore the PFMCrypto official website.

    PFMCrypto Offers Practical Hedging Tool for XRP Holders During Downturns
    Amid shifting market sentiment, PFMCrypto has launched a series of short-term XRP mining contracts that require no hardware, no technical setup, and very low entry capital.
    A highlight is the 1-day XRP contract—completely free for new users. This low-risk, instant-return plan is backed by robust AI infrastructure, enabling holders to earn daily income regardless of price direction.

    XRP Mining Contracts Now Available on PFMCrypto
    PFMCrypto provides a range of XRP cloud mining plans tailored to every investor, from passive holders to short-term traders seeking hedging opportunities:
    1-Day Plan – $0 (Free for new users) – Return: $0.66
    2-Day Plan – $100 – Daily Return: $3.00 + $2.00 Bonus
    9-Day Plan – $1,000 – Daily Return: $13.10
    30-Day Plan – $5,000 – Daily Return: $78.50
    All plans come with full capital protection, ensuring that the initial principal is fully refunded at the end of the contract term—providing liquidity and peace of mind.

    Click here to explore more XRP mining contracts.

    Why More XRP Holders Are Turning to PFMCrypto in 2025?
    PFMCrypto stands out for its ultra-low entry barrier, AI-optimized yield system, and maintenance-free mining model. Users can start earning within minutes—no mining hardware or technical knowledge needed.
    Key Features:
    1. 100% Remote Access – No hardware, no technical skill required—just log in and activate your plan.
    2. Capital Protection – Full principal refund at contract maturity.
    3. AI-Powered Yield Optimization – Smart algorithms ensure consistent profits even in sideways or bearish markets.
    4. Daily Rewards – Predictable XRP payouts improve cash flow and mitigate volatility risks.
    In just the past week, PFMCrypto reported a 240% surge in new XRP miner signups, as users seek stable income strategies in turbulent market conditions.

    How to Start XRP Cloud Mining on PFMCrypto？
    1. Register: Sign up and receive a $10 welcome bonus + $0.60 in daily login rewards.
    Click here to register and claim your bonus now.
    2. Choose a Contract: Pick from over 10 XRP mining plans, starting with the free 1-day option.
    3. Start Earning: Activate your contract and begin earning daily rewards—no setup required.

    About PFMCrypto
    Founded in 2018, PFMCrypto is a global leader in AI-powered cloud mining services. The platform supports mining for XRP, BTC, ETH, LTC, DOGE, and SOL, serving more than 9.2 million users across 192 countries and regions. PFMCrypto is redefining how cryptocurrency holders earn sustainable returns, whether in bull markets or short-term corrections.
    As XRP begins to emerge from its short-term weakness, PFMCrypto offers a practical, low-risk solution for those focused on long-term value creation.
    Full details and participation options available at: https://pfmcrypto.net

    Media Contact:

    Amelia Elspeth
    PFMcrypto
    info@pfmcrypto.net

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/224e2a95-816d-44b5-ae10-c3e0e09643e6

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: XRP Losing Momentum? PFMCrypto Launches Regulated XRP Mining Contracts, Attracting Hundreds of Thousands of XRP Holders

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Farington, England, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — With XRP trading sideways in a prolonged consolidation range, a growing number of holders are seeking new ways to generate profit. In this context, PFMCrypto has emerged as a top choice thanks to its innovative cloud mining platform, offering passive income with high daily payouts—without the need for hardware or technical expertise.

    According to official data, users mining XRP through PFMCrypto earn between $100 and $1,800 per day.These performance figures are not forecasts—they reflect real-world results from millions of users. This is made possible by PFMCrypto’s AI-powered profit optimization and results-focused mining model.. For many XRP holders, this opportunity has become a financial safe haven amid uncertain price action.

    Click here to visit the official site: https://pfmcrypto.net 

    What Is PFMCrypto XRP Cloud Mining?

    PFMCrypto Cloud Mining is a remote digital asset mining platform that allows users to rent eco-friendly, high-performance mining infrastructure and earn cryptocurrency rewards. The platform supports a wide range of assets—including XRP, DOGE, BTC, ETH, BCH, LTC, and SOL—removing both the technical and financial barriers of traditional mining.

    With a 100% remote setup, users don’t need to buy expensive equipment or understand blockchain mechanics. Simply register, select a plan, and start earning daily rewards.

    Key Benefits of PFMCrypto XRP Mining Contracts:

    –  Daily High-Yield Income: Advanced contracts deliver between $600 and $1,800 in daily returns

    –  Principal Protection: Full capital is returned at contract maturity

    –  Multi-Crypto Support: In addition to XRP, users can also mine DOGE, BTC, ETH, BCH, LTC, SOL, etc.

    –  AI-Driven Optimization: The platform uses AI to dynamically adjust mining efficiency based on market conditions

    Flexible XRP Mining Plans for All Investors

    PFMCrypto offers more than 10 different contract options, allowing users to choose a plan that fits their goals and budget:

    $10 Mining Plan – 1-Day Term – Earn $0.60

    $100 Mining Plan – 2-Day Term – Earn $3.00 per day

    $1,000 Mining Plan – 9-Day Term – Earn $13.10 per day

    $5,000 Mining Plan – 30-Day Term – Earn $78.50 per day

    These flexible and innovative plans help long-term XRP holders generate stable income—even in sideways or corrective market conditions.

    Click here to explore more mining contracts.

    “XRP may not see a breakout in the short term, but that doesn’t mean investors have to sit idle,” said a PFMCrypto marketing executive. “Our platform allows XRP holders to continue earning daily income while maintaining their XRP exposure.”

    What Makes These XRP Mining Contracts Stand Out?

    –  100% Remote Access: No hardware or technical skills required—just log in and activate your plan

    –  Capital Safety: Full principal is returned at contract maturity

    –  AI-Powered Returns: Smart optimization ensures profitability even during price stagnation

    –  Predictable Daily Rewards: Improve cash flow and reduce volatility risks with fixed XRP payouts

    New users receive a $10 sign-up bonus and daily login rewards to boost earnings right from the start.

    Click here to become a new user of PFMCrypto.

    How to Start XRP Mining with PFMCrypto:

    1. Register: Create your account and get a $10 welcome bonus plus $0.66 in daily login rewards
    2. Choose a Contract: Use your bonus to activate a plan or select a different option to match your strategy
    3. Start Mining: Once your contract is live, PFMCrypto handles the rest. Rewards are automatically credited to your account

    About PFMCrypto

    Founded in 2018, PFMCrypto is committed to reshaping the traditional crypto mining landscape. For years, mining was reserved for tech-savvy users with custom rigs and access to cheap power. PFMCrypto has made mining accessible to everyday users—allowing them to earn BTC, XRP, and more without any prior experience or large upfront investment.

    For casual investors and crypto veterans alike, PFMCrypto provides a secure and legitimate way to increase crypto holdings and generate steady returns—even in turbulent market conditions.

    Explore the future of XRP mining today at: https://pfmcrypto.net 

    Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release does not constitute an investment solicitation, nor does it constitute investment advice, financial advice, or trading recommendations. Cryptocurrency mining and staking involve risks and the possibility of losing funds. It is strongly recommended that you perform due diligence before investing or trading in cryptocurrencies and securities, including consulting a professional financial advisor.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: XRP Losing Momentum? PFMCrypto Launches Regulated XRP Mining Contracts, Attracting Hundreds of Thousands of XRP Holders

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Farington, England, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — With XRP trading sideways in a prolonged consolidation range, a growing number of holders are seeking new ways to generate profit. In this context, PFMCrypto has emerged as a top choice thanks to its innovative cloud mining platform, offering passive income with high daily payouts—without the need for hardware or technical expertise.

    According to official data, users mining XRP through PFMCrypto earn between $100 and $1,800 per day.These performance figures are not forecasts—they reflect real-world results from millions of users. This is made possible by PFMCrypto’s AI-powered profit optimization and results-focused mining model.. For many XRP holders, this opportunity has become a financial safe haven amid uncertain price action.

    Click here to visit the official site: https://pfmcrypto.net 

    What Is PFMCrypto XRP Cloud Mining?

    PFMCrypto Cloud Mining is a remote digital asset mining platform that allows users to rent eco-friendly, high-performance mining infrastructure and earn cryptocurrency rewards. The platform supports a wide range of assets—including XRP, DOGE, BTC, ETH, BCH, LTC, and SOL—removing both the technical and financial barriers of traditional mining.

    With a 100% remote setup, users don’t need to buy expensive equipment or understand blockchain mechanics. Simply register, select a plan, and start earning daily rewards.

    Key Benefits of PFMCrypto XRP Mining Contracts:

    –  Daily High-Yield Income: Advanced contracts deliver between $600 and $1,800 in daily returns

    –  Principal Protection: Full capital is returned at contract maturity

    –  Multi-Crypto Support: In addition to XRP, users can also mine DOGE, BTC, ETH, BCH, LTC, SOL, etc.

    –  AI-Driven Optimization: The platform uses AI to dynamically adjust mining efficiency based on market conditions

    Flexible XRP Mining Plans for All Investors

    PFMCrypto offers more than 10 different contract options, allowing users to choose a plan that fits their goals and budget:

    $10 Mining Plan – 1-Day Term – Earn $0.60

    $100 Mining Plan – 2-Day Term – Earn $3.00 per day

    $1,000 Mining Plan – 9-Day Term – Earn $13.10 per day

    $5,000 Mining Plan – 30-Day Term – Earn $78.50 per day

    These flexible and innovative plans help long-term XRP holders generate stable income—even in sideways or corrective market conditions.

    Click here to explore more mining contracts.

    “XRP may not see a breakout in the short term, but that doesn’t mean investors have to sit idle,” said a PFMCrypto marketing executive. “Our platform allows XRP holders to continue earning daily income while maintaining their XRP exposure.”

    What Makes These XRP Mining Contracts Stand Out?

    –  100% Remote Access: No hardware or technical skills required—just log in and activate your plan

    –  Capital Safety: Full principal is returned at contract maturity

    –  AI-Powered Returns: Smart optimization ensures profitability even during price stagnation

    –  Predictable Daily Rewards: Improve cash flow and reduce volatility risks with fixed XRP payouts

    New users receive a $10 sign-up bonus and daily login rewards to boost earnings right from the start.

    Click here to become a new user of PFMCrypto.

    How to Start XRP Mining with PFMCrypto:

    1. Register: Create your account and get a $10 welcome bonus plus $0.66 in daily login rewards
    2. Choose a Contract: Use your bonus to activate a plan or select a different option to match your strategy
    3. Start Mining: Once your contract is live, PFMCrypto handles the rest. Rewards are automatically credited to your account

    About PFMCrypto

    Founded in 2018, PFMCrypto is committed to reshaping the traditional crypto mining landscape. For years, mining was reserved for tech-savvy users with custom rigs and access to cheap power. PFMCrypto has made mining accessible to everyday users—allowing them to earn BTC, XRP, and more without any prior experience or large upfront investment.

    For casual investors and crypto veterans alike, PFMCrypto provides a secure and legitimate way to increase crypto holdings and generate steady returns—even in turbulent market conditions.

    Explore the future of XRP mining today at: https://pfmcrypto.net 

    Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release does not constitute an investment solicitation, nor does it constitute investment advice, financial advice, or trading recommendations. Cryptocurrency mining and staking involve risks and the possibility of losing funds. It is strongly recommended that you perform due diligence before investing or trading in cryptocurrencies and securities, including consulting a professional financial advisor.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kamlager-Dove, Malliotakis Launch Recommerce Caucus to Power America’s Secondhand Economy

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager California (37th District)

    New Bipartisan Caucus to Champion the U.S. Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs Driving the Growing Recommerce Economy

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswomen Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D, CA-37) and Nicole Malliotakis (R, NY-11) announced the launch of the Recommerce Caucus, a bipartisan coalition dedicated to championing the growing recommerce economy—the buying and selling of pre-owned, refurbished, and secondhand goods.

    The caucus will prioritize empowering small sellers, expanding digital access, and strengthening sustainability through recommerce—a sector projected to reach $1.04 trillion globally by 2035.

    “As a lifelong thrifter and advocate for sustainable business practices, I’m proud to partner with Rep. Malliotakis to launch the bipartisan Recommerce Caucus,” said Rep. Kamlager-Dove. “Recommerce is more than a trend—it’s a growing economic engine that provides consumers with affordable, high-quality goods and gives entrepreneurs, small businesses, and resellers access to trusted, thriving marketplaces. Together, we’re committed to advancing policies that support the circular economy, reduce waste, and empower buyers and sellers nationwide.”

    “As more Americans turn to resold, refurbished, and repaired items, I’m joining my colleague, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, in launching the bipartisan Recommerce Caucus. We support the efforts of leading industry platforms to create trusted spaces for buying and selling in the growing secondhand economy,” said Rep. Malliotakis. “Supporting the growth of the recommerce market will help create new economic opportunities and benefit American small businesses and entrepreneurs.”

    “As the pioneer of online recommerce, we believe recommerce is about more than transactions—it’s about connection, sustainability, and unlocking economic opportunity. At eBay, we’re proud to support the formation of the new Recommerce Caucus and look forward to working with Congress to highlight how recommerce empowers small businesses, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts in communities across the country,” said Jamie Iannone, President and CEO of eBay, Inc.

    “Poshmark is proud to support the Recommerce Caucus, an initiative that aligns perfectly with our mission of putting people at the heart of commerce, empowering everyone to thrive. As a member of the PASS Coalition, we understand the positive impact policy can have on the secondhand market, and we look forward to collaborating with the Caucus to champion policies that support innovation and growth of entrepreneurship across the country,” said Manish Chandra, founder and CEO of Poshmark.

    “Etsy believes in the power of conscious consumerism and empowering small businesses and micro-entrepreneurs. The Recommerce Caucus is a shining example of how, by embracing the circular economy, we can champion a more sustainable future and create meaningful economic opportunities for sellers nationwide,” said Chelsea Mozen, Senior Director of Impact and Sustainability at Etsy.

    “The Recommerce Caucus supports Depop’s mission to make fashion circular. For us, this is about extending the life of clothes, empowering a new generation of creative entrepreneurs and connecting a global community that’s reshaping fashion. By advocating for policies that grow resale culture, we’re not only making desirable secondhand fashion more accessible, we’re also unlocking economic opportunities for individuals and small businesses. Together we’re shaping a more sustainable future where everyone can discover and express their style through circular fashion,” said Peter Semple, Interim CEO at Depop.

    “American Circular Textiles applauds Representatives Kamlager-Dove and Malliotakis for launching the bipartisan ReCommerce Caucus. For too long, resale, repair, and reuse have been sidelined in policy conversations, despite their critical role in reducing waste, creating jobs, and giving everyday Americans the chance to participate in the circular economy. This caucus reflects a long-overdue recognition of the entrepreneurial power and environmental impact of recommerce. At a time when consumers are price-sensitive and seeking more affordable, sustainable options, recommerce offers critical access—not only to income, but to quality goods at lower costs. We look forward to working with the caucus to support national policies and build domestic infrastructure that supports reuse at scale—from digital marketplaces facilitating global trade to local repair and resale hubs—to ensure the United States leads in circular innovation,” said Rachel Kibbe, Founder and CEO, American Circular Textiles.

    “OfferUp is proud to support the launch of the Recommerce Caucus. As a mobile-first marketplace serving communities nationwide, we know how important it is to make resale simple, trusted, and accessible—especially at the local level. Every day, our millions of users show us how local recommerce helps them earn income, find affordable goods, and keep quality items in use. We look forward to working together to ensure more Americans can benefit from the powerful economic and environmental impact of this growing movement,” said Nathan Garnett, Chief Business Officer, OfferUp.

    “Mercari strives to be a planet-positive company that contributes to solving environmental issues through our mission to help circulate all forms of value to unleash the potential in all people. We are excited to be part of the launch of the Recommerce Caucus in the United States Congress, and applaud Rep. Malliotakis and Rep. Kamlager-Dove for their innovative leadership recognizing the paradigm shift happening in retail as consumers are not simply looking to make extra money and find bargains, but also becoming more conscious about the impact shopping habits can have on the planet. We’re glad to have such thoughtful champions and are eager to work together to continue to grow the circular economy,” said Shintaro Yamada, Mercari CEO.

    The Recommerce Caucus is committed to:

    • Empowering small sellers and entrepreneurs by advocating for policies that help individuals and small businesses earn income through resale, repair, and refurbishment on digital platforms.
    • Promoting a sustainable, circular economy by supporting initiatives that extend product life cycles, cut down on landfill waste, and encourage environmentally responsible commerce.
    • Ensuring access to digital marketplaces by reducing participation barriers and promoting digital access so all Americans can fully benefit from recommerce’s economic potential.

    The caucus is endorsed by a growing coalition of leading platforms and advocates, including eBay, Etsy, Mercari, OfferUp, Pinterest, Poshmark, Red Bubble, and the PASS Coalition.

    Background:

    Recommerce—the resale, repair, and refurbishment of goods—is transforming the way Americans participate in the economy. In 2024, 58% of consumers purchased secondhand apparel, with 56% of those transactions occurring online. Platforms like eBay, Etsy, and Poshmark are lowering barriers for entrepreneurs and small sellers, while helping reduce waste and extend the life of everyday products.

    As consumers increasingly prioritize affordability and sustainability, recommerce is becoming a cornerstone of the circular economy. The Recommerce Caucus aims to ensure federal policies keep pace with this growth — supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs, fostering innovation, expanding digital access, and promoting sustainable commerce.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Moving Notting Hill Carnival to Hyde Park would wrench it from the community and history at its heart

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Maggie Inchley, Reader in Contemporary Theatre and Performance, Queen Mary University of London

    Shutterstock/JessicaGirvan

    Today’s Notting Hill Carnival, first held in its streets in 1966 when it was led by a Trinidadian steel band, is a glorious cultural blend. It’s a hotch-potch of traditions, music, dancing and food which commemorates the history of black British communities and integrates others.

    But the future of Notting Hill Carnival is now in doubt amid concerns that the event doesn’t have the funding to ensure the safety of attendees.

    One touted solution is to move the carnival to another location. Writing in the Guardian last year, retired black Met superintendent Leroy Logan recommended a more open space, such as Hyde Park. Policing would be far easier there, with walled boundaries removing escape routes for potential “trouble makers”.

    But holding the carnival in Hyde Park could alter the way that the carnival is enjoyed in ways that would be fundamental to the community it comes from.

    My research in creative performance with communities explores the joy that comes from participating in events and activities that celebrate our collective strengths and differences. I look at the important issues of lived experiences and cultural heritage in events like Carnival.

    This article is part of our State of the Arts series. These articles tackle the challenges of the arts and heritage industry – and celebrate the wins, too.

    The Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin (1895-1975) wrote of a “carnival sense of the world”. For Bakhtin, carnival was an unleashing of energies, in which hierarchies disappeared, and people were free to mix with each other.

    For his critics, the liberating energy that Bakhtin describes can be too easily co-opted to dominant cultures, especially where carnival can be made to serve the market’s insatiable appetite. While the democratising dynamics of carnival are valuable, it is also important to consider the particular histories and places in which its traditions and practices have developed. Even joy is contingent on place and context.

    The Notting Hill Carnival is currently free to over 1.5 million visitors. Controlling access would severely contract its size and almost certainly lead to commercial exploitation, reducing its renowned inclusivity.

    What’s more, the right to be publicly seen and heard carries intense symbolic significance for the Caribbean community. This is profoundly important in the wake of the 2018 Windrush scandal, in which the government tried to remove many black citizens who had lawfully lived and worked in Britain for decades under the terms of the British Nationality act of 1948.



    Read more:
    Unravelling the Windrush myth: the confidential government communications that reveal authorities did not want Caribbean migrants to come to Britain

    Many of this Windrush generation, a large number of whom lived in Notting Hill and north Kensington, made a huge contribution to the rebuilding of the British economy, having been invited to the country in the wake of the second world war. In their daily lives however, they suffered racism and harassment which undermined the right they had to make their homes as British citizens.

    The history of the carnival

    It is important to recognise that the sights and sounds of the Notting Hill Carnival are tied to the history of black people’s displacement and exploitation by white enslavers and colonialists. An exuberant street presence is a culturally distinctive statement of resistance and heritage.

    Author Dan Hancox has written about the fact that enslaved people in the Caribbean were not permitted to take part in the European colonialists’ Mardis Gras balls.

    Crowds at the Notting Hill Carnival.
    Shutterstock/Turgut Cetinkaya

    In 18th century Trinidad, a ritual called Cannes Brulees (sugarcane burning), in which sticks were used to perform the rhythms of African drumming, reconnected these transplanted peoples with their places of origin, and sounded an act of resistance.

    Liberation is still enacted today in the right to make music and dance through the streets. Interviewed by Hancox in 2023, CEO of the Notting Hill Carnival Trust, Matthew Philip, pointed to the significance of the newly emancipated black presence in Trinidad’s streets, from which they had been banned by their colonial masters, and their joyful mockery of the white governing class.

    Any considerations of safety at the Notting Hill Carnival must also consider how – despite this exuberantly joyful community celebration of black diasporic culture – the event has been commonly portrayed as a flash-point of racial tensions.

    Social geographer Peter Jackson has pointed to the racialised media representation of “black youth” after unrest in 1976, during which carnival goers clashed violently with a heavy police presence.

    Steve McQueen’s 2020 drama Mangrove portrayed the tensions with the police in the 1970s. In a notable scene outside Trinidadian immigrant Frank Crichlow’s restaurant, the film captured the combination of resistance and joy expressed in West Indian music and dancing. Crichlow was part of the Mangrove Nine, the group of black activists who were tried in 1971 at the Old Bailey for inciting a riot, after repeated police raids on Crichlow’s restaurant.

    The trailer for Mangrove.

    The group’s acquittal was an important milestone in the history of the rights of black people to live and work without harassment in the London area they were trying to make their home under difficult conditions.

    When West Indian migrants came to Notting Hill they were housed in slum conditions. They were charged extortionate rents, often in dilapidated properties once built for the wealthy. Having lived through this and built a thriving community, black residents have in recent decades been forced to move out following the area’s “regentrification”. The trend again points to the displacement of black and working class populations, this time at the housing market’s convenience.

    To relocate the carnival from the streets of Notting Hill would risk continuing these histories of displacement of black communities, and ignore the huge symbolic significance of street celebration to black people in Britain and beyond.

    Unquestionably, the government must act in the interest of public safety. As it considers the best ways to protect attendees, it will no doubt also assess the carnival’s considerable social and economic benefits

    To guarantee these, officials must work with communities whose heritage and citizenship is bound up with the carnival. They need to balance issues of safety with those of access and heritage, and with the need to express a joy that emerges not entirely spontaneously, but from long and complex histories of displacement, relocation and resistance.

    Maggie Inchley 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. Moving Notting Hill Carnival to Hyde Park would wrench it from the community and history at its heart – https://theconversation.com/moving-notting-hill-carnival-to-hyde-park-would-wrench-it-from-the-community-and-history-at-its-heart-259587

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: England’s free school meals rollout risks losing sight of which children need help most

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michaela James, Research Officer at Medical School, Swansea University

    New Africa/Shutterstock

    The UK government has announced an expansion of free school meals in England. Starting from September 2026, all children in households receiving universal credit will qualify, removing the previous income cap of £7,400 per year.

    This change is expected to benefit more than 500,000 children and lift around 100,000 out of poverty, providing a broader safety net for families.

    While this is a positive development, there are unintended consequences, particularly for researchers like us and policymakers who rely on free school meal eligibility as a measure of child poverty.

    Under the new rules, eligibility will no longer distinguish between the most disadvantaged children, those in low-income households, or those who receive disability-related benefits. That makes it harder to identify which children are most vulnerable and to target support effectively.

    Free school meal eligibility has long been a reliable indicator of poverty for schools and researchers. Without it, it becomes difficult to evaluate the effects of policies aimed at helping the most disadvantaged children.

    Wales has already introduced universal free school meals for all primary school children since 2023. Our team is currently researching the effects of free school meals in Wales. We are expecting to publish these findings later this year.

    shutterstock.
    Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

    The dilemma

    If there is no indicator of poverty, it is hard to evaluate which interventions or policies are working to help lift children out of it. This is particularly important when it comes to areas like nutrition.

    For example, concerns about food quality, choices and portion sizes matter far more when a child is experiencing food insecurity at home. Without this information, it is difficult to assess the likelihood that a child will have access to a nutritious meal outside of school, and if free school meals help to alleviate hunger and improve nutrition for the most vulnerable.

    The eligibility for free school meals was an indicator of a family living in poverty. This was available to people working in and studying education. It was possible to see how well interventions work to address educational needs, especially for those in low-income households.

    The eligibility for universal credit is not available in school data, so it cannot be used to inform how well educational interventions are working to reduce inequality.

    Without free school meal eligibility as a poverty marker, schools and researchers must rely on other sources. These are often less straightforward.



    Read more:
    More free school meals is a start – here’s what would really address child poverty

    Finding other sources of information about poverty means that people working in education and child health need to work with data experts. This needs teams of people, more time, expertise, approvals and governance agreements to access and combine data to do research on education and child health. This makes the prospect far more complicated.

    A local-area deprivation index can indicate if a child lives in a poorer neighbourhood but can’t confirm individual family poverty. Census data can be linked to educational records. But the census is only updated every ten years, which makes it less accurate for current needs.

    Asking parents directly about income or hardship is possible, but risks stigma and can be resource intensive.

    To improve health and education outcomes for children in poverty, free school meals remain vital. But as eligibility rules change, so must our data systems.

    A new way of identifying poverty, one that can be integrated into school records, is needed. Without it, policymakers and researchers risk losing sight of who truly needs help and whether current efforts are working.

    Michaela James receives funding from ADR Wales and UKRI.

    Amy Locke receives funding from a Swansea University Studentship.

    Sinead Brophy receives funding from UKRI, NIHR, European Union

    – ref. England’s free school meals rollout risks losing sight of which children need help most – https://theconversation.com/englands-free-school-meals-rollout-risks-losing-sight-of-which-children-need-help-most-258614

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Who called Shakespeare ‘upstart crow’? Our study points to his co-author, Thomas Nashe

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Brett Greatley-Hirsch, Professor of Renaissance Literature and Textual Studies, University of Leeds

    Left: A polemical woodcut deriding Nashe as jailbird (1597). Right: A copper engraving of Shakespeare from the title page of the First Folio (1623). Folger Shakespeare Library (left) and Yale Beinecke Library (right).

    London, September 1592. Robert Greene, a popular writer of romances, plays, and pamphlets – with an apparent predilection for pickled herring and Rhenish wine in prodigal excess – has died.

    Three pamphlets are published soon afterwards, each purporting to be Greene’s autobiographical deathbed repentance. The first to appear, Greene’s Groatsworth of Wit, contains a letter addressed to “those gentlemen … that spend their wits in making plays”. They were most likely George Peele, Christopher Marlowe, and Thomas Nashe, three fellow playwrights who, like Greene, could boast a university education – and who are entreated to find “more profitable courses” for their wits.

    Woodcut from 1598 depicting Robert Greene at his writing desk.
    Public Domain Review

    After first rehashing (or parodying?) common Puritanical attitudes towards the theatres (idolatrous places where male actors dressed as women and audiences were not only distracted from their prayers but also frequently pickpocketed), our author then changes his focus.

    He warns his fellow “university wits” against “an upstart crow beautified with our feathers that, with his tiger’s heart wrapped in a player’s hide, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you, and, being an absolute Johannes factotum, is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country”.

    This sentence appears to be the first reference to Shakespeare’s writing for the stage. That’s why it has assumed such importance and why the phrase “upstart crow” has become so well known.



    Read more:
    Upstart Crow: Shakespeare sitcom is really quite educational

    It seems likely that the author of the letter was criticising Shakespeare. Perhaps they intended to denigrate him as a jack-of-all-trades player-turned-playwright who, as far as we know, never attended university and – worst of all – attempted to write above his station, when he should have stuck to acting. The thrust of the comment seems clear enough: but who actually wrote the insult?

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    Readers at the time evidently had doubts about the authenticity of Greene’s Groatsworth of Wit and two prime suspects soon emerged. First, Henry Chettle, a printer and playwright who claimed to have acted as Greene’s literary executor. His role in the publishing trade may have given him the opportunity to intervene and slip in the attack.

    The second was Thomas Nashe, a “university wit” like Greene. He was a poet, playwright and satirist who first rose to prominence as a polemical author employed, alongside Greene, to defend the bishops against a series of Puritanical tracts.

    Both men, who seem to have been on friendly terms, were quick to deny any authorship of the Groatsworth. Nashe swore not “the least word or syllable … proceeded from my pen” and Chettle, while admitting he supplied the manuscript copy to the publisher, protested the work “was all Greene’s, not mine nor Master Nashe’s, as some unjustly have affirmed”.

    Should we take these assertions at face value or, should we wonder whether they are duplicitous, instances of protesting too much, as Shakespeare would have it?

    Our investigation

    Some critics maintain the Groatsworth to be an authentic Greene piece. But a convincing case has been made that any Greene material was at least edited, if not forged outright, by Chettle. In her 2001 revisionist biography of Shakespeare, however, professor of literature Katherine Duncan-Jones, often an astute guide, argued that Nashe was “by far the stronger suspect, at least as far as the ‘upstart crow’ passage is concerned”.

    The title page of Greene’s Groatsworth of Wit.
    Internet Archive

    Our new investigation, published in Shakespeare Quarterly, suggests that Duncan-Jones’s intuition was correct.

    Using a variety of computational methods to analyse digitised samples of writing by Chettle, Greene, and Nashe, we were able to confirm her suspicions with quantitative evidence. We performed three tests, each employing different methods to analyse different linguistic features, thereby providing independent confirmation of our findings.

    We first used Delta, a standard distance metric in authorship attribution study, to compare Chettle, Greene and Nashe in their typical use of “function” words (which serve primarily or exclusively grammatical functions) with the Groatsworth. The results showed Nashe to be a stylistically closer match for the letter containing the “upstart crow” insult. Chettle was a closer match for most of the remaining segments of the pamphlet.

    Our second test employed Support Vector Machines, a machine learning technique commonly used for classification problems. We trained it to classify writing as Chettle’s, Greene’s, or Nashe’s using a selection of “middling” words, mostly lexical or “content” words, which are neither ubiquitous nor exclusive to any of our authors. When we introduced the Groatsworth segments to the classifier, the letter containing “upstart Crow” was predicted to be Nashe’s.

    Finally, we used Zeta, another machine learning technique, to find syntactical patterns comprising three-word sequences that distinguish Nashe’s writing from Chettle’s and Greene’s combined. Again, the “upstart crow” letter was a closer match for Nashe. We have made our data available to allow others to test and validate our findings.

    Why should Nashe have insulted Shakespeare in this way? Recent scholarship has shown Nashe to have been part of a group of playwrights responsible for co-authoring I Henry VI, a play that Shakespeare subsequently revised.

    William Shakespeare by John Taylor (1611).
    National Portrait Gallery

    Did Nashe resent the “upstart crow” for having the gall to revise his work, assuming, as has been suggested, that Shakespeare was employed to adapt 1 Henry VI to turn his existing two-part play about Henry VI into a trilogy?

    Was this an attack on what he saw as Shakespeare’s undeserved literary reputation? An attack he believed could be launched in relative safety by adopting the persona of his recently deceased friend and collaborator, Greene?

    Or, as Nashe was frequently wont to do, was this simply too good an opportunity to generate controversy to pass up?

    If we take the first option then Nashe was an angry, jealous critic, eager to defend his reputation and excoriate those who trespassed on his patch. If we assume the second, then Nashe may have had no particular animus against Shakespeare, but was merely playing the literary marketplace, realising that controversy generates readers.

    As Nashe praises Shakespeare’s Henry VI Part One in his long pamphlet, Pierce Pennilesse, His Supplication to the Devil, published the same year as Groatsworth, perhaps we should assume that the second option is more plausible. Particularly as his forays into a different genres and subject matter under different pseudonyms suggest that cultivating a consistent literary reputation worth defending was not Nashe’s priority.

    These new findings force us to reevaluate long-held assumptions about Shakespeare’s early literary reputation. And to reexamine the perceived enmity between him and Greene, and reconsider both authors’ relationships with Nashe. Our method also serves as a timely demonstration of the ways that computational techniques, combined with newly available digitised texts, can help shed light on long-standing literary questions.

    Brett Greatley-Hirsch has received funding for this research from the AHRC and the British Academy/Jisc.

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

    – ref. Who called Shakespeare ‘upstart
    crow’? Our study points to his co-author, Thomas Nashe – https://theconversation.com/who-called-shakespeare-upstart-crow-our-study-points-to-his-co-author-thomas-nashe-259713

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Mattel and OpenAI have partnered up – here’s why parents should be concerned about AI in toys

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Andrew McStay, Professor of Technology & Society, Bangor University

    Savanevich Viktar/Shutterstock

    Mattel may seem like an unchanging, old-school brand. Most of us are familiar with it – be it through Barbie, Fisher-Price, Thomas & Friends, Uno, Masters of the Universe, Matchbox, MEGA or Polly Pocket.

    But toys are changing. In a world where children grow up with algorithm-curated content and voice assistants, toy manufacturers are looking to AI for new opportunities.

    Mattel has now partnered with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, to bring generative AI into some of its products. As OpenAI’s services are not designed for children under 13, in principle Mattel will focus on products for families and older children.

    But this still raises urgent questions about what kind of relationships children will form with toys that can talk back, listen and even claim to “understand” them. Are we doing right by kids, and do we need to think twice before bringing these toys home?

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

    For as long as there have been toys, children have projected feelings and imagined lives onto them. A doll could be a confidante, a patient or a friend.

    But over recent decades, toys have become more responsive. In 1960, Mattel released Chatty Cathy, which chirped “I love you” and “Let’s play school”. By the mid-1980s, Teddy Ruxpin had introduced animatronic storytelling. Then came Furby and Tamagotchi in the 1990s, creatures requiring care and attention, mimicking emotional needs.

    The 2015 release of “Hello Barbie”, which used cloud-based AI to listen to and respond to children’s conversations, signalled another important, albeit short-lived, change. Barbie now remembered what children told her, sending data back to Mattel’s servers. Security researchers soon showed that the dolls could be hacked, exposing home networks and personal recordings.

    Putting generative AI in the mix is a new development. Unlike earlier talking toys, such systems will engage in free-flowing conversation. They may simulate care, express emotion, remember preferences and give seemingly thoughtful advice. The result will be toy that don’t just entertain, but interact on a psychological level. Of course, they won’t really understand or care, but they may appear to.

    Details from Mattel or Open AI are scarce. One would hope that safety features will be built in, including limitations on topics and pre-scripted responses for sensitive themes and when conversations go off course.

    But even this won’t be foolproof. AI systems can be “jailbroken” or tricked into bypassing restrictions through roleplay or hypothetical scenarios. Risks can only be minimised, not eradicated.

    What are the risks?

    The risks are multiple. Let’s start with privacy. Children can’t be expected to understand how their data is processed. Parents often don’t either – and that includes me. Online consent systems nudge us all to click “accept all”, often without fully grasping what’s being shared.

    Then there’s psychological intimacy. These toys are designed to mimic human empathy. If a child comes home sad and tells their doll about it, the AI might console them. The doll could then adapt future conversations accordingly. But it doesn’t actually care. It’s pretending to, and that illusion can be powerful.

    Children often have close relationship with their toys.
    Ulza/Shutterstock

    This creates potential for one-sided emotional bonds, with children forming attachments to systems that cannot reciprocate. As AI systems learn about a child’s moods, preferences and vulnerabilities, they may also build data profiles to follow children into adulthood.

    These aren’t just toys, they’re psychological actors.

    A UK national survey I conducted with colleagues in 2021 about possibilities of AI in toys that profile child emotion found that 80% of parents were concerned about who would have access to their child’s data. Other privacy questions that need answering are less obvious, but arguably more important.

    When asked whether toy companies should be obliged to flag possible signs of abuse or distress to authorities, 54% of UK citizens agreed – suggesting the need for a social conversation with no easy answer. While vulnerable children should be protected, state surveillance into the family domain has little appeal.

    Yet despite concerns, people also see benefits. Our 2021 survey found that many parents want their children to understand emerging technologies. This leads to a mixed response of curiosity and concern. Parents we surveyed also supported having clear consent notices, printed on packaging, as the most important safeguard.

    My more recent 2025 research with Vian Bakir on online AI companions and children found stronger concerns. Some 75% of respondents were concerned about children becoming emotionally attached to AI. About 57% of people thought that it is inappropriate for children to confide in AI companions about their thoughts, feelings or personal issues (17% thought it is appropriate, and 27% were neutral).

    Our respondents were also concerned about the impact on child development, seeing scope for harm.

    In other research, we have argued that current AI companions are fundamentally flawed. We provide seven suggestions to redesign them, involving remedies for over-attachment and dependency, removal of metrics based on extending engagement though personal information disclosure and promotion of AI literacy among children and parents (which represents a huge marketing opportunity by positively leading social conversation).

    What should be done?

    It’s hard to know how successful the new venture will be. It might be that that Empathic Barbie goes the way of Hello Barbie, to toy history. If it does not, the key question for parents is this: whose interests is this toy really serving, your child’s or that of a business model?

    Toy companies are moving ahead with empathic AI products, but the UK, like many countries, doesn’t yet have a specific AI law. The new Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 updates the UK’s data protection and privacy and electronic communications regulations, recognising need for strong protections for children. The EU’s AI Act also makes important provisions.

    International governance efforts are vital. One example is IEEE P7014.1, a forthcoming global standard on the ethical design of AI systems that emulate empathy (I chair the working group producing the standard).

    The organisation behind the standard, the IEEE, ultimately identifies potential harms and offers practical guidance on what responsible use looks like. So while laws should set limits, detailed standards can help define good practice.

    The Conversation approached Mattel about the issues raised in this article and it declined to comment publicly.

    Andrew McStay is funded by EPSRC Responsible AI UK (EP/Y009800/1) and is affiliated with IEEE.

    – ref. Mattel and OpenAI have partnered up – here’s why parents should be concerned about AI in toys – https://theconversation.com/mattel-and-openai-have-partnered-up-heres-why-parents-should-be-concerned-about-ai-in-toys-259500

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Learning German has many benefits for young people – and it’s not as hard as its reputation suggests

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sascha Stollhans, Professor of Language Education and Linguistics, University of Leeds

    Marienplatz, Munich. frantic00/Shutterstock

    As the government is exploring a new EU youth mobility scheme and working towards a renewed association with the Erasmus+ programme, a world of opportunity may be opening up once again for young people in the UK. Studying or working abroad is not just an enriching experience – it’s a powerful step towards building intercultural competence and a successful career in today’s globalised world.

    The German-speaking countries are among Europe’s most influential cultural and political forces and have therefore been an attractive destination for young Brits. And learning German could be the gateway to a period of cultural immersion.

    Learning a language has many professional, cultural and intellectual benefits. With almost 100 million first-language speakers across several countries, German is one of the most widely spoken languages in Europe. Germany is not just Europe’s largest economy but also the third largest economy in the world. Knowing German can give you a competitive edge with employers and even boost your salary prospects.

    More than that, learning a language gives you unique insights into different cultures, societies and perspectives, as new research on learning German that I have carried out with colleagues shows. It helps you look beneath the surface and connect with people on a deeper level.

    No one’s 20s and 30s look the same. You might be saving for a mortgage or just struggling to pay rent. You could be swiping dating apps, or trying to understand childcare. No matter your current challenges, our Quarter Life series has articles to share in the group chat, or just to remind you that you’re not alone.

    Read more from Quarter Life:

    Understanding German also enriches your cultural experiences, as you will be able to enjoy German-language literature, philosophy, music, film and TV – all in their original form. Of course it will also be useful if you are planning to travel, study or work in a German-speaking country.

    While there are all these benefits, German is sometimes thought of as a difficult language to learn. However, there are many reasons why it’s not actually as hard as some may think.

    Shared roots with English

    German and English both belong to the Germanic language family and have a shared history. This means that there are many “cognates” (words that are historically related and therefore similar). These are often easy to guess for English speakers, particularly once you are familiar with some of the patterns.

    Can you read it?
    travelview/Shutterstock

    You can probably work out what the German words “Apfel” and “Pfeffer” mean (apple and pepper). In cognates, German pf and ff often correspond to a p sound in English. Some knowledge of the history of languages can help learners spot (and explain) these patterns and identify cognates more easily. This is one of the many reasons why my colleagues and I have been arguing that all language learners should be introduced to some basics of linguistics, the scientific study of language.

    It gets easier

    German grammar sometimes has the reputation to be particularly complicated. It can’t be denied that it can be challenging at times, and unfamiliar grammatical concepts in any language can take a while to get your head around.

    The interesting thing about German grammar is that it is quite “frontloaded”. This means that learners will encounter many of those challenging new concepts – such as grammatical gender, cases and some specific word order rules – right at the beginning. You need to understand these basics to a certain extent to be able to produce even quite simple sentences.

    It is worth persevering, though, as German grammar gets easier further down the line. German tenses, for example, are quite straightforward. Whereas in English we differentiate between “she read”, “she has read”, and “she was reading”. There is only one form to learn in German: “sie hat gelesen”.

    Similarly, when it comes to pronunciation, there are some sounds in German that will be unfamiliar to English speakers to start with, such as the “umlaute” ä, ö and ü, and the ways in which ch and r are pronounced. It takes some practice to master these. However, the correspondence between spelling and pronunciation is much more predictable and consistent in German than it is in English.

    Take, for example, the different ways to pronounce -ough in the words “through”, “thorough” and “tough”. Such examples can be really challenging for learners of English. You won’t find such tricky differences in German.

    German has a word for it

    German is famous for its long words. These often consist of two or more words joined together to create a new compound word. While compounds are fascinating in themselves, they also tend to be very descriptive, which can be helpful for language learners.

    For example, if you know the words for “sick” (“krank”) and “house” (“Haus”), you basically know the word for “hospital” too (and you can definitely guess its meaning when you encounter it): “Krankenhaus”. And could you work out that “Spielzeug” (literally “play stuff”) means “toy”?

    Learning a language is never without its difficulties, and German is no exception. However, my experience of teaching German at British universities has shown me that German is much more accessible to English speakers than some might think.

    Many people enjoy the intellectual challenge of learning a new language and find it a highly rewarding experience, and it may be a gateway to some time spent in a German-speaking country. So give it a go, and don’t let the thought of learning German cause you any angst!

    Sascha Stollhans 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. Learning German has many benefits for young people – and it’s not as hard as its reputation suggests – https://theconversation.com/learning-german-has-many-benefits-for-young-people-and-its-not-as-hard-as-its-reputation-suggests-253263

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Pushes for Federal Right to Repair for Farmers at Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, this week questioned witnesses about how a federal Right to Repair would boost competition and strengthen sustainability of rural agricultural economies in Vermont. 
    “One of the issues that keeps coming up in Vermont—I talk to farmers, and they want to repair their equipment, and they can’t. And if there’s anything a farmer can do, it’s fix things. It’s a way they save money and keep things going, and they can’t take the time it takes to have somebody else come in and fix it. And they’re not being allowed to do it. So, a number of us think there should be a Right to Repair—you buy the tractor, you should be able to repair it,” said Senator Welch. “If something goes wrong, why can’t you—when you are somebody who knows how to do things—fix it?” 
    In response to questioning, officials from the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice agreed with Senator Welch on the need for a federal Right to Repair. 
    Mr. Mark Meador, Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), testified: “I think it’s incredibly important. And as you alluded to, the FTC has enforcement efforts in this exact area. I think it’s critical that when a consumer buys a product they can use their own labor—or that of anyone capable—to repair and maintain that product.” 
    In response to a question about right to repair, Mr. Roger Alford, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division at the Department of Justice, testified: “The answer to your question is yes—right to repair is a critical argument that is important in antitrust enforcement.” 
    Watch Senator Welch’s full remarks below: 

    Read more excerpts from Senator Welch’s remarks: 

    Senator Welch: “Can you just describe how a federal Right to Repair would promote a more sustainable and competitive agricultural economy?” 

    Ms. Doha Mekki, Senior Fellow, Berkley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, testified: “When I was the Principal Deputy and then Acting Assistant Attorney General in the Antitrust Division, it was our mantra in the front office: ‘Don’t mess with the farmers.’ We took the view that when big, rapacious companies abused farmers, that they needed to be prepared to meet the Justice Department on the other side…So, I think this is a wonderful idea because we know what happens when companies pivot from being sort of an industrial monopolist to a sort of big data monopolist and then are charging expensive subscriptions and service fees in order for you to just interact with the product that you thought you bought.” 

    Senator Welch: “Thank you. That’s very helpful, and I like your advice: ‘Don’t mess with the farmers.’” 

    ••• 
    Senator Welch has led the fight to protect consumers from corporate rip-offs and combat mounting monopolies. In April, Senator Welch called out President Trump for firing Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission and discussed the importance of a fully functioning FTC to safeguard consumers from corporate greed. 
    At a Senate Judiciary hearing in November, Senator Welch grilled Visa and Mastercard executives about their duopoly over the credit card market and the interchange fees—or swipe fees—charged to businesses in the United States and highlighted the importance of passing his bipartisan, bicameral Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) to enhance choice and competition in the credit card market and help bring down costs for small businesses.  
    Last Congress, Senator Welch led a bipartisan letter to the Biden Administration raising concerns about FanDuel and DraftKings’ conduct and slammed online sports gambling companies for exploiting the addictive nature of gambling and undermining antitrust law. Senator Welch also introduced the Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act and Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act, bills to prevent companies from using algorithms to set higher prices for consumers and crack down on companies that help landlords increase rents in already high-priced markets. 
    Learn more about Senator Welch’s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Government of Canada celebrates AI and Tech Innovation in Toronto

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    Minister Solomon meets with leaders in innovation during Toronto Tech Week

    June 25, 2025 – Toronto, Ontario 

    Today, the Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), attended Frontiers of AI, co-hosted by MaRS Discovery District (MaRS), Vector Institute (Vector) and the University of Toronto, to discuss the future of Canada’s AI economy.  

    Minister Solomon began the day at MaRS, a leading innovation hub supporting science and technology startups and scaleups, where he highlighted Canada’s leadership in AI development. He reiterated the Government of Canada’s commitment to working alongside innovators to drive growth, create jobs, and scale Canada’s AI industry at home and on the world stage.

    Minister Solomon also met with a number of businesses, including FedDev Ontario-supported Ecopia AI (Ecopia), a Canadian technology company using AI to create high-precision mapping data for critical applications around the world.

    Vector’s world-class research community is pushing the boundaries of AI science, from accelerating equitable access to liver transplants to improving cancer care, and through its secure health AI network, is enabling data-driven solutions to critical issues like staffing shortages, wait times, and patient outcomes. This afternoon, Minister Solomon announced an investment of $3.5 million for Vector to deliver HealthSpark – an initiative to fast-track AI innovation in Canadian health care and services. With this support, high-potential scaleups and startups will receive training, mentorship and access to key networks and AI engineering expertise, as they develop AI solutions to tackle some of our most pressing healthcare challenges.

    The Government of Canada is making strategic investments to support AI adoption to foster real solutions, improve lives, reshape industries and reimagine what is possible.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Clyburn, Leger Fernández, Klobuchar, Luján Lead Effort to Press Commerce Secretary Lutnick to Reverse Harmful Broadband Policy

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative James E (Jim) Clyburn (6th District of South Carolina)

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06), Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) led a group of congressional Democrats in writing a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick addressing the Trump Administration’s recently announced Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Restructuring Policy Notice. The BEAD program was established by Congress in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide high-quality, affordable, and sustainable broadband to connect the nearly 25 million Americans that continue to wait for high-speed internet access.

    In their letter to Secretary Lutnick, the lawmakers urge the Department of Commerce to ensure that states receive the full funding and flexibility they retained prior to the issuance of the restructuring notice to fully meet those statutory objectives. 

    “Access to affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband is essential to full participation in modern life in the United States” the Members wrote. “We therefore urge you to implement the BEAD program in accordance with the best reading of the statute so we can make high-quality internet accessible and affordable for all Americans.”

    The BEAD program, enacted into law in 2021 as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides $42 billion to provide high-quality internet access to millions of Americans who remain unserved, to ensure affordability, and to facilitate adoption. The bipartisan process that crafted the program was informed by the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act, comprehensive broadband legislation formulated by the House Democratic Rural Broadband Task Force in conjunction with the Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate Democrats.

    The letter was also signed by Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Angus King (I-ME), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) as well as Representatives Leger Fernández (D-NM-03), Bishop (D-GA-02), Bynum (D-OR-05), Carson (D-IN-07), Carter (D-LA-02), Cleaver (D-MO-05),  Davis (D-IL-07), DelBene (D-WA-01), Evans (D-PA-03),  Fields (D-LA-06), Figures (D-AL-02), Garcia (D-TX-29), Goodlander (D-NH-02), Hoyle (D-OR-04), Huffman (D-CA-02), Lofgren (D-CA-18), McGovern (D-MA-02), Menendez (D-NJ-08), Mrvan (D-IN-01), Neguse (D-CO-02), Pappas (D-NH-01), Scholten (D-MI-03), Sewell (D-AL-07), Soto (D-FL-09), Thompson (D-MS-02), Titus (D-NV-01), Tlaib (D-MI-12), Tokuda (D-HI-02), Williams (D-GA-05), and Wilson (D-FL-24).  

    The full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Secretary Lutnick: 

    We write to express our opposition to the Department of Commerce’s recently announced BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice. The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program was established by Congress in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide high-quality, affordable, and sustainable broadband to connect the nearly 25 million Americans that continue to wait for high-speed internet access. We urge you to ensure that states receive the full funding and flexibility they retained prior to the issuance of the restructuring notice to fully meet these statutory objectives. 

    The broadband division of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law begins with this congressional finding: “Access to affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband is essential to full participation in modern life in the United States.” This fundamental reality is why the BEAD program was established to fulfill the subsequent finding that “the benefits of broadband should be broadly enjoyed by all.” To achieve this goal, the statute states that funding recipients must “ensure coverage of broadband service to all unserved locations” before using any funds for other purposes. The restructuring notice appears to violate this requirement by allowing applicants to exclude certain unserved locations. Such an allowance would defy bipartisan congressional intent, which was predicated on the understanding that public investment was needed to achieve universal service precisely because building the infrastructure to cover many rural areas was too costly to be profitable. 

    In addition to excluding unserved, predominantly rural locations, the restructuring notice would likely result in others receiving worse service. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requires that “priority broadband projects” funded by the program be “designed to provide broadband service that meets speed, latency, reliability, consistency in quality of service, and related criteria as the Assistant Secretary shall determine; and [to] ensure that the network[s] built by the project[s] can easily scale speeds over time to meet the evolving connectivity needs of households and businesses, and support the deployment of 5G, successor wireless technologies, and other advanced services.” Of currently available technologies, fiber-optic networks are faster and more reliable and can scale speeds much more easily. We made the decision to invest larger sums now in broadband infrastructure that would be resilient and capable of meeting Americans’ growing digital demands for decades. 

    The restructuring notice also undermines the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s provisions designed to ensure that broadband service is affordable and put to good use. The new rules remove specific requirements that ensured that participating providers would provide a low-cost internet option for low-income customers as required by the statute. Additionally, while the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law specifically allows funds to be spent on “broadband adoption, including programs to provide affordable internet-capable devices,” the notice rescinds approval of previously approved “non-deployment activities” and puts all funding for these activities on hold. For example, this provision of the notice puts on hold a South Carolina plan to use BEAD program funds for virtual primary health—equipping low-income households in rural health deserts with access to the full suite of virtual health services at no cost to the patients. If the broadband infrastructure being built by BEAD program funds isn’t put to good use, much of the investment will have been wasted. 

    As reflected in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s congressional findings, high-quality internet access is a requirement to fully participate in the world, and the BEAD program is our once-in-a century opportunity to finish closing the digital divide. We fear this opportunity would be squandered by the restructuring notice and its changes to coverage, quality, and affordability. We therefore urge you to implement the BEAD program in accordance with the best reading of the statute so we can make high-quality internet accessible and affordable for all Americans.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The Competition Bureau wants more airline competition, but it won’t solve Canada’s aviation challenges

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Geraint Harvey, DANCAP Private Equity Chair in Human Organization, Western University

    A recent market study by the Competition Bureau is calling for more airline competition in Canada’s airline industry to reduce fares, increase service quality and provide better services to remote communities.

    The study reiterates that Canada’s domestic air travel market is largely dominated by just two carriers, Air Canada and WestJet. Together, they account for between 56 per cent to 78 per cent of all domestic passenger traffic. This concentration limits passenger choice, and many Canadians feel airfares are high and quality of service is low as a consequence.

    Increased competition has lowered air fares elsewhere, like in Europe, for example, where low-fares airlines dominate the continental market. However, there have been negative outcomes for consumers.

    While the bureau positions competition as the solution to the many issues plaguing the industry, it overlooks how an increase in competition can fall short, particularly when it comes to transparency, service quality, labour conditions and regional connectivity.

    Cost transparency not likely to improve

    One of the Competition Bureau’s key criticisms of Canada’s airline industry is the lack of cost transparency when booking flights. Hidden fees and complex fare structures make it difficult for travellers to effectively make comparisons among airlines.

    But it’s unreasonable to expect increased competition — when airlines seek to make their offering more attractive than their competitors — to lead to greater transparency in Canada. In fact, competition has been linked theoretically and empirically to dishonest practices.

    Europe provides a cautionary example. Increased competition has not led to greater air fare transparency in Europe. Airlines like Ryanair, a low-fare airline and the continent’s largest airline by passengers carried, have been accused of hiding fees for passengers.

    Service quality and workers

    The bureau’s study also found that many Canadians are dissatisfied with the quality of service offered by domestic airlines. Yet increased competition is unlikely to raise service standards. As airlines compete to offer the lowest fares, they often look to reduce operating costs, typically at the expense of service quality.

    Those who suffer the most from airlines minimizing costs are employees, since labour represents one of the few areas where airlines can cut back.

    The morality and safety implications of introducing wage and employment insecurity to workers within high reliability organizations aside, reducing the quality of employment terms and conditions for workers in such an important industry is short-sighted.

    Claims of a pilot shortage are contested, and making employment in Canadian aviation less attractive for a highly skilled and crucial occupational group like pilots is a strategic faux pas that could have long-term consequences for the industry’s stability.



    Read more:
    Potential Air Canada pilot strike: Key FAQs and why the anger at pilots is misplaced

    Remote communities left behind

    Canada’s unique geography means that many remote regions rely on airlines for goods and transport. Yet these areas are not effectively served by the commercial aviation industry. The bureau suggests greater competition could help, but that claim is questionable.

    The reason existing airlines are not providing a greater number of flights between remote communities and larger airports is because these routes aren’t profitable. Rather than expanding service, a more competitive market could shrink route availability because airlines could abandon less profitable routes or refuse to compete on routes where a market leader emerges.

    To its credit, the bureau offers several recommendations for northern and remote communities. But these communities are unlikely to benefit from competition alone. In fact, increased competition would likely mean airlines will focus on profitable routes and remove those that don’t yield high profits.

    Europe’s airline industry is once again instructive. Eurocontrol, a pan-European organization dedicated to the success of commercial aviation in Europe, states that “domestic aviation in Europe has experienced a substantial and persistent decline over the past two decades,” including the demise of regional operators serving lower-density routes.

    Where routes have been maintained — in Norway, for example — it’s as a consequence of public service obligations that guarantee essential routes are maintained through government support.

    It’s because of public service obligations, not competition, that the Canadian government can serve remote communities. Without such safeguards, increased competition has the potential to do more harm than good.

    Risks of relaxing foreign ownership

    The bureau also recommended relaxing rules around foreign ownership within the Canadian airline industry so that a wholly foreign owned airline can compete domestically.

    But not all airlines are equal. Some, like Qatar Airways, are backed by the government of their home state. Qatar Airways has purchased stakes in airlines in Asia Pacific and Africa.

    Competition with airlines such as Qatar Airways is inherently unfair because of the huge financial support it receives. Allowing such state-backed carriers into the Canadian market could place domestic airlines at a significant competitive disadvantage. This could not only weaken Canadian airlines, but also be detrimental to the Canadian economy if domestic carriers are pushed out.

    Competition may reduce fares, but it always comes at a cost. Canadians must be certain that lower fares are worth the cost.

    Geraint Harvey 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. The Competition Bureau wants more airline competition, but it won’t solve Canada’s aviation challenges – https://theconversation.com/the-competition-bureau-wants-more-airline-competition-but-it-wont-solve-canadas-aviation-challenges-259498

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: DfE Update: 25 June 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Correspondence

    DfE Update: 25 June 2025

    Latest information and actions from the Department for Education about funding, assurance and resource management, for academies, local authorities and further education providers.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    DfE Update further education: 25 June 2025

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    DfE Update academies: 25 June 2025

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    DfE Update local authorities: 25 June 2025

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    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Americans are Counting on Congress to Pass the One Big Beautiful Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

    WASHINGTON — Yesterday, House GOP Leadership invited constituents from each of their districts to discuss how the One Big Beautiful Bill will benefit every industry, and every profession, in every district in America. Fox News’ Liz Elkind spoke with those constituents; read their testimonies below.

    “I believe that our tax rates in Louisiana for small businesses will jump up to around 43.4%. I mean, that’s literally half of what we’re working for,”  Louisiana resident and small business owner Toni McAllister said. “So what will we be working for to pay taxes?”

    Read the full article here or below:

    EXCLUSIVE: Toni McAllister is a prominent voice in Louisiana’s logging industry, but as she told Fox News Digital on Tuesday, she is also “a mom and a wife” from a middle-class family.

    She is one of four Americans from across the country invited by House GOP leaders to Capitol Hill to promote President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill.”

    It is a vast piece of legislation aimed at advancing Trump’s priorities on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt – which is taking Herculean political maneuvering to pass.

    On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and other leaders pivoted from promoting it themselves, instead inviting their four guests to talk about their support for the bill, and what is at stake if it does not pass by the end of this year.

    “I believe that our tax rates in Louisiana for small businesses will jump up to around 43.4%. I mean, that’s literally half of what we’re working for. So what will we be working for to pay taxes?” McAllister told Fox News Digital.

    She is the executive director of the Louisiana Logger’s Association, a trade group representing loggers in the Bayou State. In addition to that, however, McAllister said she was concerned about a tax hike for her family if the bill is not passed.

    “I’m just a regular middle-class family. And in Louisiana, the average tax hike would be around $1,300. That’s a month of groceries. That’s anything extra that we can do with our kids. $1,300 is a lot of money,” she said.

    Projections released by the House GOP show that under the lower chamber’s version of the bill, an average family could see an additional $1,300 in tax relief, while a failure to pass it could lead to a $1,700 tax hike.

    Republicans are aiming to use the bill to extend Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as well as implement a host of new policies like eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages.

    Retired Sheriff James Stuart said those latter measures, which Trump campaigned on in 2024, will be critical to law enforcement recruitment in Minnesota.

    “One of the most persistent struggles of agencies across the country is retention and recruitment. No tax on overtime will increase take-home pay for our peace offices, which will boost morale and ease burdens for them and their families,” Stuart, who is also executive director of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association, told Fox News Digital.

    However, Paul Danos, the head of a family-owned offshore energy service company in Gray, Louisiana, told Fox News Digital that Republicans’ energy policies are also critical for his business.

    “If this bill doesn’t pass, then we find ourselves where we were in the last administration, with that lack of predictability around lease sales,” Danos said.

    “Those multibillion-dollar investments that are creating jobs, that are providing safe and affordable energy here in the US, are jeopardized. We start having to depend on other nations for our oil and gas.”

    That, he argued, would lead to higher prices for everyone.

    Sam Palmeter, who leads engineering at Laser Marking Technologies, one of the last two laser technology companies owned and operated in America, said he and others in Michigan were “tired of brain drain,” hoping Trump’s bill could reverse that and revitalize manufacturing in the region.

    “We won’t grow, and we won’t provide as many jobs in the industrial manufacturing and engineering space,” Palmeter said.

    “And that’s sad, because there’s nothing that makes me more proud than hiring a local kid…So he’s working 13 miles from home. He doesn’t have to leave his family and everything to exercise that degree.”

    It is not yet clear if their arguments or others in favor of Trump’s bill will have any effect, however.

    The legislation has been met with Republican critics in the House and Senate, while GOP leaders have styled it as the best possible path forward for a conservative policy overhaul while they control Congress and the White House.

    While the dissent is coming from a relatively small number of Republicans, it could be enough to derail the legislation – both House and Senate GOP leaders are grappling with razor-thin margins of just a few votes.

    Trump recently ordered lawmakers to remain in Washington, D.C., until the bill is passed – despite a planned recess next week for the Fourth of July holiday.

    The bill passed the House by one vote last month, and a modified version is expected to get a Senate vote sometime this week. Both the House and Senate must pass identical products before they can be sent to Trump’s desk.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California awards $15 million to support economic growth in tribal communities across the state

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jun 25, 2025

    What you need to know: As part of California Jobs First, the state is awarding $15 million through the Regional Investment Initiative to support California Native American tribal partners in creating jobs and developing high-paying and fulfilling careers.

    Sacramento, California – Today, Governor Newsom and the California Jobs First Council announced $15 million in grants to 14 California Native American tribes, tribal coalitions, and tribally led organizations. The grants support projects aimed at spurring economic growth, providing job training, cultivating business development, protecting the environment, and conducting research and development.

    This $15 million commitment recognizes that, since time immemorial, California tribes have been best aware of the opportunities and advantages of their regions and communities. California is proud to partner with tribes across the state to support good jobs and expand economic opportunity in a meaningful and lasting way, delivering on the promises we made years ago.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    “Our tribal partners are uniquely positioned to grow their local communities and economies utilizing cultural values and principles of self-determination,” said Tribal Affairs Secretary Christina Snider-Ashtari. “Today’s awards promise to advance our shared goals for a stronger economy and greater opportunities for all Californians.” 

    Today’s announcement includes awards for projects spanning a range of local investments, from developing community centers to constructing a bioenergy production facility:

    • Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians was awarded $1.51 million to develop a strategic energy plan.

    • California Indian Museum and Cultural Center was awarded $587,000, and will develop a career pathway program in the health sector titled “Climate-Ready Tribal Community Health Representatives.”

    • Kashia Band of Pomo Indians were awarded $999,000 in order to conduct the pre-development activities necessary to establish the Kashia Aquaculture Center.

    • Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria was awarded $999,000, to conduct the pre-development activities necessary to establish a Resilience Hub and Multi-Functional Community Center.

    • Native Development Network was awarded $776,000 to conduct research supporting the development of career pathways in the clean economy, healthcare, and high-tech sectors.

    • Native First Lending was awarded $1 million to develop a revolving loan fund for Native American businesses in Los Angeles County.

    • Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe was awarded $744,000 to support land restoration activities on two culturally significant historical sites.

    • Owens Valley Career Development Center was awarded $1.995 million to develop career pathways in the clean economy.

    • Pit River Tribe was awarded $954,000 for a comprehensive land use assessment to identify locations for new businesses in industries such as tourism and outdoor recreation.

    • Scotts Valley Energy Corporation was awarded $1 million for a bioenergy production facility.

    • Southern California Tribal Chairperson’s Association was awarded $933,000 to develop an Innovation Ecosystem to support small businesses in the clean economy sector.

    • Table Mountain Rancheria was awarded $950,000 to conduct pre-development activities for the TMR Healthcare Center.

    • The Sierra Fund was awarded $945,000, which will provide economic and workforce development planning support for two local Tribes.

    • Tule River Economic Development Corporation was awarded $1.6 million to develop career pathways and provide training in the clean economy sector.

    “Each of these awards represents our efforts to invest in locally driven projects that will advance meaningful job creation, attraction, and access across California,” said Dee Dee Myers, Senior Advisor to Governor Newsom and Director of GO-Biz and Stewart Knox, Secretary of Labor & Workforce Development. “The California Jobs First Council is honored to have the opportunity to invest in these 14 communities, and we look forward to working closely with our tribal nation partners to ensure the ongoing success of their projects.”

    See full award details here. 

    California Jobs First

    In February, Governor Newsom released the California Jobs First Economic Blueprint — a new economic vision for California’s future. The Blueprint outlines key initiatives to support regional growth throughout the state, invest in job training for the future, attract job creators, and strengthen California’s innovation economy — all to help increase access to good-paying jobs for Californians. 

    As part of California Jobs First, the state has invested $287 million since 2022 to develop viable projects that advance strategic sectors in regional economies.

    California is the fourth-largest economy in the world. With an increasing state population and recent record-high tourism spending, California is the nation’s top state for new business starts, access to venture capital funding, and manufacturing, high-tech, and agriculture.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Payments stopped, three arrested in medical supplies fraud case

    Source: Interpol (news and events)

    15 September 2020

    INTERPOL supported investigation into Italian company targeted by business email compromise fraud

    SINGAPORE – Three members of an international crime syndicate wanted for tricking an Italian company into making fraudulent payments for non-existent medical equipment were arrested in Indonesia, in a case supported by INTERPOL.

    In May, an Italian company which was in discussions to purchase a large amount of medical supplies from a Chinese company, including ventilators and COVID-19 monitoring equipment, fell victim to a business email compromise (BEC) fraud.

    Indonesian authorities arrested three fraud suspects and seized EUR 3.1 million in a case supported by INTERPOL.

    The suspects infiltrated the email correspondence between the two companies and convinced the Italian buyers to make three bank transfers totaling EUR 3.67 million to an account they controlled in Indonesia. Believing they were paying the legitimate supplier, the company made the transfers.

    The fraud was quickly discovered, and INTERPOL’s Financial Crimes unit was requested to assist with the case. INTERPOL swiftly facilitated communication between the Italian and Indonesian authorities via the INTERPOL National Central Bureaus (NCBs) in Rome and Jakarta, resulting in the timely interception and freezing of EUR 3.1 million of the fraudulent payments in early June.

    Case coordination

    To further support the investigation, in August INTERPOL held a virtual case coordination meeting where authorities from Italy (NCB Rome and the Postal Police Service) and Indonesia (NCB Jakarta, the Financial Intelligence Unit (PPATK) and the Criminal Investigation Department) shared critical investigative details and outlined the steps necessary for securing the frozen assets and locating the suspects behind the fraud.

    See also: Online scams: It might not be too late to get your money back

    Following the meeting, Indonesian authorities identified the three suspects, who were part of a wider criminal network involved in the BEC fraud which targeted the Italian company. They were arrested in early September, when police also seized EUR 3.1 million and assets allegedly purchased using the stolen money.

    “Thanks to the timely action of the Italian and Indonesian authorities using INTERPOL channels, this fraud was detected, the majority of the fraudulent payments stopped before reaching the criminals, and the individuals behind this scam will face justice,” said José de Gracia, INTERPOL’s Assistant Director of Criminal Networks.

    Investigations continue into the activities of the criminal syndicate to determine if there have been other victims from other countries.

    MIL Security OSI –