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  • MIL-OSI Global: Young food entrepreneurs are changing the face of rural America

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Dawn Thilmany, Professor of Agricultural Economics, Colorado State University

    Many rural food businesses, like Daily Loaf Bakery in Hamburg, Pa., rely on farmers markets to reach customers. Susan L. Angstadt/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

    Visit just about any downtown on a weekend and you will likely happen upon a farmers market. Or, you might grab lunch from a food truck outside a local brewpub or winery.

    Very likely, there is a community-shared kitchen or food entrepreneur incubator initiative behind the scenes to support this growing foodie ecosystem.

    As rural America gains younger residents, and grows more diverse and increasingly digitally connected, these dynamics are driving a renaissance in craft foods.

    One food entrepreneur incubator, Hope & Main Kitchen, operates out of a school that sat vacant for over 10 years in the small Rhode Island town of Warren. Its business incubation program, with over 300 graduates to date, gives food and beverage entrepreneurs a way to test, scale and develop their products before investing in their own facilities. Its markets also give entrepreneurs a place to test their products on the public and buyers for stores, while providing the community with local goods.

    Food has been central to culture, community and social connections for millennia. But food channels, social media food influencers and craft brews have paved the way for a renaissance of regional beverage and food industry startups across America.

    In my work in agriculture economics, I see connections between this boom in food and agriculture innovation and the inflow of young residents who are helping revitalize rural America and reinvigorate its Main Streets.

    Why entrepreneurs are embracing rural life

    An analysis of 2023 U.S. Census Bureau data found that more people have been moving to small towns and rural counties in recent years, and that the bulk of that population growth is driven by 25- to 44-year-olds.

    This represents a stark contrast to the 2000s, when 90% of the growth for younger demographics was concentrated in the largest metro areas.

    The COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote work options it created, along with rising housing prices, were catalysts for the change, but other interesting dynamics may also be at play.

    One is social connectedness. Sociologists have long believed that the community fabric of rural America contributes to economic efficiency, productive business activity, growth of communities and population health.

    Maps show that rural areas of the U.S. with higher social capital – those with strong networks and relationships among residents – are some of the strongest draws for younger households today.

    Another important dynamic for both rural communities and their new young residents is entrepreneurship, including food entrepreneurship.

    Rural food startups may be leveraging the social capital aligned with the legacy of agriculture in rural America, resulting in a renewed interest in craft and local foods. This includes a renaissance in foods made with local ingredients or linked to regional cultures and tastes.

    According to data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. local sales of edible farm products increased 33% from 2017 to 2022, reaching $14.2 billion.

    The new ‘AgriCulture’

    A 2020 study I was involved in, led by agriculture economist Sarah Low, found a positive relationship between the availability of farm-based local and organic foods and complementary food startups. The study termed this new dynamic “AgriCulture.”

    We found a tendency for these dynamics to occur in areas with higher natural amenities, such as hiking trails and streams, along with transportation and broadband infrastructure attractive to digital natives.

    The same dynamic drawing young people to the outdoors offers digital natives a way to experience far-reaching regions of the country and, in some cases, move there.

    A thriving food and beverage scene can be a pull for those who want to live in a vibrant community, or the new settlers and their diverse tastes may be what get food entrepreneurs started. Many urban necessities, such as shopping, can be done online, but eating and food shopping are local daily necessities.

    Governments can help rural food havens thrive

    When my colleagues and I talk to community leaders interested in attracting new industries and young families, or who seek to build community through revitalized downtowns and public spaces, the topic of food commonly arises.

    We encourage them to think about ways they can help draw food entrepreneurs: Can they increase local growers’ and producers’ access to food markets? Would creating shared kitchens help support food trucks and small businesses? Does their area have a local advantage, such as a seashore, hiking trails or cultural heritage, that they can market in connection with local food?

    The farm store at Harley Farm Goat Dairy in Pescadero, Calif., draws people headed for hiking trails or the coast in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
    Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

    Several federal, state and local economic development programs are framing strategies to bolster any momentum occurring at the crossroads of rural, social connections, resiliency, food and entrepreneurship.

    For example, a recent study from a collaboration of shared kitchen experts found that there were over 600 shared-use food facilities across the U.S. in 2020, and over 20% were in rural areas. In a survey of owners, the report found that 50% of respondents identified assisting early-growth businesses as their primary goal.

    The USDA Regional Food Business Centers, one of which I am fortunate to co-lead, have been bolstering the networking and technical assistance to support these types of rural food economy efforts.

    Many rural counties are still facing shrinking workforces, commonly because of lagging legacy industries with declining employment, such as mining. However, recent data and studies suggest that in rural areas with strong social capital, community support and outdoor opportunities, younger populations are growing, and their food interests are helping boost rural economies.

    Dawn Thilmany receives funding from the United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Development Administration, and Colorado state agencies focused on agriculture, economic development and food systems.

    – ref. Young food entrepreneurs are changing the face of rural America – https://theconversation.com/young-food-entrepreneurs-are-changing-the-face-of-rural-america-245531

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Empathy can take a toll – but 2 philosophers explain why we should see it as a strength

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Emad H. Atiq, Professor of Law and Philosophy, Cornell University

    Empathy isn’t just about feelings. It’s also an aspect of knowledge. AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo

    In an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, billionaire and Trump megadonor Elon Musk offered his thoughts about what motivates political progressives to support immigration. In his view, the culprit was empathy, which he called “the fundamental weakness of Western civilization.”

    As shocking as Musk’s views are, however, they are far from unique. On the one hand, there is the familiar and widespread conservative critique of “bleeding heart” liberals as naive or overly emotional. But there is also a broader philosophical critique that raises worries about empathy on quite different and less political grounds, including findings in social science.

    Empathy can make people weaker – both physically and practically, according to social scientists. Consider the phenomenon known as “empathy fatigue,” a major source of burnout among counselors, nurses and even neurosurgeons. These professionals devote their lives to helping others, yet the empathy they feel for their clients and patients wears them down, making it harder to do their jobs.

    As philosophers, we agree that empathy can take a toll on both individuals and society. However, we believe that, at its core, empathy is a form of mental strength that enables us to better understand the impact of our actions on others, and to make informed choices.

    The philosophical roots of empathy skepticism

    The term “empathy” only entered the English language in the 1890s. But the general idea of being moved by others’ suffering has been a subject of philosophical attention for millennia, under labels such as “pity,” “sympathy” and “compassion.”

    One of the earliest warnings about pity in Western philosophy comes from the Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus. In his “Discourses,” he offers general advice about how to live a good life, centered on inner tranquility and freedom. When it comes to emotions and feelings, he writes: “He is free who lives as he wishes to live … And who chooses to live in sorrow, fear, envy, pity, desiring and failing in his desires, attempting to avoid something and falling into it? Not one.”

    Feeling sorry for another person or feeling pity for them compromises our freedom, in Epictetus’s view. Those negative feelings are unpleasant, and nobody would choose them for themselves. Empathy would clearly fall into this same category, keeping us from living the good life.

    A similar objection emerged much later from the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche framed his discussion in terms of “Mitleid” – a German term that can be translated as either “pity” or “compassion.” Like Epictetus, Nietzsche worried that pity or compassion was a burden on the individual, preventing them from living the good life. In his book “Daybreak,” Nietzsche warns that such feelings could impair the very people who try to help others.

    Epictetus’s and Nietzsche’s worries about pity or compassion carry over to empathy.

    Recall, the phenomenon of empathy fatigue. One psychological explanation for why empathic people experience fatigue and even burnout is that empathy involves a kind of mirroring of other people’s mental life, a mirroring that can be physically unpleasant. When someone you love is in pain, you don’t just believe that they are in pain; you may feel it as if it is actually happening to you.

    From a philosophical standpoint, empathy is intimately related to the domain of knowledge.
    AP Photo/Elise Amendola

    Results from neuroscience and cognitive psychology research indicate that there are different brain mechanisms involved in merely observing another’s pain versus empathizing with it. The latter involves unpleasant sensations of the type we experience when we are in pain. Empathy is thus difficult to bear precisely because being in pain is difficult to bear. And this sharpens the Stoic and Nietzschean worries: Why bother empathizing when it is unpleasant and, perhaps, not even necessary for helping others?

    From understanding knowledge to appreciating empathy

    The answer for why one should see empathy as a strength starts with a key insight from 20th century philosophy about the nature of knowledge.

    That insight is based on a famous thought experiment by the Australian philosopher Frank Jackson. Jackson invites us to imagine a scientist named Mary who has studied colors despite having lived her entire life in a black and white room. She knows all the facts about the spectrum distribution of light sources and vision science. She’s read descriptions of the redness of roses and azaleas. But she’s never seen color herself. Does Mary know everything about redness? Many epistemologists – people who study the nature of knowledge – argue that she does not.

    What Mary learns when she sees red for the first time is elusive. If she returns to her black and white room, never to see any colored objects again, her knowledge of the colors will likely diminish over time. To have a full, rich understanding of colors, one needs to experience them.

    Bertrand Russell was actively involved in political activism on behalf of the experiences of others.
    Douglas Miller/Keystone/Getty Images

    Thoughts like these led the philosopher and logician Bertrand Russell to argue that experience delivers a special kind of knowledge of things that can’t be reduced to knowledge of facts. Seeing, hearing, tasting and even feeling delivers what he called “knowledge by acquaintance.”

    We have argued in a book and recent articles that Jackson’s and Russell’s conclusions apply to pain.

    Consider a variation on Jackson’s thought experiment: Suppose Mary knows the facts about pain but hasn’t experienced it. As before, it would seem like her understanding of pain is incomplete. In fact, though Mary is a fictional character, there are real people who report having never experienced pain as an unpleasant sensation – a condition known as “pain asymbolia”.

    In Russell’s terminology, such people haven’t personally experienced how unpleasant pain can be. But even people without pain asymbolia can become less familiar with pain and hardship during times when things are going well for them. All of us can temporarily lose the rich experiential grasp of what it is like to be distressed. So, when we consider the pain and suffering of others in the abstract and without directly feeling it, it is very much like trying to grasp the nature of redness while being personally acquainted only with a field of black and white.

    That, we argue, is where empathy comes in. Through experiential simulation of another’s feelings, empathy affords us a rich grasp of the distress that others feel. The upshot is that empathy isn’t just a subjective sensation. It affords us a more accurate understanding of others’ experiences and emotions.

    Empathy is thus a form of knowledge that can be hard to bear, just as pain can be hard to bear. But that’s precisely why empathy, properly cultivated, is a strength. As one of us has argued, it takes courage to empathically engage with others, just as it takes courage to see and recognize problems around us. Conversely, an unwillingness to empathize can stem from a familiar weakness: a fear of knowledge.

    So, when deciding complex policy questions, say, about immigration, resisting empathy impairs our decision-making. It keeps us from understanding what’s at stake. That is why it is vital to ask ourselves what policies we would favor if we were empathically acquainted with, and so fully informed of, the plight of others.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Empathy can take a toll – but 2 philosophers explain why we should see it as a strength – https://theconversation.com/empathy-can-take-a-toll-but-2-philosophers-explain-why-we-should-see-it-as-a-strength-254554

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: WHO is finalizing a new treaty that prepares for the next pandemic − but the US isn’t signing

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Nicole Hassoun, Professor of Philosophy, Binghamton University, State University of New York

    The 78th World Health Assembly is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 19-27, 2025. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

    On March 20, 2025, members of the World Health Organization adopted the world’s first pandemic agreement, following three years of “intensive negotiations launched by governments in response to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The U.S., however, did not participate, in part because of its intention to withdraw from the WHO.

    Global health experts are hailing the agreement as a historic moment.

    What does the agreement mean for the world, and how can it make everyone safer and more prepared for the next pandemic?

    The Conversation asked Nicole Hassoun, a professor at Binghamton University and executive director of Global Health Impact, to explain the pandemic accord, its prospects for advancing global health, and the significance of the U.S.’s absence from it.

    What will the pandemic agreement do?

    The accord will bolster pandemic preparation within individual countries and around the world.

    Countries signing onto the agreement are committing to improve their disease surveillance and grow their heath care workforces, strengthen their regulatory systems and invest in research and development. It encourages countries to strengthen their health regulations and infrastructure, improve communication with the public about pandemics and increase funding for preparation and response efforts.

    It also includes new mechanisms for producing and distributing vaccines and other essential countermeasures. Finally, it encourages countries to coordinate their responses and share information about infectious diseases and intellectual property so that vaccines and other essential countermeasures can be made available more quickly.

    The agreement will take effect once enough countries ratify it, which may take several years.

    Why isn’t the US involved?

    The Biden administration was broadly supportive of a pandemic agreement and was an active participant in negotiations.

    Prior to Donald Trump’s reelection, however, Republican governors had signed a letter opposing the treaty, echoing a conservative think tank’s concerns about U.S. sovereignty.

    The U.S. withdrew from negotiations when President Trump signed an executive order to withdraw from the WHO on the day he was inaugurated for his second term.

    Why could the lack of US involvement be beneficial for the world?

    The lack of U.S. involvement likely resulted in a much more equitable treaty, and it is not clear that countries could have reached an agreement had the U.S. continued to object to key provisions.

    It was only once the U.S. withdrew from the negotiations that an agreement was reached. The U.S. and several other wealthy countries were concerned with protecting their pharmaceutical industry’s profits and resisted efforts aimed at convincing pharmaceutical companies to share the knowledge, data and intellectual property needed for producing new vaccines and other essential countermeasures.

    Other negotiators sought greater access to vaccines and other treatments during a pandemic for poorer countries, which often rely on patented technologies from global pharmaceutical companies.

    While most people in wealthy countries had access to COVID-19 vaccines as early as 2021, many people in developing countries had to wait years for vaccines.

    How could the agreement broaden access for treatments?

    One of the contentious issues in the pandemic agreement has to do with how many vaccines manufacturers in each country must share in exchange for access to genetic sequences to emerging infectious diseases. Countries are still negotiating a system for sharing the genetic information on pathogens in return for access to vaccines themselves. It is important that researchers can get these sequences to make vaccines. And, of course, people need access to the vaccines once they are developed.

    Still, there are many more promising aspects of the agreement for which no further negotiations are necessary. For instance, the agreement will increase global vaccine supply by increasing manufacturing around the world.

    The agreement also specifies that countries and the WHO should work together to create a mechanism for fairly sharing the intellectual property, data and knowledge needed to produce vaccines and other essential health products. If financing for new innovation requires equitable access to the new technologies that are developed, many people in poor countries may get access to vaccines much more quickly in the next pandemic. The agreement also encourages individual countries to offer sufficient incentives for pharmaceutical companies to extend access to developing countries.

    If countries implement these changes, that will benefit people in rich countries as well as poor ones. A more equitable distribution of vaccines can contain the spread of disease, saving millions of lives.

    What more should be done, and does the US have a role to play?

    In my view, the best way to protect public health moving forward is for countries to sign on to the agreement and devote more resources to global health initiatives. This is particularly important given declining investment and participation in the WHO and the contraction of other international health initiatives, such as USAID.

    Without international coordination, it will become harder to catch and address problems early enough to prevent epidemics from becoming pandemics.

    It will also be imperative for member countries to provide funding to support the agreement’s goals and secure the innovation and access to new technologies. This requires building the basic health infrastructure to ensure shots can get into people’s arms.

    Nicole Hassoun has receive funding from the WHO and worked as a consultant for the UN.

    – ref. WHO is finalizing a new treaty that prepares for the next pandemic − but the US isn’t signing – https://theconversation.com/who-is-finalizing-a-new-treaty-that-prepares-for-the-next-pandemic-but-the-us-isnt-signing-256191

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: A decade after the release of ‘The Martian’ and a decade out from the world it envisions, a planetary scientist checks in on real-life Mars exploration

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Ari Koeppel, Postdoctoral Scientist in Earth and Planetary Science, Dartmouth College

    ‘The Martian’ protagonist Mark Watney contemplates his ordeal. 20th Century Fox

    Andy Weir’s bestselling story “The Martian” predicts that by 2035 NASA will have landed humans on Mars three times, perfected return-to-Earth flight systems and collaborated with the China National Space Administration. We are now 10 years past the Hollywood adaptation’s 2015 release and 10 years shy of its fictional timeline. At this midpoint, Mars exploration looks a bit different than how it was portrayed in “The Martian,” with both more discoveries and more controversy.

    As a planetary geologist who works with NASA missions to study Mars, I follow exploration science and policy closely. In 2010, the U.S. National Space Policy set goals for human missions to Mars in the 2030s. But in 2017, the White House Space Policy Directive 1 shifted NASA’s focus toward returning first to the Moon under what would become the Artemis program.

    Although concepts for crewed missions to Mars have gained popularity, NASA’s actual plans for landing humans on Mars remain fragile. Notably, over the last 10 years, it has been robotic, rather than crewed, missions that have propelled discovery and the human imagination forward.

    NASA’s 2023 Moon to Mars Strategy and Objectives Development document lays out the steps the agency was shooting for at the time, to go first to the Moon, and from there to Mars.
    NASA

    Robotic discoveries

    Since 2015, satellites and rovers have reshaped scientists’ understanding of Mars. They have revealed countless insights into how its climate has changed over time.

    As Earth’s neighbor, climate shifts on Mars also reflect solar system processes affecting Earth at a time when life was first taking hold. Thus, Mars has become a focal point for investigating the age old questions of “where do we come from?” and “are we alone?”

    The Opportunity, Curiosity and Perseverance rovers have driven dozens of miles studying layered rock formations that serve as a record of Mars’ past. By studying sedimentary layers – rock formations stacked like layers of a cake – planetary geologists have pieced together a vivid tale of environmental change that dwarfs what Earth is currently experiencing.

    Mars was once a world of erupting volcanoes, glaciers, lakes and flowing rivers – an environment not unlike early Earth. Then its core cooled, its magnetic field faltered and its atmosphere drifted away. The planet’s exposed surface has retained signs of those processes ever since in the form of landscape patterns, sequences of layered sediment and mineral mixtures.

    Layered sedimentary rocks exposed within the craters of Arabia Terra, Mars, recording ancient surface processes. Photo from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment.
    NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

    Arabia Terra

    One focus of scientific investigation over the last 10 years is particularly relevant to the setting of “The Martian” but fails to receive mention in the story. To reach his best chance of survival, protagonist Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, must cross a vast, dusty and crater-pocked region of Mars known as Arabia Terra.

    In 2022 and 2023, I, along with colleagues at Northern Arizona University and Johns Hopkins University, published detailed analyses of the layered materials there using imagery from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey satellites.

    By using infrared imagery and measuring the dimensions of surface features, we linked multiple layered deposits to the same episodes of formation and learned more about the widespread crumbling nature of the terrain seen there today. Because water tends to cement rock tightly together, that loose material indicates that around 3.5 billion years ago, that area had a drying climate.

    To make the discussions about this area easier, we even worked with the International Astronomical Union to name a few previously unnamed craters that were mentioned in the story. For example, one that Watney would have driven right by is now named Kozova Crater, after a town in Ukraine.

    More to explore

    Despite rapid advances in Mars science, many unknowns remain. Scientists still aren’t sure of the precise ages, atmospheric conditions and possible signatures of life associated with each of the different rock types observed on the surface.

    For instance, the Perseverance rover recently drilled into and analyzed a unique set of rocks hosting organic – that is, carbon-based – compounds. Organic compounds serve as the building blocks of life, but more detailed analysis is required to determine whether these specific rocks once hosted microbial life.

    The in-development Mars Sample Return mission aims to address these basic outstanding questions by delivering the first-ever unaltered fragments of another world to Earth. The Perseverance rover is already caching rock and soil samples, including ones hosting organic compounds, in sealed tubes. A future lander will then need to pick up and launch the caches back to Earth.

    Sampling Mars rocks could tell scientists more about the red planet’s past, and whether it could have hosted life.

    Once home, researchers can examine these materials with instruments orders of magnitude more sensitive than anything that could be flown on a spacecraft. Scientists stand to learn far more about the habitability, geologic history and presence of any signs of life on Mars through the sample return campaign than by sending humans to the surface.

    This perspective is why NASA, the European Space Agency and others have invested some US$30 billion in robotic Mars exploration since the 1960s. The payoff has been staggering: That work has triggered rapid technological advances in robotics, telecommunications and materials science. For example, Mars mission technology has led to better sutures for heart surgery and cars that can drive themselves.

    It has also bolstered the status of NASA and the U.S. as bastions of modern exploration and technology; and it has inspired millions of students to take an interest in scientific fields.

    A selfie from NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover with the Ingenuity helicopter, taken with the rover’s extendable arm on April 6, 2021.
    NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

    Calling the red planet home?

    Colonizing Mars has a seductive appeal. It’s hard not to cheer for the indomitable human spirit while watching Watney battle dust storms, oxygen shortages and food scarcity over 140 million miles from rescue.

    Much of the momentum toward colonizing Mars is now tied to SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk, whose stated mission to make humanity a “multi-planetary species” has become a sort of rallying cry. But while Mars colonization is romantic on paper, it is extremely difficult to actually carry out, and many critics have questioned the viability of a Mars habitation as a refuge far from Earth.

    Now, with NASA potentially facing a nearly 50% reduction to its science budget, the U.S. risks dissolving its planetary science and robotic operations portfolio altogether, including sample return.

    Nonetheless, President Donald Trump and Musk have pushed for human space exploration to somehow continue to progress, despite those proposed cuts – effectively sidelining the robotic, science-driven programs that have underpinned all of Mars exploration to date.

    Yet, it is these programs that have yielded humanity’s richest insights into the red planet and given both scientists and storytellers like Andy Weir the foundation to imagine what it must be like to stand on Mars’ surface at all.

    Ari Koeppel receives funding from NASA.

    – ref. A decade after the release of ‘The Martian’ and a decade out from the world it envisions, a planetary scientist checks in on real-life Mars exploration – https://theconversation.com/a-decade-after-the-release-of-the-martian-and-a-decade-out-from-the-world-it-envisions-a-planetary-scientist-checks-in-on-real-life-mars-exploration-255752

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Votes to Pass President Trump’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) voted to pass President Trump’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill.”

    “Today, I proudly voted for President Trump’s ‘One, Big, Beautiful Bill’ to deliver historic tax cuts for American families, farmers, workers, and small businesses. This legislation also funds our border patrol agents, continues construction of the border wall, revives domestic manufacturing, unleashes American energy dominance, and kicks illegal immigrants off taxpayer-funded benefits,” said Rep. Feenstra. “More than 77 million Americans made clear at the polls that they want President Trump’s America First agenda codified into law, and our ‘One, Big, Beautiful Bill’ delivers on this promise. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, our families will see big tax cuts, American workers will have higher wages, our farmers will see relief from the death tax, and our small businesses and local manufacturers will grow and thrive. Iowa will lead the way to restore our economic might and revive our manufacturing dominance.”

    Feenstra-led and -sponsored provisions include:

    • An increase in the exemption on the death tax,
    • Support for small businesses to offer paid family and medical leave to their employees,
    • Flexibility for community banks to offer agricultural business loans at more affordable rates for farmers and rural businesses,
    • Investments in homegrown Iowa biofuels,
    • Tax provisions to help American businesses compete on a level playing field with foreign businesses,
    • Higher standard deduction for families and workers,
    • New $4,000 bonus deduction for seniors,
    • Increased child tax credit for families,
    • Permanent 23% deduction for qualified business income for small businesses,
    • Lower crop insurance costs for young, beginning, and veteran farmers,
    • Support for foreign animal disease prevention, mitigation, and response,
    • Prevention of administrative errors when distributing SNAP payments, ensuring nutrition assistance is fighting food insecurity, and,
    • Investments in watershed infrastructure and flood prevention.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Tenney Applauds the Passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22)

    Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today voted in favor of the historic One Big Beautiful Bill Act to deliver on President Trump’s America First Agenda. 

    This legislation passed the House by a vote of 215-214 with one voting present. 

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House today, puts America First by making permanent the Trump Tax Cuts, providing ICE and the Department of Homeland Security the funding they need to build the wall and hire more agents to secure our borders, unleashing American energy production, and restoring common sense and sanity in our government,” said Congresswoman Tenney.

    “House Republicans voted to prevent the largest tax hike in American History by preserving and expanding the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts. This legislation will now bring the most significant tax cut in American history, bringing an average of an extra $5,000 into our wallets. In addition, Americans earning between $30,000 and $80,000 will pay nearly 15% less in taxes. This legislation also includes President Trump’s promises of No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, and cutting taxes on Social Security recipients to benefit working-class Americans.

    “NY-24 is the largest agricultural district in the Northeast; the One Big Beautiful Bill protects family farms by preventing the 6,804 family farms in our district from seeing their death tax exemption cut in half. Main Street businesses are also the backbone of our district, and this legislation protects the 199A Small Business Deduction to ensure the 40,720 small businesses in NY-24 are not hit by a 43.4% effective tax rate.

    “This legislation also contains historic provisions to secure our borders and combat the migrant crisis by providing nearly $70 million to expand ICE detention centers, hire over 10,000 new ICE Agents, and finish the border wall. President Trump and House Republicans are also committed to protecting American family values and restoring sanity to federal policymaking. By including my legislation to end taxpayer funding for sex changes for children and repealing the Left’s Green New Scam, we are working to rid our federal government of waste, fraud, and abuse. 

    “Now, it is up to the Senate to unite around this legislation and get this One Big Beautiful Bill to the President’s desk to deliver on our promises to the American people. It was a great privilege to support this once-in-a-lifetime bill, and I am eager to see it signed into law!”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: OLAF and Romanian authorities lead the way on digital tools to safeguard EU budget

    Source: European Anti-Fraud Offfice

    Press release no.12
    PDF version 

    The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the Romanian Police and Romania’s Department for the Fight Against Fraud (DLAF), are hosting European anti-fraud specialists in Bucharest to discuss the use of digital tools to fight fraud against the EU budget. The meeting aims to strengthen cross-border cooperation and improve the detection and investigation of fraud through advanced digital means.  

    Running from 20-23 May 2025, the Technical Workshop on Digital Anti-Fraud Tools brings together nearly 100 anti-fraud experts from EU Member States, the European Court of Auditors (ECA), the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), Eurojust, Europol, and OLAF. The event focuses on building a community of digitally skilled anti-fraud specialists and identifying best practices in anti-fraud detection and investigation in digital environments. It is also aimed at fostering synergies in the development of data-driven tools – including artificial intelligence – to protect European taxpayers’ money. 

    Additionally, on 22 May 2025, OLAF and the Romanian National Trade Register Office (ONRC) signed a bilateral agreement to facilitate access to national company data for the purpose of anti-fraud investigations. This agreement reflects a shared commitment to ensuring a more effective protection of EU financial interests.  

    Ville Itälä, OLAF Director-General said: “OLAF is proud to play a leading role in driving the digital transformation of the anti-fraud community, particularly by fostering the development and take-up of digital tools, including artificial intelligence. These innovative tools will significantly strengthen our ability to protect the EU budget.”  

    Benone Marian Matei, General Inspector of the Romanian Police said: “The Central Unit for Information Analysis reaffirms its commitment to the development and use of advanced analytical tools to support the early identification of fraud patterns and to enhance the protection of European funds.” 

    Ionuț Bogdan Dințoi, Secretary of State and Head of DLAF said: “DLAF reiterates the good cooperation with OLAF and, as a partner in the protection of EU financial interests, supports OLAF’s efforts to bring together professionals and create a framework for sharing good practices in using and developing digital and AI tools in the anti-fraud domain, specifically to protect Union expenditure.”

    Luiza Mardare, ONRC Director-General, commented on the signing of the bilateral agreement with OLAF: “The signing of these protocols is a step towards standard practice and, we hope, an important support for the actions carried out by the European Anti-Fraud Office in protecting the financial interests of the European Union. In this regard, by granting the European Anti-Fraud Office free access to the data held by the Trade Register, we can contribute to the fight against corruption within the European Union.”

    OLAF mission, mandate and competences:

    OLAF’s mission is to detect, investigate and stop fraud with EU funds.    

    OLAF fulfils its mission by:
    •    carrying out independent investigations into fraud and corruption involving EU funds, so as to ensure that all EU taxpayers’ money reaches projects that can create jobs and growth in Europe;
    •    contributing to strengthening citizens’ trust in the EU Institutions by investigating serious misconduct by EU staff and members of the EU Institutions;
    •    developing a sound EU anti-fraud policy.

    In its independent investigative function, OLAF can investigate matters relating to fraud, corruption and other offences affecting the EU financial interests concerning:
    •    all EU expenditure: the main spending categories are Structural Funds, agricultural policy and rural development funds, direct expenditure and external aid;
    •    some areas of EU revenue, mainly customs duties;
    •    suspicions of serious misconduct by EU staff and members of the EU institutions.

    Once OLAF has completed its investigation, it is for the competent EU and national authorities to examine and decide on the follow-up of OLAF’s recommendations. All persons concerned are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a competent national or EU court of law.

    For further details:

    Pierluigi CATERINO
    Spokesperson
    European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
    Phone: +32(0)2 29-52335  
    Email: olaf-media ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (olaf-media[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
    https://anti-fraud.ec.europa.eu
    LinkedIn: European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
    Bluesky: euantifraud.bsky.social

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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy awarded with Gratitude from the President of Russia

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    At the 20th St. Petersburg International Book Fair, which is taking place in our city, the rector of the Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University Andrei Rudskoy was awarded the Gratitude of the President of Russia for his participation in the creation of the book “Putin in the Mirror of Time. Biography Milestones and Chronicles of the Era.” The award was presented by the Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov and the President of the Russian Book Union Sergei Stepashin.

    The book, co-authored by historian Alexander Myasnikov and journalist Sergei Dmitriev, is a biography of Vladimir Putin, supplemented with unique photographs and historical information.

    Andrey Rudskoy noted: It is a great honor to receive the Gratitude of the President of Russia from the hands of the Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Dmitrievich Beglov and the President of the Russian Book Union Sergey Vadimovich Stepashin. Our joint work with Sergey Nikolaevich Dmitriev and Alexander Leonidovich Myasnikov “Putin in the Mirror of Time” has found a worthy assessment among a wide range of readers, and for us this is the main indicator that we are making our contribution to the creation of the chronicle of modern Russia, telling about the key events and achievements of the country. It is undoubtedly pleasant that the award ceremony took place within the framework of the XX St. Petersburg International Book Salon, where the Polytechnic Publishing House is traditionally represented.

    The book “Putin in the Mirror of Time. Milestones of the Biography and Chronicles of the Era” is a large-scale work covering key moments in the life and political career of Vladimir Putin. The publication not only covers biographical milestones, but also offers a deep analysis of the era in which the Russian president managed to return the country to its status as a great power. Through the prism of presidential documents, speeches and messages to the Federal Assembly, the authors recreate a vivid and dynamic chronicle of the events that defined modern Russia.

    Let us recall that the 20th anniversary St. Petersburg International Book Fair opened today on Palace Square. It will last four days. Last year, it was visited by more than half a million people.

    The SPbPU Publishing and Printing Center (POLITEKH-PRESS) traditionally becomes an active participant in the Book Salon. At the stand, the company presents a wide range of products: new books of the current year, exclusive series of postcards and flip calendars with picturesque views of St. Petersburg and the Polytechnic University. Guests can also purchase a variety of souvenirs.

    This year, special attention is paid to the current topics of the Book Salon. The events and exposition of POLITEKH-PRESS are dedicated to the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland and the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. This is reflected in the special design of the stand with information posters called “Polytechnicians for Victory”, which tell about the role of the university staff and students during the war.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. retail gasoline prices heading into Memorial Day weekend are at a four-year low

    Source: US Energy Information Administration

    In-brief analysis

    May 22, 2025

    Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
    Note: Real prices are adjusted to May 2025 dollars.

    The retail price for regular-grade gasoline in the United States on May 19, the Monday before Memorial Day weekend, averaged $3.17 per gallon (gal), 11% (or 41 cents/gal) lower than the price a year ago. After adjusting for inflation (real terms), average U.S. retail gasoline prices going into Memorial Day weekend are 14% lower than last year, largely because crude oil prices have fallen.

    Memorial Day weekend is one of the biggest travel weekends of the year, and many of those travelers will go by car. The American Automobile Association (AAA) expects 39.4 million people will travel by car over Memorial Day weekend this year, an increase of 3% compared with last year.

    Substantially lower crude oil prices—which are the main component of retail gasoline prices—have kept retail gasoline prices lower than usual going into spring. From May 1 to May 19, Brent crude oil prices averaged $64 per barrel (b), 20% less in real terms than in January and 26% less than in May 2024. Concerns about future economic growth, record-high U.S. crude oil production, and, more recently, announcements that OPEC+ will accelerate crude oil production increases have contributed to falling crude oil prices.

    Data source: Bloomberg L.P. and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
    Note: Real prices are adjusted to May 2025 dollars.

    Retail gasoline prices on the Monday before Memorial Day weekend are only 4% (or 13 cents/gal) higher than on the first Monday of January. Retail gasoline prices typically increase much more than that as gasoline demand increases going into the summer driving season and retailers are required to start selling more expensive summer-grade gasoline. Over the last 10 years and excluding 2020, retail gasoline prices increased 19% (or 49 cents/gal) on average from January to May.

    U.S. gasoline prices vary regionally, reflecting local supply and demand conditions, state fuel specifications, and state taxes. Retail gasoline prices are usually the highest on the West Coast because of:

    • The region’s limited connections with other major refining centers
    • Tight local supply and demand conditions
    • Higher-than-average state taxes in several West Coast states
    • Gasoline specifications for California that make gasoline more costly to manufacture

    On May 19, West Coast prices averaged $4.29/gal, down 10% in real terms from this time last year.

    Gasoline prices on the Gulf Coast are usually the lowest of any U.S. region. Gulf Coast states are home to more than half of U.S. refining capacity, and more gasoline is produced than is consumed in the region. Gulf Coast states also have lower gasoline taxes than the national average. Gulf Coast prices on May 19 averaged $2.79/gal, down 13% from this time last year.

    On the East Coast, which has the most gasoline demand of the five regions, retail gasoline prices averaged $2.99/gal, down 17% from 2024.

    Prices are also down in the Midwest and the Rocky Mountains compared with last year. Midwest prices averaged $3.03/gal, down 15% from the previous year, and Rocky Mountains prices averaged $3.13/gal, down 12% from 2024 after adjusting for inflation.

    Principal contributor: Alexander de Keyserling

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: More Than $50M Awarded By Restore NY Communities

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced that more than $50 million has been awarded to 50 projects through the State’s Restore New York Communities Initiative. Restore New York supports municipal revitalization efforts with funds to help remove and reduce blight, reinvigorate communities and generate new residential and economic opportunities statewide. The program, administered by Empire State Development, is designed to help local governments encourage new commercial investments through community revitalization, growing local housing, and putting properties back on the tax rolls to increase the local tax base.

    “Revitalizing and rehabilitating vacant and blighted areas of our communities for housing or development is vital to make downtowns thrive,” Governor Hochul said. “Restore New York helps our municipalities plan for the future by catalyzing economic growth and supporting housing, businesses and cultural spaces. We are further unlocking the potential of these sites and communities across New York.”

    Two applications were awarded a Special Project designation because, if left undeveloped, the parcel or property causes severe economic injury or creates a depressing effect on the overall economic development potential of the community. The City of Rome was awarded $3.5 million to rehabilitate two buildings that were destroyed by the tornado that touched down in Rome on July 16, 2024. Upon completion, these buildings will add an additional 180,000 square feet of commercial manufacturing space to the community. Additionally, the City of Ogdensburg was awarded $3.5 million to rehabilitate several historic mill buildings on the St. Lawrence River waterfront into a mixed-use complex.

    Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State is building for the future by supporting projects that advance statewide priorities like increasing housing and revitalizing communities. Through the Restore New York Communities Initiative, we are working together with municipalities to remove blight and generate new investments to promote sustainable economic growth.”

    A full list of Restore New York projects awarded funding in this round is available below, or online here.

    The Capital Region was awarded more than $4.45 million to support four projects:

    • Village of Colonie – $999,934: This project involves demolishing an abandoned, deteriorating building at 1579 Central Avenue, making the property readily available for future development opportunities.
    • City of Glens Falls – $1 million: The “Lofts at Warren” project, located at 109 and 115-117 Warren Street, will involve the demolition of two garages and the redevelopment of two vacant lots. The resulting mixed-use building will consist of 3,000 square-feet of first-floor commercial space and 65 one- and two-bedroom apartments on three floors. The commercial space will be utilized by retail and office storefront space leased to small businesses serving the City’s distressed First Ward and high-traffic Warren Street Corridor.
    • Village of Hoosick Falls – $985,000: This project involves the rehabilitation of a vacant warehouse at 1 Center Street into a mixed-use property with commercial opportunities and one- and two-bedroom residential units. It will provide incubator space at fixed rates, with plans for a locally owned brewery and gym/fitness center.
    • City of Schenectady – $1.5 million: The St. Clare’s Hospital redevelopment project will rehabilitate one of the largest buildings in the city – a 400,000 square foot building at 600 McClellan Street – on a 17-acre site. The building will be repurposed into a mixed-use property with approximately 236 apartments with on-site daycare and is part of a targeted redevelopment effort by the City and Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority.

    Central New York was awarded $6 million to support seven projects:

    • Village of Cayuga – $1 million: This project will transform a 20,000 square-foot vacant and deteriorated office building into a waterfront lodging destination. Located at the Beacon Bay Marina, 6255 Water Street, this redevelopment will include the creation of 10-15 one or two-bedroom suites, and a small outdoor rooftop event space with scenic views.
    • City of Cortland – $242,000: This project involves the demolition of a property, formerly known as the Roundhouse Mill, at 41 Elm Street. Set in an otherwise largely residential neighborhood, the mill has been vacant and deteriorating for several years, and demolition will allow for the future redevelopment of the 1.5-acre site, part of the City’s Brownfield Opportunity Area.
    • City of Fulton – $1 million: This project will redevelop the blighted former Nestle Building at 533 South 4th Street into a 30,000 square-foot advanced manufacturing incubator, targeting startup companies and fostering regional economic growth. The new facility will serve as a hub for innovation, supporting the needs of emerging manufacturers and leveraging opportunities created by the Micron semiconductor plant being developed in nearby Clay. The outcome will be a state-of-the-art facility, designed to drive job creation, industrial innovation and sustained regional development.
    • City of Oneida – $1 million: This project involves the partial demolition and rehabilitation of two vacant and severely dilapidated structures at 136 and 138 Madison Street. The buildings will retain their historic character, with each accessible to the other via a common elevator and stairwell, and new spaces added on the upper floors. Parking will be constructed to service the project. The redevelopment will include 15 live/work units and is across the street from a previous Restore New York project at 155 Madison Street.
    • Onondaga County – $1 million: The Milton Corner Development project consists of the reconstruction of five contiguous lots at 2281, 2273, 2263, 2259 and 2243 Milton Avenue in Solvay that were previously developed, but lost to a fire several years ago. The developer plans to demolish remaining walls and foundations and build a mixed-use building with parking and storage in the basement area. On the street level, the building will offer 12,000 square feet of new retail space and 33 apartments on the upper three floors.
    • City of Oswego – $700,000: The Oswego Freight House redevelopment will transform the historic 7,200-square-foot rail freight house at 20-24 West Utica Street into a 10-brewer barrel brewery, taproom, and retail space. The project will preserve the building’s 175-year-old character while addressing years of structural decay and blight. Located near the City’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative projects, this redevelopment will leverage completed and ongoing investments to further revitalize the Utica Street corridor.
    • City of Syracuse – $1.058 million: This project aims to transform two vacant, underutilized and blighted properties at 366 and 615 West Onondaga Street into approximately 31 new housing units, including both market-rate and affordable options, alongside six office suites. This project falls within the City’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative zone.

    The Finger Lakes was awarded $5.94 million to support six projects:

    • Village of Dansville – $710,000: This project involves a historic, three-story building at 154-162 Main Street that has been vacant for years and mostly uninhabitable. Phase one is nearing completion and includes the restoration of five first-floor commercial units returning the façade to its original design. Restore New York funding will support Phase Two, which includes the creation of four affordable, one-bedroom and four market-rate two-bedroom apartments on the vacant second and third floors. Windows, doors, and historic features such as trim work will be restored and reused wherever possible.
    • City of Geneva – $1 million: The DeSales High School Revitalization Project will consist of the comprehensive renovation of the interior and exterior of the long vacant school at 136 and 138 Madison Street. The renovated property will feature 17 market-rate residential units and four commercial offices while retaining the existing gym, which will continue to be leased to a local school.
    • Town of Macedon – $480,000: This project involves the renovation and restoration of 103 Main Street, which has been left underutilized and vacant. The first-floor commercial unit will be rehabilitated into restaurant space, and the walk-out basement transformed into storage and utility space. Three loft-style apartment units will be built on the upper floor. The project will include electrical, HVAC, and plumbing upgrades; construction of an elevator shaft and elevator; accessibility upgrades; and a new side entrance that will provide easy access to the Trolley Town Square public park.
    • Monroe County – $2 million: Built in 1929, the Genesee Valley Trust Building (now the Times-Square Building) at 45 Exchange Street is one of Rochester’s most iconic high-rises. Post-COVID the building has become mostly vacant. This project intends to convert the vacant floors into market-rate apartments, while refreshing 15,000 square feet of existing space into modern, attractive commercial and retail suites. This project in total will convert over 100,000 square feet of space into a certified historic rehabilitation project, approved by the New York State Historic Preservation Office and the National Parks Service.
    • Village of Medina – $850,000: This project intends to re-activate a historic mixed-use building at 409-13 Main Street, known as the Waters Building, by creating two commercial units in the rear-facing, sub-grade space; a new commercial flex kitchen at street-level; and four new residential units in the structure’s fully vacant upper story. This project will provide an enhanced destination and add an amenity to a planned waterfront destination.
    • Village of Phelps – $900,000: This project will restore and revitalize the 1892-era Phelps Hotel at 90 Main Street, which has been vacant for approximately 40 years. In an effort to restore the interior to its historic roots, the project will involve significant renovations in order for the building to be considered habitable. The reconstruction will include installing plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems, and creating eight upper-story residential units alongside a restaurant and speakeasy on the first floor and basement.

    Long Island– The Long Island Region was awarded $1.79 million to support two projects:

    • Village of Port Jefferson – $790,000: This project includes the demolition and redevelopment of 1506 and 1510-1512 Main Street. This will allow for the future redevelopment of an approximately 35,290 gross square foot, four-story mixed-use building consisting of 42 multi-family residential units, and approximately 1,800 square feet of commercial space.
    • Suffolk County – $1 million: This project is the development of a multi-family, mixed income rental housing at 309 Merritt Avenue in the Hamlet of Wyandanch in the Town of Babylon. The development will include 81 residential units in a 4-story, 82,000 square foot building with proximity to transit. This location is the site of a former cream distributor that has already been demolished. The ground floor of the development will include parking, a lobby, management office, common laundry and a fitness center.

    The Mid-Hudson Region was awarded more than $4.24 million to support six projects:

    • City of Kingston– $477,000: Located at the entrance of the Cornell Street arts corridor, the long-dormant commercial property at 289 Foxhall Avenue will be rehabilitated for the purchase and use by Headstone, Inc., creating new opportunities for jobs, apprenticeships and job shadowing for high school students. Studio spaces will be available to lease by local independent artisans and will provide administrative spaces for local arts organizations. Parking lots will be landscaped to anticipate planned street redesign and provide a welcoming space on a street that has become an arts destination.
    • City of Poughkeepsie– $1 million: The project will renovate the upper floors of the historic Bardavon Opera House at 31 Market Street and the adjacent three-story building at 39 Market Street into a single 35,000 square-foot, five-story mixed-use development. This will create 49 new residential units, that range from studio to two-bedroom apartments, and make improvements to the building’s mechanical systems and structural stability. The entire ground level will be rehabilitated, activating retail space that has been vacant for years.
    • Town of Cornwall – $800,000: The project will transform a long vacant former car dealership at 317 Main Street into a new, upscale 52-unit boutique hotel with a full-service restaurant and bar in the heart of the town. The project will create 35 new full-time hospitality positions and address a significant shortfall in Orange County lodging options, as determined by a study completed by the Orange County Department of Tourism and Film.
    • Town of Fallsburg – $755,450: The proposed project involves the demolition of a condemned schoolhouse at 36 Laurel Avenue and site preparation for the future construction of a 5,000-square-foot healthcare facility. The cleared, shovel-ready site and enhanced infrastructure will support the construction of a permanent medical home for underserved residents.
    • Town of Rockland – $1 million: The Livingston Legacy Holdings Project will transform seven long vacant, formerly commercial structures on 10 Pleasant Street into a bustling multi-use hospitality campus, featuring a restaurant, a sake brewery and tasting room, open air market, public gardens and multi-use spaces for other community-defined needs. Once complete, this campus will feature a much-needed venue suitable for large gatherings and social events requiring large spaces, parking, and catering capabilities.
    • Village of Sleepy Hollow –$211,500: This project is for site deconstruction, cleanup and improvements for 64/68 Beekman Avenue. This vacant and neglected site is located at the heart of the Village’s main commercial corridor, squarely within its NY Forward boundary. Revitalization of the site will increase access to services and make the Village’s downtown more livable. The building at these properties burned down years ago and the site has been overgrown with scattered debris for more than a decade.

    The Mohawk Valley was awarded nearly $8 million to support six projects:

    • City of Rome – $3.5 million – Special Project: This project will repair, rehabilitate, and modernize two tornado-damaged vacant properties at 220 South Madison Street and 522 Henry Street. The EF-2 tornado that swept through the region on July 16, 2024 extensively damaged the 180,000-square-foot facility, collapsing portions of the roof, shattering windows, blowing out entire exterior walls and damaging critical electrical infrastructure. One building will be developed for mixed use with first-floor commercial and event space, and the other will become the largest available industrial space in the Utica-Rome metropolitan statistical area.
    • City of Amsterdam – $1 million: This project will involve the conversion of the former Sonoco Paper Mill at 58-62 Forest Road into a bakery, brewpub and retail location. Upon completion the site will serve as the production and distribution center for Boogie Lab Bakery. The conversion of this abandoned factory into a new production facility for the Bakery and a Brewpub is expected to bring at least 150 jobs to the city.
    • Village of Boonville – $1 million: The Boone Building at 133, 135 and 139 Main Street suffered a devastating fire in 2020, hollowing out the core of the village’s downtown. Reconstruction is planned that will create three first-floor commercial spaces to house a sporting goods store, artisanal meat market, and jewelry store/boutique gift shop. The two upper floors will be ten residential one- and two-bedroom units.
    • Village of Cooperstown – $1 million: This project will demolish 217 Main Street, the site of a former cheese factory, furniture store and baseball bat factory that has sat vacant for years. After demolition, a 50-unit, elevator serviced three-story apartment building will be constructed. This development will yield sorely needed accessible, affordable, and permanent supportive housing, featuring energy efficiency and green building practices, with on-site parking and amenities.
    • Village of Herkimer – $1 million: This project involves the rehabilitation of the historic former Masonic Temple, a 17,524-square-foot property on 415 N. Main Street, into a vibrant commercial hub addressing long-term vacancy and structural decline. The project will develop spaces for diverse business uses, including the region’s only certified kitchen to support food-based enterprises. This project resolves safety and aesthetic concerns, mitigates blight, and leverages the Village’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative to drive economic growth.
    • Village of Richfield Springs – $469,593: The total project includes the rehabilitation and renovation of 241 Main Street into an inn with guest rooms, an event center, and re-establishing the historic mineral spas. Outside renovations include securing the building’s envelope by replacing the roof, repairing the chimney and steps, installing gutters, and updating the fire escape. Inside renovations include transforming the fourth floor into an apartment, renovating the third-floor bathrooms and laundry room, upgrading electrical and HVAC, and repairing the plumbing.

    The North Country was awarded more than $8.6 million to support eight projects:

    • City of Ogdensburg – $3.5 Million – Special Project: This project includes the adaptive reuse of 119 W. River Street, a long-abandoned former waterfront hotel property situated along the St. Lawrence River. This transformative downtown initiative focuses on restoring two historic stone mill buildings to create a vibrant mixed-use destination, including 10 residential apartments. The redevelopment will breathe new life into a blighted area, enhance the local economy, and provide unique retail, residential, recreational, and dining opportunities for residents and visitors alike.
    • Village of Canton – $749,997: This project will demolish 6,400 square feet of vacant buildings and reconstruct 4,500 square feet of commercial and event space at 15 Gouverneur Street. The objective is to create a welcoming, functional mixed-use space that restores the beauty and history of Canton’s downtown waterfront and increases economic activity and opportunities.
    • Town of Elizabethtown – $500,000: The project involves two buildings on a single parcel of land at 13 Lawrence Way. The Hale House is a 6,500 square foot, 200-year-old building that was once a single-family home, but today is mostly vacant. It will be rehabilitated into four apartments – each approximately 1,650 square feet – aimed to attract young families and professionals. Additionally, the Law Library is completely vacant and lacks heat, water, and wastewater, and will be rehabilitated into a single unit.
    • Town of Lowville – $560,000: The project will redevelop approximately 6,500 square-feet of vacant space at 7623 North State Street, a historic brick block building in Downtown. Funding will assist with the costs for the installation of electrical and plumbing throughout the building, the construction of an ADA-compliant elevator, a stairwell, masonry repairs, and the construction of eight market-rate housing units and amenities.
    • Town of Martinsburg – $1 million: The General Martin Apartments project repurposes the former Glenfield Elementary School at 5960 Main Street into 63 affordable housing units. This adaptive reuse will include 55 one-bedroom, six two-bedroom, and two studio apartments. The building will undergo substantial renovations, incorporating community amenities like a fitness center, laundry facilities, a community room and an outdoor garden.
    • City of Ogdensburg – $914,355: Small City Brewing Company will transform a vacant building at 110 Lake Street into a craft brewery, advancing the development of Ogdensburg’s Marina District – a Brownfield Opportunity Area. The project will include a manufacturing facility with a commercial grade five-barrel brewing system and the addition of a 400 square foot grain room. SCBC plans to wholesale to restaurants and bars and open a retail tasting room on-site with a commercial kitchen and event space.
    • City of Plattsburgh – $405,000: The 5500 Peru Street project is aimed at revitalizing a multi-use building in a key area within the community. This project involves the reconstruction of a building that has been mostly vacant since 2006 into two residential units and more than 4,300 square feet of renovated commercial space.
    • Village of Waddington – $1 million: The former St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 129 Lincoln Avenue is a 5,120-square-foot stone Georgian structure built in 1818. The now-vacant structure faces severe decay, threatening its place within the historic district. The Village plans to stabilize and rehabilitate the site, comprising the church, the adjoining brick rectory, and a rear wooden garage, to create a multi-use, non-sectarian recreational hub. This transformation will preserve its architectural heritage while drawing new residents, fostering community engagement and providing entertainment options.

    The Southern Tier was awarded $5.4 million to support seven projects:

    • City of Corning – $600,000: The project involves the historic rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of the former Steuben County Courthouse at 10 West First Street into seven apartment-style, market-rate residential units.
    • City of Elmira – $1 million: The Carriage House Inn Project consists of the complete renovation and adaptive reuse of 254 Baldwin Street, transforming the property into a boutique-style hotel to support and develop Elmira’s tourism arts and cultural industries. The finished site will house the Tommy Hilfiger Archive, event space, and 12 hotel rooms.
    • Village of Franklin – $1 million: Funds will support the rehabilitation of three adjoining, vacant, commercial/mixed-use properties at 438-444 Main Street in the heart of the Village’s Historic District totaling 13,500 square feet. The vacant and under-utilized space will be redeveloped into five new commercial businesses and a new apartment. The businesses include a restaurant, café/art studio, arcade & lounge, retail shop and commercial office space, seeking to fill the void of commercial businesses/services that are being sought by visitors.
    • Village of Hammondsport – $1 million: Restore funds will advance the redevelopment of the Curtiss School on 15 Bauder Avenue into 24 apartments, providing workforce housing ideal for young professionals and older adults. The redevelopment will also address the deteriorating building structure, particularly the roof. The building’s gymnasium will be adapted into commercial space ideal for retail, office or other community focused use.
    • City of Hornell – $300,000: The Landman Building is prominently located at 83-93 Main Street in downtown Hornell across from City Hall. The proposed project includes a full adaptive reuse of the existing building, with the addition of a third story. Once completed, the building will be a mixed-use development that will bring more residents and business opportunities into the downtown.
    • Village of Johnson City – $500,000: The proposed project consists of selective internal demolition and rehabilitation at the vacant former David College at 400 Riverside Drive to accommodate 62 apartments, five single-family homes and approximately 22,000 square feet of commercial space.
    • City of Norwich – $1 million: This two-story, 12,400-square-foot former office building at 23 East Main Street will be repurposed to meet critical community needs. The first floor will become a childcare center for 46 children, addressing Chenango County’s childcare desert. The second floor will house Commerce Chenango offices with a reception area, boardroom and conference space, supporting local businesses. The site’s emergency generator and location also position it for FEMA shelter designation, further strengthening community resilience.

    Western New York was awarded more than $6.1 million to support six projects:

    • Village of Almond – $1 million: This project includes the partial demolition and complete rehabilitation of a condemned, vacant and previously abandoned property known as “The Old Coslo’s Building” at 59 Main Street. The project proposes to rehabilitate this parcel into a mixed-use facility with five retail stores, 14 offices and four low-income apartments.
    • City of Jamestown – $721,704: The proposed Prendergast Landing redevelopment project aims to revitalize a historic, vacant building at 106-8 Fairmount Avenue and two adjacent lots into a vibrant, family-friendly destination. The refurbished three-story building will foster local economic growth by featuring a small café, a retail outfitter for outdoor activities, and a boutique showcasing local small businesses on the ground floor. The second floor will offer flexible office spaces ideal for entrepreneurs and a multipurpose room for community events. The third floor will provide three residential lofts that enhance the living experience close to recreational amenities.
    • Town of Niagara – $890,000: This project will redevelop a commercial site at 3505 Hyde Park Boulevard by rehabbing a 62,000 square foot building for future potential manufacturing, as well as demolishing other dilapidated buildings on the site to make way for more than 15 acres of industrial space.
    • Niagara County – $1.25 million: This project will rehab property along Cayuga Creek at 519 Cayuga Drive in Niagara Falls to create a mixed-use complex. They will be focused on the restoration of the retail space, the rehab of the apartments upstairs and the buildout of the dock with 15 new slips for recreational boaters to visit the neighborhood via the water.
    • City of Niagara Falls – $1.25 million: Funding will support a portion of the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center Community Initiative. The Medical Center parking garage located at 620 10th Street is in bad condition and several sections are no longer accessible due to structural damage. Medical offices located on the top floor of this garage will be moved to the existing hospital across the street. Once demolished, the open space will be reconstructed into a flat parking area and a new parking garage will be constructed across the street at 621 10th Street.
    • City of North Tonawanda – $1 million: The Riverfront Vista project includes redevelopment of the former Metzger Removal site, a 3.1-acre brownfield site that encompasses 235 River Road and 190 Main Street. The $33.3 million project consists of a mixed-use residential and commercial project comprised of a four-story multi-family building with 48 apartment units and a mixed-use building with 39 apartments along with over 7,600 square-feet of commercial space and 2,690 square feet of community space.

    State Senator Sean Ryan said, “Restore NY is one of New York’s most impactful economic development programs. It encourages new business by reducing vacancy and paving the way for new commercial development. These awards will help turn underutilized properties into assets for the surrounding communities.”

    Assemblymember Al Stirpe said, “This round of awards, made possible by Governor Hochul and Restore New York, takes smart and strategic steps to breathe life back into our communities. Mitigating damage and restoring blighted structures will attract new business and restore the character of local towns in a sustainable way — conserving resources and building materials in the process. By bolstering local revitalization efforts, these projects open municipalities to economic, environmental, and residential opportunities that enhance quality of life for all New Yorkers.”

    These awards complement Governor Hochul’s economic development vision by making strategic investments in communities across the State which revitalize the economy and create more opportunities for New Yorkers. The FY2026 Budget invests $100 million for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and $100 million for NY Forward. These programs help municipalities promote quality of life, foster socio-economic development and create walkable, livable and safer neighborhoods in every corner of the state. Additionally, the $400 million Championing Albany’s Potential initiative, a collaborative, State-led effort to revitalize Albany’s downtown core. The Budget also includes funding for the state’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative; new this year, the 10 councils will compete, in part, for $150 million in funding as part of the new ACHIEVE initiative to advance catalytic economic development projects backed by enhanced implementation funding to jump-start regional growth.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Govt should defuse NZ’s social timebomb – but won’t

    We have been handed a long and protracted recession with few signs of growth and prosperity. Budget 2025 signals more of the same, writes Susan St John.

    ANALYSIS: By Susan St John

    With the coalition government’s second Budget being unveiled, we should question where New Zealand is heading.

    The 2024 Budget laid out the strategy. Tax cuts and landlord subsidies were prioritised with a focus on cuts to social and infrastructure spending. Most of the tax package went to the well-off, while many low-income households got nothing, or very little.

    Even the tiny bit of the tax package directed to low-income people fell flat. Family Boost has significantly helped only a handful of families, while the increase of $25 per week (In Work Tax Credit) was denied all families on benefits, affecting about 200,000 of the very poorest children.

    In the recession, families that lost paid work also lost access to full Working for Families, an income cut for their children of about $100 per week.

    No one worked out how the many spending cuts would be distributed, but they have hurt the poor the most. These changes are too numerous to itemise but include increased transport costs; the reintroduction of prescription charges; a disastrous school lunch system; rising rents, rates and insurance; fewer budget advisory services; cuts to foodbank funding and hardship grants; stripping away support programmes for the disabled; inadequately adjusted benefits and minimum wage; and reduced support for pay equity and the living wage.

    The objective is to save money while ignoring the human cost. For example, a scathing report of the Auditor General confirms that Oranga Tamariki took a bulldozer to obeying the call for a 6.5 percent cut in existing social services with no regard to the extreme hurt caused to children and struggling parents.

    Budget 2025 has already indicated that Working for Families will continue to go backwards with not even inflation adjustments. The 2025 child and youth strategy report shows that over the year to June 2024 the number of children in material poverty continued to increase, there were more avoidable hospitalisations, immunisation rates for babies declined, and there was more food insecurity.

    Human costs all around us
    We can see the human costs all around us in homelessness, food insecurity, and ill health. Already we know we rank at the bottom among developed countries for child wellbeing and suicide rates.

    Abject distress existing alongside where homes sell for $20 million-$40 million is no longer uncommon, and neither are $6 million helicopters of the very rich.

    Changes in suicide rates (three-year average), ages 15 to 19 from 2018 to 2022 (or most recent four-year period available). Source: WHO mortality database

    At the start of the year, Helen Robinson, CEO of the Auckland City Mission, had a clear warning: “I am pleading with government for more support, otherwise what we and other food relief agencies in Auckland can provide, will dramatically decrease.

    “This leaves more of Auckland hungry and those already there become more desperate. It is the total antithesis of a thriving city.”

    The theory held by this government is that by reducing the role of government and taxes, the private sector will flourish, and secure well-paid jobs will be created. Instead, as basic economic theory would predict, we have been handed a long and protracted recession with few signs of growth and prosperity.

    Budget 2025 signals more of the same.

    It would be a mistake to wait for simplistic official inequality statistics before we act. Our current destination is a sharply divided country of extreme wealth and extreme poverty with an insecure middle class.

    Underfunded social agencies
    Underfunded and swamped social agencies cannot remove the relentless stress on the people who are invisible in the ‘fiscally responsible’ economic narrative. The fabricated bogeyman of outsized net government debt is at the core, as the government pursues balanced budgets and small government-size targets.

    A stage one economics student would know the deficit increases automatically in a recession to cushion the decline and stop the economy spiralling into something that looks more like a depression. But our safety nets of social welfare are performing very badly.

    Rising unemployment has exposed the inadequacy of social protections. Working for Families, for instance, provides a very poor cushion for children. Many “working” families do not have enough hours of work and face crippling poverty traps.

    Future security is undermined as more KiwiSavers cash in for hardship reasons. A record number of the talented young we need to drive the recovery and repair the frayed social fabric have already fled the country.

    The government is fond of comparing its Budget to that of a household. But what prudent household would deliberately undermine the earning capacity of family members?

    The primary task for the Budget should be to look after people first, to allow them to meet their food, dental and health needs, education, housing and travel costs, to have a buffer of savings to cushion unexpected shocks and to prepare for old age.

    A sore thumb standing
    In the social security part of the Budget, NZ Super for all at 65, no matter how rich or whether still in full-time well-paid work, dominates (gross $25 billion). It’s a sore thumb standing out alongside much less generous, highly targeted benefits and working for families, paid parental leave, family boost, hardship provisions, accommodation supplement, winter energy and other payments and subsidies.

    Given the political will, research shows we can easily redirect at least $3 billion from very wealthy superannuitants to fixing other payments to greatly improve the wellbeing of the young. This will not be enough but it could be a first step to the wide rebalancing needed.

    New Zealand has become a country of two halves whose paths rarely cross: a social time bomb with unimaginable consequences. It is a country beguiled by an egalitarian past that is no more.

    Susan St John is an associate professor in the Pensions and Intergenerational Equity hub and Economic Policy Centre, Business School, University of Auckland. This article was first published by Newsroom before the 2025 Budget and is republished with permission.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: M&S cyber-attack: how to protect yourself from sim-swap fraud

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alan Woodward, Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Surrey

    Our mobile phone numbers have become a de facto form of identification, but they can be hijacked for nefarious purposes. Just such an attack may have been involved in the recent very damaging cyber-attack on Marks & Spencer (M&S).

    The hack happened in April and forced M&S to stop taking online orders. It also caused disruption to some of its stores. The company has said that its online business could be disrupted into July and could result in an estimated £300m hit to profits.

    The M&S incident is being widely reported as an example of what is known as “sim swap”. It’s a form of fraud that is on the rise and understanding how to protect against it will help limit its impact.

    Our mobile numbers are unique and we have them for years. This means that users generally want to keep hold of their number when they change they phones, or lose them. When a user buys a new phone, or just a new sim card for a spare device they might have, they might call their service provider to transfer their longstanding mobile number to the new sim card.

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    The problem is that the service provider doesn’t know if it is really them calling to transfer the number. Hence, they launch into a series of questions to make sure they are who they say they are.

    But what if someone else has the answers to the questions the service provider asks? Is your mother’s maiden name or that of your first pet really that secret?

    Easy pickings

    The rise of social media has made it easier than ever for scammers to piece together what was once considered private information. But this might not even be necessary. What if the service provider simply takes pity and falls for a tale of woe as to why you need to transfer the number but cannot remember an answer?

    Suddenly, someone else can make and receive calls and SMS messages using your
    number. This means they could make calls at your expense. However, it might seem logical that as soon as the service provider is informed of this, the provider should be able to stop it, and is likely to refund any fraudulent charges.

    However, there’s a catch. Remember when you created your email, bank account or even online grocery shopping account and you were encouraged to set up two-factor authentication (2FA)? You listened, but the system set your “second factor” as your mobile phone number. You input your username and password, and it asks for a time-limited code that it sends to you as an SMS message.

    If someone has managed to obtain your login username and password, typically through a phishing email or even a data breach, and they have control over your phone number, they now have everything they need to login to your account.

    This so-called sim-swap fraud is complex to pull off, but it is on the rise. Attacks rose by 1,055% in 2024, according to the National Fraud Database, and it has allegedly been used in many high-profile hacks such as that of former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in 2019.

    Effective counter-measures

    It is often used to target users who have high system privileges that gives them to access to systems that most users don’t have permissions for. Imagine such a sim swap was carried out on a system administrator. These are the very people who set and reset passwords, grant access to computer systems and, most dangerously, can upload further software to the network and its attached systems.

    This has proved such a useful hack that some services are switching to sending that time-limited code to you to messaging services such as WhatsApp. However, this approach is not foolproof, and so there is a rising adoption of authentication apps, which display a synchronised code that matches one held by the service to ensure authenticity.

    Nothing is 100% secure, and the security of authentication apps, assumes that you have a separate, strong password to prevent those who have stolen your phone number from accessing these authentication checks.

    Efforts to improve login security have led to the rise of what are known as passkeys, which are long sequence of random digits called cryptographic keys that are stored on your device, such as a smartphone or computer. It is only shown to your online account when you unlock your phone.

    A key step in authentication is therefore the method the person uses to access their device. This could be a biometric authenticator like a fingerprint or face scan, or a screen lock pin number. Passkeys are more resistant to phishing attacks and data breaches than traditional passwords.

    So, the next time you phone your mobile service provider and they insist on asking a host of questions to prove your identity, don’t complain, just think what could happen if they didn’t do sufficient checks and someone carried out a sim-swap scam on your number.

    The authors 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. M&S cyber-attack: how to protect yourself from sim-swap fraud – https://theconversation.com/mands-cyber-attack-how-to-protect-yourself-from-sim-swap-fraud-256611

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Helen Chadwick: Life Pleasures – a rich and witty retrospective that smells like chocolate

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Kerry Harker, PhD Candidate, Feminism and the Visual Arts , University of Leeds

    A bubbling Jacuzzi-sized fountain of molten chocolate greets visitors at the entrance to Life Pleasures, a major retrospective of British artist Helen Chadwick at the Hepworth gallery in Wakefield. The piece, named Cacao, was made in 1994, two years before the artist’s sudden death of a heart attack aged just 42.

    The installation encourages visitors to engage their senses of smell and sound as well as sight. These faculties are critical in approaching Chadwick’s sensorially and materially rich body of work. The sounds of the work’s electric motor and tantalising smell of its gurgling chocolate are everywhere throughout the show.

    The exhibition is the largest survey of Chadwick’s work yet, and her first since A Retrospective at the Barbican in London in 2004.

    Chadwick’s student work, Knitted Lillet Blood Cycle (1975) – a collection of ten life-sized, delicately knitted tampons depicted at various stages of crimson saturation – is the earliest work in the show.

    Between this and Cacao – two moments in the arc of her life and artistic practice – lie a multitude of rich, often witty and still fresh innovations with materials and forms in two and three dimensions.

    Collectively, they form an evolving self-portrait whether explicitly depicting the artist’s own body or representing it by other means. Carcass (1986) is a case in point.

    Helen Chadwick talks about Carcass.

    A tower of glass and Perspex, it mimics the vertical posture of an upright human body for which it is a proxy. Filled with organic matter – waste from the gallery cafe downstairs – it will continue to decay and be topped up over the course of the exhibition, performing the cyclical process of the human digestive system.

    Chadwick’s greatest hits

    Some of the pieces in the show will be familiar to those who know the artist’s work. This includes a series of photographs documenting Chadwick’s 1977 performance work In the Kitchen, for which she produced soft, wearable sculptures of domestic white goods including a washing machine and cooker.

    Piss Flowers (1991-92) are also on show, in which the artist and her husband David Notarius urinated into snow that was densely packed into a large flower-shaped cookie cutter. The resulting hollows were cast in bronze before being coated in white lacquer.

    Inverted, they appear as surreal oversized flowers, performing an unexpected gender reversal due to the deeper – and therefore taller once inverted – effect produced by the female urinary pattern which is recast as a suggestively phallic stamen.

    Other works similarly question gender norms and stereotypes.

    Self-portrait (1991) is a wall-mounted and back-lit transparent photograph. It depicts the artist’s hands gently cradling a human brain against a backdrop of ruched velvet. It is impossible to assign gender to this organ, denuded of the external bodily signifiers from which any socially inscribed concept of identity might normally be read.

    The sculptural installations The Oval Court (1984-86) and Ego Geometria Sum (1983) also explore the construction of narratives about the self.

    Both works have been reconstructed for Life Pleasures. The latter has been reassembled from individual works held in several public and private collections and the Arts Council Collection.

    In both of these installations, as with many others on show here, the artist experimented with photographic processes – a touchstone throughout her career. She was pushing the boundaries of the medium materially through processes such as photocopying, and conceptually by exploring its three-dimensional properties. That’s demonstrated through the series of wall-mounted sculptures that combine slick photographic images with various timbers, glass, aluminium and light.

    Chadwick’s enduring relevance

    In part, Life Pleasures restages many of the works included in Effluvia, Chadwick’s 1994 exhibition at London’s Serpentine Gallery.

    I was lucky enough to experience that exhibition just as my fine art studies at the University of Leeds were coming to an end. By 1994 Chadwick could be described in the exhibition’s catalogue as “one of Britain’s most prominent and provocative contemporary artists”.

    Her work as an artist and educator has been as influential for subsequent generations of female practitioners, in particular, as it was for me as a young art student then.

    Life Pleasures again reveals Chadwick as a sculptor of exactitude and thrilling inventiveness. Her unique work combines glossy, seductive precision with a delicate, tactile mastery of materials. Even as it explores the inescapable realities of the human body: its vulnerability, impurity and mutability.

    Seen in tandem with the fascinating Helen Chadwick: Artist, Researcher, Archivist now on show at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, Life Pleasures provides a very welcome opportunity to reassess Chadwick’s legacy and the enduring relevance of her work in the context of contemporary debates on sex and gender. Her often-cited status as an explicitly feminist artist, however, remains largely unexplored in deeper terms here.

    Helen Chadwick: Life Pleasures is at the Hepworth, Wakefield until October 27.

    Kerry Harker 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. Helen Chadwick: Life Pleasures – a rich and witty retrospective that smells like chocolate – https://theconversation.com/helen-chadwick-life-pleasures-a-rich-and-witty-retrospective-that-smells-like-chocolate-257155

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Anti-environmentalism is on the rise but it’s full of contradictions

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alastair Bonnett, Professor of Geography, Newcastle University

    Vadim Sadovski/Shutterstock

    Anti-environmentalism is gaining ground. Attacks on the net zero goal and hostility to conservation measures and anti-pollution targets are becoming more common. And, as recent election results have shown, these tactics are reshaping politics in Britain and across the west.

    Anti-environmentalism is a rejection of both environmental initiatives and activism. But despite its sudden rise and bold rhetoric, it is built on shaky foundations. The messages it offers are often contradictory and row against the tide of everyday experience.

    Take the US president, Donald Trump. He dismantled many environmental protections in his last term of office, and is now removing those that are left – including support for research that even mentions the word climate. Yet he told a rally in Wisconsin in 2024: “I’m an environmentalist. I want clean air and clean water. Really clean water. Really clean air.”

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    Some of the contradictions of anti-environmentalism reflect its departure from traditional conservatism. Although routinely identified as “conservative”, the populist anti-green politics of Republicans in the US and Reform in the UK, along with the AfD in Germany and National Rally in France, represent a radical challenge to the ideals of continuity and conservation that were once at the heart of conservatism.

    The Conservative Environment Network is an organisation which pitches itself as an “independent forum for conservatives in the UK and around the world who support net zero, nature restoration and resource security”. Much of this network’s work involves reminding people that important environmental protections, from America’s national parks to controls on pollution and climate change in Britain and elsewhere, were introduced by conservatives.

    But few on the right appear to be listening. A populist tide is washing this conservative tradition away, despite the fact that support for environmental protection remains very popular.

    Polling indicates that 80% of people in the UK worry about climate change. Public backing for the work of the US Environmental Protection Agency is also overwhelming, including among Republican voters.

    In part, this support reflects the fact that environmental damage is an everyday reality: unpredictable weather, the collapse of animal and insect populations, and a range of other challenges are not just on the TV, they are outside the window.

    In my research for a forthcoming book on environmental nostalgia across the world, I keep bumping into an irony. In western nations, voices from the right say they want their country back, yet appear hostile to environmental policies that would protect their country and ensure its survival.

    There are many reasons for this disconnect, including resentment against initiatives that require lifestyle and livelihood changes. However, the enmity and disengagement is more complicated than a simple rejection of nature.

    Many people – including Trump himself – claim they are environmentalists even when the evidence suggests otherwise. The signs and symbols of environmental care are knitted into every aspect of our commercial and cultural life: if wildlife could sue for copyright, there would a lot of rich bears.

    I argue that a distinction can be made between what I call “cold” and “hot” forms of environmentalism. The former values and mourns the loss of nature, but as a spectacle to be observed – a set of appealing images of flora and fauna – while the latter feels implicated and anxious.

    The former position allows people to claim they love nature yet be indifferent or even hostile to initiatives to save it. However, the line between cold and hot, or between anti- and pro-environmentalist, is neither fixed nor hard.

    Another quality of anti-environmentalism is that its beliefs are changeable, even quixotic. Climate change is an example.

    Reform’s leaders have long flirted with climate change denial. “Climate change has happened for millions of years,” explained former Reform UK leader Richard Tice in 2024, adding that “the idea that you can stop the power of the Sun or volcanoes is simply ludicrous”. Tice has not changed his views but later the same year, the party’s new leader, Nigel Farage, told the BBC that he was “not arguing the science”.

    Like other populist parties, Reform adopts a mobile position on the environment, moving between denying that climate change is happening or that humans are causing it, and the very different contention that anthropogenic climate change is real but that environmental targets are unreachable and unfair, given that other nations (China is often mentioned) supposedly do so little.

    A post-western paradox

    Researchers are only just starting to think about anti-environmentalism. One key analysis is environmental politics researcher John Hultgren’s The Smoke and the Spoils: Anti-Environmentalism and Class Struggle in the United States. This new book explains how Republicans managed to convince working-class voters that there is “zero-sum dichotomy between jobs and environmental protection, workers and environmentalists”.

    This kind of binary has also been found by contributors to The Handbook of Anti-Environmentalism, who identify and critique the stereotyping of environmentalism as middle-class and elite in several western countries.

    Yet the geographical focus of these pioneering works misses yet another of the paradoxes of anti-environmentalism: that although its rhetoric often accuses China and other non-western countries of doing little, there has been a significant environmental turn in both policy and public attitudes beyond Europe and the US.

    Environmentalism is becoming post-western. This is partly because the realities of environmental damage are so stark across much of Asia and Africa.

    Extreme temperatures and unpredictable rainfall are leading to food insecurity and community displacement. Environmentalism in the African Sahel and south Asia might better be called “survivalism”.

    And despite its continuing reliance on fossil fuels, China’s state-led vision of a transition to a conservationist and decarbonised “ecological civilisation” is positioning it as a global environmental leader.

    Stereotypes of environmentalism being primarily a western concern are crumbling. Because of this, along with the many contradictions that beset it, the rise of anti-environmentalism appears not only complex, but curious and unsustainable.

    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.

    Alastair Bonnett 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. Anti-environmentalism is on the rise but it’s full of contradictions – https://theconversation.com/anti-environmentalism-is-on-the-rise-but-its-full-of-contradictions-256911

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why gait quality matters as you age

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Helen Dawes, Professor of Clinical Rehabilitation, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter

    Studio Romantic/Shutterstock

    Walking is one of the most important things we do for our quality of life. In fact, research shows it contributes more than any other physical activity to how well we live day to day. Yet one in three people over the age of 60 report having some difficulty walking.

    As we age, gradual changes in our bodies and health can alter how we walk, often without us realising. But the way we walk, known as our gait pattern, matters more than we might think. Poor gait doesn’t just make walking harder and more tiring; it can lead to joint strain, instability, and a greater risk of falls.

    Think of your gait like a heart rhythm. Just as an electrocardiogram (ECG) shows whether your heart is functioning properly, your gait also has a rhythm. When that rhythm is off, it may be one of the earliest signs that you’re not ageing as well as you could be.

    Thanks to new technology, we can now measure gait quality more easily and precisely. One promising tool is the Heel2Toe wearable sensor. This small device attaches to your shoe and tracks the movement of your ankle as you walk, capturing your gait cycle in real time.

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    A healthy step begins with a strong heel strike. Your weight then rolls across the sole of your foot, ending with a push-off from the toes. As your foot lifts, it swings forward cleanly – no dragging or scuffing. This smooth sequence creates a rhythm in your ankle movements, one that, when consistent, resembles a kind of “walking ECG”.

    But over time, many people unconsciously adopt less efficient movement patterns. These altered gaits may feel normal, but they’re often unstable, tiring or unsafe.

    Poor gait can increase the risk of falls.
    https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/asian-senior-male-falling-on-ground-2147078055

    Poor gait reduces confidence, increases fall risk, and can discourage people from walking at all. And the less we walk, the weaker our muscles become – making the problem worse. It’s a vicious cycle.

    Relearning to walk well

    The good news is that we can retrain our gait.

    The Heel2Toe sensor doesn’t just monitor your movements – it also encourages better walking. When it detects a good step (one that begins with a strong heel strike), it delivers an audio cue as positive feedback. Over time, these cues help you rediscover a stronger, steadier walking pattern. Good gait becomes your new normal. Tools like Heel2Toe help people tune in to their body’s signals and make sustainable progress.

    The goal isn’t just to move more – it’s to move better.

    Of course, being physically active is only one aspect of what it means to live well as we grow older.

    To get a more complete picture of healthy ageing researchers have developed a tool that measures how often older adults experience key aspects of wellbeing. This tool – the Opal measure (Older Persons for Active Living) – goes beyond tracking what people do. It asks how they feel about their lives.

    Opal can help people understand their own wellbeing and it offers policymakers and communities a way to evaluate how well their services support older citizens – not just physically, but socially and emotionally too.

    For people, this means that even small improvements, like better gait, can lead to meaningful changes in how you feel: more confident, more mobile and more independent.

    For communities, it’s a reminder that promoting physical activity is important – but not enough. We also need programs, spaces and services that foster connection, purpose, creativity and joy.

    What does ‘active living’ really mean?

    In a 2024 international study, older adults in Canada, UK, US and the Netherlands shared what “active living” means to them – across four languages and cultural contexts.

    They identified 17 distinct “ways of being” that contribute to feeling active. Physical health was just one part. Others included feeling: confident, connected, creative, energised, encouraged, engaged, happy, mentally healthy, independent, interested, mentally sharp, motivated, resilient and self-sufficient.

    In other words, active living isn’t just about taking (or counting) steps, it’s about how you feel while taking them.

    Ageing is inevitable. But ageing well? That’s something we can shape – step by step.

    Helen Dawes is Director of International Affairs of PhysioBiometrics Inc. she receives funding from NIHR Exeter Biomedical Resarch Council and NIHR Exeter Sustainable Health Technology Centre.

    Nancy Mayo is co-founder and President of PhysioBiometrics Inc. a company that commercializes the Heel2Toe sensor to make it available for all. She has received funding from Healthy Brains for Health Lives (HBHL), McGill University, to develop and test the Heel2Toe sensor.

    – ref. Why gait quality matters as you age – https://theconversation.com/why-gait-quality-matters-as-you-age-256636

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Transfer of South Western Railway’s services into public ownership

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Written statement to Parliament

    Transfer of South Western Railway’s services into public ownership

    South Western Railway’s services will transfer into public ownership on 25 May 2025.

    Following my statement in December last year, I can confirm to the House that, on Sunday 25 May 2025, South Western Railway’s services will transfer into public ownership.

    South Western Railway’s services are the first to transfer to public ownership under the Passenger Railways Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, a landmark piece of legislation passed by Parliament in November. From Sunday, operations will be run by a new public sector operator – South Western Railway Limited. For now this will be a subsidiary of the public corporation, DfT Operator Limited (DfTO), which will eventually transfer into Great British Railways (GBR), once established.

    C2C’s services will be next to transfer into public ownership on 20 July 2025 and, as previously announced, I have issued an expiry notice to Greater Anglia confirming that their contract with the department will now expire on 12 October 2025. Greater Anglia’s services will transfer into public ownership on this date.

    Sunday marks a watershed moment in the government’s plan to return the railways to the service of passengers and reform our broken railways, ending 30 years of fragmentation and delivers on our manifesto commitment to bring passenger services back into public control and put passengers firmly at the heart of the railways.

    Public ownership will ensure services are run in the interests of passengers, not shareholders, and is a vital step in enabling the government to bring track and train together. But public ownership alone is not a silver bullet and will not fix the structural problems hindering the railways currently. That will take time.

    Under this government’s plan to unify track and train under one organisation, GBR will be the single ‘directing mind’ for the railway, putting passengers and customers first, rebuilding trust in the railway and simplifying the industry.

    In February, the government’s consultation on the Railways Bill outlined plans to establish GBR, which will consolidate the 14 different train operating companies, Network Rail and DfTO into a single organisation. The Railways Bill will be laid in this Parliamentary session and I expect GBR to be operational around 12 months after the bill receives Royal Assent

    Updates to this page

    Published 22 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Kemp: Mercedes-Benz Establishing North American Headquarters, new Research & Development Hub in Metro Atlanta

    Source: US State of Georgia

    ATLANTA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that Mercedes-Benz will establish Atlanta as Mercedes-Benz’s headquarters in North America by centralizing and uniting key corporate functions. The company will move up to 500 jobs to the existing Mercedes-Benz facility, known as “1MB,” in Fulton County, and make a multi-million dollar investment in a future state-of-the-art Research & Development (R&D) facility to also be located nearby.

    “Georgia continues to lead the way in the future of mobility and technical innovation, attracting world-class companies like Mercedes-Benz that are driving the automotive industry forward,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “We’re excited that a job creator that already has close ties to Georgia is doubling down on that choice and growing their presence here in the best state for business and opportunity.”

    Mercedes-Benz opened its “1MB” facility in 2018 in Sandy Springs, which currently supports approximately 800 jobs in Georgia.

    “We thank the State of Georgia for its support in deepening Mercedes-Benz’s roots in the Atlanta area as we bring even more talented team members to this world-class city,” said Jason Hoff, CEO of Mercedes-Benz North America.  “This strengthens our position for continued growth and reinforces our established commitment to the U.S. market. Bringing our teams closer together will enable us to be more agile, increase speed to market, and ensure the best customer experience.” 

    The ”1MB” facility located in Sandy Springs will house the existing sales teams as well as financial services teams and corporate functions. The new state-of-the-art Research & Development hub will be located near Sandy Springs. The company anticipates that the move to metro Atlanta will be completed by August 2026. To learn more about Mercedes-Benz, visit www.mbusa.com/en/careers or group.mercedes-benz.com/careers.

    “We’re excited to see Mercedes-Benz expanding in Sandy Springs,” said Mayor Rusty Paul, City of Sandy Springs. “Since establishing their headquarters here in 2018, they have been outstanding corporate partners. Their decision to grow in Sandy Springs highlights the success of the city’s recent infrastructure and capital investments which are now clearly paying dividends. This expansion represents a wonderful opportunity and a significant milestone for our continued development.”

    “Having a globally recognized brand like Mercedes-Benz reaffirm its commitment by investing and growing here in Fulton County is a testament to the strength and vitality of our community,” said Chairman Robb Pitts, Fulton County Board of Commissioners. “It proves Fulton County continues to be a destination for corporate solutions, providing major companies an accessible, vibrant, and growing community for their business to thrive in.”

    “This expansion is a testament to both Mercedes-Benz’s commitment to excellence and metro Atlanta’s strength as a hub for innovation and talent. When the 1MB facility opened in 2018, it quickly became an integral part of our business landscape, driving economic growth and elevating the region’s global presence,” said Katie Kirkpatrick, President & CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. “We are proud to see this partnership deepen as Mercedes-Benz continues to invest in our future shared success.”

    Assistant Director of Statewide Projects Elizabeth McLean represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDEcD) Global Commerce team on this competitive project in partnership with the City of Sandy Springs, Select Fulton, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and Georgia Power.

    “Since the strategic decision to relocate Mercedes-Benz USA to Sandy Springs in 2018, we have watched Mercedes-Benz become an integral part of our business community. Their continued growth and community involvement are a prime example of why we recruit industry leaders such as Mercedes-Benz to Georgia,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “This expansion and commitment to R&D in the metro Atlanta area will further strengthen the company’s long-term success, and highlights the talent and collaborative partnerships fostered by the University System of Georgia.”

    About Mercedes-Benz AG

    Mercedes-Benz AG is part of the Mercedes-Benz Group AG with a total of around 175,000 employees worldwide and is responsible for the global business of Mercedes-Benz Cars and Mercedes-Benz Vans. Ola Källenius is Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG. The company focuses on the development, production, and sales of passenger cars, vans, and vehicle-related services. Furthermore, the company aspires to be the leader in the fields of electric mobility and vehicle software. The product portfolio comprises the Mercedes-Benz brand with Mercedes AMG, Mercedes Maybach, and G Class with their all-electric models as well as products of the smart brand. Mercedes-Benz AG is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of high-end passenger cars.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: BNP Paribas Primary New Issues: MID-Stabilisation Notice – Wolseley Group

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    22.05.2025

    Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

    [WOLSELEY GROUP PLC]

    Mid-stabilisation Period Announcement

    [Further to the pre-stabilisation period announcement dated 16.05.2025] BNP Paribas (contact: Stanford Hartman telephone: 0207 595 8222) hereby gives notice that the Stabilisation Manager(s) named below undertook stabilisation (within the meaning of [Article 3.2(d) of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU/596/2014) / [and of] the rules of the Financial Conduct Authority)] in relation to the offer of the following securities, as set out below.

    Securities

    Issuer: WOLSELEY GROUP FINCO PLC
    Guarantor (if any): N/A
    Aggregate nominal amount: 350,000,000 GBP
    Description: Senior Secured Fixed Rate Notes
    Stabilisation Manager(s): BNP Paribas, Lloyds Bank, Wells Fargo, RBC, BOFA

    Stabilisation transaction[s]

    Date and time: Price: Quantity Stabilisation trading venue:
     16/05/2025  17:10:48  99.25  1,000,000.00  OTC
     16/05/2025  17:12:20  98.625  1,375,000.00  OTC
     16/05/2025  17:12:26 98.625 125,000.00 OTC
     16/05/2025  17:12:26  98.625  125,000.00  OTC
    19/05/2025  09:21:51 98.50 -2,000,000.00 OTC
    19/05/2025  09:32:45 98.625 -1,700,000.00 OTC
    19/05/2025  09:56:38 99.00 -200,000.00 OTC
    19/05/2025  09:59:05 98.83 -2,354,000.00 OTC
    19/05/2025  10:02:33 99.23 -500,000.00 OTC
    19/05/2025  11:31:42 99.015 1,000,000.00 OTC
    19/05/2025  15:10:28 99.1 -1,000,000.00 OTC
    20/05/2025  12:05:52 99.5 -2,000,000.00 OTC
    20/05/2025  12:34:15 99.375 500,000.00 OTC
    21/05/2025  17:04:09 99.55 2,300,000.00 OTC

    This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction.

    This announcement and the offer of the securities to which it relates are only addressed to and directed at persons outside the United Kingdom and persons in the United Kingdom who have professional experience in matters related to investments or who are high net worth persons within Article 12(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in the United Kingdom.

    In addition, if and to the extent that this announcement is communicated in, or the offer of the securities to which it relates is made in, the UK or any EEA Member State before the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in the UK or that Member State in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the “Prospectus  Regulation”) (or which has been approved by a competent authority in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in the UK or that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation), this announcement and the offer are only addressed to and directed at persons in the UK or that Member State who are qualified investors within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation (or who are other persons to whom the offer may lawfully be addressed) and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in the UK or that Member State.

    This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities referred to above have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. There has not been and will not be a public offer of the securities in the United States.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Primech AI Commences 2-Year Lease Deployment of HYTRON Autonomous Bathroom Cleaning Robot at Major Singapore Shopping Mall

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, May 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Primech AI Pte. Ltd. (“Primech AI” or the “Company”), a subsidiary of Primech Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: PMEC), today announced the successful deployment of its state-of-the-art autonomous bathroom cleaning robot, HYTRON, at one of Singapore’s premier lifestyle and shopping destinations. This deployment represents a significant milestone in the Company’s mission to revolutionize facility services through advanced robotics and AI-driven technology.

    The HYTRON robot, powered by NVIDIA’s Jetson Orin Super module, delivers exceptional performance in real-time AI processing, energy efficiency, and intelligent decision-making capabilities within a compact design specifically engineered for high-traffic public environments.

    “Our deployment at this shopping mall demonstrates how advanced robotics and AI can dramatically improve cleanliness and hygiene standards in busy commercial spaces,” said Charles Ng, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Primech AI. “HYTRON represents our commitment to addressing real-world challenges in facilities management through purpose-built technological solutions.”

    HYTRON’s sophisticated capabilities leverage NVIDIA’s comprehensive suite of technologies, including CUDA for high-performance parallel computing, cuDNN for accelerated deep learning performance, TensorRT for optimized AI inference, and NVIDIA Driver for stable hardware-software communication. These technologies enable HYTRON to maintain consistent cleanliness standards with minimal human intervention.

    Visitors can now observe HYTRON in operation, working efficiently to maintain restroom cleanliness with precision and reliability throughout the mall’s operating hours. The robot’s presence has already generated significant interest among shoppers and facilities management professionals alike.

    This latest HYTRON deployment at one of Singapore’s busiest lifestyle destinations underscores Primech AI’s expanding market presence and mission to transform urban hygiene solutions through innovative robotics. The Company continues to focus on creating tailored solutions for space-constrained environments typical in urban settings across Asia and Europe.

    About Primech AI
    Primech AI is a leading robotics company dedicated to pushing the boundaries of innovation in technology. With a team of passionate individuals and a commitment to collaboration, Primech AI is poised to revolutionize the robotics industry with groundbreaking solutions that make a meaningful impact on society. For more information, visit www.primech.ai.

    About Primech Holdings Limited
    Headquartered in Singapore, Primech Holdings Limited is a leading provider of comprehensive technology-driven facilities services, predominantly serving both public and private sectors throughout Singapore. Primech Holdings offers an extensive range of services tailored to meet the complex demands of its diverse clientele. Services include advanced general facility maintenance services, specialized cleaning solutions such as marble polishing and facade cleaning, meticulous stewarding services, and targeted cleaning services for offices and homes. Known for its commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge technology, Primech Holdings integrates eco-friendly practices and smart technology solutions to enhance operational efficiency and client satisfaction. This strategic approach positions Primech Holdings as a leader in the industry and a proactive contributor to advancing industry standards and practices in Singapore and beyond. For more information, visit www.primechholdings.com.    

    Forward-Looking Statements
    Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including, for example, statements about completing the acquisition, anticipated revenues, growth, and expansion. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are also based on assumptions regarding the Company’s present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “likely to” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure that such expectations will be correct. The Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the SEC.

    Company Contact:
    Email: ir@primech.com.sg

    Investor Relations Contact:        
    Matthew Abenante, IRC
    President                                        
    Strategic Investor Relations, LLC                                         
    Tel: 347-947-2093
    Email: matthew@strategic-ir.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: LPL Financial and Momentum Wealth Partners Welcome Beacon Financial

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN DIEGO, May 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LPL Financial LLC announced today that Beacon Financial has joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and custodial platforms, aligning with Momentum Wealth Partners, an existing firm supporting LPL-affiliated advisors. The Beacon Financial team of 10 advisors reported having served approximately $850 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets* and joins LPL from Cetera.

    Based in Toledo, Ohio, Beacon Financial is led by Principal Owner and CEO Greg Kopan, AIF®, a seasoned financial services veteran with nearly two decades of industry experience. Kopan founded Beacon Financial in 1997 with the goal of helping clients build a more secure financial future. Today, Beacon Financial is a multi-generational practice leveraging multiple perspectives to work toward predictability for their clients’ wealth horizon.

    “Our clients range from business owners and professionals to those nearing or in retirement, and we take a comprehensive approach to understanding each of their needs and goals to create a personalized and tailored plan to help them meet their short- and long-term goals,” Kopan said.

    Looking to pair their client-centered philosophy with the desire to provide their clients with an elevated experience, the team spent 10 months researching firms and doing their due diligence before selecting LPL and Momentum as the best partners for their business goals.

    “LPL stood out to us for several reasons,” Kopan said. “First, LPL has a strategic succession planning team, and that’s incredibly important as we are a multi-generational practice, and the future of the firm is always top of mind. LPL’s robust integrated and streamlined technology also stood out because we have a lot of older clients, and I am confident that having a single sign-on will be a positive change for them. Another deciding factor is that LPL understands our concerns around cybersecurity and is committed to helping combat the issue. Last year, LPL spent more than $500 million on technology infrastructure and cybersecurity to help advisors keep their businesses — and their clients — safe.”

    Kevin Frank, Momentum Wealth Partners Managing Partner and Co-founder, stated, “At Momentum, our mission is to empower advisors to achieve their professional goals by providing strategic planning, personalized support and an unwavering partnership — the same type of partnership that the Beacon Financial team provides to their clients. We look forward to a successful partnership for years to come.”

    Scott Posner, Managing Director, Business Development, said, “We welcome the Beacon Financial team and are honored they turned to LPL and Momentum Wealth Partners for the next phase of their business. At LPL, we are committed to helping advisors provide differentiated experiences by delivering innovative capabilities and strategic resources that make it easier for advisors to manage their practices and build long-term value with their clients.”

    Related

    Advisors, learn how LPL Financial can help take your business to the next level.

    About LPL Financial

    LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LPLA) is among the fastest growing wealth management firms in the U.S. As a leader in the financial advisor-mediated marketplace, LPL supports nearly 29,000 financial advisors and the wealth management practices of approximately 1,200 financial institutions, servicing and custodying approximately $1.8 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets on behalf of approximately 7 million Americans. The firm provides a wide range of advisor affiliation models, investment solutions, fintech tools and practice management services, ensuring that advisors and institutions have the flexibility to choose the business model, services, and technology resources they need to — run thriving businesses. For further information about LPL, please visit www.lpl.com.

    Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial LLC (“LPL Financial”), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Beacon Financial, Momentum Wealth Partners and LPL Financial are separate entities.

    Throughout this communication, the terms “financial advisors” and “advisors” are used to refer to registered representatives and/or investment advisor representatives affiliated with LPL Financial.

    We routinely disclose information that may be important to shareholders in the “Investor Relations” or “Press Releases” section of our website.

    *Value approximated based on asset and holding details provided to LPL from end of year, 2024.

    Media Contact: 
    Media.relations@LPLFinancial.com

    Tracking #735638

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Eight years after arena attack, Manchester bee commercialisation has unsettled some Mancunians

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ashley Collar, PhD Candidate in Sociology & Associate Lecturer in Criminology at MMU, University of Manchester

    espesorroche/Shutterstock

    If you visit Manchester, one of the first things you’ll notice is the great number of bee images throughout the city. Born in the Industrial Revolution, the “worker bee” symbol captured the city’s tireless spirit and its legacy as a buzzing hive of industry. Today, the symbol is more often associated with collective resilience and remembrance following the Manchester Arena attack on May 22 2017.

    The bee became a powerful symbol of the “Mancunian spirit”, emerging almost instantly on murals, on bodies as tattoos and on public memorials. Over the last eight years, it has become a core part of Manchester’s identity.

    A memorial at Manchester’s Victoria station in May 2024.
    Ashley Collar

    As part of my ongoing PhD research, I set out to understand why the bee is everywhere in Manchester and what it means to people. I interviewed 24 Mancunians who were living in the city at the time of the attack, including some who were directly affected.

    Conducted in 2023, seven years after the attack, these interviews aimed to capture how the symbol’s meaning had evolved as the city continued to process and commemorate the event.

    For many, the bee still stands as a symbol of resilience, a reminder of how the city came together in the face of tragedy. But for others, its presence throughout Manchester has become more of a burden than a comfort.

    Appearing on buses, shop windows and public spaces, it serves as a constant and eerie reminder of the events and aftermath of the attack. Eight of my interviewees described these as memories of “trauma”. Over time, what once felt comforting has become more unsettling.

    Manchester City Council coat of arms, with bees buzzing around the Earth.
    By IndysNotHere – Self – Made / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-NC-SA

    Fifteen of my interviewees expressed discomfort with how the bee has become more commercialised in the years since the attack. Some described feelings of “exploitation”.

    Both independent businesses and large companies have embraced the symbol, integrating it into their branding in public spaces. Many sell bee-themed gifts and souvenirs, such as fridge magnets, coasters and beanies.

    Manchester city council has played a key role in this commercialisation, promoting the image through various initiatives, including the Bee Network transport system and the Bee Cup – a reusable takeaway cup launched in 2023.

    In June 2017, shortly after the attack, the council moved to trademark several versions of the bee as an official city symbol. This was made public in March 2018, after the period for objections had passed.

    Initially, the council allowed people and businesses to use the symbol for free, but later introduced a licensing scheme. Now, anyone wishing to use the trademarked versions of the bee must apply for permission from the council, and commercial use comes with a £500 fee. Businesses that want to use the bee are also asked to donate to charity.

    The bee appears on souvenirs like fridge magnets.
    Ashley Collar

    The council described the trademarking of the bee symbol as a way to protect its use and support local good causes, such as the We Love MCR Charity, which helps fund community projects and youth opportunities across the city.

    But some of my participants noted that this transformed the bee from something personal and meaningful to something more corporate. In their view, it is as if the city itself is commodifying the attack rather than honouring it.

    This can be viewed as an element of “dark tourism”, which involves visiting places where tragedy has been memorialised or commercialised. In Manchester this manifests not through visits to the attack site but through the bee symbol, which has been commodified in murals, merchandise and public spaces. Tourists buy into collective grief through consumption, turning remembrance into a marketable experience and the bee as a managed and profitable commodity.

    M&S: One of many shop windows that now incorporate the Manchester bee.
    Ashley Collar

    Some Manchester Arena bombing survivors I spoke to feel that their personal grief has been repackaged into a public identity, one that does not necessarily reflect the complexity of their experiences.

    The use of the bee in products and souvenirs raises questions about how the city commercialises its identity, especially when considering the layered histories that the symbol carries.

    Uncomfortable history

    For some, the discomfort around Manchester’s bee goes even deeper. Today, the bee symbolises resilience and unity, but it originally represented hard work during Manchester’s industrial boom.

    This era wasn’t just about progress — it also involved exploitation and colonial trade especially through cotton produced by enslaved people in the Americas. Manchester’s role in the industrial revolution would have never been possible without slavery.

    My participants pointed out this hidden history, noticing that these stories rarely appear in Manchester’s public commemorations in the city. The bee’s visibility today reveals how cities tend to highlight positive histories, while uncomfortable truths remain hidden.

    A painted window in Manchester’s Victoria station.
    Ashley Collar

    Focusing solely on resilience risks creating a simplified version of Manchester’s past. This can exclude some people in the present, overlooking how historical injustices, like the city’s links to the transatlantic slave trade, still shape their lives today.

    This selective storytelling makes it harder for some communities to commemorate Manchester’s identity. They can’t do so without acknowledging past legacies of slavery and the city’s history of division.

    While some see the bee as a proud symbol of unity, others feel it erases their history. As the bee continues to dominate public spaces, Manchester faces an important challenge: making sure this symbol genuinely acknowledges the varied experiences and histories of all residents.

    This might be through dedicated plaques or exhibits that explore some of these hidden histories, and the bee’s complex meaning. Only by confronting its past can the city ensure that commemoration includes everyone.

    Ashley Collar receives funding from ESRC (Economic Social and Research Council) as part of her PhD Doctoral Scholarship.

    – ref. Eight years after arena attack, Manchester bee commercialisation has unsettled some Mancunians – https://theconversation.com/eight-years-after-arena-attack-manchester-bee-commercialisation-has-unsettled-some-mancunians-256753

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Landmark government partnership signed with North Macedonia

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    Landmark government partnership signed with North Macedonia

    The new Government Partnership will drive economic growth across both countries through increased collaboration on infrastructure projects.

    Today marks a new era for UK-North Macedonia relations, following the signing of a Government-to-Government Partnership (G2G) which will boost trade and drive economic growth. This Partnership supports the delivery of critical infrastructure projects across various sectors, including transport, health, energy, and technology. It will be able to draw on a wide range of support, including technical assistance programmes and up to £5 billion in UK Export Finance support available for projects in North Macedonia.

    The formal signing ceremony took place at the historic Old Admiralty Building in London on Thursday 22nd May 2025, with the UK Minister for Exports, Gareth Thomas MP, and the Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Aleksandar Nikoloski, in attendance.

    This G2G underscores the commitment of both nations to collaborate on critical infrastructure projects that deliver social, economic, and environmental benefits. By leveraging the expertise and innovation of both countries, this Partnership will drive the development of resilient infrastructure that fosters growth and prosperity.

    The exchange of knowledge and best practice between our two countries will be central to this G2G, drawing from the expertise of both nation’s respective infrastructure fields. This means the UK Government and British businesses working in partnership with the government of North Macedonia and their local supply chain to deliver infrastructure projects across North Macedonia. This approach will generate mutual benefits for both nations through the sharing of innovation to deliver resilient infrastructure that drives growth.

    Minister of Exports, Gareth Thomas MP expressed his enthusiasm:

    This partnership opens up a new chapter in our bilateral relationship with North Macedonia.

    The UK has a wealth of experience in delivering high-quality infrastructure across the world and I am delighted to be kicking off this new partnership that will help more British businesses export to North Macedonia.

    The UK Ambassador to North Macedonia, Matthew Lawson said:

    We have achieved a significant milestone in the UK – North Macedonia relations with the signing of the Government-to-Government Partnership by UK Minister for Exports, Gareth Thomas MP, and the Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Aleksandar Nikoloski.

    The G2G will further strengthen the already excellent trade ties between our countries and support the delivery of critical infrastructure projects in different sectors, including transport, health, energy, and technology in North Macedonia. As the British Ambassador I am proud that our governments have reached this landmark partnership that will benefit the citizens of both countries. We stand strong and united together.

    This G2G builds on a strong existing bilateral relationship between the UK and North Macedonia. Recently, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski welcomed a new Strategic Partnership at the European Political Community Summit in Tirana on the 16th May 2025. This G2G represents the start of our enhanced trade and infrastructure collaboration.

    Chris Barton, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Europe also expressed his support:

    I am delighted that this G2G will support stronger collaboration across our governments and businesses to deliver economic growth for both our nations and good-quality infrastructure for the citizens of North Macedonia.

    Notes to editors:

    • government to government (G2G) partnerships are formal arrangements under which we agree to provide another government is provided with access to UK public and private expertise for specific projects or programmes that create commercial benefits

    • total trade in goods and services (exports plus imports) between the UK and North Macedonia was £1.7 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2024

    • the UK is North Macedonia’s second largest trading partner in the 4 quarters to the end of Q3 2024

    Updates to this page

    Published 22 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Bin Collections & Recycling Centres Operating as Normal Over May Bank Holiday

    Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

    Bin Collections & Recycling Centres Operating as Normal Over May Bank Holiday

    22 May 2025

    Derry City and Strabane District Council is reminding residents that bin collections and Recycling Centres will continue as normal on the upcoming May Bank Holiday, Monday 26th May 2025.

    Residents are advised to leave out their bins as usual on collection day. The Council is encouraging everyone to stay committed to recycling by using Blue and Brown bins correctly, helping reduce household waste over the holiday weekend.

    Please note that Council offices on Strand Road, Derry, and Derry Road, Strabane, will be closed on Monday 26th May and will reopen on Tuesday 27th May. Registry Offices in both Derry and Strabane will also be closed on the Monday, reopening the following day.

    For those enjoying local attractions, the Guildhall and Tower Museum will remain open and welcoming visitors over the Bank Holiday weekend.

    Council-operated cemeteries will remain open daily from 8:00am to 8:00pm throughout the holiday period.

    The Council’s Out of Hours Dog Warden Service will be in operation to respond to ongoing dog attacks on people or animals. To report an incident, call 07734 128096. Please note that while the Council is not obligated to respond to other reports outside of normal hours, serious voicemails will be assessed.

    All Council parks and greenways will be open, and the public is encouraged to enjoy these spaces responsibly keeping them clean by using the bins provided.

    The Alley Theatre will also be open throughout the weekend, with Encore’s The Little Mermaid showing on Saturday 24th May.

    Leisure Services Opening Times – Bank Holiday Monday 26th May:

    • Open: Bishop’s Field, Templemore Sports Complex, Riversdale Leisure Centre, Melvin Sports Complex, Derg Valley Leisure Centre
    • Closed: Brooke Park, City Baths, Foyle Arena, Brandywell 

    Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Lilian Seenoi-Barr, encouraged residents to make the most of the long weekend:

    “I’d like to wish everyone across our city and district a relaxing and enjoyable Bank Holiday. Let’s continue taking pride in our beautiful environment by recycling, respecting public spaces, and supporting our local attractions and services.”

    For full and up-to-date service details, please visit the Council website:
     www.derrystrabane.com/services/opening-hours

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese and Central Asian Youth Discuss Friendship and Cooperation in Shaanxi Province

    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

    BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) — Representatives of Chinese youth and Central Asian students studying in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province recently gathered to share their experiences and deepen mutual understanding and friendship, the Sanqing Dushibao newspaper reported.

    The event took place on May 17 in Xi’an (the capital of Shaanxi Province). More than 20 young people from China and Central Asian countries took part in it.

    Nastya from Kazakhstan, who is studying Business Chinese at Xi’an Jiaotong University, noted that intercultural exchanges bring her new knowledge.

    “I enjoy experiencing the charm of different cultures through humanitarian exchange events and actively organizing sports competitions so that young people from different countries have more opportunities for deep interaction,” she said.

    Elnura Mambetova from Kyrgyzstan, a doctoral student in Chinese language and Chinese culture dissemination at Shaanxi Normal University, has been fascinated with Chinese culture since childhood. After graduating from university in Kyrgyzstan, she worked as a Chinese language teacher at one of the universities in Kyrgyzstan, and then moved to China for further education.

    “I can personally feel how the friendship between the countries of Central Asia and China is becoming deeper and deeper,” she said.

    Wang Lewei, a student at Xi’an Foreign Studies University, spent a year in Kazakhstan as an exchange student. “In Kazakhstan, my local friends took me sightseeing and invited me to traditional festivals. I realized that language is the key to culture,” he said, expressing his desire to become an envoy of friendship between China and Kazakhstan.

    Shaanxi Province, relying on its rich educational resources, has been actively developing humanitarian exchanges with Central Asian countries in recent years. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair serves as a platform for promoting regional cooperation between China and Russia

    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

    HARBIN, May 22 (Xinhua) — The 34th Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair, which recently concluded in the city of Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, has injected new impetus into cooperation between the Chinese border province and Russian regions.

    One of the main topics of the event, which took place from May 17 to 21, was regional cooperation between China and Russia.

    The Heilongjiang Province is separated from some Russian regions only by the Heilongjiang River /Amur/. “The Amur does not simply divide us, but on the contrary, connects us. This is a connection of two neighbors,” noted the acting governor of the Jewish Autonomous Region /JAR/ Maria Kostyuk, calling the Heilongjiang Province the only such strategic partner for the JAR.

    M. Kostyuk participated in the Harbin International Trade and Economic Fair for the first time in the capacity of the head of the region. Previously, she had visited the exhibition many times when she worked in the mayor’s office of the city of Birobidzhan.

    “We worked together with our sister city Hegang in Heilongjiang Province not only on exchanging businessmen, but also introducing businesses to each other’s territory so that we could have very proper cooperation. For the second year in a row, Birobidzhan and Hegang have presented a joint exposition at the Harbin International Trade and Economic Fair,” she noted.

    In addition to Hegang and Birobidzhan, sister city relations have been established between Chinese and Russian cities such as Heihe and Blagoveshchensk, as well as Tongjiang and Bogdanovich, which helps to unlock the potential for cooperation between the border areas of the two countries.

    “In terms of humanitarian cooperation, the Amur Region is the leader among other regions of Russia in terms of the number of Russian-Chinese joint events, just as the Heilongjiang Province is among Chinese regions,” emphasized the Governor of the Amur Region Vasily Orlov in an interview with the media on the sidelines of the 34th Harbin International Trade and Economic Fair.

    “We have more than 200 events. They are held annually, there are very bright, iconic ones that have become the calling card of our cities – Blagoveshchensk and Heihe, as well as the Amur Region and Heilongjiang Province,” he explained, expressing hope that in the future the level of these events will increase through the involvement of additional partner regions on both sides.

    Both leaders of Russian regions also noted the dynamics of development of cooperation with Heilongjiang Province in such areas as agriculture, logistics and tourism.

    On the sidelines of the current Harbin International Trade and Economic Fair, the Russian Export Center (REC) organized another festival-fair “Made in Russia.” It featured products from over 100 Russian manufacturers from 50 regions of the country.

    During the festival-fair, specialized negotiations on the B2B model were also held between Chinese and Russian companies, which, according to REC General Director Veronika Nikishina, provided a unique opportunity to establish important business contacts and expand the horizons of cooperation.

    REC is organizing a similar festival-fair on the sidelines of the Harbin International Trade and Economic Fair for the second time. As part of the event, a Made in Russia retail store also opened in Harbin.

    “I think that candies and chocolates made in Russia have a unique and rich taste, and they are inexpensive. Our whole family likes them very much,” said one shopper surnamed Sun.

    “We opened the first warehouse distribution center in Suifenhe, Heilongjiang Province, with an area of over 4,500 square meters, to supply and continuously provide the Made in Russia retail chain with original and high-quality Russian products,” explained V. Nikishina, noting that from the point of view of the extensive development of the national brand, the Chinese market is one of the most important and promising in the world.

    According to M. Kostyuk, residents of China and Russia are always interested in communicating with each other as neighbors and close people. “We already have experience of long-term cooperation with border cities of Heilongjiang Province. We must also go together today along one path in order to develop our mutual cooperation,” she summarized. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EBA publishes onboarding plan to implement the Pillar 3 data hub

    Source: European Banking Authority

    The European Banking Authority (EBA) today published an onboarding plan for large and other institutions, setting out the steps required for accessing and submitting information to the new Pillar 3 Data Hub (P3DH) – the EBA’s centralised platform for public disclosures under the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR3).This initiative is a significant milestone in the EBA’s commitment to enhancing transparency and consistency in Pillar 3 disclosures across the EU financial system and promoting market discipline.

    The onboarding plan outlines the procedural steps that institutions need to follow to ensure timely and accurate submissions of Pillar 3 information. The onboarding plan provides a step-by-step guide for the identification of institutions and to give them access to the EBA’s EUCLID Regulatory Reporting Platform, through which the Pillar 3 data will be submitted. It also spells out the timeline for the process, which will follow a phased-in approach.

    In addition to the onboarding plan, the EBA is publishing a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that aim to help institutions during the first implementation and data submission process. The FAQs will be a living document that will be updated by the EBA as needed.

    Furthermore, the EBA is introducing a phased-in approach and transitional provisions that should give institutions time to prepare for the process. This means that institutions will be able to continue to fulfil their Pillar 3 disclosure obligations during 2025 as usual, and the submissions to the P3DH will occur only at a later stage. This approach will give institutions with enough time to complete the onboarding process and align their internal processes, without impacting the compliance with the CRR requirements.

    By providing a single, centralised platform for Pillar 3 data, the EBA will support all interested users—including institutions—by significantly enhancing access and comparability of prudential information. For the first time, users will be able to explore and visualise disclosures across institutions and over time in a single public platform, making it easier for institutions to benchmark themselves against peers and fostering market discipline. This will not only strengthen the transparency of the EU banking sector but also promote the soundness and resilience of the broader financial system. The P3DH information will be available to the public from December 2025.

    The EBA encourages all relevant institutions to familiarise themselves with the onboarding process and begin preparations for the P3DH implementation.

    Legal basis, backgrounds and next steps

    The new Banking Package (CRR3/CRD6), which will implement the latest Basel III reforms in the EU, includes a mandate to the EBA to develop a Pillar 3 data hub. The EBA’s plan on how to implement the mandates included in the Banking Package is explained in the ‘EBA Roadmap on strengthening the prudential framework’, published in December 2023.

    The CRR establishes the prudential disclosure requirements and policies applicable to institutions, specifying the frequency and scope of these disclosures by type of institution, e.g. large institutions, small and non-complex institutions (SNCI) and other institutions The CRR3 (Articles 434 and 434a) mandates the EBA to publish on its website the prudential disclosures for all institutions subject to such requirements, making it readily available in a centralised manner to all the relevant stakeholders through a single electronic access point on its website. To comply with this mandate, the EBA is building a data hub putting together all the disclosures required under Part Eight of the CRR. As a first step the EBA has published also the final draft ITS on the Pillar 3 data hub for large and other institutions. 

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Santa Barbara County Investment Advisor Sentenced to Over 10 Years in Prison for Stealing Nearly $2.3 Million From Elderly Clients

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    LOS ANGELES – A Santa Barbara County investment advisor was sentenced today to 121 months in federal prison for stealing approximately $2.25 million from elderly clients of her investment advisory business, including clients that were receiving end-of-life care.

    Julie Anne Darrah, 52, of Santa Maria, was sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who will schedule a restitution hearing at a later date.

    Darrah pleaded guilty on March 4 to one count of wire fraud.

    During the scheme, Darrah stole approximately $2.25 million from her firm’s clients. She did so by obtaining control of her victims’ assets, and then – without the victims’ knowledge or consent – she liquidated their security holdings and transferred the proceeds to accounts she controlled. As part of this, she convinced victims to sign documents making her the trustee of their trusts or a signatory on their bank accounts or giving her power of attorney over their brokerage accounts and allowing her – as their investment advisor – to transfer funds from their accounts to other bank accounts, including to her own accounts.

    Darrah took advantage of trust victims placed in her – often convincing them she would take care of them in their older years like a daughter, and she used this trust to convince them to sign the documents that she then used to steal money from them. In this way, Darrah stole money from victims from approximately November 2016 to July 2023. She used stolen funds to buy properties for herself, pay other personal expenses, buy luxury vehicles, and operate other business ventures. Some victims were left in desperate circumstances, without the money to pay for end-of-life care, when the fraud was discovered.

    Darrah also convinced a company identified in the plea agreement as “Business Victim 1,” a Minnesota-based investment advisor firm, to acquire VFM based on false and misleading statements and the concealment of material facts, including not telling that firm about her theft of individual client funds. After the fraud was discovered, Business Victim 1 incurred approximately $5.4 million in losses.

    In October 2023, the SEC filed a civil complaint against Darrah in connection with this scheme. In December 2024, United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer found Darrah liable to pay $2,416,511, including interest.

    The FBI and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorney Kerry L. Quinn of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.

    If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. English, Spanish and other languages are available.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Delivery Driver Pleads Guilty to Defrauding San Francisco Food Delivery Company of More Than $2.5 Million

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    SAN JOSE – Sayee Chaitanya Reddy Devagiri pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to steal more than $2.5 million from DoorDash, Inc., a San Francisco-based delivery company.

    Devagiri, 30, of Newport Beach, Calif., and three other defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2024.  Devagiri was charged with a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349.  He pleaded guilty to that count today.

    In pleading guilty, Devagiri admitted to working with others in 2020 and 2021 to cause DoorDash to pay for deliveries that never occurred.  At the time, Devagiri was a delivery driver for DoorDash orders.  Under the scheme, Devagiri used customer accounts to place high value orders and then, using an employee’s credentials to gain access to DoorDash software, manually reassigned DoorDash orders to driver accounts that he and others controlled.  Devagiri then caused the fraudulent driver accounts to report that the orders had been delivered, when they had not, and manipulated DoorDash’s computer systems to prompt DoorDash to pay the fraudulent driver accounts for the non-existent deliveries.  Devagiri would then use DoorDash software to change the orders from “delivered” status to “in process” status and manually reassign the orders to driver accounts he and others controlled, beginning the process again.  This procedure usually took less than five minutes, and was repeated hundreds of times for many of the orders.

    The scheme resulted in fraudulent payments exceeding $2.5 million.

    Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani made the announcement.

    Devagiri is the third defendant to be convicted for his role in this conspiracy.  Co-defendant Manaswi Mandadapu pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on May 6, 2025.  Tyler Thomas Bottenhorn, who was separately charged, pleaded guilty on Nov. 7, 2023.

    Devagiri is next scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman for a status hearing on Sept. 16, 2025.  He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.  Any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael G. Pitman is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Sahib Kaur.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI. 
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Social Value Charter to Ensure Communities Get Fair Share

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    The work underway to ensure that Highland communities can benefit from profits being generated by renewable developments will be under the spotlight at next week’s meeting of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee.

    At the meeting on Thursday 29 May, Members will receive an update on progress with the Highland Social Value Charter, which aims to ensure that if developments get the go ahead there is a clear community benefit. Members will also be asked to agree to continue to make representations to both the Scottish and UK Governments on the need for mandatory community benefit.

    The Chair of the Committee, Councillor Ken Gowans has written formally to Scottish Renewables seeking their immediate engagement with the Social Value Charter.

    He said: “Once they have planning permission, developers are not obliged to follow through on providing community benefit. As a result, companies can make empty promises and let down our communities. This has to change.

    “Given the scale of the on-shore and off shore energy pipeline being anticipated in the Highlands and the concerns of communities about potential impacts of these plans, it is important that public and private sector partners work together, so our communities can benefit for years to come.”

    Councillor Gowans added: “Engagement with Scottish and Southern Energy Transmission to sign up to the Charter is underway and we will be pressing ahead to finalise the commitment from them and other developers to fully support the Charter. I look forward to discussing the Charter in more detail as part of the Committee next Thursday.”

    The Highland Social Value Charter (HSVC) was agreed by the Council and Community Planning Partnership Board in June 2024. The Charter articulates the expectations of the Highland area for any renewables and green energy developments. Included within this are fundamental principles that all communities across Highland should benefit from renewables investment and that in addition to direct benefit to local areas, support to wider infrastructure should form part of the ask on developers.

    22 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: France: Staff Concluding Statement of the 2025 Article IV Mission

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    A Concluding Statement describes the preliminary findings of IMF staff at the end of an official staff visit (or ‘mission’), in most cases to a member country. Missions are undertaken as part of regular (usually annual) consultations under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, in the context of a request to use IMF resources (borrow from the IMF), as part of discussions of staff monitored programs, or as part of other staff monitoring of economic developments.

    The authorities have consented to the publication of this statement. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF Executive Board for discussion and decision.

    Paris, France – May 22, 2025

    An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission, led by Manuela Goretti and comprising Florian Misch, Rasmane Ouedraogo, Maryam Vaziri, and Torsten Wezel, conducted discussions during May 12-22 for the 2025 Article IV Consultation with France. At the end of the visit, the mission issued the following statement:

    The French economy has demonstrated resilience despite high uncertainty, with disinflation progressing well and the labor market remaining robust. However, high and rising public debt, combined with significant domestic and external headwinds to the recovery, highlights the need to strengthen public finances and pursuing structural reforms to foster sustainable growth. The French authorities’ commitment to bring the deficit below 3 percent of GDP by 2029 is welcome and should be supported by a credible and well-designed package of measures. Advancing France’s structural reform agenda will be crucial to boost productivity and facilitate fiscal consolidation. While the financial sector remains resilient, strong supervisory practices need to continue adapting to an increasingly complex financial landscape. France’s sustained efforts to deepen the European single market remain critical to support the economy and strengthen its ability to withstand shocks.

    Economic Outlook

    High domestic and external uncertainty is expected to continue weighing on the short-term economic outlook. Real GDP growth is projected to slow to 0.6 percent in 2025 and reach 1 percent in 2026. These projections reflect a delayed recovery in private consumption and investment due to weak confidence and fiscal tightening this year, despite some uplift from monetary policy easing. Weaker external demand, amid trade tensions, market volatility, and geo-economic uncertainty, is expected to further dampen exports and investment prospects. These projections are based on the April World Economic Outlook global assumptions and do not reflect the latest trade policy announcements. Over the medium term, growth is projected to converge to around 1.2 percent, before decelerating towards its long-term potential of 1 percent reflecting both demographic trends and need for further structural reforms. The disinflationary process is progressing well, with average headline inflation projected at 1.2 percent in 2025, due to base effects and lower energy prices, and core inflation at 1.9 percent.

    The outlook remains subject to significant downside risks, notwithstanding potential upsides. Deepening geoeconomic fragmentation and rising trade tensions could disrupt trade and financial flows and dampen economic activity. In such an environment, uncertainty would increase, and financial conditions could tighten further, reducing domestic demand and worsening debt dynamics. Political fragmentation and social tensions could delay fiscal consolidation and reform efforts, further weighing on confidence and the outlook, raising fiscal risks. On the upside, easing trade tensions and renewed structural reform momentum could improve growth prospects over the medium term. Domestic reforms could be strengthened through deeper coordination and integration at the EU level. Consumption could be stronger if household saving rates eased more rapidly on the back of dissipating uncertainty. Business investment and export performance could also surprise on the upside, driven by higher demand—in France and in the rest of Europe—including for defense as well as digital and green technologies.

    Fiscal Policy: Reducing Debt while Refocusing Spending Priorities

    Building on the 2025 budget, the authorities are committed to implementing their Medium-term Fiscal Structural Plan (MTFSP) to bring the deficit below 3 percent of GDP by 2029. While the envisaged adjustment is appropriate to improve debt dynamics and strengthen France’s resilience to shocks, it needs to be supported by a credible and well-designed package of measures and remains subject to implementation risks, as evidenced by recent setbacks. Under staff’s current policy baseline scenario, which incorporates only legislated and clearly specified measures, the deficit is projected to decline to 5.4 percent of GDP in 2025, in line with the budget target. However pending approval of significant additional measures, it would remain around 6 percent of GDP in the medium-term, keeping debt on an upward trend until 2030. While short-term risks remain manageable, debt dynamics have weakened significantly, following consecutive fiscal slippages in 2023 and 2024, and remain highly sensitive to the real interest rate and growth path. In this context, France’s commitment to undertake further fiscal consolidation, as per EU rules, represents an important mitigating factor.

    Significant additional fiscal efforts will be crucial to preserve fiscal space and create room to absorb rising spending demands, while placing debt on a downward path. Staff recommends a frontloaded structural fiscal effort of 1.1 percent of GDP in 2026, followed by an average of about 0.9 percent of GDP per year over the medium term, broadly in line with the authorities’ plans. The recommended adjustment would allow the country to exit the excessive deficit procedure by end-2029, as targeted. Staff’s debt sustainability analysis indicates that the recommended fiscal path would markedly reduce medium-term debt sustainability risks, with the debt-stabilizing primary balance being reached in 2027.

    Achieving this substantial fiscal consolidation will require decisive actions and difficult decisions to ensure equity and fairness amid challenging trade-offs:

    • Given France’s already high tax-to-GDP ratio, any new tax measures should be focused on reducing inefficient tax expenditures and tackling tax avoidance while improving equity. While exceptional temporary revenue measures can help kickstart much needed fiscal adjustment, France’s level of taxation—among the highest in the EU—indicates that sustained tax-based fiscal consolidation, of the magnitude necessary to advance France’s medium-term plans, would hamper business confidence, household consumption, and growth potential. Building on recent experiences, the authorities should continue to monitor and evaluate tax expenditure programs to address inefficiencies vis-à-vis intended objectives and generate savings. This approach would also simplify the tax system and facilitate revenue forecasting.

    • The authorities should focus on rationalizing spending and strengthening its efficiency, with concerted action across all government levels: central government, social security, and local governments. France has the highest spending-to-GDP ratio among EU countries. There are several avenues to rationalize spending and improve its quality, while preserving growth-enhancing investment in key priority areas and mitigating distributional impacts on the most vulnerable. The planned expansion of spending reviews and efforts to minimize overlaps across government entities, including local governments, can streamline spending by addressing inefficiencies and reducing red tape. There is also scope to further improve the targeting of social benefits, including by reviewing eligibility and duration of unemployment benefits, to better target active labor market initiatives, as well as to further simplify and harmonize pension schemes, while ensuring a balanced system, building on the 2023 pension reform. These efforts would foster less fragmented and longer careers while enhancing the sustainability and intergenerational equity of the social security system. Enhanced monitoring and financial coordination can also generate savings at the local and national levels.

    The authorities’ initiatives to reinforce public finances forecasting and budget controls, in response to recent fiscal slippages, are welcome. The March 2025 Action plan by the authorities aims at enhancing monitoring of tax revenue, fostering greater transparency, and reinforcing the role of the High Council for Public Finances. Sustained efforts in these areas are essential to identify and proactively address fiscal risks, strengthen public finance management, and enhance fiscal policy credibility. Contingency plans will be also needed to ensure that pressing priority spending needs, including in defense, are met without compromising public finances.

    Macrostructural Policies to Support Jobs and Productivity Growth

    Raising weak productivity growth is critical for sustaining France’s economic prospects, in the face of substantial fiscal consolidation needs. The per capita income gap between France and the US has increased since the early 2000s and now exceeds 20 percent, primarily due to lower productivity and employment in France. Macro-structural reforms can play a critical role in lifting potential output, while facilitating fiscal consolidation efforts. For example, an increase in potential GDP growth of 0.3 percentage points could help reduce public debt by nearly 10 percent of GDP over the long term.

    France is well-positioned to capitalize on the green and digital transitions through greater efforts to support innovation and access to capital. France’s comparative advantage in low-carbon technologies and its potential to become a European hub for Artificial Intelligence can foster the development of new technologies and support growth. Ongoing efforts by the authorities to review and rationalize state aid and R&D tax expenditures by focusing on the most impactful schemes and better targeting eligibility criteria can boost innovation and help close gaps with peers. Enhancing access to finance and reducing financing costs for productive but credit-constrained firms is crucial and should be supported by advancing the EU Savings and Investment Union which can increase the availability of capital and its efficient allocation.

    To support entrepreneurship, policies should focus on easing entry barriers and reducing the regulatory burden. France performs relatively well in terms of product market regulation, but reducing administrative market entry barriers for firms, especially in some services sectors, is crucial for boosting business dynamism and productivity growth. The Simplification Bill, currently under discussion, would be an important step towards further reducing the regulatory burden and streamlining requirements, particularly for small and medium size firms. At the European level, deepening the single market through the removal of remaining intra-EU trade barriers and greater harmonization of regulations can help firms achieve economies of scale and incentivize innovation by expanding market size.

    Sustained efforts to promote employment and job quality remain critical to facilitate green and digital transitions, amid an aging workforce, and boost productivity growth. While employment rates have increased, they remain low in segments of the population compared to other countries. Possible areas for policy intervention include further social benefit reforms to enhance work incentives and reduce career fragmentation, particularly among younger and older individuals. These measures can be complemented by efforts to further raise labor force participation of women, including through recent initiatives to support STEM careers, and better integrate migrants into the labor market. Promoting workforce skills and healthy aging would also contribute to job quality.

    Adapting to a Complex Financial Landscape

    The banking sector has demonstrated resilience to recent shocks, supported by prudent lending standards and strong precautionary buffers. While profitability remains below the EU average, banks’ solvency and liquidity positions are robust, with adequate buffers. Sound prudential measures are mitigating housing market risks as property prices stabilize, while risks to the banking sector from corporate indebtedness and sovereign exposures remain manageable. Notwithstanding high uncertainty, financial stability risks remain contained, with French banks showing resilience under severe geopolitical and recessionary stress test scenarios, applied in the context of the IMF’s 2025 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP).

    The connections between the banking system, insurance firms, and domestic funding markets warrant continued close monitoring. The FSAP stress test indicates that investment funds possess sufficient liquidity to withstand large redemption shocks, and French banks’ liquidity buffers can absorb potential market shocks from associated fixed-income sell-offs. Moreover, liquidity management tools to contain redemption risks have been widely adopted. Nevertheless, amid global uncertainty and episodes of high market volatility, there is scope to further strengthen oversight through greater monitoring and data sharing on fund liability structures as well as closer collaboration among non-bank financial institutions supervisors in France and at the EU level.

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/05/22/CS-France-2025

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –