NewzIntel.com

Category: Child Poverty

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: NZCTU release detailed Budget 2025 analysis

    Source: NZCTU

    The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi has today released a report with detailed analysis of Budget 2025. It covers the major decisions made at this Budget, and how they might affect workers.

    “This Budget is funded above all by the gutting of the pay equity system, the halving of the government’s contribution to people’s Kiwisaver accounts, and other cuts that will disproportionality impact women, welfare recipients, and working households,” said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney.

    “None of the choices the government has made were inevitable. The government could have funded its spending initiatives by raising new taxes on the wealthiest New Zealanders. It could have not decided to give billions away to those who already have much, while cutting services for those with real and pressing needs.

    “Budget 2025 also leaves New Zealand’s most significant structural challenges unaddressed. There is no meaningful movement on closing the infrastructure deficit; no solution to our health workforce shortage; no willingness to reduce child poverty or to address the housing crisis; and absolutely zero investment made in decarbonisation and climate adaptation.

    “The coalition government continues to kick the can down the road on the most pressing challenges we face, all while making life steadily more difficult for New Zealanders who have the least,” said Renney.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese vice premier calls for consolidation of poverty alleviation work

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

    BEIJING, May 29 — Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong on Thursday called for unremitting work to consolidate and expand China’s poverty alleviation achievements, and to guarantee a smooth transition to assisting rural areas on a regular basis.

    Continuous efforts must be made to prevent a large-scale relapse into poverty or the occurrence of poverty, Liu, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said at a related conference in Beijing.

    After declaring its eradication of absolute poverty in 2021, China established a five-year transition period dedicated to consolidating and building on the outcomes of its poverty alleviation campaign, and to integrating those outcomes with rural vitalization.

    Noting that this year is the final year of this transition period, Liu urged action to optimize screening and assistance processes, ensure stable employment for people who have emerged from poverty, enhance the quality and efficiency of supportive industries, and improve the long-term asset management of assistance projects.

    He stressed the need for strengthened collaboration between the country’s eastern and western regions, as well as the importance of improved targeted assistance, and called for solid work to provide regular assistance for rural low-income populations and underdeveloped areas in the post-transition period.

    Eight provincial regions of east China signed assistance agreements with 10 western provincial regions at the conference.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: NSW is again cleaning up after major floods. Are we veering towards the collapse of insurability?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Booth, Associate Professor of Human Geography, University of Tasmania

    Once again, large parts of New South Wales have been devastated by floods. It’s estimated 10,000 homes and businesses may have been damaged or destroyed and the Insurance Council of Australia reports more than 6,000 insurance claims have been received for the Mid North Coast and Hunter region.

    Hundreds of families are displaced. With many homes now uninhabitable, they face a uncertain future.

    As the mop-up begins, stories are emerging of households and businesses not covered by insurance, with some residents saying insurance companies were asking up to A$30,000 annually for cover.

    There are many others who are underinsured, with insurance payouts not meeting the full costs of rebuild, repair and replacement. The Insurance Council of Australia has declared the event an “insurance catastrophe”.

    The impacts of these floods reflect global trends. In 2024, there were around 60 natural disaster events that each exceeded A$1.5 billion in economic losses. Total losses worldwide reached A$650 billion.

    As one of the most disaster-prone countries in the Western world, is Australia the canary in the coalmine for a global collapse of insurance? With these types of disasters escalating in a changing climate, it is reasonable to feel – and fear – this is the case.

    An uninsurable future?

    In 1992, sociologist Ulrich Beck argued unpredictable global risks, such as climate change, would bring an end to the private insurance market, with profound effects on the modern world.

    The idea of an uninsurable future stirs up imaginings of apocalyptic landscapes – crumbling buildings, streets strewn with refuse and people eking out a living amid the rubble and ruins.

    But the reality is, as we are seeing in central NSW, it is not a future event that demands attention. Many individuals and communities are already living with an unfolding collapse of insurance affordability and availability.

    The consequences can be dire, especially for those already struggling to make ends meet.

    How are governments responding?

    Speaking on ABC radio on Thursday morning, NSW Premier Chris Minns said he would be “putting the heat” on insurance companies:

    Everyone’s going to have to do their part […] and that means insurance companies will have to step up and pay out claims quickly.

    In the lead-up to the federal election, both major parties made clear they believed insurers were “ripping off” Australians. The Coalition even proposed new emergency divestiture powers that would allow the government to break up major insurers in the case of market failure.

    But this is no solution at all, given insurance pricing and coverage is largely set by global “reinsurers”. Reinsurance is a kind of insurance coverage for insurance companies themselves – that is, policies to cover the cost of paying out claims after major disasters.

    Just ten multi-billion dollar companies control 70% of the reinsurance market.

    Who should bear rising costs?

    Insurers, led by the Insurance Council of Australia, are pushing for a Flood Defence Fund and retrofitting homes for disaster resilience, paid for by governments and households.

    These ideas might seem logical. But they draw attention away from a thriving industry and regulations and policies aimed at making insurance more affordable and effective for ordinary people.

    In places like Australia, the increasing cost of insurance cuts across all types, with the largest rises coming in home, vehicle, and employers’ liability insurance.

    Many insurers are reporting healthy profits. Globally, the sector is experiencing “exceptionally strong growth”.

    Over the three years to 2024, revenue from premiums in the insurance sector increased by over 21% globally – a “whopping” rise, according to the finance corporation Allianz.

    Where to from here?

    The insurance sector will continue to grow – and profit – until it no longer can due to climate change and other pressures.

    But it is not a future crash of insurers that should be of primary concern. It is the real-time collapse of insurance for households, businesses and communities.

    As this collapse of insurance unfolds, it is largely left to households and communities to take action and build resilience.

    Examples include squatters taking possession of flood-damaged vacant homes in Lismore and, when combined with the housing crisis, the growth in informal housing and settlements on the fringes of major population centres.

    These are desperate responses. But they are also realistic, given governments and insurers are failing to reverse this trending collapse.

    What else we could do

    After each major disaster event comes a rise in insurance costs and a withdrawal of insurance coverage. To avoid being a canary in the coalmine, Australia urgently needs government intervention in the insurance industry – an industry very resistant to such intervention.

    To ensure everyone is adequately covered when disaster strikes, this could come in the form of an equitable and affordable public insurance scheme.

    As more Australians lose the ability to insure themselves, governments must also address growing structural inequality that is undermining social cohesion and our capacity for collective resilience.



    Read more:
    Underinsurance is entrenching poverty as the vulnerable are hit hardest by disasters

    Kate Booth receives funding from the Tasmanian Department of Premier and Cabinet – Grant-Disaster Ready Fund. She is affiliated with Just Collapse – an activist platform dedicated to socio-ecological justice in unfolding, irreversible global collapse.

    – ref. NSW is again cleaning up after major floods. Are we veering towards the collapse of insurability? – https://theconversation.com/nsw-is-again-cleaning-up-after-major-floods-are-we-veering-towards-the-collapse-of-insurability-257715

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PRESS RELEASE: Rep. Nanette Barragán Leads Entire California Democratic Delegation in Urging Trump Administration to Protect Head Start Funding

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

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    May 22, 2025

    Contact: Jin.Choi@mail.house.gov

    Rep. Nanette Barragán Leads Entire California Democratic Delegation in Urging Trump Administration to Protect Head Start Funding

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) led the entire California Democratic Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., urging them to safeguard federal funding for the Head Start program. The letter comes in response to alarming reports that the Trump Administration considered eliminating Head Start funding during recent federal budget discussions.

    “From Los Angeles County to the Central Valley to rural tribal lands, Head Start provides comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services to children who are disproportionately impacted by poverty and housing instability,” wrote the members. “These essential services support our state’s economy by allowing parents to work and go to school, while giving our future workforce the strong start that they need to be successful later in life.”

    California is home to one of the largest populations of Head Start children in the nation. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, Head Start and Early Head Start programs served more than 94,000 children across the state. These programs offer critical support to children by integrating early education with health, nutrition, and family services—providing targeted support to those experiencing poverty, housing insecurity, and systemic inequities.

    “The elimination or reduction of Head Start funding would be catastrophic,” the letter states. “In California, it would shut the doors of 1,835 Head Start and Early Head Start Centers and eliminate access to early education for tens of thousands of children—disproportionately children of color, English learners, children with disabilities, and those living in low-income and rural communities.”

    Since its founding in 1965, Head Start has served over 40 million children and families nationwide. Decades of research confirm that the program improves school readiness, boosts long-term academic and employment outcomes, and helps break the cycle of poverty.

    “Head Start is not optional—it is a national commitment that must be honored,” members added. “I will continue fighting to protect this vital investment in our children’s futures.”

    Rep. Barragán’s letter was co-signed by each of the 45 Democratic members of the California Congressional Delegation: Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, and Representatives Pete Aguilar, Nancy Pelosi, Robert Garcia, Linda Sánchez, John Garamendi, Kevin Mullin, Mark Takano, Ted Lieu, Julia Brownley, Maxine Waters, Laura Friedman, J. Luis Correa, Ro Khanna, Mike Thompson, Norma Torres, Mark DeSaulnier, Juan Vargas, Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr., Judy Chu, Derek Tran, Raul Ruiz, Jared Huffman, Doris Matsui, Salud Carbajal, Brad Sherman, Ami Bera, Jimmy Panetta, Zoe Lofgren, Eric Swalwell, Lateefah Simon, Dave Min, Jimmy Gomez, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Jim Costa, George Whitesides, Luz Rivas, Sara Jacobs, Scott Peters, Josh Harder, Adam Gray, Mike Levin, and Sam Liccardo.

    The full letter can be found here and below:

    President Trump and Secretary Kennedy:

    We write today to express serious concern over reports that your Administration considered proposals to eliminate federal funding for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Head Start program in recent budget discussions. While we are relieved that the White House Office of Management and Budget’s Fiscal Year 2026 proposal did not include this cut, that such an action was even contemplated underscores the vulnerability of this vital program under your Administration. As members of the California Congressional Delegation, we urge you to safeguard this critical program, which plays an irreplaceable role in supporting California’s children and families, especially those facing economic hardship and systemic barriers.

    California is home to one of the largest populations of Head Start children in the nation. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, more than 94,000 children and pregnant women in California were served by Head Start and Early Head Start programs.[1] These services are not just beneficial—they are essential. From Los Angeles County to the Central Valley to rural tribal lands, Head Start provides comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services to children who are disproportionately impacted by poverty and housing instability. These essential services support our state’s economy by allowing parents to work and go to school, while giving our future workforce the strong start that they need to be successful later in life.

    Since its founding in 1965, Head Start has supported more than 40 million children and their families nationwide—and millions in California alone.[2] Research continues to confirm what educators and parents have long known: Head Start works. It boosts school readiness, improves long-term academic outcomes, increases high school graduation and employment rates, and helps break cycles of generational poverty.

    The elimination or reduction of Head Start funding would be catastrophic. In California, it would shut the doors of 1,835 Head Start and Early Head Start Centers and eliminate access to early education for tens of thousands of children—disproportionately children of color, English learners, children with disabilities, and those living in low-income and rural communities.[3] Thousands of parents would also lose their ability to go to work or school, and otherwise participate in the economy.

    Head Start is not optional—it is a national commitment that must be honored. For these reasons, we urge you to reject any future attempts to weaken or eliminate this program and to ensure its continued success for the children and families who rely on it every day.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Taking on Period Poverty

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Students in the UConn Health Graduate School and the UConn Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine are leading an effort to address and raise awareness of period poverty.

    Over the last several months, they have acquired menstrual products and distributed enough of them to Hartford public schools and Hartford-area Boys and Girls Clubs to meet the needs of more than 600 students.

    It’s a joint effort of the graduate school’s Program of Applied Public Health Sciences and a group within the medical school known as Hartford Health Education.

    “As a public health student who recognized the inequities in access to products based on socioeconomic status and gender inequities, I really wanted to address this issue and be involved in direct product distribution because so many people lack necessary materials to address their health,” says Juilia Prescott, who, as a public health graduate assistant, has been one of the student leaders of this initiative.

    Julia Prescott loads her car with menstrual products she and other UConn Health students collected to deliver to the Northwest Boys & Girls Club in Hartford’s Blue Hills neighborhood. Prescott, as a public health graduate assistant, has been one of the student leaders of the effort, backed by a grant from the global nonprofit menstrual equity advocacy group The Pad Project. (Photo provided by the Department of Public Health Sciences)

    “Period poverty is about a lack of access to menstrual products and resources to manage menstruation, and this is a significant public health problem because a lot of people aren’t able to afford them, and then miss school, and have certain health problems,” Prescott, who just graduated with her Master of Public Health, says. “So, to address that need, we decided we wanted to ramp up this donation drive, and so we solicited products from people all over UConn Health, and we also applied for a grant from The Pad Project, which is a global nonprofit that expands access to menstrual products, combats period stigma, and champions menstrual equity for all.”

    They secured a $3,000 Pad for Schools grant, enabling them to purchase additional pads and tampons. Student volunteers get together to package the products along with educational materials for the students and deliver them to the schools and clubs.

    “During our health education class about puberty, UConn medical and dental student volunteers distribute these products as well as give tutorials for proper use,” says fourth-year medical student Kelly Anne Kiremidjian, who, with classmate Helen Liu Bian, leads Hartford Health Education.

    Kiremidjian says the effort has been well received.

    “I have personally been told how needed this initiative is,” she says. “One nurse we spoke to said that she was previously paying for these products out of her own pocket.”

    Stacey Brown, associate professor and co-director for the Program in Applied Public Health Sciences, has been mentoring Prescott.

    “This initiative reflects the power of student-led public health action,” Brown says. “Thanks to Julia’s incredible leadership, we’ve laid a strong foundation that will continue through the incoming graduate assistant and the dedicated medical and dental student leaders of Hartford Health Education, ensuring that menstrual health equity remains a sustained and growing priority.”

    The students have delivered products to the following locations in Hartford:

    • Burns Latino Studies Academy
    • Annie Fischer STEM Magnet School
    • Noah Webster Microsociety Magnet School
    • Annie Fischer Montessori
    • Global Communications Academy
    • Samuel S. Gray, Jr. Boys & Girls Club at Asylum Hill
    • Joseph D. Lapenta Northwest Boys & Girls Club
    • South End Boys & Girls Club
    • Southwest Boys & Girls Club
    • Trinity College Boys & Girls Club

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China’s Vice Premier Calls for Consolidation of Achievements in Poverty Alleviation

    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 29 (Xinhua) — Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong on Thursday called for relentlessly consolidating and expanding China’s achievements in poverty alleviation and ensuring a smooth transition to providing aid to rural areas on a regular basis.

    During the thematic meeting, Liu Guozhong, also a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, noted that continuous efforts must be made to prevent a large-scale return to poverty or its re-emergence.

    Having announced that absolute poverty will be eradicated in 2021, China has set a five-year transition period to consolidate and build on the achievements of poverty alleviation and integrate these achievements into the process of rural revitalization.

    Recalling that this year is the final year of this transition period, Liu Guozhong called for measures to optimize the monitoring and assistance system, ensure stable employment for people who have been lifted out of poverty, improve the quality and efficiency of supporting industries, and improve the mechanisms for long-term asset management of assistance projects.

    The Vice Premier stressed the need to deepen cooperation between the eastern and western regions of the country and targeted assistance, calling for active work to provide regular assistance to low-income rural residents and underdeveloped areas in the post-transition period.

    During the meeting, eight provincial-level regions in eastern China signed aid agreements for 2025 with 10 provincial-level regions in the west. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Joins Entire California Democratic Delegation in Urging Trump Administration to Protect Head Start Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla Joins Entire California Democratic Delegation in Urging Trump Administration to Protect Head Start Funding

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined the entire California Democratic Congressional Delegation in urging President Donald Trump and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to safeguard federal funding for the Head Start program. The letter comes in response to alarming reports that the Trump Administration has considered eliminating Head Start funding during recent federal budget discussions.

    California’s Head Start program is the largest in the nation. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, Head Start and Early Head Start programs served more than 94,000 children across the state. These programs offer critical support to children by integrating early education with health, nutrition, and family services, providing targeted support to those facing poverty, housing insecurity, and systemic inequities.

    “From Los Angeles County to the Central Valley to rural tribal lands, Head Start provides comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services to children who are disproportionately impacted by poverty and housing instability,” wrote the lawmakers. “These essential services support our state’s economy by allowing parents to work and go to school, while giving our future workforce the strong start that they need to be successful later in life.”

    “The elimination or reduction of Head Start funding would be catastrophic,” continued the lawmakers. “In California, it would shut the doors of 1,835 Head Start and Early Head Start Centers and eliminate access to early education for tens of thousands of children — disproportionately children of color, English learners, children with disabilities, and those living in low-income and rural communities. Thousands of parents would also lose their ability to go to work or school, and otherwise participate in the economy.”

    Since its founding in 1965, Head Start has served over 40 million children and families nationwide. Decades of research confirm that the program improves school readiness, boosts long-term academic and employment outcomes, and helps break the cycle of poverty.

    “Head Start is not optional — it is a national commitment that must be honored,” concluded the lawmakers. “For these reasons, we urge you to reject any future attempts to weaken or eliminate this program and to ensure its continued success for the children and families who rely on it every day.”

    U.S. Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.-44) led the letter. In addition to Senator Padilla, the letter was also co-signed by Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.-11), and Representatives Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.-33), Ami Bera (D-Calif.-06), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.-26), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24), Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28), Gilbert Cisneros (D-Calif.-31), Jim Costa (D-Calif.-21), Lou Correa (D-Calif.-46), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.-10), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.-30), John Garamendi (D-Calif.-08), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.-42), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34), Adam Gray (D-Calif.-13), Josh Harder (D-Calif.-09), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.-02), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.-51), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.-37), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), Mike Levin (D-Calif.-49), Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.-16), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.-36), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.-07), Dave Min (D-Calif.-47), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.-15), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.-19), Scott Peters (D-Calif.-50), Luz Rivas (D-Calif.-29), Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.-25), Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.-38), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.-32), Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.-12), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.-14), Mark Takano (D-Calif.-39), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.-04), Norma Torres (D-Calif.-35), Derek Tran (D-Calif.-45), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-52), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.-43), and George Whitesides (D-Calif.-27).

    Senator Padilla has been a leading advocate in condemning the Trump Administration’s attacks on Head Start and child care. Last month, Padilla and Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) led 25 Senators in slamming the Trump Administration’s mass firings of federal employees at the Office of Head Start (OHS) and the Office of Child Care (OCC) and demanding Secretary Kennedy immediately reinstate these employees. Padilla also joined 41 Senators in another letter blasting the Trump Administration’s direct attacks on the Head Start program.

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    President Trump and Secretary Kennedy:

    We write today to express serious concern over reports that your Administration considered proposals to eliminate federal funding for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Head Start program in recent budget discussions. While we are relieved that the White House Office of Management and Budget’s Fiscal Year 2026 proposal did not include this cut, that such an action was even contemplated underscores the vulnerability of this vital program under your Administration. As members of the California Congressional Delegation, we urge you to safeguard this critical program, which plays an irreplaceable role in supporting California’s children and families, especially those facing economic hardship and systemic barriers.

    California is home to one of the largest populations of Head Start children in the nation. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, more than 94,000 children and pregnant women in California were served by Head Start and Early Head Start programs. These services are not just beneficial—they are essential. From Los Angeles County to the Central Valley to rural tribal lands, Head Start provides comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services to children who are disproportionately impacted by poverty and housing instability. These essential services support our state’s economy by allowing parents to work and go to school, while giving our future workforce the strong start that they need to be successful later in life.

    Since its founding in 1965, Head Start has supported more than 40 million children and their families nationwide—and millions in California alone. Research continues to confirm what educators and parents have long known: Head Start works. It boosts school readiness, improves long-term academic outcomes, increases high school graduation and employment rates, and helps break cycles of generational poverty.

    The elimination or reduction of Head Start funding would be catastrophic. In California, it would shut the doors of 1,835 Head Start and Early Head Start Centers and eliminate access to early education for tens of thousands of children—disproportionately children of color, English learners, children with disabilities, and those living in low-income and rural communities. Thousands of parents would also lose their ability to go to work or school, and otherwise participate in the economy.

    Head Start is not optional—it is a national commitment that must be honored. For these reasons, we urge you to reject any future attempts to weaken or eliminate this program and to ensure its continued success for the children and families who rely on it every day.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Deputy President calls for national dialogue to address SA’s challenges

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    South Africa is encountering significant challenges that demand an immediate national dialogue. 

    This is according to the Deputy President Paul Mashatile, who responded to oral questions from Members of Parliament in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Cape Town, on Thursday afternoon. 

    The Deputy President addressed questions regarding issues related to South Africa’s Social Cohesion Index (SASCI) research report, and the planned national dialogue.

    During a question-and-answer session about the 2024 SACSI, the Deputy President highlighted the country’s achievements over 30 years of democracy, while acknowledging significant ongoing challenges.

    The study indicated that the most notable decline was in the cohesion dimension, which pertains to respect for social rules.

    Trust in institutions and perceptions of fairness have weakened, while levels of solidarity and helpfulness have remained stable. 

    However, civic participation and general trust in others have shown slight improvements.

    “SASCI research report offered us a sense of where we stand as a country in our collective journey towards coercion and nation building equally, the index offers valuable insights into the nation’s strength and challenges, highlighting areas of progress and those requiring urgent attention,” he told MPs. 

    Guided by the index, he said, government is now developing targeted strategies and policies that promote inclusivity, equity and tolerance amongst all citizens, thereby enhancing society’s overall wellbeing.

    He also welcomed the report’s observation that South Africa has made significant strides towards building a united, non-racial and non-sexist society and improving the lives of all its people.

    “In this regard, we have worked together to establish a progressive constitutional order, expand access to social infrastructure and services to millions of people and set our economy on a path of reform.” 

    Despite the considerable progress, South Africa has achieved in creating a society that is both non-racial and non-sexist. 

    The Deputy President believes the country is currently at a critical juncture.

    He said the persistent economic challenges, social discontent, and historical inequalities, continue to pose significant obstacles.

    “The political environment is conflictual. The economy is not growing fast enough. Poverty is widespread, and there is a growing sense of social discontent and alienation. It is time to reset and reimagine our country for posterity. This must be done by South African citizens themselves through a process of purpose-directed, [and] courageous conversations.”

    According to the Deputy President, government plans to initiate a comprehensive national dialogue focusing on key areas. 

    “Hence, they envisage a national dialogue that will focus on the following critical areas.”

    The key focus will be economic transformation, inclusion and empowerment, poverty, inequality, and hunger. 

    In addition, the dialogue will zoom in on governance and a capable, ethical developmental state, addressing crime and lawlessness, promoting nation-building and social cohesion, and advancing constitutional rights and principles. 

    The platform will also involve encouraging progressive values, such as moral regeneration, participatory democracy, and active citizenry.

    In addition, addressing land reform and food security is a top priority on the agenda.

    “Honourable Chairperson, in addition to these critical matters, we are also addressing social ills such as gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), racism, crime, and corruption in support of promoting and strengthening social cohesion.”

    Meanwhile, he said government remains committed to implementing transformative legislation, including Black Economic Empowerment policies and land reform initiatives. 

    The Deputy President stressed that any changes to existing laws, must go through proper parliamentary processes.

    The address signals the government’s intention to address social cohesion through targeted strategies, community dialogues, and a renewed focus on constitutional principles and inclusive development. – SAnews.gov.za
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Beyond the backlash: What evidence shows about the economic impact of DEI

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Rodney Coates, Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Miami University

    DEI has a long history. Nora Carol Photography via Getty Images

    Few issues in the U.S. today are as controversial as diversity, equity and inclusion – commonly referred to as DEI.

    Although the term didn’t come into common usage until the 21st century, DEI is best understood as the latest stage in a long American project. Its egalitarian principles are seen in America’s founding documents, and its roots lie in landmark 20th-century efforts such as the 1964 Civil Rights Act and affirmative action policies, as well as movements for racial justice, gender equity, disability rights, veterans and immigrants.

    These movements sought to expand who gets to participate in economic, educational and civic life. DEI programs, in many ways, are their legacy.

    Critics argue that DEI is antidemocratic, that it fosters ideological conformity and that it leads to discriminatory initiatives, which they say disadvantage white people and undermine meritocracy. Those defending DEI argue just the opposite: that it encourages critical thinking and promotes democracy − and that attacks on DEI amount to a retreat from long-standing civil rights law.

    Yet missing from much of the debate is a crucial question: What are the tangible costs and benefits of DEI? Who benefits, who doesn’t, and what are the broader effects on society and the economy?

    As a sociologist, I believe any productive conversation about DEI should be rooted in evidence, not ideology. So let’s look at the research.

    Who gains from DEI?

    In the corporate world, DEI initiatives are intended to promote diversity, and research consistently shows that diversity is good for business. Companies with more diverse teams tend to perform better across several key metrics, including revenue, profitability and worker satisfaction.

    Businesses with diverse workforces also have an edge in innovation, recruitment and competitiveness, research shows. The general trend holds for many types of diversity, including age, race and ethnicity, and gender.

    A focus on diversity can also offer profit opportunities for businesses seeking new markets. Two-thirds of American consumers consider diversity when making their shopping choices, a 2021 survey found. So-called “inclusive consumers” tend to be female, younger and more ethnically and racially diverse. Ignoring their values can be costly: When Target backed away from its DEI efforts, the resulting backlash contributed to a sales decline.

    But DEI goes beyond corporate policy. At its core, it’s about expanding access to opportunities for groups historically excluded from full participation in American life. From this broader perspective, many 20th-century reforms can be seen as part of the DEI arc.

    Consider higher education. Many elite U.S. universities refused to admit women until well into the 1960s and 1970s. Columbia, the last Ivy League university to go co-ed, started admitting women in 1982. Since the advent of affirmative action, women haven’t just closed the gender gap in higher education – they outpace men in college completion across all racial groups. DEI policies have particularly benefited women, especially white women, by expanding workforce access.

    Many Ivy League universities didn’t admit women until surprisingly recently.

    Similarly, the push to desegregate American universities was followed by an explosion in the number of Black college students – a number that has increased by 125% since the 1970s, twice the national rate. With college gates open to more people than ever, overall enrollment at U.S. colleges has quadrupled since 1965. While there are many reasons for this, expanding opportunity no doubt plays a role. And a better-educated population has had significant implications for productivity and economic growth.

    The 1965 Immigration Act also exemplifies DEI’s impact. It abolished racial and national quotas, enabling the immigration of more diverse populations, including from Asia, Africa, southern and eastern Europe and Latin America. Many of these immigrants were highly educated, and their presence has boosted U.S. productivity and innovation.

    Ultimately, the U.S. economy is more profitable and productive as a result of immigrants.

    What does DEI cost?

    While DEI generates returns for many businesses and institutions, it does come with costs. In 2020, corporate America spent an estimated US$7.5 billion on DEI programs. And in 2023, the federal government spent more than $100 million on DEI, including $38.7 million by the Department of Health and Human Services and another $86.5 million by the Department of Defense.

    The government will no doubt be spending less on DEI in 2025. One of President Donald Trump’s first acts in his second term was to sign an executive order banning DEI practices in federal agencies – one of several anti-DEI executive orders currently facing legal challenges. More than 30 states have also introduced or enacted bills to limit or entirely restrict DEI in recent years. Central to many of these policies is the belief that diversity lowers standards, replacing meritocracy with mediocrity.

    But a large body of research disputes this claim. For example, a 2023 McKinsey & Company report found that companies with higher levels of gender and ethnic diversity will likely financially outperform those with the least diversity by at least 39%. Similarly, concerns that DEI in science and technology education leads to lowering standards aren’t backed up by scholarship. Instead, scholars are increasingly pointing out that disparities in performance are linked to built-in biases in courses themselves.

    That said, legal concerns about DEI are rising. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Department of Justice have recently warned employers that some DEI programs may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Anecdotal evidence suggests that reverse discrimination claims, particularly from white men, are increasing, and legal experts expect the Supreme Court to lower the burden of proof needed by complainants for such cases.

    The issue remains legally unsettled. But while the cases work their way through the courts, women and people of color will continue to shoulder much of the unpaid volunteer work that powers corporate DEI initiatives. This pattern raises important equity concerns within DEI itself.

    What lies ahead for DEI?

    People’s fears of DEI are partly rooted in demographic anxiety. Since the U.S. Census Bureau projected in 2008 that non-Hispanic white people would become a minority in the U.S by the year 2042, nationwide news coverage has amplified white fears of displacement.

    Research indicates many white men experience this change as a crisis of identity and masculinity, particularly amid economic shifts such as the decline of blue-collar work. This perception aligns with research showing that white Americans are more likely to believe DEI policies disadvantage white men than white women.

    At the same time, in spite of DEI initiatives, women and people of color are most likely to be underemployed and living in poverty regardless of how much education they attain. The gender wage gap remains stark: In 2023, women working full time earned a median weekly salary of $1,005 compared with $1,202 for men − just 83.6% of what men earned. Over a 40-year career, that adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost earnings. For Black and Latina women, the disparities are even worse, with one source estimating lifetime losses at $976,800 and $1.2 million, respectively.

    Racism, too, carries an economic toll. A 2020 analysis from Citi found that systemic racism has cost the U.S. economy $16 trillion since 2000. The same analysis found that addressing these disparities could have boosted Black wages by $2.7 trillion, added up to $113 billion in lifetime earnings through higher college enrollment, and generated $13 trillion in business revenue, creating 6.1 million jobs annually.

    In a moment of backlash and uncertainty, I believe DEI remains a vital if imperfect tool in the American experiment of inclusion. Rather than abandon it, the challenge now, from my perspective, is how to refine it: grounding efforts not in slogans or fear, but in fairness and evidence.

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

    – ref. Beyond the backlash: What evidence shows about the economic impact of DEI – https://theconversation.com/beyond-the-backlash-what-evidence-shows-about-the-economic-impact-of-dei-252143

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: There’s no evidence work requirements for Medicaid recipients will boost employment, but they are a key piece of Republican spending bill

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Colin Gordon, Professor of History, University of Iowa

    Work requirements for receiving government benefits have a long history. FatCamera/E+ via Getty Images

    Republicans in the U.S. Senate are sparring over their version of the multitrillion-dollar budget and immigration bill the House of Representatives passed on May 22, 2025.

    Some GOP senators are insisting on shrinking the budget deficit, which the House version would increase by about US$3.8 trillion over a decade.

    Others are saying they oppose the House’s cost-cutting provisions for Medicaid, the government’s health insurance program for people who are low income or have disabilities.

    Despite the calls from U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and a few other Republican senators to protect Medicaid, as a scholar of American social policy I’m expecting to see the Senate embrace the introduction of work requirements for many adults under 65 who get health insurance through the program.

    The House version calls for the states, which administer Medicaid within their borders and help pay for the program, to adopt work requirements by the end of 2026. The effect of this policy, animated by the conviction that coverage is too generous and too easy to obtain, will be to deny Medicaid eligibility to millions of those currently covered – leaving them without access to basic health services, including preventive care and the management of ongoing conditions such as asthma or diabetes.

    Ending welfare

    The notion that people who get government benefits should prove that they deserve them, ideally through paid labor, is now centuries old. This conviction underlay the Victorian workhouses in 19th-century England that Charles Dickens critiqued through his novels.

    U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., put it bluntly earlier this month: Medicaid is “subsidizing capable adults who choose not to work,” he said.

    Demonstrators in Illinois hold signs in support of Medicaid in 2018.
    Charles Edward Miller via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    This idea also animated the development of the American welfare state, from its origins in the 1930s organized around the goals of maintaining civil order and compelling paid labor. Enforcing work obligations ensured the ready availability of low-wage labor and supported the growing assumption that only paid labor could redeem the lives and aspirations of the poor.

    “We started offering hope and opportunity along with the welfare check,” Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson argued in the early 1990s, “and expecting certain responsibilities in return.”

    This concept also was at the heart of the U.S. government’s bid to end “welfare as we know it.”

    In 1996, the Democratic Clinton administration replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children, or AFDC, a long-standing entitlement to cash assistance for low-income families, with Temporary Aid for Needy Families, known commonly as TANF. The TANF program, as its name indicates, was limited to short-term support, with the expectation that most people getting these benefits would soon gain long-term employment.

    Since 1996, Republicans serving at the state and federal levels of government have pressed to extend this principle to other programs that help low-income people. They’ve insisted, as President Donald Trump put it halfway through his first term, that unconditional benefits have “delayed economic independence, perpetuated poverty, and weakened family bonds.”

    Such claims are unsupported. There is no evidence to suggest that work requirements have ever galvanized independence or lifted low-income people out of poverty. Instead, they have punished low-income people by denying them the benefits or assistance they require.

    Work requirements haven’t worked

    Work requirements have consistently failed as a spur to employment. The transition from the AFDC to TANF required low-income families to meet work requirements, new administrative burdens and punitive sanctions.

    The new work expectations, rolled out in 1997, were not accompanied by supporting policies, especially the child care subsidies that many low-income parents with young children require to hold a job. They were also at odds with the very low-paying and unstable jobs available to those transitioning from welfare.

    Scholars found that TANF did less to lift families out of poverty than it did to shuffle its burden, helping the nearly poor at the expense of the very poor.

    The program took an especially large toll on low-income Black women, as work requirements exposed recipients to long-standing patterns of racial and gender discrimination in private labor markets.

    Restricting access to SNAP

    Work requirements tied to other government programs have similar track records.

    The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps millions of Americans buy groceries, adopted work requirements for able-bodied adults in 1996.

    Researchers have found that SNAP’s work requirements have pared back eligibility without any measurable increase in labor force participation.

    As happens with TANF, most people with SNAP benefits who have to comply with SNAP work requirements are already working to the degree their personal circumstances and local labor markets allow.

    The requirements don’t encourage SNAP recipients to work more hours; they simply lead people to be overwhelmed by red tape and stop renewing their SNAP benefits.

    Failing in Arkansas

    The logic of work requirements collapses entirely when extended to Medicaid.

    Red states have been pressing for years for waivers that would allow them to experiment with work requirements – especially for the abled-bodied, working-age adults who gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion.

    The first Trump administration granted 13 such waivers for what it saw as “meritorious innovations,” building “on the human dignity that comes with training, employment and independence.”

    The House passed the budget bill on May 22, 2025. It includes steep cuts to Medicaid and imposes work requirements for eligibility.

    Arkansas got the furthest with adding work requirements to Medicaid at that time. The results were disappointing.

    “We found no evidence that the policy succeeded in its stated goal of promoting work,” as one research team concluded, “and instead found substantial evidence of harm to health care coverage and access.”

    The Biden administration slowed down the implementation of these waivers by directing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to suspend or stem any state programs that eroded coverage. Meanwhile, state courts consistently ruled against the use of Medicaid work requirements.

    In Trump’s second term, Iowa, Arizona and at least a dozen other states have proposed “work requirement” waivers for federal approval.

    Trying it again

    The waiver process is meant to allow state experiments to further the statutory objectives of the Medicaid program, which is to furnish “medical assistance on behalf of families with dependent children and of aged, blind, or disabled individuals, whose income and resources are insufficient to meet the costs of necessary medical services.”

    On these grounds, the courts have consistently held that state waivers imposing work requirements not only fail to promote Medicaid’s objectives but amount to an arbitrary and capricious effort to undermine those objectives.

    “The text of the statute includes one primary purpose,” the D.C. Circuit ruled in 2020, “which is providing health care coverage without any restriction geared to healthy outcomes, financial independence or transition to commercial coverage.”

    Changing Medicaid in all states

    The House spending bill includes a work requirement that would require all able-bodied, childless adults under 65 to demonstrate that they had worked, volunteered or participated in job training for 80 hours in the month before enrollment.

    It would also allow states to extend such work requirements to six months and apply the new requirements not just to Medicaid recipients but to people who get subsidized health insurance through an Affordable Care Act exchange.

    If passed in some form by the Senate, the House spending bill would transform the landscape of Medicaid work requirements, pushing an estimated 4.8 million Americans into the ranks of the uninsured.

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

    – ref. There’s no evidence work requirements for Medicaid recipients will boost employment, but they are a key piece of Republican spending bill – https://theconversation.com/theres-no-evidence-work-requirements-for-medicaid-recipients-will-boost-employment-but-they-are-a-key-piece-of-republican-spending-bill-257289

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: The EU offer is not going to deliver the ambition needed for Sevilla

    Source: Oxfam –

    Today civil society organisations in Brussels are calling on European countries to raise their ambition after the release of a “deeply disappointing” collective EU position in the Council Conclusions “ahead of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development”, taking place in Spain next month. 

    The Conference will bring together governments from around the world to tackle issues such as sovereign debt, international development cooperation and international financial architecture reform. 

    Jean Saldanha, Director at the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad) said: “The world is facing the worst debt crisis ever, and the aid budgets of OECD countries are being slashed. Many Global South governments are calling for decision-making to shift from forums dominated by wealthy countries like the OECD and the G20 to the UN, where everyone has a seat at the table. Instead of backing these proposals, today’s Conclusions show the EU defending the status quo. But it is not yet too late for EU countries to back outcomes that will deliver a better future for the world’s poorest people.”

    On the sovereign debt crisis, which has led lower-income countries to spend more on servicing their debt than they do on education and healthcare, the EU position is woefully inadequate. The Conclusions call for an annual dialogue, dominated by creditors, with UN institutions and a few borrowing countries. Borrowing countries need and have been calling for an inclusive and comprehensive process where debtors and creditors would negotiate on an equal footing instead. 

    Javier García de la Oliva, Head of Country Engagement and Transformation Europe and Americas at ActionAid International, said: “The EU blockage to borrowing countries’ proposal for an intergovernmental process to establish a UN framework convention on debt is the most striking evidence of their preference for the undemocratic creditor creditor-dominated status quo. The EU wrongly claims that such a process would be duplicative, but then proposes the creation of a useless and duplicative talk shop involving the UN in an attempt to deflect criticism.”

    On development cooperation, the EU “recalls the collective commitment” to fulfil their “respective ODA commitments” to deliver 0.7 per cent of gross national income as foreign aid. Yet, the 2024 figures show that ODA fell by 8.6 per cent among EU members compared to 2023. And, these figures are just the tip of the iceberg, as in 2025, the situation will be even worse, following significant announcements of aid budget cuts. Moreover, the EU falls back again on the Global Gateway, an investment initiative that barely scratches the surface of the challenges the poorest countries in the world are facing.

    Hernan Saenz, Oxfam International’s FfD Global Lead, said: “European leaders have been stating their commitment to international development, but their collective position published today is rich in rhetoric but poor in commitments. It is no more than the bare minimum, with proposals that relegate the responsibility to deliver on private finance instead of raising public ambition. Restating previous ODA commitments is meaningless, if this is not followed by concrete actions.” 

    Jean Saldanha, Director at the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad), said:  “Wealthy countries both set and monitor the rules that govern aid and development cooperation more broadly, through the OECD, which is an exclusive space. Several governments in the global south and CSOs from across the world are demanding a greater role for the UN in the governance and norm-setting of international development cooperation. While the Council states that it ‘is in favour of enhancing the international development cooperation architecture’, its support to processes that do not share the buy-in or ownership of the full UN membership is disappointing.” 

    Jean Saldanha, Director at the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad), said: It is too early for the Global Gateway to be a credible offer for countries in the global south. There is a significant risk that the focus on creating opportunities for European businesses in the global south is prioritised over development objectives such as poverty reduction.” 

    The negotiations towards the Financing for Development Conference are set to continue next month. 

    Hernan Saenz, Oxfam International’s FfD Global Lead, said: “The EU knows Sevilla could be a turning point – a chance to make sure that global cooperation works for people. But instead of choosing a side, the EU is playing safe. They walk the middle road even though it is crumbling beneath them. The EU must choose: stand with a decaying, unequal world or choose a new world that puts people, planet, and the fight against inequality at its core. It’s shocking. In a world where the gap between the rich and poor has never been so big, when aid cuts are the new norm and debt is piling up, the EU turns a blind eye to real solutions – like supporting the taxing of the super-rich and backing the UN’s Tax Convention push for fairer global tax rules.”

    Javier García de la Oliva, Head of Country Engagement and Transformation Europe and Americas at ActionAid International, said: “While the global south pushes for a fairer multilateral system, the EU clings to outdated privileges and broken governance models. This stance not only fails the planet and the most vulnerable—it undermines the EU’s own credibility, its Treaty commitments to democracy and multilateralism, and its (self-proclaimed) leadership on sustainable development. We call on the most ambitious Member States to lead by example and push for greater ambition when they next meet in New York, in the preparatory negotiations, and in Sevilla itself for this pivotal conference.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK Government urged to abandon disability benefit cuts

    Source: Scottish Government

    Letter from Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville to Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall

    Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has written to UK Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, calling for an urgent change to the UK Government’s “immoral and reckless” social security reforms.

    Ms Somerville welcomed the suggestion by Prime Minister Keir Starmer that cuts to winter fuel payment could be eased, but said this was not enough.

    In the letter the Social Justice Secretary said:

    “I was pleased to hear the Prime Minister announce plans to ease the Winter Fuel Payment cuts in Parliament last week. I am also aware of various media reports suggesting that a change in the UK Government’s two-child limit may be announced shortly. I welcome these developments and recognise that it is a step in the right direction to delivering a more robust Social Security system.

    “However, deep concerns remain around the UK government’s damaging social security reforms, including those announced in the ‘Pathways to Work’ Green Paper.

    “Given the speculation on the reversal or partial reversal of policies on Winter Fuel Payment and Two Child Cap, I call on you to urgently scrap these immoral proposals on disabled benefits.

    “These plans will only push more into poverty. It is therefore reckless and totally unacceptable for the UK Government to press ahead, not least due to the expected severity of the impact they will have on all our efforts to end child poverty – completely undermining the work of the UK Child Poverty Taskforce.” 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EU Fact Sheets – A general survey of development policy – 28-05-2025

    Source: European Parliament 2

    Development policy lies at the heart of the European Union’s external policies. It aims to reduce and ultimately eradicate poverty and it is central to the EU’s response to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (the 2030 Agenda). Its objectives include fostering sustainable growth, defending human rights and democracy, achieving gender equality, promoting peace and inclusive societies and tackling environmental and climate challenges. The EU works on a global scale and is the world’s largest donor of development assistance. Cooperation with EU Member States and alignment with the 2030 Agenda facilitate the efficient delivery of aid.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: After a chaotic 6 months, South Koreans will elect a new president – and hope for bold leadership

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Alexander M. Hynd, Lecturer, Korean Politics/International Relations, The University of Melbourne

    On June 3, South Koreans will head to the polls to choose the country’s new president. The election may draw to a close one of the most chaotic and contentious periods in the country’s post-1987 democratic era.

    South Korea has been embroiled in a political crisis since December, when former President Yoon Suk Yeol disastrously declared martial law.

    Yoon ordered security forces to block lawmakers from entering the National Assembly, leading to a dramatic late night confrontation. His unconstitutional decree was overturned after just six hours.

    The fall-out was equally dramatic: Yoon was impeached and removed from office in a drawn-out process that was not finally resolved until April.

    This period coincided with massive street demonstrations both opposing and supporting Yoon, a far-right assault on a courthouse and a physical stand-off between investigators and Yoon’s personal security team.

    The country, meanwhile, has cycled through three short-lived caretaker leaders.

    With weak economic growth and high costs of living, in addition to an equally challenging security environment, South Korea is in desperate need of bold and effective leadership.

    Who are the candidates?

    The Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung is the clear frontrunner to be the next president, after finishing a close second in the previous 2022 election.

    Recent polling put the veteran left-leaning politician at around 49% support as the race entered the final week.

    This is a double-digit lead over his main conservative opponent, Kim Moon-soo, polling at 35%. Another conservative candidate, Lee Jun-seok, is polling at 11%. Notably, for the first time since 2007, there are no female candidates standing to be president.

    The high levels of support for Lee Jae-myung suggest a widespread desire among the public to repudiate Yoon’s martial law declaration.

    Kim, the labour minister in Yoon’s administration, has apologised for December’s declaration. But his opponents have continued to question him about it.

    Kim’s challenge has been to build a coalition of moderates and mainstream conservatives who firmly opposed the martial law declaration, while also winning support from those who believe far-right conspiracy theories around election fraud. Yoon, the former president, is continuing to promote these narratives.

    Lee’s compelling background

    Lee Jae-myung’s personal story has uplifting parallels with South Korea’s own history of economic and political development.

    Lee was born into poverty; the exact date of his birth is not known. He worked in factories from a very young age and permanently injured his left arm in an industrial accident when he was still a child.

    Lee went on to earn a scholarship to study law and, by the late 1980s, had established himself as a labour lawyer and activist.

    This activist image was highlighted when he live-streamed himself dramatically scaling a fence to enter the National Assembly and vote down Yoon’s martial law declaration in December. He has previously compared himself to populist, progressive US Senator Bernie Sanders.

    More recently, however, he has moderated his political rhetoric and policy platform to appeal to centrists and even some conservative voters.

    This shift may also help shield Lee from the “red-baiting” claims left-leaning South Korean candidates typically face from conservative opponents that they are “communists”, “pro-China”, or “pro-North Korea”.

    But Lee is also plagued by legal troubles, including corruption charges linked to a land development project. These charges, frequently highlighted by his opponents, risk derailing his administration if he wins the election.

    What are the main issues?

    Some international commentators have focused on how the next president will handle North Korea. South Koreans, however, are more interested in the candidates’ plans to fix the country’s troubled economy.

    Lee Jae-myung has pledged to immediately establish an emergency economic taskforce if he takes office.

    There has also been a vigorous debate over South Korea’s future energy policy. Kim favours expanding nuclear energy production to around 60% of the country’s energy mix. Lee has voiced safety concerns about nuclear power, arguing “the era of building more reactors should come to an end”.

    Additionally, questions remain over potential constitutional reform to end South Korea’s so-called “imperial presidency” system, which has been blamed for centralising too much power in the hands of the president.

    The system dates back to the rewriting of the constitution following mass protests in 1987. This established direct presidential elections and a single, five-year term.

    Both Lee and Kim support changing this to a four-year, two-term presidential system, similar to the United States.

    Big challenges lie ahead

    On the international stage, the new leader will face an uphill battle negotiating with US President Donald Trump over his punitive tariffs. Trump imposed 25% tariffs on South Korean goods in April, but lowered them temporarily to 10% until early July.

    Before his impeachment, Yoon was widely reported to be practising his golf skills to attempt to find common ground with Trump, much as former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did.

    The new leader will also face massive challenges bringing South Korean society together in the current climate. Political polarisation and the spread of disinformation worsened under Yoon’s presidency – and these trends will be hard to reverse.

    Alexander M. Hynd 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. After a chaotic 6 months, South Koreans will elect a new president – and hope for bold leadership – https://theconversation.com/after-a-chaotic-6-months-south-koreans-will-elect-a-new-president-and-hope-for-bold-leadership-257348

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: After a chaotic 6 months, South Koreans will elect a new president – and hope for bold leadership

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander M. Hynd, Lecturer, Korean Politics/International Relations, The University of Melbourne

    On June 3, South Koreans will head to the polls to choose the country’s new president. The election may draw to a close one of the most chaotic and contentious periods in the country’s post-1987 democratic era.

    South Korea has been embroiled in a political crisis since December, when former President Yoon Suk Yeol disastrously declared martial law.

    Yoon ordered security forces to block lawmakers from entering the National Assembly, leading to a dramatic late night confrontation. His unconstitutional decree was overturned after just six hours.

    The fall-out was equally dramatic: Yoon was impeached and removed from office in a drawn-out process that was not finally resolved until April.

    This period coincided with massive street demonstrations both opposing and supporting Yoon, a far-right assault on a courthouse and a physical stand-off between investigators and Yoon’s personal security team.

    The country, meanwhile, has cycled through three short-lived caretaker leaders.

    With weak economic growth and high costs of living, in addition to an equally challenging security environment, South Korea is in desperate need of bold and effective leadership.

    Who are the candidates?

    The Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung is the clear frontrunner to be the next president, after finishing a close second in the previous 2022 election.

    Recent polling put the veteran left-leaning politician at around 49% support as the race entered the final week.

    This is a double-digit lead over his main conservative opponent, Kim Moon-soo, polling at 35%. Another conservative candidate, Lee Jun-seok, is polling at 11%. Notably, for the first time since 2007, there are no female candidates standing to be president.

    The high levels of support for Lee Jae-myung suggest a widespread desire among the public to repudiate Yoon’s martial law declaration.

    Kim, the labour minister in Yoon’s administration, has apologised for December’s declaration. But his opponents have continued to question him about it.

    Kim’s challenge has been to build a coalition of moderates and mainstream conservatives who firmly opposed the martial law declaration, while also winning support from those who believe far-right conspiracy theories around election fraud. Yoon, the former president, is continuing to promote these narratives.

    Lee’s compelling background

    Lee Jae-myung’s personal story has uplifting parallels with South Korea’s own history of economic and political development.

    Lee was born into poverty; the exact date of his birth is not known. He worked in factories from a very young age and permanently injured his left arm in an industrial accident when he was still a child.

    Lee went on to earn a scholarship to study law and, by the late 1980s, had established himself as a labour lawyer and activist.

    This activist image was highlighted when he live-streamed himself dramatically scaling a fence to enter the National Assembly and vote down Yoon’s martial law declaration in December. He has previously compared himself to populist, progressive US Senator Bernie Sanders.

    More recently, however, he has moderated his political rhetoric and policy platform to appeal to centrists and even some conservative voters.

    This shift may also help shield Lee from the “red-baiting” claims left-leaning South Korean candidates typically face from conservative opponents that they are “communists”, “pro-China”, or “pro-North Korea”.

    But Lee is also plagued by legal troubles, including corruption charges linked to a land development project. These charges, frequently highlighted by his opponents, risk derailing his administration if he wins the election.

    What are the main issues?

    Some international commentators have focused on how the next president will handle North Korea. South Koreans, however, are more interested in the candidates’ plans to fix the country’s troubled economy.

    Lee Jae-myung has pledged to immediately establish an emergency economic taskforce if he takes office.

    There has also been a vigorous debate over South Korea’s future energy policy. Kim favours expanding nuclear energy production to around 60% of the country’s energy mix. Lee has voiced safety concerns about nuclear power, arguing “the era of building more reactors should come to an end”.

    Additionally, questions remain over potential constitutional reform to end South Korea’s so-called “imperial presidency” system, which has been blamed for centralising too much power in the hands of the president.

    The system dates back to the rewriting of the constitution following mass protests in 1987. This established direct presidential elections and a single, five-year term.

    Both Lee and Kim support changing this to a four-year, two-term presidential system, similar to the United States.

    Big challenges lie ahead

    On the international stage, the new leader will face an uphill battle negotiating with US President Donald Trump over his punitive tariffs. Trump imposed 25% tariffs on South Korean goods in April, but lowered them temporarily to 10% until early July.

    Before his impeachment, Yoon was widely reported to be practising his golf skills to attempt to find common ground with Trump, much as former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did.

    The new leader will also face massive challenges bringing South Korean society together in the current climate. Political polarisation and the spread of disinformation worsened under Yoon’s presidency – and these trends will be hard to reverse.

    Alexander M. Hynd 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. After a chaotic 6 months, South Koreans will elect a new president – and hope for bold leadership – https://theconversation.com/after-a-chaotic-6-months-south-koreans-will-elect-a-new-president-and-hope-for-bold-leadership-257348

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Brownley, Barragán and California Democrats Urge Trump Administration to Protect Head Start

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Julia Brownley (D-CA)

    Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) joined Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) and every Democratic member of the California Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., urging them to safeguard federal funding for the Head Start program. The letter comes in response to alarming reports that the Trump Administration considered eliminating Head Start funding during recent federal budget discussions.

    “From Los Angeles County to the Central Valley to rural tribal lands, Head Start provides comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services to children who are disproportionately impacted by poverty and housing instability,” wrote the members. “These essential services support our state’s economy by allowing parents to work and go to school, while giving our future workforce the strong start that they need to be successful later in life.”

    California is home to one of the largest populations of Head Start children in the nation. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, Head Start and Early Head Start programs served more than 94,000 children across the state. These programs offer critical support to children by integrating early education with health, nutrition, and family services – providing targeted support to those experiencing poverty, housing insecurity, and systemic inequities.

    “The elimination or reduction of Head Start funding would be catastrophic. In California, it would shut the doors of 1,835 Head Start and Early Head Start Centers and eliminate access to early education for tens of thousands of children – disproportionately children of color, English learners, children with disabilities, and those living in low-income and rural communities.”

    Since its founding in 1965, Head Start has served over 40 million children and families nationwide. Decades of research confirm that the program improves school readiness, boosts long-term academic and employment outcomes, and helps break the cycle of poverty.

    “Head Start is not optional – it is a national commitment that must be honored,” the members added. “We urge you to reject any future attempts to weaken or eliminate this program and to ensure its continued success for the children and families who rely on it every day.”

    The letter was co-signed by each of the 45 Democratic members of the California Congressional Delegation: Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, and Representatives Pete Aguilar, Nancy Pelosi, Robert Garcia, Linda Sánchez, John Garamendi, Kevin Mullin, Mark Takano, Ted Lieu, Maxine Waters, Laura Friedman, J. Luis Correa, Ro Khanna, Mike Thompson, Norma Torres, Mark DeSaulnier, Juan Vargas, Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr., Judy Chu, Derek Tran, Raul Ruiz, Jared Huffman, Doris Matsui, Salud Carbajal, Brad Sherman, Ami Bera, Jimmy Panetta, Zoe Lofgren, Eric Swalwell, Lateefah Simon, Dave Min, Jimmy Gomez, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Jim Costa, George Whitesides, Luz Rivas, Sara Jacobs, Scott Peters, Josh Harder, Adam Gray, Mike Levin, and Sam Liccardo.

    The full letter can be found here and below:

    President Trump and Secretary Kennedy:

    We write today to express serious concern over reports that your Administration considered proposals to eliminate federal funding for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Head Start program in recent budget discussions. While we are relieved that the White House Office of Management and Budget’s Fiscal Year 2026 proposal did not include this cut, that such an action was even contemplated underscores the vulnerability of this vital program under your Administration. As members of the California Congressional Delegation, we urge you to safeguard this critical program, which plays an irreplaceable role in supporting California’s children and families, especially those facing economic hardship and systemic barriers.

    California is home to one of the largest populations of Head Start children in the nation. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, more than 94,000 children and pregnant women in California were served by Head Start and Early Head Start programs. These services are not just beneficial – they are essential. From Los Angeles County to the Central Valley to rural tribal lands, Head Start provides comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services to children who are disproportionately impacted by poverty and housing instability. These essential services support our state’s economy by allowing parents to work and go to school, while giving our future workforce the strong start that they need to be successful later in life.

    Since its founding in 1965, Head Start has supported more than 40 million children and their families nationwide – and millions in California alone. Research continues to confirm what educators and parents have long known: Head Start works. It boosts school readiness, improves long-term academic outcomes, increases high school graduation and employment rates, and helps break cycles of generational poverty.

    The elimination or reduction of Head Start funding would be catastrophic. In California, it would shut the doors of 1,835 Head Start and Early Head Start Centers and eliminate access to early education for tens of thousands of children – disproportionately children of color, English learners, children with disabilities, and those living in low-income and rural communities. Thousands of parents would also lose their ability to go to work or school, and otherwise participate in the economy.

    Head Start is not optional – it is a national commitment that must be honored. For these reasons, we urge you to reject any future attempts to weaken or eliminate this program and to ensure its continued success for the children and families who rely on it every day.

    ###

    Issues: 119th Congress, Education

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed Blasts House Passage of Irresponsible Tax Bill That Will Take Away Health Care, Wreak Havoc on America’s Finances

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
    PROVIDENCE, RI – At a time when many Americans believe government should be more responsive to everyday families, Congressional Republicans are working on a law to kick millions of Americans off their health care coverage and food assistance programs this week, with House passage of President Donald Trump’s irresponsible tax bill that will increase poverty to enrich the ultra-wealthy, while doing nothing to lower costs.
    According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Republican reconciliation package would cause millions of Americans to lose access to their affordable health care and leave Americans in worse financial shape.
    According to the Center on American Progress, under the House Republican bill, roughly 40,000 Rhode Islanders would be kicked off of their health insurance.  And 21,000 Rhode Islanders would lose access to SNAP, which provides nutrition assistance to vulnerable children, seniors, and families.
    Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) spoke out against the bill:
    “The numbers don’t lie.  And the ugly truth about the GOP’s so-called ‘big beautiful bill’ is that it’s a fiscally irresponsible betrayal of hardworking American taxpayers that will take away people’s health care and increase costs.
    “The tax code should be simpler and fairer across the board, with tax breaks targeted to working people, not the uber-wealthy.
    “The Republican bill takes from the poor to give to the rich and President Trump’s preferred special interests.  America cannot afford this ill-conceived and unbalanced proposal to take the most from the least and place a heavier financial burden on states and middle-class taxpayers.  I commend Congressmen Magaziner and Amo for opposing this bill in the House and I will strongly oppose it in the Senate.
    “This bill rips away people’s health care.  It reduces vital nutrition assistance for children in need.  It will increase poverty — further disadvantaging the most vulnerable Americans in order to give a bigger benefit to the top one percent.
    “America’s credit rating has already been down-graded under Trump and this bill will make America’s financial outlook worse.  This so-called ‘big, beautiful bill’ will ultimately make it harder to access affordable health care and cause a big, ugly financial mess.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Health – Resurgence of preventable diseases threatens children in East Asia and the Pacific – WHO

    Source: World Health Organization (WHO)
    Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF and WHO raise alarm over falling vaccine coverage and eroding trust, with measles cases at their highest since 2020

    Manila/Bangkok/Geneva, 28 May 2025 – Across East Asia and the Pacific, vaccine-preventable diseases are making a dangerous comeback, with measles at the forefront of this resurgence. In the first months of 2025, countries like Cambodia, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam have reported a sharp rise in measles cases compared with the same period last year, signalling that far too many children are missing out on life-saving vaccines.

    Measles is among the most infectious diseases in the world, with the potential to cause severe illness and death, especially in children. Since the beginning of 2025, Viet Nam has recorded 81,691 suspected measles cases in 63 provinces and cities. As of 21 May, Mongolia had confirmed 2,682 measles cases. Cambodia reported 2,150 cases of measles between January and April 2025. The Philippines reported 2,068 cases from 1 January to 10 May 2025. Measles cases across the region are now at their highest level since 2020, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

    “The alarming rise in measles cases is a wake-up call,” said Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. “It highlights the vulnerable children who are being left behind — those who haven’t received even a single dose of vaccine, living in underserved communities, missed by routine immunization and vaccination campaigns. This underscores the critical importance of ensuring every child is immunized to protect their health and that of our communities.”

    Meanwhile, the confirmation of a poliovirus outbreak in Papua New Guinea has triggered a national public health emergency response. The risk of continued transmission within the country remains high, with potential implications beyond its borders. Although Papua New Guinea was declared polio-free 25 years ago, persistently low routine immunization coverage has left many children vulnerable.

    Vaccine-preventable diseases remain a significant threat to children’s health. Measles can cause serious complications including pneumonia, brain damage and lifelong disability. Polio can lead to irreversible paralysis. The youngest children, especially those living in poverty, conflict zones, remote areas, or without access to basic health care, are most at risk and least likely to recover.

    “We’re not just seeing a spike in disease, we’re seeing a signal that the systems meant to protect children are faltering,” said June Kunugi, UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific. “Measles and polio are highly infectious, and children are paying the price for gaps in coverage, delayed care, and misinformation. No child should suffer or die from a disease we know how to prevent.”

    The resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases in East Asia and the Pacific reflects deeper, systemic failures. Immunization systems weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic remain under-resourced. Across the WHO Western Pacific Region, an estimated 3.2 million children did not receive a single dose of vaccine between 2020 and 2023. Many more children remain under-vaccinated, and even countries with previously strong systems are now grappling with immunity gaps. These setbacks have left millions of children vulnerable to diseases that should already be under control or eliminated. Additionally, rising vaccine hesitancy – driven by misinformation, disinformation, and distrust – is further eroding the confidence families need to protect their children.

    “We are very concerned about the rising cases of measles in the region,” said Nadia Lasri, Senior Country Manager and Coordinator of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in the Western Pacific Region. “Gavi is actively supporting response efforts in the region, including funding emergency vaccination campaigns, strengthening surveillance systems, and providing technical assistance to national immunization programmes. We are working with partners to bolster routine immunization systems and ensure children in hard-to-reach and cross-border areas are not left behind. The spike in cases underscores the urgent need for a coordinated regional response to stop transmission and protect millions of children.”

    The cost of inaction is high: outbreaks demand emergency campaigns and intensive responses that are far more expensive than maintaining well-functioning, reliable routine immunization systems.

    The tools to stop these diseases already exist: safe, effective, and affordable vaccines; early warning systems; and health workers with the skills and dedication to deliver them. UNICEF and WHO are calling for a shift from crisis response to prevention. That means:

    • Reach every child with routine immunization and catch-up campaigns to close immunity gaps.
    • Track risks and respond early with strong surveillance, laboratory capacity, and rapid outbreak response.
    • Improve diagnosis and care with clear treatment protocols and infection control in health facilities.
    • Build public trust by engaging communities, addressing concerns, and countering misinformation.
    • Share timely information across countries to stay ahead of outbreaks.
    • Ensure immunization programmes are adequately and sustainably resourced.

    Critically, this work dep

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Behind the wellness industry’s scented oils and soothing music are often underpaid, exploited workers

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rawan Nimri, Lecturer in Tourism and Hospitality, Griffith University

    Prostock Studio/Shutterstock

    Wellness tourism is booming. Think yoga retreats in Bali, digital detox weekends in a rainforest, or a break on a luxury island to “find yourself”.

    It’s no longer just about taking selfies at the beach or in front of Instagrammable landmarks. Travellers today want to invest in activities aimed at improving their mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing. And, they’re willing to pay for these experiences.

    Global spending on wellness tourism is projected to hit US$8.5 trillion by 2027. Rather than being a passing fad, spending in this sector is forecast to nearly triple by 2035. This is big business.

    The Wellness Tourism Association says 90% of travellers report wellness activities are an essential part of their travel itineraries.

    Behind the luxe retreat

    But, while holidaymakers pursue their zen, the workforce is largely overlooked. The massage therapists, spa staff, yoga instructors and retreat hosts – often women, migrants and workers from the Global South – frequently experience substandard, undignified working conditions.

    Our new report, In Decent or Dirty Work?, examines an often overlooked part of the wellness industry. We propose a model to shift the industry from “dirty to decent” in line with the United Nations’ sustainable development goal eight supporting “decent work and economic growth”.

    The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) were adopted by all UN member states in 2015. They support ending poverty and other deprivations as part of improving health and education, reducing inequality and encouraging economic growth – while tackling climate change and protecting the environment. These goals are designed to help businesses and governments develop sustainable and inclusive economies.

    Progress towards decent work in wellness tourism is undermined by workers in some cases facing low pay, insecure employment and poor working conditions.

    Wellness is often viewed as feminised work, rather than skilled or professional. Workers are expected to be calm, warm and nurturing, as well as emotionally available while juggling demanding workloads and unpredictable hours.

    Weak regulation

    Gaps in standards and regulation leave workers vulnerable. For example, Massage and Myotherapy Australia has raised concerns about exploitative contracting and loose employment arrangements. Without regulated certification, enforcement of fair contracts, and professional recognition, many workers experience underemployment or unsafe conditions.

    Wellness workers are often underpaid and sometimes treated with disrespect by clients.
    Shellygraphy/Shutterstock

    Research shows workers at some spas even describe their roles as feeling uncomfortably close to sex work, especially in settings where the boundaries are blurred and expectations can cross a moral line.

    The case of the Melbourne business penalised for underpaying migrant workers and reports of Asian massage therapists being asked regularly for “happy endings” reflect the devaluation and gendered risks for this workforce.

    Sociologists call this “dirty work” – jobs that are not physically messy but carry an emotional or moral burden. And while these roles are pivotal to customers’ experiences, the people doing them are often invisible. This makes it even harder to push for better training or fairer conditions.

    Proposed changes

    To improve the wellness industry’s sustainability and fairness, our research proposes three key changes.

    On an individual level, workers need to be empowered. Workers who have a connection with their job will gain personal fulfilment from helping clients with their health and relaxation. Satisfied workers means happier customers and superior work quality.

    However, workers should also receive external support to help improve job satisfaction.

    For example, management regularly reinforcing the value of staff to a business can enhance a worker’s sense of dignity. Additionally, protecting workers from such threats as immoral requests by customers, is key to cultivating the sense of a safe and dignified workplace.

    At the macro-level, policies, social structures and public perceptions shape how wellness work is valued. Without professional accreditation or recognition, these jobs will remain undervalued. Broader changes, like government reforms and public campaigns, would lift professional recognition and support dignity.

    Employees’ working conditions should be examined. Decent work – as per the UN sustainable development goals – means providing fair pay, safe environments, recognition and genuine opportunities for employees to develop and thrive at work.

    Also, investing in better training and standards benefits everyone, whether workers, businesses or customers.

    As Andrew Gibson, co-founder of the Wellness Tourism Association, said: “I don’t think wellness is a fad, but rather it’s a change in society, and what society now expects”.

    Leonie Lockstone-Binney receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Liz Simmons, Rawan Nimri, and Tom Baum 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. Behind the wellness industry’s scented oils and soothing music are often underpaid, exploited workers – https://theconversation.com/behind-the-wellness-industrys-scented-oils-and-soothing-music-are-often-underpaid-exploited-workers-257455

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Child marriage and pregnancy in Roma communities – E-002038/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002038/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Eleonora Meleti (PPE)

    The issue of early marriage and early motherhood in Roma communities remains a sad reality. 46 % of Roma women marry before the age of 18, while one in three becomes pregnant during adolescence. These practices violate the rights of women and children, exposing them to increased risks to their health and future well-being. Furthermore, they are not in line with the EU’s social principles and values, ​and undermine children’s innocence, personal development and free life choices. Imposing adult responsibilities on children often leads to psychological trauma, social exclusion and the perpetuation of poverty and inequality.

    The EU Roma strategic framework is a good first step, but it does not address the issue. Given that the EU condemns child marriage practices in non-EU countries as part of its foreign policy, it must also take action to combat this dangerous phenomenon in its Member States.

    In view of the above:

    • 1.What measures does the Commission intend to put in place to eliminate early marriages and pregnancies?
    • 2.Does the Commission intend to enhance funding for targeted information and integration programmes for Roma communities?

    Submitted: 21.5.2025

    Last updated: 28 May 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China-Central Asia Forum “Governance and Sustainable Development” Opens in Almaty

    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

    ALMATY, May 28 (Xinhua) — The China-Central Asia Forum on Governance and Sustainable Development opened in the Kazakh city of Almaty on Wednesday, with about 100 representatives from government departments, universities and enterprises from China and Kazakhstan attending the event.

    The forum was organized by Lanzhou University and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University /KazNU/.

    Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Almaty Jiang Wei stated in her keynote speech that on the path of great national revival, China and the Central Asian countries have the same ideas, similar goals and interrelated interests. They should deepen the exchange of experience in public administration and sustainable development, work together, complement each other’s strengths and achieve common development. According to Jiang Wei, China fully respects the independent aspirations of the Central Asian countries for modernization and is ready to share development experience with them as sincerely as possible.

    Vice-president of Lanzhou University Sha Yongzhong pointed out that interconnectedness and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, is a historical choice for achieving prosperity and development in the region, and knowledge cooperation opens up new space for expanding cooperation between China and Central Asian countries in the spirit of “connected hearts.” Sha Yongzhong called such cooperation an important content and engine for promoting scientific and technological innovation and building a community with a shared future for China and Central Asia.

    KazNU Vice-Rector for Financial and Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Development Abdrakhman Tasybayev noted that the forum is an important platform for expanding exchanges and cooperation between Kazakhstan and China. As he emphasized, various topics discussed at the forum largely correspond to the topics of national strategic development.

    At the forum, experts and scholars from China and Kazakhstan will hold friendly, substantive discussions on four main topics: environmental governance, digital development, poverty alleviation, and regional cooperation. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Norma Torres joins Rep. Nanette Barragán in Urging Trump Administration to Protect Head Start Funding

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

    May 28, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representative Norma Torres (CA-35) joined Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) in sending a letter to President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., urging them to safeguard federal funding for the Head Start program. The letter comes in response to alarming reports that the Trump Administration considered eliminating Head Start funding during recent federal budget discussions.

    “From Los Angeles County to the Central Valley to rural tribal lands, Head Start provides comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services to children who are disproportionately impacted by poverty and housing instability,” wrote the members. “These essential services support our state’s economy by allowing parents to work and go to school, while giving our future workforce the strong start that they need to be successful later in life.”

    California is home to one of the largest populations of Head Start children in the nation. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, Head Start and Early Head Start programs served more than 94,000 children across the state. These programs offer critical support to children by integrating early education with health, nutrition, and family services—providing targeted support to those experiencing poverty, housing insecurity, and systemic inequities.

    “The elimination or reduction of Head Start funding would be catastrophic,” the letter states. “In California, it would shut the doors of 1,835 Head Start and Early Head Start Centers and eliminate access to early education for tens of thousands of children—disproportionately children of color, English learners, children with disabilities, and those living in low-income and rural communities.”

    Since its founding in 1965, Head Start has served over 40 million children and families nationwide. Decades of research confirm that the program improves school readiness, boosts long-term academic and employment outcomes, and helps break the cycle of poverty.

    “Head Start is not optional—it is a national commitment that must be honored,” the members added. “I will continue fighting to protect this vital investment in our children’s futures.”

    The letter was co-signed by each of the 45 Democratic members of the California Congressional Delegation: Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, and Representatives Pete Aguilar, Nancy Pelosi, Robert Garcia, Linda Sánchez, John Garamendi, Kevin Mullin, Mark Takano, Ted Lieu, Julia Brownley, Maxine Waters, Laura Friedman, J. Luis Correa, Ro Khanna, Mike Thompson, Mark DeSaulnier, Juan Vargas, Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr., Judy Chu, Derek Tran, Raul Ruiz, Jared Huffman, Doris Matsui, Salud Carbajal, Brad Sherman, Ami Bera, Jimmy Panetta, Zoe Lofgren, Eric Swalwell, Lateefah Simon, Dave Min, Jimmy Gomez, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Jim Costa, George Whitesides, Luz Rivas, Sara Jacobs, Scott Peters, Josh Harder, Adam Gray, Mike Levin, and Sam Liccardo.

    The full letter can be found here and below:

    President Trump and Secretary Kennedy:

    We write today to express serious concern over reports that your Administration considered proposals to eliminate federal funding for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Head Start program in recent budget discussions. While we are relieved that the White House Office of Management and Budget’s Fiscal Year 2026 proposal did not include this cut, that such an action was even contemplated underscores the vulnerability of this vital program under your Administration. As members of the California Congressional Delegation, we urge you to safeguard this critical program, which plays an irreplaceable role in supporting California’s children and families, especially those facing economic hardship and systemic barriers.

    California is home to one of the largest populations of Head Start children in the nation. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, more than 94,000 children and pregnant women in California were served by Head Start and Early Head Start programs.[1] These services are not just beneficial—they are essential. From Los Angeles County to the Central Valley to rural tribal lands, Head Start provides comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services to children who are disproportionately impacted by poverty and housing instability. These essential services support our state’s economy by allowing parents to work and go to school, while giving our future workforce the strong start that they need to be successful later in life.

    Since its founding in 1965, Head Start has supported more than 40 million children and their families nationwide—and millions in California alone.[2] Research continues to confirm what educators and parents have long known: Head Start works. It boosts school readiness, improves long-term academic outcomes, increases high school graduation and employment rates, and helps break cycles of generational poverty.

    The elimination or reduction of Head Start funding would be catastrophic. In California, it would shut the doors of 1,835 Head Start and Early Head Start Centers and eliminate access to early education for tens of thousands of children—disproportionately children of color, English learners, children with disabilities, and those living in low-income and rural communities.[3] Thousands of parents would also lose their ability to go to work or school, and otherwise participate in the economy.

    Head Start is not optional—it is a national commitment that must be honored. For these reasons, we urge you to reject any future attempts to weaken or eliminate this program and to ensure its continued success for the children and families who rely on it every day.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 28 May 2025 Departmental update WHO launches a framework on climate change and tuberculosis

    Source: World Health Organisation

    The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for urgent, coordinated action to tackle the dual threats of tuberculosis (TB) and climate change. In a newly released framework, WHO highlights how climate change is creating conditions that could intensify the global TB epidemic.

    The framework outlines how rising temperatures, extreme weather events and environmental degradation are intensifying key TB risk factors. Populations already grappling with poverty, malnutrition, displacement and limited access to health care are expected to be hit hardest, as TB – one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases – gains ground in a changing climate.

    The report highlights three key pathways through which climate change exacerbates TB risk:

    • Migration and displacement: Climate-related disasters and slow-onset environmental degradation are forcing millions to relocate, often into overcrowded and poorly ventilated environments that facilitate TB transmission and situations that reduce their access to care. In 2023, 20.3 million people were displaced by weather-related hazards, with projections estimating up to 216 million climate-displaced persons by 2050.
    • Food and water insecurity: Increasing frequency of droughts, floods and extreme heat is intensifying malnutrition – an established risk factor for TB contributing to nearly 10% of TB cases globally.
    • Health system disruptions: Climate-induced disasters are undermining health infrastructure and disrupting essential TB services, including diagnosis, treatment and continuity of care. Natural hazard-related events affected an estimated 93.1 million people in 2023. Without treatment, TB has a mortality rate of up to 50%.

    “Climate change is not only a planetary crisis – it’s a major health threat,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global Programme on TB and Lung Health. “TB remains the world’s top infectious killer, and climate change threatens to reverse decades of progress in fighting this disease. We must integrate the TB response into climate adaptation efforts to protect the most vulnerable.”

    The report urges governments to:  

    • integrate TB services into climate and health strategies
    • strengthen health systems to withstand climate shocks
    • secure sustainable financing for TB, including through climate and health funds.

    It also stresses the need for cross-sector collaboration across health, agriculture, migration, social protection and disaster preparedness to confront the shared drivers of TB and climate vulnerability.

    With the UN Climate Change Conference on the horizon, WHO emphasizes that building climate-resilient health systems and including TB in universal health coverage and social protection plans will be essential to safeguarding global health gains and minimizing emerging risks.

    WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Programme (GTB) is collaborating with Member States and key stakeholders to advance a TB response that is resilient in the face of climate change. In partnership with the Pan American Health Organization and Brazil’s Ministry of Health, WHO’s GTB co-hosted a side event on “Climate Change and TB” alongside the G20 Health Working Group meeting in Natal, Brazil, on 2–3 September 2024. The event aimed to raise awareness among G20 members, donors and technical partners about the current and projected impacts of climate change on the TB epidemic and emphasized the importance of coordinated action across and beyond the health sector. WHO and the Government of Brazil also co-organized a high-level side event on TB and climate change during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Held on 23 September 2024, the event focused on the urgent need to combat climate change and its severe consequences on global efforts to end TB.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Trump’s ‘One, Big, Beautiful Bill’ promises up to $11,600 wage boost, new jobs

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    From The National Desk:
    “President Trump’s proposed tax cuts, encapsulated in the ‘One, Big, Beautiful Bill,’ aim to extend the pro-growth and pro-worker legacy of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the White House told exclusively to The National News Desk.
    The TCJA previously cut taxes across the board for working families, allowing Americans to allocate more of their earnings toward family, community, and future investments.
    This initiative, along with business tax provisions, spurred a blue-collar boom characterized by record-high income gains, record-low poverty, and significant wage increases, particularly for low-wage workers, according to the White House. […]
    The ‘One, Big, Beautiful Bill,’ according to the White House, seeks to further this growth by creating incentives to expand America’s domestic manufacturing base and providing targeted relief to workers affected by high inflation and sectoral declines.
    Some of the key provisions provided by the Trump administration include eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, saving workers approximately $1,675 and up to $1,750 per year.
    The bill also proposes temporary full expensing for new factories and lower tax rates on domestic manufacturing to enhance the industrial base and boost economic opportunities.
    According to the White House, Enhanced Opportunity Zone incentives are expected to drive over $100 billion in investment, create more than 1 million new jobs, and lead to the development of hundreds of thousands of new homes in distressed communities, particularly in rural areas.
    The Joint Committee on Taxation reported that the percentage decline in federal taxes is smaller for the top 1 percent under the bill, resulting in them taking on a greater share of total federal taxes.
    The White House says that if the bill fails to pass, it could result in a $4 trillion tax hike, potentially leading to recessionary challenges.”
    Click here to read the full story.
    Click here to read the report from the Council of Economic Advisers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn, Cruz, Colleagues Introduce Protect LNG Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) reintroduced the Protect LNG Act. The legislation ensures that a court cannot vacate a previously authorized LNG permit, clarifies the venue for LNG lawsuits before federal courts, and mandates that courts grant expedited decisions in relevant cases.
    “Oil and natural gas production employs hundreds of thousands of hardworking Texans and is a critical part of the Texas economy, as well as our nation’s energy sector as a whole.” said Sen. Cornyn. “I am proud to lead this bill alongside Sen. Cruz to help protect energy projects across our country from lawsuits that far-left climate activists file in an attempt to hamstring American energy.”
    “American energy has the ability to metaphorically and literally power the world, and Texas is the lead exporter of U.S. LNG. Those achievements have been under attack by fringe environmental groups, who use and are enabled by politicized courts,” said Sen. Cruz. “This legislation counters such attacks, and I’m proud to lead the fight to protect energy producers, the jobs they create in Texas, and America’s energy leadership. The Senate should expeditiously take it up and pass it.”
    “The United States has an abundance of LNG, which is essential for establishing American energy dominance and safeguarding our national security,” said Sen. Wicker. “The Protect LNG Act would prevent energy production from being politicized or undermined by far-left environmental groups. I am committed to defending energy job creators and preserving American energy independence.”
    “The Protect LNG Act is about bringing certainty back to American energy. Radical activists are using the courts to block or delay key energy projects that have already been approved—ultimately threatening jobs, driving up costs, and undermining our national security. For South Carolina, this legislation ensures stronger protections for our growing role in energy exports, stability in our port economy, and a clear signal to our allies that America will deliver,” said Sen. Scott. “I’m proud to support legislation that doesn’t just keep the lights on, but keeps our country strong, competitive, and in control of its future.”
    Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas-38).
    “Natural gas is the most impactful green initiative on the planet—it has the power to lift entire nations and communities out of poverty. Yet sadly, natural gas and LNG have been weaponized by the radical left and the climate cartel, driving up energy costs for hardworking Americans—just as we’re still reeling from the disastrous effects of Biden-flation,” said Rep. Hunt. “I’m proud to lead Senator Cruz’s effort in the House to strengthen our domestic LNG industry and ensure it provides the energy security and economic strength our nation needs.”
    Read the full text of the bill here.
    Background:
    This bill would: 
    Ensures that a federal court cannot vacate previously authorized permits for Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) facilities.
    Specifies that circuit court jurisdiction for litigation against LNG facilities shall be determined by the location of the facility, not the headquarters location of the federal agency that issued the permits. 
    Sets a 90-day clock for lawsuits challenging a federal permit for an LNG facility and requires expedited review of lawsuits against LNG facilities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Islamic State is expanding its operations in north-eastern Nigeria

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Folahanmi Aina, Lecturer in Political Economy of Violence, Conflict and Development, SOAS, University of London

    Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap), one of the most powerful global affiliates of the Islamic State jihadist organisation, is in the middle of its largest offensive against the Nigerian military in years.

    The group has overrun security positions in Borno state, a region of north-east Nigeria, a dozen times in the past few months. Borno state has been the epicentre of a conflict between the Nigerian army and jihadist insurgents for 15 years. The UN Development Programme said in 2021 that the violence had killed more than 35,000 people there directly.

    The latest offensive began in March with a string of attacks. This included an improvised explosive device planted underneath a commercial vehicle in Biu, a town in southern Borno state, which killed four people and injured four others.

    Iswap then launched several more attacks the following month, including an operation on a Nigerian army barracks in Yamtage town. It claimed to have killed three soldiers. The group sustained its campaign into May, with the launch of one of its most sophisticated attacks in recent memory.

    On May 12, suspected Iswap militants stormed the town of Marte, capturing several soldiers and forcing others to retreat. A coordinated dual strike on nearby Rann and Dikwa towns followed hours later. The insurgents now have a strong presence in Marte, which holds immense strategic value due to its access to Lake Chad smuggling corridors.

    Iswap, which was originally formed in 2015 as an offshoot of Boko Haram and has around 5,000 fighters, appears to be adapting to the Nigerian army’s military strategy. Since 2019, the Nigerian army has consolidated its forces in a heavily fortified “super camp” in key towns and cities in the north-east, from which they can respond to reported insurgent activity.

    However, Iswap militants have launched several attacks on some of these camps by using tactics such as nighttime raids. They have also targeted bridges and roads between the camps, as well as launching attacks on nearby positions as a diversion, to prevent reinforcements from reaching targeted bases.

    Iswap has been carrying out a sustained offensive against the Nigerian army since March.
    Institute for the Study of War

    There are several factors that could explain Iswap’s resurgence. The first is that there have been strategic shifts on the ground, including a lull in fighting between Iswap and rival faction Boko Haram over territorial control.

    Niger also withdrew its troops from the region’s counter-terrorism joint task force in March. The security vacuum created by this withdrawal may have further emboldened Iswap to carry out its offensive.

    Nigeria and Niger share a long border, so the reduction in military patrols could have led to an increase in the number of weapons and militants supplied to Iswap from its regional network.

    The second factor is that the authorities have relied too heavily on responding militarily to the threat posed by Boko Haram and Iswap. The joint task force has launched several major offensives against the two groups in recent years, helping to contain the insurgency. This has led to the return of refugees to some parts of the Lake Chad basin.

    But the reliance on military offensives has only prolonged the conflict, allowing the terrorist groups to evolve. Iswap, for instance, is now using sophisticated weaponry including armed drones to stage attacks.

    A recent assault on a military base in Wajikoro in north-eastern Borno state began with the use of four drones armed with grenades. The group had previously used drones almost entirely to conduct surveillance and gather intelligence.

    Dismantling and ultimately defeating terrorist groups such as Iswap in the region will require addressing the root causes and drivers of insecurity. These include poverty, inequality, unemployment, poor governance and weak institutions. Poverty rates in north-eastern Nigeria are estimated at over 70%, almost double the rate in the rest of the country.

    The third factor that could explain Iswap’s resurgence is that it has been using technology effectively to expand its appeal, particularly among young people, and drive recruitment.

    It has intensified its presence on social media, using TikTok to post videos justifying killings, lecture young audiences about extremist ideologies and spreading jihadist propaganda. It is also deploying AI tools to edit videos and written communications.

    At the same time, it is making use of new satellite-based internet services such as Starlink to record footage of prayers and sermons. Starlink launched in 2019 with the aim of providing high-speed broadband internet to people all over the world, especially in remote areas.

    Another factor is that Iswap has expanded its sources of funding. The group collects tax revenue from local populations in areas where it has a strong presence, with farmers in some parts of Borno state reportedly paying about ₦10,000 (£5) per hectare.

    But Iswap is also allegedly tapping into Nigeria’s fast-growing cryptocurrency markets and earns considerable revenue from black market operations. The groups’s ability to rely on multiple revenue sources has ensured its supremacy over other terrorist groups in the region, while enabling it to plan and execute more sophisticated attacks.

    The growing strength of Iswap will undoubtedly have dire consequences for peace and security in Nigeria. It could help coordinate Islamic State’s activity in west Africa, giving it a stronger foothold in the region.

    Emphasis should be placed on addressing the root causes of the insurgency in Nigeria, as well as implementing tighter measures to constrain Iswap’s sources of funding.

    Folahanmi Aina 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. Why Islamic State is expanding its operations in north-eastern Nigeria – https://theconversation.com/why-islamic-state-is-expanding-its-operations-in-north-eastern-nigeria-256935

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Minimum wage increases to $17.85 on June 1

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Employers and workers are reminded that on Sunday, June 1, 2025, B.C.’s general minimum wage increases from $17.40 to $17.85 an hour.

    The 2.6% increase on June 1 also applies to minimum-wage rates for resident caretakers, live-in home-support workers, live-in camp leaders and app-based delivery and ride-hail services workers.

    The minimum agricultural piece rates for hand harvesters will increase by 2.6% on Dec. 31, 2025. The Dec. 31 annual increase to the minimum piece rates ensures crop producers will not need to adjust wages in the middle of the harvesting season.

    Government has made regular, gradual increases to the minimum wage to provide certainty for workers and predictability for businesses. This is the fourth year of the government’s ongoing commitment to tie annual minimum-wage increases to inflation.

    In February 2024, government amended the Employment Standards Act so annual increases to minimum rates happen automatically, based on the previous year’s average inflation rate for B.C.

    In 2024, approximately 130,000 employees in B.C. earned minimum wage or less, according to labour-force data from Statistics Canada. 

    Learn More:

    To read the news release on this year’s minimum wage increase, visit:
    https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025LBR0001-000113

    For more information about B.C.’s minimum wages, visit:
    https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/employment-standards-advice/employment-standards/wages/minimum-wage

    For more information about TogetherBC, B.C.’s poverty reduction strategy, visit:
    https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/initiatives-plans-strategies/poverty-reduction-strategy/togetherbc.pdf

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 05.28.2025 Sen. Cruz, Colleagues Introduce Protect LNG Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) reintroduced the Protect LNG Act. The legislation ensures that a court cannot vacate a previously authorized LNG permit, clarifies the venue for LNG lawsuits before federal courts, and mandates that courts grant expedited decisions in relevant cases.
    Sen. Cruz said, “American energy has the ability to metaphorically and literally power the world, and Texas is the lead exporter of U.S. LNG. Those achievements have been under attack by fringe environmental groups, who use and are enabled by politicized courts. This legislation counters such attacks, and I’m proud to lead the fight to protect energy producers, the jobs they create in Texas, and America’s energy leadership. The Senate should expeditiously take it up and pass it.”
    Sen. Cornyn said, “Oil and natural gas production employs hundreds of thousands of hardworking Texans and is a critical part of the Texas economy, as well as our nation’s energy sector as a whole. I am proud to lead this bill alongside Sen. Cruz to help protect energy projects across our country from lawsuits that far-left climate activists file in an attempt to hamstring American energy.”
    Sen. Wicker said, “The United States has an abundance of LNG, which is essential for establishing American energy dominance and safeguarding our national security. The Protect LNG Act would prevent energy production from being politicized or undermined by far-left environmental groups. I am committed to defending energy job creators and preserving American energy independence.”
    Sen. Scott said, “The Protect LNG Act is about bringing certainty back to American energy. Radical activists are using the courts to block or delay key energy projects that have already been approved—ultimately threatening jobs, driving up costs, and undermining our national security. For South Carolina, this legislation ensures stronger protections for our growing role in energy exports, stability in our port economy, and a clear signal to our allies that America will deliver. I’m proud to support legislation that doesn’t just keep the lights on, but keeps our country strong, competitive, and in control of its future.”
    Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas-38).
    Rep. Hunt said, “Natural gas is the most impactful green initiative on the planet—it has the power to lift entire nations and communities out of poverty. Yet sadly, natural gas and LNG have been weaponized by the radical left and the climate cartel, driving up energy costs for hardworking Americans—just as we’re still reeling from the disastrous effects of Biden-flation. I’m proud to lead Senator Cruz’s effort in the House to strengthen our domestic LNG industry and ensure it provides the energy security and economic strength our nation needs.”
    Read the full text of the bill here.
    BACKGROUND:
    This bill would:

    Ensures that a federal court cannot vacate previously authorized permits for Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) facilities.

    Specifies that circuit court jurisdiction for litigation against LNG facilities shall be determined by the location of the facility, not the headquarters location of the federal agency that issued the permits. 

    Sets a 90-day clock for lawsuits challenging a federal permit for an LNG facility and requires expedited review of lawsuits against LNG facilities.

    Sen. Cruz has long been a leader in unleashing America’s energy potential and protecting America’s traditional energy industry. He called out the previous administration for undermining the oil and gas industry and urged them to expedite the permit process for LNG projects.

    In April 2024, Sen. Cruz sent a letter urging for an extension of time to Delfin LNG LLC’s approval to export LNG after the Biden administration’s deference to the radical climate lobby. During the nomination hearing for Sean Duffy to be Secretary of Transportation, Sen. Cruz pointed out the Biden administration’s hostility towards the oil and gas industry, citing the previous administration’s failure to approve Deepwater port licenses and asked Secretary Duffy to expedite review of Delfin’s reapplication in Texas.

    Sen. Cruz issued a statement after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit reinstated approvals for LNG projects for Rio Grande LNG and Texas LNG Brownsville. The D.C. Circuit had previously vacated the permits for both projects in an August 2024 decision.

    Sen. Cruz first introduced the Protect LNG Act in 2024, which would ensure that a court cannot vacate a previously authorized LNG permit, clarify the venue for LNG lawsuits before federal courts, and mandate that courts grant expedited decisions in these cases, and was joined by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in introducing the bill.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI From the Albany Herald: Dougherty County, Rural Georgia Would be Hard-hit by SNAP Cuts in Proposed Budget

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    ICYMI From the Albany Herald: Dougherty County, Rural Georgia Would be Hard-hit by SNAP Cuts in Proposed Budget

    Senator Reverend Warnock spoke to the Albany Herald about the social and economic impact that GOP cuts to federal nutrition programs would have on rural Georgians as a result of their new spending bill

    The SNAP program helps millions of working families across the country with their grocery bill each month. Every dollar in federal investment generates $1.79 in economic activity. In 2023, stores and retailers in Georgia saw revenues of over $3.6 billion from SNAP benefits

    Senator Reverend Warnock: “It makes no sense to take the food out of the mouths of poor, rural children to give tax cuts to rich folks. It’s people in the middle…it’s hard-working people who will feel the impact”

    Washington, D.C. – In an interview with the Albany Herald, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) warned rural Georgians that the elderly, people with disabilities, children, farmers, and small business owners will be those most impacted by cuts to key nutrition programs in Washington Republicans’ new spending bill. Senator Warnock stressed that cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps millions of working families afford groceries, would hit rural Georgians hardest because the majority of Georgia counties with the highest rates of families who rely on SNAP are rural. As a result, rural economies receive a larger lift from the program than many of their counterparts in metro-Atlanta. 

    “There are people who work every single day and are still food-insecure,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “Poor people don’t have lobbyists. Billionaires and corporations do. You are seeing in this request the outsize impact of money and power in our politics.”

    On May 22, 2025, Senator Warnock published a white paper exposing the hidden harm of Washington Republicans’ plan to pay for their tax cut to billionaires by shifting the cost of nutrition assistance to the states, ultimately making it harder for Georgia families to cover their grocery bill. The report finds that Georgia families would suffer the most under the GOP spending bill with a projected loss of over $860 million, disproportionately affecting Georgia’s rural communities.

    SNAP helps vulnerable families supplement their budget by just $6.16 per day and lifts millions of Americans out of poverty each year. In 2023, stores and retailers in Georgia saw over $3.6 billion in revenue thanks to SNAP, helping local grocery stores keep their doors open.

    “The thing I want to emphasize is it will be rural Georgians impacted,” said Sen. Warnock. “What we will see is huge cuts in benefits. Small communities will be particularly hard hit. In Dougherty County, more than a third (of residents) are on SNAP. It will be a great impact to the local economy.”

    Hours after Senator Warnock published his report, Washington Republicans passed their $4.5 trillion spending bill through the House of Representatives. According to the House Republicans’ bill provisions advanced by the House Agriculture Committee on May 14, 2025, beginning in 2028, Washington Republicans would require all states to pay a 5% cost-share, shifting the burden from the federal government to the states. However, most states have higher payment error rates, like Georgia, and would have to pay even more.

    Georgia could be on the hook for $867 million in new costs on the state budget, leaving children, seniors, and disabled people more likely to be unable to afford groceries.

    The full article can be found HERE and below:

    ALBANY – Georgia’s elderly, disabled and children, as well as farmers, would be the casualties of a congressional spending bill that made its way through the House early Thursday morning.

    That’s the assessment of U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock concerning the “big beautiful bill” backed by President Trump that will now advance to the Senate. Georgia’s potential loss would be $860 million in food assistance.

    “Small communities will be particularly hard hit,” Georgia’s junior senator said of the legislation, which also contains reductions in Medicaid spending. “It’s an unfunded mandate that shifts the cut to the state. What we will see is huge cuts in benefits.”

    On Thursday, the senator released an analysis of the potential impact on residents of the Peach State. Among his takeaways are that 1.4 million Georgians rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), with more than 69% of participants in 694,000 households being families with children. More than 28% of SNAP recipients were in households with family members who are elderly or disabled.

    In addition, state residents in rural areas are disproportionately likely to benefit from SNAP, with more than 77% of counties with the highest SNAP participation being rural. Between 2015 and 2019 SNAP lifted 250,000 Georgians, including 112,000 children, out of poverty each year, according to Warnock’s analysis.

    “The thing I want to emphasize is it will be rural Georgians impacted,” he said. “In Dougherty County, more than a third (of residents) are on SNAP. It will be a great impact to the local economy.”

    Nationally in 2024, of the 42 million Americans who received SNAP benefits, two out of three were either a child, senior citizen or adult with a disability, according to Warnock, and 96% of households of two or more contained at least one child, senior citizen or person with a disability.

    In addition to the moral argument, there is also an economic one in that each federal dollar spent on the SNAP program generated $1.79 in economic activity in 2023, accounting for $3.6 billion in revenue at Georgia businesses, according to the senator’s analysis.

    “Poor people don’t have lobbyists,” Warnock said. “Billionaires and corporations do. You are seeing in this request the outsize impact of money and power in our politics.

    “It makes no sense to take the food out of the mouths of poor, rural children to give tax cuts to rich folks. It’s people in the middle … it’s hard-working people who will feel the impact. There are people who work every single day and are still food-insecure. As a pastor, I will continue to make the moral argument.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: 2025 Annual Meetings: Africa’s Vast Human and Natural Capital Key to Achieving African Union’s Agenda 2063, experts affirm

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

    ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, May 28, 2025/APO Group/ —

    Africa, the world’s youngest continent with immeasurable natural resources, has all it needs to achieve the African Union’s Agenda 2063, provided the right public policies are implemented, according to government officials and development experts.

    The experts expressed this shared conviction on Monday during the 2025 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group, taking place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, under the theme “Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development.”

    Speaking at a knowledge event titled “Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan for Agenda 2063: An Opportunity to Develop and Finance Africa’s Capital,” Koffi N’Guessan, Ivorian Minister of Vocational Training and Apprenticeships, reaffirmed that Agenda 2063 — adopted in January 2015 by the African Union – remains the strategic framework for the continent’s economic and social transformation.

    N’Guessan noted that, despite a challenging global environment, the last decade has seen notable progress in Africa, particularly in economic and political integration, gender equality, and access to employment opportunities.

    However, he acknowledged that previous efforts have often fallen short of addressing the continent’s structural transformation needs, including job creation for youth and poverty reduction.

    “The second Agenda 2063 implementation plan, adopted in February 2024 by the African Union, offers a crucial opportunity to tackle these challenges and accelerate development outcomes,” he said.

    According to the Ivorian Minister, Africa is poised to become a major global power, alongside China and India, due to its demographic potential. However, he stressed that African countries should prioritize vocational and technical training to fully harness this demographic dividend.

    He highlighted a worrying trend: approximately 22.5 percent of young people aged 15 to 24 are unemployed with no education or training. Additionally, 250 million children and young people in low-income countries are not in school, underlining the disconnect between education systems and labor market needs. “Youth can become a liability if robust training policies are not implemented – from nursery school through to university,” he warned.

    Taking natural capital into account when calculating GDP

    Hervé Lohouès, Division Manager in the Country Economics Department at the African Development Bank, emphasized the importance of natural wealth in calculating the GDP of African countries.

    “The GDP of a country like the Central African Republic would increase by 300 percent if its natural resources were taken into account in the calculation of its GDP,” he asserted.

    He added: “It is essential to go beyond natural enhancement and ensure that all African countries adopt a compulsory development plan. We also need to ensure that governments provide incentives for transformation while considering accountability that can directly help the transition from natural to social infrastructure.”

    Jide Okeke, Regional Program Coordinator for Africa at the United Nations Development Programme, and Dagmawit Moges Bekele, former Eritrean Minister of Transport and Director of the Peace Fund at the African Union Commission, both stressed the need to leverage human, financial, natural and digital resources to drive inclusive and sustainable development — key to achieving the objectives outlined in the second decade of Agenda 2063.

    MIL OSI Africa –