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  • MIL-OSI Economics: Clean Energy Pipeline Grows to $328 Billion, with 184 GW Primed for Deployment

    Source: American Clean Power Association (ACP)

    Headline: Clean Energy Pipeline Grows to $328 Billion, with 184 GW Primed for Deployment

    Top Ten States for Clean Power Installations in Q1 2025

    • Q1 clean power deployment totaled 7.4 GW in 2025, representing $10 billion in domestic investment
    • Battery storage achieves record Q1 installations, surpassing 30 GW total capacity and strengthening grid reliability for growing power demands
    • Project pipeline climbs to record levels, signaling robust future growth
    WASHINGTON, D.C., May 29, 2025 – The American Clean Power Association (ACP) today released its Q1 2025 Clean Power Quarterly Market Report, showing continued strong private sector investment in domestic energy production. U.S. developers installed 7.4 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale solar, wind, and storage capacity in the first quarter, marking the second-strongest start to a year on record and demonstrating strong market-driven demand for reliable, affordable domestic energy resources. 
    The industry’s growth is particularly strong in Republican-leaning states, where domestic manufacturing and energy production has created nearly 650,000 direct and indirect jobs and generates $3.4 billion in annual tax revenue and payments to landowners in rural communities. 
    “Clean power is shovel-ready at scale. With unprecedented demand growth for electricity, we must send consistent investment signals across the energy sector,” said ACP CEO Jason Grumet. “We have the technology, investment capital, and workforce required to build the $300+ billion of clean energy projects in our development pipeline. The greatest threat to a reliable energy system is an unreliable political system.”   
    Key Highlights 

    Total Installed Capacity: U.S. clean power capacity reached 320+ GW in Q1 2025, enough to power nearly 80 million American homes. 

    Strong Q1 Installations: 7.4 GW of new capacity came online, making it the second-strongest Q1 on record. The 115 project phases that came online in Q1 total $10 billion of private investment into the U.S. energy infrastructure.  

    Record-Breaking Storage Growth: Battery storage capacity surpassed 30 GW nationwide, representing a 65% increase year-over-year, with Q1 2025 setting a new first-quarter record at 1,602 MW. 

    Robust Project Pipeline: The development pipeline grew 12% year-over-year to reach 184,418 MW, with storage and wind pipelines growing 57% and 24% respectively. This represents $328 billion in project investment if everything in the pipeline is built. (Projects under construction or in advance stages of development (pipeline) are typically fully permitted projects. The growth of the pipeline does not signal any advances in the volume of projects receiving permits.)   

    Technology Mix: Q1 additions included 4,459 MW of utility-scale solar, 1,602 MW of storage, and 1,327 MW of land-based wind. 

    Leading States:  

    Eight of the top ten states for Q1 clean power additions voted Republican in the 2024 presidential election. 

    Texas leads the nation in clean power, with a portfolio reaching 80+ GW—a 20% increase from Q1 2024—and ranks first in utility-scale solar (28 GW) and land-based wind (43 GW) capacity. 

    Indiana quadrupled its energy storage capacity in just one quarter, while adding 435 MW of new solar capacity. 

    Powering America’s Economic Growth 
    With utility-scale clean power now exceeding 320 GW nationwide—enough to power nearly 80 million American homes—the data shows how rapidly private companies are responding to increasing power demands from manufacturing expansion, data centers, and AI development. 
    Texas, the nation’s energy leader, saw its clean power portfolio grow more than 20% since Q1 2024 to surpass 80 GW. The massive investment into clean power in the Lone Star State generates $1.3 billion annually in local tax revenue and land-lease payments and helps fuel the 125,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs created by the industry for Texans. 
    Strengthening Grid Reliability 
    Battery storage achieved its strongest Q1 on record with 1.6 GW installed, pushing total U.S. storage capacity above 30 GW—a 65% increase from Q1 2024. This rapid deployment of energy storage strengthens grid reliability, providing critical backup power for American businesses and homes.  
    Growing Pipeline Signals Confidence 
    The clean power development pipeline grew 12% year-over-year to reach 184 GW, signaling continued job creation and private investment across America. The year-over-year increase was driven primarily by storage and wind: the storage pipeline grew 57% year-over-year to near 50 GW, and the land-based wind pipeline increased by 24% to 28 GW. These market-driven investments reflect growing demand for reliable, affordable domestic energy from utilities and major American companies. 
    A public version of the report is available on the ACP website, with the full report and underlying datasets available exclusively to ACP members. 

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Pulp are back and more wistfully Britpop than before

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Mark RJ Higgins, PhD Candidate, Department of Music, University of Bristol

    Ah, the 90s. A decade when the future seemed bright, technological modernity was pregnant with promise, and Britannia was revelling in a rediscovered sense of cool. The pop-culture emblem of this was Britpop.

    After the economically turbulent 1970s and the intense industrial restructuring of the 1980s, Britpop bands hearkened romantically back to the 1960s with a reimagining of a swinging Britain as the place to be.

    Looking back on Britpop today echoes something of what those bands were themselves doing: peering across three decades of cultural and technological change.

    Britpop was a preface to what cultural critic Simon Reynolds later called “retromania”, a pop culture obsessed with its own archaeological detritus. Reynolds, along with despondent contemporaries like the late Mark Fisher, were critics of a future irreverently assembled within a growing repository of the past.

    Against the grain of Britpop’s 1960s upcycling, however, were Pulp.

    After a big breakthrough in the 90s, Pulp were strongly associated with the retro-maniacal, “hey look, Britain still swings” Britpop era. Unlike the Blurs and Oases of the time, though, Pulp had traipsed their way through the decidedly unswinging 1980s indie scene. They shunned the tropes of repurposed mod fashions and appeals to the spirit of John Lennon, and some of their lyrics even read like critiques of Britpop’s cultural romanticism.

    For example, in Common People the band caution that working-class life is not an opportunity to indulge in immersive performance art. Between the lines of Disco 2000, meanwhile, is a musing on how weird it would probably feel to revisit the past at some point in the future.

    Pulp sang in counterpoint to their contemporaries, offering something different to the flaccidly nationalistic, wistful nostalgia common among the other acts of the time.

    And now, returning with More, their first album since Britpop, how might Pulp reflect upon our experience of the present? A time in which digital media has etched deep divisions across society and the only surety seems to be socioeconomic uncertainty. Amid all of this, Brexit Britain doesn’t feel so cool any more.

    If the lead single, “Spike Island”, is anything to go by, it looks like the retro-maniacal Britpop ethos might have registered belatedly with the band.

    The sonic vocabularies of britfunk, disco and early indie converge in a texture of juicy synth bass, lively hand claps and sharp, edgy guitar sounds. These musical components are roughly contemporaneous with Pulp’s formation in 1978, but the pristine 21st-century production quality assures us we are listening in the present.

    Lyrically, meanwhile, singer Jarvis Cocker seems to be reaching through the disastrously absurd cultural kaleidoscope of the 2020s in search of something more certain, back in the 90s perhaps.

    Here, the refrain “Spike Island come alive” references a concert by Manchester indie band The Stone Roses, which became mythologised in British music history.

    Held in 1990 on Spike Island in Widnes, Merseyside, the gig was a makeshift, outdoor, all day event, which attracted around 27,000 people. The warm up acts were back to back DJs, creating a rave atmosphere ahead of the band’s headlining show. This combined two of the currents that set Britain’s 1990s cultural optimism in motion: rave culture and “madchester”, a musical and cultural movement born in Manchester in the late-80s. Madchester birthed bands like The Stone Roses and The Happy Mondays, who injected indie rock with a rave-like hedonism.

    By referencing the concert, Cocker effectively romanticises a time three decades gone, just as Britpop did its peak. The Spike Island concert, where rave and madchester met, represents a twin-headed crest of pop-culture. The pent up energy of this swept through the 90s with a wave of promise before it abruptly met the epochal breakwater of 9/11 and sluiced terminally into the bottomless drains of social media.

    More by Pulp

    In the way it looks back on more jubilant times, Spike Island suggests the return of Pulp in a spirit more wistfully Britpop than the band were back in the day. What could reviving the essence of Britpop mean in 2025 when comparing the climate with the heady optimism that carried the movement 30 years ago?

    Like Pulp, Gen Z are nostalgic for the 90s, a now mythical period that predates many of their births. From the vantage point of 2025, the 90s perhaps seem simpler, cooler and rather more stable socially and economically.

    In a world now saturated by the distractions of digital media, it might be a stretch to hope for a 1990’s style period of collective optimism anytime soon. The sounds of that decade echo on, though. Maybe with More we can join Pulp for a moment in briefly reanimating the spirit of a time when the winds of change felt like they were blowing in a rather more positive direction.

    More by Pulp will be released on June 6, 2025

    Mark RJ Higgins received funding from UK Research and Innovation / Art & Humanities Research Council.

    – ref. Pulp are back and more wistfully Britpop than before – https://theconversation.com/pulp-are-back-and-more-wistfully-britpop-than-before-253289

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Sebastião Salgado: a photographer of great humanity

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Joe Miles, Subject Lead for Film & Photography, Birmingham City University

    The world has lost one of its most compassionate and visionary visual storytellers. Sebastião Salgado, the Brazilian-born photographer whose haunting black-and-white images shaped global consciousness for decades, has died at the age of 81.

    Salgado’s work often provoked a powerful conflict of emotions. Perhaps more than any other documentary photographer, he produced technically flawless, mesmerising images of some of the world’s harshest realities, from the gold mines of Brazil and famine in the Sahel, to the horror of the Rwandan genocide. His photographs were often shocking, yet stunningly beautiful. You couldn’t look away – and that was the point.

    Born in 1944 in Aimorés, Brazil, Salgado initially trained as an economist. While working for the International Coffee Organization, he travelled across Africa and Latin America, witnessing economic disparity and social injustice. Initially borrowing his wife’s camera, photography became his way to document what he saw, not as a distant observer, but as someone deeply affected by human suffering. He once said he took pictures “not only with my camera, but with my life – I cannot do it another way”.

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    His background in economics informed the focus of his work, particularly his concern with inequality, labour, and migration. In Workers (1993), a six-year study of manual labour around the world, he wrote, “The planet remains divided, the First World in a crisis of excess, the Third World in a crisis of need.”

    However, Salgado ensured that he highlighted both the hardship and the dignity of those engaged in physically demanding jobs. In doing so, he redefined documentary photography as a tool not only for exposure, but for elevation.

    What set Salgado apart was his immersive approach. Rejecting the “parachute” style of photojournalism, he embedded himself in the communities he documented – sometimes for years – fostering deep empathy with his subjects. This emotional authenticity was at the heart of his iconic Serra Pelada series, which captured the intensity and desperation of labourers in Brazil’s largest gold mine.

    Standing at the edge of the mine, he later wrote that it felt like seeing “the history of mankind, the building of the pyramids, the Tower of Babel”. And, crucially, he successfully conveyed that same emotion through his images.

    At a time where colour documentary photography was increasingly favoured, Salgado always shot in black and white. This helped the viewer to focus on form, emotion and narrative, as well as emphasising the grim reality of the subject matter. However, documenting the world’s suffering took its toll.

    His time covering the Rwandan genocide in 1994 nearly broke him. He once described the effect of witnessing 10,000 people die from cholera in a single day in a refugee camp in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. Like other photojournalists who have endured such trauma – Don McCullin and Kevin Carter among them – Salgado carried a deep psychological burden. He nearly gave up photography altogether.

    Instead, Salgado found solace in nature. His project Genesis (2013) celebrated the planet’s untouched regions, landscapes, traditional communities and endangered wildlife. While it marked a shift from his earlier focus, it was still deeply humanist in spirit. The work served as both a tribute to the Earth’s beauty and a reminder of what remains to be protected.

    His environmental commitment extended beyond the camera. With his wife and creative partner, Lélia Wanick Salgado, he founded Instituto Terra, a reforestation initiative on land once owned by his family. Together, they restored a devastated patch of Brazil’s Atlantic forest. It was an act of reciprocity: having documented environmental destruction, he dedicated himself to repairing it.

    Salgado’s work was not without controversy, contributing to ongoing ethical debates about the power imbalance between photographers and their subjects. While some may have felt a sense of empowerment from having their struggles recognised, others uneasy about being displayed to a global audience. Without them having a voice, we will never truly know – which further contributes to the sense of a power imbalance.

    Others accused Salgado of aestheticising suffering. In a 1991 piece in The New Yorker, Ingrid Sischy argued that the powerful beauty of his images risked turning tragedy into spectacle. Salgado countered: “Art critics have criticised me, but I am not an artist. I published these pictures in magazines, to make a debate.”

    And make a debate he did. His 2000 exhibition and book Exodus, a chronicle of global migration and displacement, challenged viewers to reckon with the human cost of political and economic upheaval. “Globalisation is presented to us as a reality, but not as a solution,” he wrote. “We have to create a new regimen of coexistence.”

    In his later years, Salgado championed the role of photography in education and social change. He became the subject of The Salt of the Earth (2014), an Oscar-nominated documentary co-directed by Wim Wenders, and his son, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado. The film offered a moving portrait of a man who saw his photography not just as art, but as testimony and witness.

    Despite international acclaim, Salgado remained grounded. He consistently shifted attention away from himself and toward those he photographed. “I hope that the person looking at my photographs will see more than just a picture,” he once said. “They will see the story. They will feel the life.”

    Sebastião Salgado’s death is a great loss, but his images remain. In a world flooded with visuals, he showed us that photography could still be a force for understanding, connection and change.

    Joe Miles 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. Sebastião Salgado: a photographer of great humanity – https://theconversation.com/sebastiao-salgado-a-photographer-of-great-humanity-257772

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Champions League final 2025: a battle for glory against a backdrop of money and fashion

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Simon Chadwick, Professor of AfroEurasian Sport, EM Lyon Business School

    The 2025 men’s Champions League final will end in triumph for either Paris Saint-Germain or Inter Milan. And whichever side wins, Uefa will no doubt claim that the tournament’s new format, involving more teams, more games and more fans, has been a success.

    Not everyone will agree of course. But in commercial terms, there is no doubt that the Champions League continues to generate huge amounts of money for everyone involved.

    Thanks to lucrative broadcasting rights, sponsorship deals and ticket sales, the sums handed out to clubs following this season’s competition are eye-watering, with over £2 billion in prize money on offer (up from £1.7 billion last year).

    By reaching the final, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has already earned £116.96 million, and Inter Milan £115.86 million.

    The winner will receive an additional £5.45 million in prize money, while victory is also expected to generate around £30 million in future revenues through participation in tournaments like the European Super Cup.

    Qualifying for the final has also boosted the clubs’ brand value and fan engagement. In the latter stages of the tournament, Inter Milan saw huge growth in its number of followers on social media.

    But for all the big numbers on revenue statements and social media accounts, this year’s final has a cultural dimension which is hard to measure in numbers alone.

    Football and fashion

    Paris and Milan are both global fashion capitals, home to famous designers and globally coveted labels. PSG and Inter Milan are on a mission to emulate those brands, with attractive football which brings prestige and heritage.

    And some parallels can be drawn between the style of the teams and the cities they call home. PSG for example, with its focus on building a team packed with young local talent, has managed to mirror the sophistication and flamboyance of Paris.

    The side’s partnerships with Jordan and Dior position the club as a vessel for the city’s global image: one that is bold, luxurious, cosmopolitan.

    Inter meanwhile, though lacking big name players, embodies a classic disciplined and defensively minded Italian approach to football (historically referred to as “catenaccio” and translated as “locked door”). It’s a fitting match for the crisp, distinctive style of the fashion houses based in Milan.

    The side’s identity is rooted not in flamboyance, but in structure and refinement – like the precise tailoring of Prada and Armani. So perhaps while PSG is the billboard of global luxury, Inter is the blueprint of Italian design culture – less performative, more exacting.

    Together, PSG and Inter are brand ambassadors of urban identity for cities looking to exert influence far beyond Parisian and Milanese borders, projecting soft power not just through architecture or tourism, but through the aesthetic performance of sport.

    In this way, football becomes a stage for symbolic competition between cities, where civic identity is channelled through symbolic and material images such as kits, campaigns and international fandom. In this final, there will be a clash of urban ambition, a soft power play between two of Europe’s most image-conscious metropolises.

    Geopolitically, there is plenty at stake too. PSG’s second appearance in a Champions League final is of huge importance to the club’s Qatari owners who have spent years investing in star players from overseas to help build the Gulf state’s image. In recent seasons the club has switched strategy towards signing young, local talent.

    This has helped PSG position itself as a Parisian club whilst strengthening Qatari relations with the French government. This is particularly important right now as, from next season, PSG will have a local rival. Last year, French luxury goods business LVMH acquired Paris FC, which looks set to battle its local rival for the title of the capital’s most prominent club.

    For its part, Inter has been through a recent ownership change. Acquired by a Chinese company in 2016, the club struggled (notwithstanding another Champions League final in 2023) as China’s attempted football revolution faltered.

    Then in May 2024, the club was bought by a US investment fund. In recent years, this has been a trend across European football whereby American private equity has triumphed Chinese, state-backed investment.

    All of this sets up another classic football battle of our age, as 450 million people watch a Champions League final contested between American and Gulf money. The game will be a clash of ideologies as much as it is about stars, cities and fashion.

    Simon Chadwick teaches for UEFA’s Academy.

    Paul Widdop and Ronnie Das 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. Champions League final 2025: a battle for glory against a backdrop of money and fashion – https://theconversation.com/champions-league-final-2025-a-battle-for-glory-against-a-backdrop-of-money-and-fashion-257377

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Like today’s selfie-takers, Walt Whitman used photography to curate his image – but ended up more lost than found

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Trevin Corsiglia, PhD Candidate in Comparative Literature and Thought, Washington University in St. Louis

    Though Walt Whitman insisted to friends that the moth was real – and landed on his finger spontaneously – it was a cardboard prop. Library of Congress

    When I read and study Walt Whitman’s poetry, I often imagine what he would’ve done if he had a smartphone and an Instagram account.

    Unlike many of his contemporaries, the poet collected an “abundance of photographs” of himself, as Whitman scholar Ed Folsom points out. And like many people today who snap and post thousands of selfies, Whitman, who lived during the birth of commercial photography, used portraits to craft a version of the self that wasn’t necessarily grounded in reality.

    One of those portraits, taken by photographer Curtis Taylor, was commissioned by Whitman in the 1870s.

    In it, the poet is seated nonchalantly, with a moth or butterfly appearing to have landed on his outstretched finger. According to at least two of his friends, Philadelphia attorney Thomas Donaldson and nurse Elizabeth Keller, this was Whitman’s favorite photograph.

    Though he told his friends that the winged insect happened to land on his finger during the shoot, it turned out to be a cardboard prop.

    Feigned spontaneity

    The scene with the butterfly reflects one of the main themes of Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass,” his best-known collection of poems: The universe is naturally drawn to the poet.

    “To me the converging objects of the world perpetually flow,” he insists in “Song of Myself.”

    “I have instant conductors all over me whether I pass or stop,” Whitman adds. “They seize every object and lead it harmlessly through me.”

    Whitman told Horace Traubel, the poet’s close friend and earliest biographer, that “[y]es – that was an actual moth, the picture is substantially literal.” Likewise, he told historian William Roscoe Thayer: “I’ve always had the knack of attracting birds and butterflies and other wild critters.”

    Of course, historians now know that the butterfly was, in fact, a cutout, which currently resides at the Library of Congress.

    The cardboard prop used by Walt Whitman in the portrait.
    Library of Congress

    So what was Whitman doing? Why would he lie? I can’t get inside his head, but I suspect he wanted to impress his audience, to verify that the protagonist of “Leaves of Grass,” the one with “instant conductors,” was not a fictional creation.

    Today’s selfies often give the impression of having been taken on the spot. In reality, many of them are a carefully calculated creative act.

    Media scholars James E. Katz and Elizabeth Thomas Crocker have argued that most selfie-takers strive for informality even as they carefully stage the images. In other words, the selfie weds the spontaneous to the intentional.

    Whitman does exactly this, presenting a designed photo as if it were a happy accident.

    Too much me

    As Whitman biographer Justin Kaplan notes, no other writer at the time “was so systematically recorded or so concerned with the strategic uses of his pictures and their projective meanings for himself and the public.”

    Walt Whitman in an 1854 photograph likely taken by Gabriel Harrison.
    Wikimedia Commons

    The poet jumped at the opportunity to have his photo taken. There is, for instance, the famous portrait of the young, carefree poet that was used as the frontispiece for the first edition of “Leaves of Grass.” Or the 1854 photograph of a bearded and unkempt Whitman likely captured by Gabriel Harrison. Or the 1869 image of Whitman smiling lovingly at Peter Doyle, the poet’s intimate friend and probable lover.

    Some social scientists have argued that today’s selfies can aid in the search for one’s “authentic self” – figuring out who you are and understanding what makes you tick.

    Other researchers have taken a less rosy view of the selfie, warning that snapping too many can be a sign of low self-esteem and can, paradoxically, lead to identity confusion, particularly if they’re taken to seek external validation.

    Whitman spent his life searching for what he termed the “Me myself” or the “real Me.” Photography provided him another medium, besides poetry, to carry on this search. But it seems to have ultimately failed him.

    Having collected these images, he would then obsessively chew over what they all added up to, ultimately finding that he was far more lost than found in this sea of portraits.

    I wonder if – to use today’s parlance – Whitman “scrolled” his way into a crisis of self-identity, overwhelmed by the sheer number of photos he possessed and the various, contradictory selves they represented.

    “I meet new Walt Whitmans every day,” he once said. “There are a dozen of me afloat. I don’t know which Walt Whitman I am.”

    Trevin Corsiglia 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. Like today’s selfie-takers, Walt Whitman used photography to curate his image – but ended up more lost than found – https://theconversation.com/like-todays-selfie-takers-walt-whitman-used-photography-to-curate-his-image-but-ended-up-more-lost-than-found-256195

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • 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: The rise and fall – and rise again – of white-tailed deer

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Elic Weitzel, Peter Buck Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Smithsonian Institution

    White-tailed deer in North America are back to their precolonial population levels. John Woodhouse Audubon/Heritage Images/Hulton Archive via Getty Images

    Given their abundance in American backyards, gardens and highway corridors these days, it may be surprising to learn that white-tailed deer were nearly extinct about a century ago. While they currently number somewhere in the range of 30 million to 35 million, at the turn of the 20th century, there were as few as 300,000 whitetails across the entire continent: just 1% of the current population.

    This near-disappearance of deer was much discussed at the time. In 1854, Henry David Thoreau had written that no deer had been hunted near Concord, Massachusetts, for a generation. In his famous “Walden,” he reported that:

    “One man still preserves the horns of the last deer that was killed in this vicinity, and another has told me the particulars of the hunt in which his uncle was engaged. The hunters were formerly a numerous and merry crew here.”

    But what happened to white-tailed deer? What drove them nearly to extinction, and then what brought them back from the brink?

    As a historical ecologist and environmental archaeologist, I have made it my job to answer these questions. Over the past decade, I’ve studied white-tailed deer bones from archaeological sites across the eastern United States, as well as historical records and ecological data, to help piece together the story of this species.

    Precolonial rise of deer populations

    White-tailed deer have been hunted from the earliest migrations of people into North America, over 15,000 years ago. The species was far from the most important food resource at that time, though.

    Archaeological evidence suggests that white-tailed deer abundance only began to increase after the extinction of megafauna species like mammoths and mastodons opened up ecological niches for deer to fill. Deer bones become very common in archaeological sites from about 6,000 years ago onward, reflecting the economic and cultural importance of the species for Indigenous peoples.

    A 16th-century engraving of Indigenous Floridians hunting deer while disguised in deerskins.
    Theodor de Bry/DEA Picture Library/De Agostini via Getty Images

    Despite being so frequently hunted, deer populations do not seem to have appreciably declined due to Indigenous hunting prior to AD 1600. Unlike elk or sturgeon, whose numbers were reduced by Indigenous hunters and fishers, white-tailed deer seem to have been resilient to human predation. While archaeologists have found some evidence for human-caused declines in certain parts of North America, other cases are more ambiguous, and deer certainly remained abundant throughout the past several millennia.

    Human use of fire could partly explain why white-tailed deer may have been resilient to hunting. Indigenous peoples across North America have long used controlled burning to promote ecosystem health, disturbing old vegetation to promote new growth. Deer love this sort of successional vegetation for food and cover, and thus thrive in previously burned habitats. Indigenous people may have therefore facilitated deer population growth, counteracting any harmful hunting pressure.

    More research is needed, but even though some hunting pressure is evident, the general picture from the precolonial era is that deer seem to have been doing just fine for thousands of years. Ecologists estimate that there were roughly 30 million white-tailed deer in North America on the eve of European colonization – about the same number as today.

    Elic Weitzel and volunteers excavate for deer bones at a 17th-century colonial site in Connecticut.
    Scott Brady

    Colonial-era fall of deer numbers

    To better understand how deer populations changed in the colonial era, I recently analyzed deer bones from two archaeological sites in what is now Connecticut. My analysis suggests that hunting pressure on white-tailed deer increased almost as soon as European colonists arrived.

    At one site dated to the 11th to 14th centuries – before European colonization – I found that only about 7% to 10% of the deer killed were juveniles.

    Hunters generally don’t take juvenile deer if they’re frequently encountering adults, since adult deer tend to be larger, offering more meat and bigger hides. Additionally, hunting increases mortality on a deer herd but doesn’t directly affect fertility, so deer populations experiencing hunting pressure end up with juvenile-skewed age structures. For these reasons, this low percentage of juvenile deer prior to European colonization indicates minimal hunting pressure on local herds.

    However, at a nearby site occupied during the 17th century – just after European colonization – between 22% and 31% of the deer hunted were juveniles, suggesting a substantial increase in hunting pressure.

    Researchers can tell from the size and development of a deer’s bones its stage of life. Here is a fawn’s mandible with teeth.
    Elic Weitzel

    This elevated hunting pressure likely resulted from the transformation of deer into a commodity for the first time. Venison, antlers and deerskins may have long been exchanged within Indigenous trade networks, but things changed drastically in the 17th century. European colonists integrated North America into a trans-Atlantic mercantile capitalist economic system with no precedent in Indigenous society. This applied new pressures to the continent’s natural resources.

    Deer – particularly their skins – were commodified and sold in markets in the colonies initially and, by the 18th century, in Europe as well. Deer were now being exploited by traders, merchants and manufacturers desiring profit, not simply hunters desiring meat or leather. It was the resulting hunting pressure that drove the species toward its extinction.

    20th-century rebound of white-tailed deer

    Thanks to the rise of the conservation movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, white-tailed deer survived their brush with extinction.

    Concerned citizens and outdoorsmen feared for the fate of deer and other wildlife, and pushed for new legislative protections.

    The Lacey Act of 1900, for example, banned interstate transport of poached game and – in combination with state-level protections – helped end commercial deer hunting by effectively de-commodifying the species. Aided by conservation-oriented hunting practices and reintroductions of deer from surviving populations to areas where they had been extirpated, white-tailed deer rebounded.

    The story of white-tailed deer underscores an important fact: Humans are not inherently damaging to the environment. Hunting from the 17th through 19th centuries threatened the existence of white-tailed deer, but precolonial Indigenous hunting and environmental management appear to have been relatively sustainable, and modern regulatory governance in the 20th century forestalled and reversed their looming extinction.

    Elic Weitzel received funding from the National Science Foundation (award #2128707) to support this research.

    – ref. The rise and fall – and rise again – of white-tailed deer – https://theconversation.com/the-rise-and-fall-and-rise-again-of-white-tailed-deer-257307

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What Peru’s Virgen de la Puerta represents about unity and inclusion

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Caitlin Cipolla-McCulloch, Researcher in Marianist Studies, University of Dayton

    La Virgen de la Puerta behind a glass window at the pinnacle of the church. Caitlin Cipolla-McCulloch

    Leo XIV, the first pope born in the United States, is also claimed by the Peruvian people whom he served for over two decades as one of their own.

    Then known as Robert Francis Prevost, he lived and worked in the cities of Trujillo and Chiclayo in northern Peru. In Chiclayo he served as bishop from 2015-2023. Trujillo is a few hours south of Chiclayo, where the pope lived for a decade.

    His ministry there is particularly exciting to me because I also lived in northern Peru, during a service year with the Marianist Family between my undergraduate experience at the University of Dayton and my first year of full-time ministry. The Marianist Family was founded in response to specific needs in postrevolutionary French society. Composed of lay people and vowed religious sisters, brothers and priests, it emphasizes devotion to Mary and a communal lifestyle as a distinctive way of living out one’s Roman Catholicism.

    About a two-hour bus ride away from Trujillo lies the mountainous town of Otuzco, where I lived with other members of the Marianist Family – a place that would later become a significant focus of my research as a lay Marianist and Mariologist. An image of Mary – La Virgen de la Puerta – now housed in a shrine church, has been venerated and revered in the community for over 300 years.

    The shrine church of La Virgen de la Puerta.

    The majority of those who maintain a devotional relationship with this image, both local or from the surrounding villages, are part of the Catholic religious majority in Peru. But some other Peruvians – including non- Catholics, some members of the LGBTQ+ community, and others who are marginalized, such as former prisoners and migrants – also revere her. Many of the devotees do not live near Otuzco but maintain a spiritual relationship with La Virgen de la Puerta.

    The founding of Otuzco

    The Augustinians – the religious congregation of brothers and priests that Leo XIV is a member of – settled in Otuzco in 1560.

    As part of the founding of the town, the Augustinian Fathers placed the town under the protection of Mary, the mother of Jesus. They acquired a Spanish image, a statue of Mary made mostly of wood, and selected Dec. 15 to celebrate her locally. This tradition has continued since 1664, about 100 years after the Augustinian Fathers settled in Otuzco.

    Frequently riddled by threats of pirates and other dangers, the people of Otuzco prayed fervently to this image of Mary for protection.

    A Virgen de la Puerta procession in the evening in the streets of Otuzco.
    Caitlin Cipolla-McCulloch

    During one particular threat to their safety, around 1670, they took this image into the streets in procession to protect their town. They placed this image of Mary above the door of the church in the center of town and called the image “Nuestra Señora de la Puerta” – transliterated into English: “Our Lady of the Door.”

    Contemporary pilgrimage in Otuzco

    In modern times, the fiesta of La Virgen de la Puerta is lavishly celebrated in the town of Otuzco, where thousands of faithful descend upon the mountain community for the multiday fiesta patronal, a festive celebration that honors the patron saint to whom a site is dedicated or entrusted.

    The fiesta patronal of La Virgen de la Puerta begins annually on Dec. 14, with the principal day observed on Dec. 15, and concludes on Dec. 16.

    During the days of the fiesta, the road between Trujillo and Otuzco is transformed into a pilgrimage route. The purpose of the journey can vary from pilgrim to pilgrim, yet it often reflects a deeply personal act of devotion.

    Some pilgrims arrive from Otuzco, Trujillo and neighboring villages, while others travel long distances – in Peru or from abroad – to honor La Virgen de la Puerta. Some pilgrims journey the roughly 50 miles (over 80 kilometers) between Trujillo and Otuzco on foot.

    I personally made this journey with a group of fellow pilgrims, the very people I was living among and ministering with during my service year in Peru. My pilgrimage involved a backpack with basic medical supplies for the group. After an overnight walk to Otuzco in camping pants, a T-shirt, hat and sneakers, I arrived before the image of Mary with quarter-size blisters on my feet.

    La Virgen de la Puerta procession through the streets of Otuzco.
    Caitlin Cipolla-McCulloch

    Some pilgrims, unlike me, mark the final kilometers of their journey by advancing to the shrine through the streets on their knees.

    Devotion outside Otuzco

    In addition to the thousands who descend on the town of Otuzco each year for the celebration, there are those who are deeply devoted to La Virgen de la Puerta but do not or cannot make the journey to the shrine. Their celebrations take place at times at a great distance from Otuzco.

    Among them are members of the LGBTQ+ community, who to this day remain marginalized in broader Peruvian and Catholic culture. Although members of the LGBTQ+ community reside throughout Peru, the neighborhood of Cerro El Pino in Lima has historically been the site of a festive celebration in honor of La Virgen de la Puerta, which many community members observe.

    Differing communities come with differing needs to La Virgen de la Puerta. The LGBTQ+ community in this particular neighborhood believes she has protected them throughout their history. During the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s, when over 10% of the male population in Lima was infected by HIV, members of this community sought the protection of La Virgen de la Puerta for their physical health. Although some people died from AIDS, others continued to participate in the rituals of the fiesta to honor her protection over time, even amid their suffering. They wore special costumes, sang and performed the dances that have been part of the fiesta patronal for over 300 years.

    Francisco Rodríguez Torres is a Peruvian photographer who lives in the capital city, Lima, but has roots in the northern region where the image of La Virgen de la Puerta is located. He is one of those who has documented the activities of the fiesta patronal both in Otuzco and in Lima in his text La Mamita de Otuzco.

    He writes both about the local faithful as well as those who venerate the image from a distance. In his Spanish language text, he has documented that La Virgen de la Puerta is considered a mother by groups who find themselves on the margins of society. These groups include those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, the poor, former prisoners and migrants. They “hope to find in her gaze a consolation,” he explains.

    Devotees bring their special petitions before La Virgen de la Puerta: They ask for her support in making decisions and for their everyday needs. Some even pray for miraculous healing.

    Echoing this sentiment of finding hope in La Virgen de la Puerta, Pope Francis, during his apostolic journey to Peru, crowned La Virgen de la Puerta and gave her the title of Mother of Mercy and Hope. In his address during a special prayer service in Trujillo on Jan. 20, 2018, Francis recounted that La Virgen de la Puerta has defended and protected all of her children throughout history.

    Leo, following the example of Francis, has focused on the importance of dialogue and peace. In his first message from the balcony upon being announced pope he said that members of the Catholic Church must build “bridges, dialogue, always open to receive like this square with its open arms, all, all who need our charity, our presence, dialogue and love.”

    I believe that La Virgen de la Puerta – a source of mercy and hope for all her devotees, regardless of whether they have been historically marginalized or excluded – offers an example to the world community of the greater unity with one another that Leo XIV is seeking to prioritize.

    Caitlin Cipolla-McCulloch 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. What Peru’s Virgen de la Puerta represents about unity and inclusion – https://theconversation.com/what-perus-virgen-de-la-puerta-represents-about-unity-and-inclusion-256766

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: More Colorado workplaces are becoming safe places for employees in recovery

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Liliana Tenney, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

    Cliff and Cara Blauvelt, owners of Odie B’s sandwich shops in Denver, have created a recovery-friendly workplace thanks in part to a program from the Colorado School of Public Health. Courtesy of BehindTheApronMedia

    At Odie B’s, a sandwich shop in Denver, recovery from drug and alcohol use is part of daily operations.

    “Seventy percent of our staff is active in recovery,” Cliff Blauvelt, co-owner of Odie B’s, said in a video testimonial. “We try to provide a safe space where people can feel comfortable.”

    Blauvelt has struggled with alcohol use for more than 20 years. He co-owns Odie B’s with his wife, Cara Blauvelt.

    One employee, Molly, said working at Odie B’s helped her focus on sobriety and reconnect with her sense of purpose.

    “I was burned out, I was working a lot of hours. … I started dry January, and after a few months I realized I needed to quit drinking,” she said in the same video testimonial. “Cara definitely helped with my sobriety journey, just reminding me one day at a time, and now, I have been sober for going on two years.”

    Staffers at Odie B’s, a sandwich shop in Denver, participated in Colorado’s Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative and were interviewed about the experience.

    Colorado is one of more than 30 states that have launched recovery-friendly workplace programs in recent years. They’re part of a growing effort to reframe how employers address addiction, mental health and recovery for the well-being of their employees and businesses.

    Our team from the Centers for Health, Work & Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health works with employers to develop training guidelines and policies to help make their workplaces supportive of recovery.

    Over the past three years, we’ve worked to understand the tools employers need to better support employees with substance use disorders.

    Many are deeply motivated but lack formal policies or training. That gap is what the Colorado Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative is designed to fill.

    Since 2021, our team has developed and delivered recovery and mental health training to more than 8,000 Colorado employees. They represent more than 100 businesses in industries ranging from local government to construction companies and health care providers. Our training sessions focus on equipping individuals with an understanding of mental health and substance use disorders, explaining how to combat stigma, and outlining how to navigate accommodations in the workplace.

    The toll of addiction

    Substance use is not just a personal issue; it’s a public health and workforce challenge.

    In 2023, 1,865 Coloradans died from a drug overdose, according to data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. That’s up about 65 deaths from the previous year. Nationally, overdose deaths have more than doubled since 2015.

    In high-risk industries, such as construction and mining, where physically demanding work, long hours and job insecurity are common, workers have some of the highest rates of nonmedical opioid use. These workers are thus at a high risk of developing substance use disorders.

    They also face other mental health challenges. These same sectors face the highest suicide rates across all occupations and nearly double that of the general public.

    Recovery, as defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a federal agency, includes “a process of change through which people improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential.” In Colorado, an estimated 400,000 people identify as being in recovery. Many of them are working, raising families and rebuilding their lives.

    The economic impact of substance use is significant. Colorado has lost more than 360 million work hours to opioid use over the past decade, according to the American Action Forum, a nonprofit that conducts economic analyses. That’s the equivalent of 173,000 full-time jobs for one year.

    In 2017 alone, the cost of lost productivity due to opioid use disorder and fatal opioid overdose in Colorado was estimated to be US$834 million.

    Employers save an average of $8,500 per year for each employee in recovery, according to the National Safety Council. These savings come from lower health care costs, reduced absenteeism and decreased turnover. In other words, when employers retain and support workers through recovery rather than lose them to untreated substance use, they see measurable benefits.

    A shifting policy landscape

    In 2024, Colorado lawmakers passed a bill for supporting recovery and addressing the opioid epidemic. The legislation provided funding to establish the Recovery Friendly Workplaces Initiative and the voluntary employer participation and certification program.

    Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs legislation into law. The Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative received state funding as part of a 2024 bill aimed at addressing the state’s opioid epidemic.
    Aaron Ontiveroz/Getty Images

    In early 2025, funding for the initiative was removed from the state budget due to a broader fiscal shortfall. The funding cut disrupted many of our planned activities, and we are currently relying on interim support from counties and state offices.

    Looking ahead

    Small businesses remain a priority for our team, despite recent funding cuts. Many lack human resources departments or formal wellness programs but are nonetheless deeply committed to helping their employees succeed.

    Sarah Deering, vice president of Absolute Caulking & Waterproofing of Colorado, joined the Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative.
    Courtesy of the Center for Health, Work and Environment

    A Colorado Recovery Friendly Workplace Initative participant, Absolute Caulking & Waterproofing of Colorado, employs 39 people. Absolute has championed recovery-friendly policies as something the business values.

    “This partnership saves us time and resources, which is invaluable for our small, family-owned business,” said Sarah Deering, vice president of the company.

    The road ahead presents challenges, including limited funding, the societal stigma around recovery and all of the complexities of recovery itself. But we continue to follow the scientific evidence. Our research team is evaluating the outcomes of our programs to better understand their impact and hopefully inform future policy recommendations. We are committed to the belief that work can and should be a place of healing.

    Liliana Tenney receives funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

    Olivia Zarella receives funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

    – ref. More Colorado workplaces are becoming safe places for employees in recovery – https://theconversation.com/more-colorado-workplaces-are-becoming-safe-places-for-employees-in-recovery-251784

    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 Global: Trump’s white genocide claims about South Africa have deep roots in American history

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Alex Hinton, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology; Director, Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, Rutgers University – Newark

    President Donald Trump shows printed news articles during a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on May 21, 2025. Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    President Donald Trump says there is a genocide of white people taking place in South Africa, meaning that Black South Africans are deliberately attempting to kill white farmers because of their race.

    Trump and his spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, have said violence targeting white farmers in South Africa justifies admitting about 60 white Afrikaner farmers to the U.S. as refugees in May 2025.

    This comes after Trump, in January, suspended admitting people, most of whom are not white, from other countries through the United States’ refugee program. The U.S. had previously given refugee status – a legal right to remain and work in the country – to tens of thousands of people each year who were fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries.

    During a May 21 White House meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump highlighted white genocide in South Africa, saying, “We have thousands of stories talking about it.” Ramaphosa denied that a white genocide is happening in his country. Trump then had a staffer dim the lights and play a video that, among other inflammatory content, showed white crosses along a road.

    “These are burial sites,” Trump said. “Over a thousand white farmers.”

    Trump’s white genocide claims, which echoed assertions he made during his first term, were quickly debunked by independent fact-checkers.

    Fact-checkers pointed out that while crime rates in South Africa are high in general, there is no evidence of white genocide there. The crosses in the video Trump showed did not mark mass graves of white farmers. They were part of a 2020 tribute to two white farmers murdered by armed men who stormed their house that year.

    As someone who has studied genocide and far-right extremists for years, I think it is necessary to understand what white genocide is and how it developed into a central issue in U.S. immigration debates starting in Trump’s first term.

    A group of South Africans who were granted admission to the U.S. as refugees arrive at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on May 12, 2025.
    Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

    The origins of white genocide

    As I detail in my 2021 book “It Can Happen Here: White Power and the Rising Threat of Genocide in the US,” white genocide is a far-right extremist conspiracy theory claiming that allegedly bad people, often Jews, are carrying out a dangerous plot to destroy the white race. While this idea circulates worldwide, it has distinctly American roots.

    This conspiracy dates back to the 1800s and the rise of nativism, a xenophobic belief held by some white Protestant Americans that certain immigrants, especially German and Irish Catholics, were dangerous and threatened to disrupt American traditions, culture and economic security.

    Nativist fears have continued to influence U.S. politics and culture.

    The American lawyer Madison Grant, for example, made nativist arguments in his 1916 book “The Passing of the Great Race,” which warned of immigrants’ threat to Americans and “race suicide.” Adolf Hitler once called Grant’s book his bible.

    Nativism has also influenced white power extremists, who believe in white superiority and dominance. They began using the specific term “white genocide” after the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, which they perceived as eroding white people’s power.

    The growth in this term’s popularity among some right-wing extremists also coincided with Congress approving the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1965. This act significantly increased the number of immigrants the U.S. legally accepted into the country each year and also allowed more non-European – and nonwhite – immigrants to settle in America.

    In the 1970s, William Pierce, an American former physics professor turned neo-Nazi, wrote a book called “The Turner Diaries.” The book, which the FBI has called the “bible of the racist right,” is about how a fictional extremist group, “The Order,” overthrows a U.S. government that gives power to nonwhite citizens and is controlled by Jews. The order proceeds to kill nonwhite people and Jews, as well as “race traitors” who don’t support their cause.

    The book inspired a 1980s group of violent neo-Nazis who also called themselves The Order, based off the fictitious group in Pierce’s book. Timothy McVeigh’s 1995 bombing of Oklahoma City’s Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which killed 168 people, was modeled on a scene from “The Turner Diaries,” which depicts the extremist group’s bombing of the FBI headquarters.

    In 1988, David Lane, a former member of The Order, crystallized the idea of white genocide in a short essay, “The White Genocide Manifesto.” The manifesto asserts that there is a “Zionist conspiracy to mix, overrun and exterminate the White race.”

    Jews do this, Lane claims, through “control of the media … industry, finance, law and politics” and by promoting antiwhite policies such as desegregation. To prevent white genocide, Lane calls for the establishment of a white homeland in North America – by violence, if necessary.

    White genocide’s entry into the mainstream

    Research shows that 61% of Trump voters believe “a group of people in this country are trying to replace native-born Americans with immigrants and people of color who share their political views.”

    This belief is often known as replacement theory, a variant of the idea of white genocide.

    Many of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrectionists believed that white Americans were being replaced. So, too, did the far-right protesters who chanted, “You will not replace us!” at the extremist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.

    There are also instances of such white power extremist views leading to violent acts. One example is the mass shooting of 11 Jewish people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018. Another is the El Paso Walmart shooting that resulted in 23 murdered Latino victims in 2019.

    Right-wing populists such as Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk have helped fuel replacement theories by contending that Democrats are trying to replace white voters with nonwhite immigrants.

    Neo-Nazis and white supremacists march leading up to the ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville, Va., in August 2017.
    Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Concern for white farmers isn’t actually about South Africa

    I believe that Trump’s recent focus on alleged white genocide in South Africa has little to do with South Africa. It is all about American politics and advancing some of Trump’s goals, such as reducing immigration into the U.S.

    First, by suggesting white genocide is taking place in South Africa, Trump amplifies his supporters’ fears that they, too, could soon be outnumbered by nonwhite people – in this case, immigrants.

    Trump has been harping on the alleged dangers of nonwhite immigration since he first ran for election in 2015, and it was central to his 2024 election victory.

    Replacement theory claims also help justify Trump’s goal of deporting immigrants living illegally in the U.S., as well as stopping refugee admissions from many countries, by highlighting the supposed dangers nonwhite immigrants pose to Americans, both in terms of potential threats to their physical safety and job prospects and security.

    This recent example is not the first time Trump has made white genocide claims to advance his agenda. Based on his track record, it is likely he will do so again.

    Alex Hinton receives receives funding from the Rutgers-Newark Sheila Y. Oliver Center for Politics and Race in America, Rutgers Research Council, and Henry Frank Guggenheim Foundation.

    – ref. Trump’s white genocide claims about South Africa have deep roots in American history – https://theconversation.com/trumps-white-genocide-claims-about-south-africa-have-deep-roots-in-american-history-257510

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Weaponized storytelling: How AI is helping researchers sniff out disinformation campaigns

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Mark Finlayson, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Florida International University

    The human proclivity for storytelling makes disinformation difficult to combat. Westend61 via Getty Images

    It is not often that cold, hard facts determine what people care most about and what they believe. Instead, it is the power and familiarity of a well-told story that reigns supreme. Whether it’s a heartfelt anecdote, a personal testimony or a meme echoing familiar cultural narratives, stories tend to stick with us, move us and shape our beliefs.

    This characteristic of storytelling is precisely what can make it so dangerous when wielded by the wrong hands. For decades, foreign adversaries have used narrative tactics in efforts to manipulate public opinion in the United States. Social media platforms have brought new complexity and amplification to these campaigns. The phenomenon garnered ample public scrutiny after evidence emerged of Russian entities exerting influence over election-related material on Facebook in the lead-up to the 2016 election.

    While artificial intelligence is exacerbating the problem, it is at the same time becoming one of the most powerful defenses against such manipulations. Researchers have been using machine learning techniques to analyze disinformation content.

    At the Cognition, Narrative and Culture Lab at Florida International University, we are building AI tools to help detect disinformation campaigns that employ tools of narrative persuasion. We are training AI to go beyond surface-level language analysis to understand narrative structures, trace personas and timelines and decode cultural references.

    Disinformation vs. misinformation

    In July 2024, the Department of Justice disrupted a Kremlin-backed operation that used nearly a thousand fake social media accounts to spread false narratives. These weren’t isolated incidents. They were part of an organized campaign, powered in part by AI.

    Disinformation differs crucially from misinformation. While misinformation is simply false or inaccurate information – getting facts wrong – disinformation is intentionally fabricated and shared specifically to mislead and manipulate. A recent illustration of this came in October 2024, when a video purporting to show a Pennsylvania election worker tearing up mail-in ballots marked for Donald Trump swept platforms such as X and Facebook.

    Within days, the FBI traced the clip to a Russian influence outfit, but not before it racked up millions of views. This example vividly demonstrates how foreign influence campaigns artificially manufacture and amplify fabricated stories to manipulate U.S. politics and stoke divisions among Americans.

    Humans are wired to process the world through stories. From childhood, we grow up hearing stories, telling them and using them to make sense of complex information. Narratives don’t just help people remember – they help us feel. They foster emotional connections and shape our interpretations of social and political events.

    Stories have profound effects on human beliefs and behavior.

    This makes them especially powerful tools for persuasion – and, consequently, for spreading disinformation. A compelling narrative can override skepticism and sway opinion more effectively than a flood of statistics. For example, a story about rescuing a sea turtle with a plastic straw in its nose often does more to raise concern about plastic pollution than volumes of environmental data.

    Usernames, cultural context and narrative time

    Using AI tools to piece together a picture of the narrator of a story, the timeline for how they tell it and cultural details specific to where the story takes place can help identify when a story doesn’t add up.

    Narratives are not confined to the content users share – they also extend to the personas users construct to tell them. Even a social media handle can carry persuasive signals. We have developed a system that analyzes usernames to infer demographic and identity traits such as name, gender, location, sentiment and even personality, when such cues are embedded in the handle. This work, presented in 2024 at the International Conference on Web and Social Media, highlights how even a brief string of characters can signal how users want to be perceived by their audience.

    For example, a user attempting to appear as a credible journalist might choose a handle like @JamesBurnsNYT rather than something more casual like @JimB_NYC. Both may suggest a male user from New York, but one carries the weight of institutional credibility. Disinformation campaigns often exploit these perceptions by crafting handles that mimic authentic voices or affiliations.

    Although a handle alone cannot confirm whether an account is genuine, it plays an important role in assessing overall authenticity. By interpreting usernames as part of the broader narrative an account presents, AI systems can better evaluate whether an identity is manufactured to gain trust, blend into a target community or amplify persuasive content. This kind of semantic interpretation contributes to a more holistic approach to disinformation detection – one that considers not just what is said but who appears to be saying it and why.

    Also, stories don’t always unfold chronologically. A social media thread might open with a shocking event, flash back to earlier moments and skip over key details in between.

    Humans handle this effortlessly – we’re used to fragmented storytelling. But for AI, determining a sequence of events based on a narrative account remains a major challenge.

    Our lab is also developing methods for timeline extraction, teaching AI to identify events, understand their sequence and map how they relate to one another, even when a story is told in nonlinear fashion.

    Objects and symbols often carry different meanings in different cultures, and without cultural awareness, AI systems risk misinterpreting the narratives they analyze. Foreign adversaries can exploit cultural nuances to craft messages that resonate more deeply with specific audiences, enhancing the persuasive power of disinformation.

    Consider the following sentence: “The woman in the white dress was filled with joy.” In a Western context, the phrase evokes a happy image. But in parts of Asia, where white symbolizes mourning or death, it could feel unsettling or even offensive.

    In order to use AI to detect disinformation that weaponizes symbols, sentiments and storytelling within targeted communities, it’s critical to give AI this sort of cultural literacy. In our research, we’ve found that training AI on diverse cultural narratives improves its sensitivity to such distinctions.

    Who benefits from narrative-aware AI?

    Narrative-aware AI tools can help intelligence analysts quickly identify orchestrated influence campaigns or emotionally charged storylines that are spreading unusually fast. They might use AI tools to process large volumes of social media posts in order to map persuasive narrative arcs, identify near-identical storylines and flag coordinated timing of social media activity. Intelligence services could then use countermeasures in real time.

    In addition, crisis-response agencies could swiftly identify harmful narratives, such as false emergency claims during natural disasters. Social media platforms could use these tools to efficiently route high-risk content for human review without unnecessary censorship. Researchers and educators could also benefit by tracking how a story evolves across communities, making narrative analysis more rigorous and shareable.

    Ordinary users can also benefit from these technologies. The AI tools could flag social media posts in real time as possible disinformation, allowing readers to be skeptical of suspect stories, thus counteracting falsehoods before they take root.

    As AI takes on a greater role in monitoring and interpreting online content, its ability to understand storytelling beyond just traditional semantic analysis has become essential. To this end, we are building systems to uncover hidden patterns, decode cultural signals and trace narrative timelines to reveal how disinformation takes hold.

    Mark Finlayson receives funding from US Department of Defense and the US National Science Foundation for his work on narrative understanding and influence operations in the military context.

    Azwad Anjum Islam receives funding from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

    – ref. Weaponized storytelling: How AI is helping researchers sniff out disinformation campaigns – https://theconversation.com/weaponized-storytelling-how-ai-is-helping-researchers-sniff-out-disinformation-campaigns-251349

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI China: China highly concerned about EU investigation into Chinese tyres

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

    China is highly concerned about the European Union’s (EU’s) anti-dumping investigation into imports of tyres for passenger cars and light lorries from China, China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

    At a regular press briefing, ministry spokesperson He Yongqian said that protectionist trade practices only increase the consumer burden, create trade barriers, disrupt the stability and smooth functioning of value and supply chains, and harm the interests of all sides.

    China has consistently advocated for the reasonable, prudent use of trade remedy measures and urges the EU not to impose trade restrictions rashly, but instead to address mutual concerns through dialogue and consultation, the spokesperson said.

    China will monitor the EU’s follow-up actions closely and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises firmly, she added.

    She noted that this year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and the EU, and that their bilateral agenda includes many important items.

    China will maintain dialogue and communication with the EU, handle economic and trade differences properly, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, work to move China-EU economic and trade relations forward on a positive trajectory, and inject more certainty and positive momentum into bilateral ties and the global economy, the spokesperson said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Value of China’s core AI industry nears 600 bln yuan

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

    China has built a relatively comprehensive artificial intelligence (AI) industrial system, with the value of its core sector nearing 600 billion yuan (about 83.45 billion U.S. dollars) by April 2025, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced on Thursday.

    These details were included in an introduction to China’s AI development delivered by NDRC official Huang Ru at the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Forum, which was held in north China’s Tianjin Municipality on May 29.

    Huang highlighted that China’s AI patent applications have surpassed 1.5 million in number, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the global total.

    China has made holistic advancements in AI development, fostering a thriving AI industrial ecosystem. The country now hosts over 400 “little giant” firms — specialized small and medium-sized enterprises that excel in niche AI markets, including AI innovator DeepSeek.

    The SCO is a comprehensive regional cooperation organization that covers the largest area and largest population in the world, and it has vast data resources and diverse AI application scenarios.

    Huang noted that the accelerating cooperation on AI technology and application will invigorate the SCO’s economic and social development, advancing inclusive global development and serving as a bridge to span the global digital divide.

    China stands ready to collaborate with other SCO member states to consistently uphold the “Shanghai Spirit” and enhance joint efforts to promote the beneficial, secure and equitable development of AI, Huang added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • India’s first homegrown semiconductor chip to launch by end of 2025: Ashwini Vaishnaw

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Thursday announced that the first Made-in-India semiconductor chip of 28-90 nm technology is set to be rolled out this year.

    Addressing the CII Annual Business Summit here, the minister said, “We targeted a particular segment, which has 60 per cent of market volume, using a focused approach.”

    “Today, we have six units under construction. The first Made-in-India chip of 28-90 nm will roll out this year. We started manufacturing in 2022,” the minister added.

    In semiconductor manufacturing, smaller nanometer (nm) measurements signify more compact transistor designs, allowing manufacturers to fit more transistors onto a single chip. The 28-90 nm chip is used in automotive, telecom, power, and train applications.

    Underscoring the importance of the manufacturing sector, the Vaishnaw said, “Many top economists want us to focus on services. Manufacturing and services are both equally important for the next level of growth. We should increase our work wherever we get the opportunity. We should have our own IP, product, design, and standards.”

    He also highlighted the positive changes happening due to Artificial Intelligence (AI). “We have experienced a big change due to AI, and it is here to stay,” Vaishnaw remarked.

    “What the internet did for the world, a similar phenomenon will be brought forth by AI. We should be prepared for that change regardless of industry or sector. AI will bring a humongous change in our society and industry,” the minister said.

    The minister emphasized the need to develop AI models trained on Indian culture, nuances, languages, and social norms. He added that one of the first such models is being developed by Sarvam.

    Vaishnaw also highlighted the achievements and growth of Indian Railways, of which he also holds charge as minister.

    “We have achieved a major milestone as we have become the second-largest cargo-carrying railway in the world, transporting 1,612 million tonnes of freight, overtaking the US and Russia,” he said.

    “Our passenger-carrying capacity has also increased substantially. We have reached a level where dreams are being fulfilled and goals are being achieved. We are moving in a steady direction in railways; more industries must join,” Vaishnaw added.

    Vaishnaw further said that the country’s experiment of bringing startups into the railway sector has proved very successful. “We are now bringing a new policy where we can test a new innovative idea and then scale it up based on the test results,” he added.

    IANS

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Travels to Malaysia

    Source: United States Navy

    KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, visited Malaysia on May 28- 29, 2025, where he met with senior military and government officials, underscoring Malaysia’s importance to the U.S. as a partner and the U.S. commitment to Malaysia and the region.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: World Meteorological Organisation & Met Office: Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update is issued annually by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It provides a synthesis of the global annual to decadal predictions produced by the Met Office and other designated centres around the world for the period 2025-2029. 

    This report makes a number of probabilistic predictions about global mean near-surface temperatures, including:

    • Forecast chance of one of the next five years being warmest on record
    • Forecast chance of one of next five years, and entire five-year period, being above 1.5°C above the 1850-1900 average
    • Arctic warming
    • Regional precipitation patterns

    Journalists came to this online briefing to hear authors of the report brief the journalists on their conclusions and what they mean for climate change.

    Speakers included:

    Prof Chris Hewitt, Director of Climate Services, WMO

    Prof Adam Scaife, Head of Monthly to Decadal Prediction, Met Office Hadley Centre

    Dr Leon Hermanson, Senior Scientist in Monthly to Decadal Prediction, Met Office Hadley Centre

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Avoid getting caught out by scams

    Source: Northern Ireland Direct

    Date published:

    Beware being caught out by fraudsters and scammers. There are steps you can take to be wiser about scams and report anything you suspect is a scam.

    Scams

    Scams target people of all ages and backgrounds, and are becoming more and more sophisticated.

    People are commonly targeted by email, phone and online.

    You can find out more, including a list of recent scams, in the following section:

    Report a scam

    Many people who are scammed feel they are to blame to falling for it, but it’s not their fault.

    Reporting scams is vitally important, as:

    • it helps catch fraudsters
    • it can help to alert others and prevent them from falling victim

    If you have – or know someone who has – been a victim of a scam or fraud, no matter how small, you should report it to:

    or

     Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

    More useful links

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China is effectively promoting data marketization as a unique production factor

    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) — China’s three-year action plan to boost development by using the unique value of data as a production factor has shown great results.

    In the year since the launch of the plan (2024-2026), the country has seen acceleration in the integration of data into large-scale socialized production, as well as positive progress in data marketization and capitalization, the National Data Administration said on Thursday.

    According to Luan Jie, an official from the department, more and more enterprises in China are now entering the data market. To date, about 500 digital technology companies have been established under centrally-controlled state-owned enterprises, and about 66 percent of leading enterprises in the industry have purchased data.

    Currently, the official noted, data as a unique production factor is widely used in many industries in China, demonstrating an increasingly stimulating role in promoting industry production. In the agro-industrial complex, for example, some enterprises have managed to achieve a 5.5 percent increase in total crop yields by using data to optimize the fertilizer application process.

    At the same time, some leading industrial enterprises have integrated data from various production links – from research and development, logistics, warehousing to obtaining price information, which has led to a reduction in R&D, procurement and supply cycles by more than 30 percent.

    In the next phase, the State Data Administration intends to step up efforts to advance the implementation of the action plan to stimulate development through the use of data, focusing in particular on removing barriers and difficulties in the dissemination of data application in some key production scenarios. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China’s rocket successfully completes vertical landing test to improve reusability technology

    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

    JINAN, May 29 (Xinhua) — A Chinese rocket startup has successfully conducted its first sea test of a proof-of-concept rocket, which made a vertical landing in waters off the coast of east China’s Shandong Province.

    On Thursday morning, the 26.8-metre-tall stainless steel rocket, which had a diameter of 4.2 metres and weighed 57 tonnes at liftoff, completed a 125-second flight, reaching an altitude of about 2.5 kilometres during its climb under full thrust.

    A video released by Beijing-based Space Epoch shows the XZY-1 rocket firing its engine as it descends, hovering over the sea surface before landing softly in a vertical position.

    Post-flight data analysis confirmed that the rocket had performed normally throughout the test, and experts declared the landing a success.

    It is one of the latest attempts by Chinese aerospace companies to develop reusable rockets. In 2024, at least two Chinese-made rockets, namely the Zhuque-3 and one developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, completed 10-kilometer vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) tests in northwest China.

    In January of the same year, a GDP test was conducted on the experimental model of the reusable launch vehicle /LV/ “Kuaizhou” /”Fast Shuttle”/, developed by Expace Technology.

    In addition, tests of the SQX-2Y reusable launch vehicle developed by i-Space were conducted in 2023. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The priority at the moment is to continue direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations – D. Peskov

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    Moscow, May 29 /Xinhua/ — The priority at the moment is to continue direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

    “The main thing now is to continue this process of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations. And it has been proposed to do this on Monday in Istanbul,” he said.

    Answering the question of what Russia might do if Ukraine disrupts the talks on June 2, the Kremlin spokesman noted: “I think such a question is inappropriate now. We need to wait for the Ukrainian side’s response and then take our bearings.”

    Ukraine’s demand to “immediately transfer the memorandum” is not constructive, D. Peskov emphasized.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Russia is ready to provide Ukrainian negotiators with its memorandum on the terms of the conflict settlement during direct talks on June 2 in Istanbul. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Intermex Named Founding Partner of Dignity Health Sports Park and the Official International Remittance Partner of the LA Galaxy

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LOS ANGELES and MIAMI, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The reigning 2024 MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy and their home stadium, Dignity Health Sports Park (DHSP), have launched a new partnership with International Money Express, Inc. (NASDAQ: IMXI) (Intermex), a leading money remittance provider to Latin America and the Caribbean. The multiyear agreement, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, makes Intermex the Official International Remittance Partner of the LA Galaxy and a Founding Partner of Dignity Health Sports Park, a premium and category-exclusive designation. The partnership marks the first time the team, the venue, and AEG have partnered with a brand in the international remittance category. This also represents Intermex’s first official partnership in sports—making it a first-of-its-kind collaboration.

    “Our partnership with the LA Galaxy and Dignity Health Sports Park is about showing up for the people who have always been at the center of this sport,” said Marcelo Theodoro, Chief Product, Marketing & Digital Officer at Intermex. “For so many Latino families, fútbol isn’t just entertainment, it’s a part of who we are. This collaboration allows us to celebrate that connection in a meaningful way, both on and off the field.”

    Founded in 1994, around the same time as the LA Galaxy and Major League Soccer, Intermex and soccer have grown in parallel, earning trust among Latino communities in the U.S. and abroad. Headquartered in Miami, Intermex enables digital money transfers from the U.S., Canada, and Europe to more than 60 countries, with a strong focus on Latin America. The company offers a multi-channel delivery experience via its app, website, retail locations, as well as WhatsApp. Known for its human-first customer service, including Spanish-first support for underbanked and immigrant communities, Intermex has become a trusted provider for millions of Latino families.

    With Los Angeles being one of Intermex’s most strategically important U.S. markets, the LA Galaxy presents a timely and culturally significant opportunity to deepen its ties with a region where soccer is thriving. Across the United States, especially in Southern California, soccer has emerged as one of the fastest-growing sports, driven in large part by Latino communities where the game has long served as a source of cultural pride and generational connection. More than five million Latinos call Los Angeles home, and across California, nearly 70% of MLS viewership comes from Latino fans—making the region a powerful intersection of culture, sport, and community. The agreement also extends through two of the most significant global sporting events set to take place in Los Angeles: the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, offering unmatched exposure and relevance during pivotal moments for the sport.

    “We are excited to welcome Intermex to the Galaxy family,” said LA Galaxy President and Chief Operating Officer Tom Braun. “This is a values-driven brand that understands the importance of language, culture, and legacy. Together, we’re building something that resonates on and off the pitch.”

    As a Founding Partner of Dignity Health Sports Park, Intermex will enjoy premium brand visibility throughout the venue and will be fully integrated into the fan journey—from driveway to pitch. This includes prominent freeway marquee signage, scoreboard integrations, concourse placements, plaza wall signage, and various digital menu boards across the property.

    “Intermex is a brand that truly understands the people we serve,” said Katie Pandolfo, General Manager of Dignity Health Sports Park. “Their partnership reinforces our shared commitment to elevating the guest experience while creating lasting impact across our community.”

    As part of the agreement, Intermex also becomes the Presenting Partner of the LA Galaxy Soccer Center – a 73,000-square-foot facility in Torrance, California dedicated to futsal and recreational sports. Intermex’s partnership will support year-round youth and adult programming at the center, helping preserve a vital hub for thousands of local families and athletes of all ages.

    “Intermex is setting a new standard for what culturally relevant, community-rooted partnerships in sports can look like and achieve,” said Rashid Dadashi, Senior Director, AEG Global Partnerships. “Soccer is central to the lives of their customers and our fans, and our collaboration provides an opportunity to engage authentically and consistently in one of their highest-priority markets. They’re a brand that leads with purpose and understands the power of showing up where it matters most.”

    Further amplifying the cultural impact of the partnership, Intermex will be the Title Night Partner of the 2025 Mexican Heritage Night, taking place on September 20 against FC Cincinnati – one of the club’s most highly anticipated cultural theme nights of the season. Additionally, Intermex will engage fans as the Presenting Partner of “Cobi Club” – an original content series from the LA Galaxy that explores football chatter with current trends and popular culture, giving every fan – fanatics and casuals fans alike – something to enjoy.

    With nearly 30 years of trusted service and deep roots in Latino communities across the globe, Intermex’s entry into sports sponsorship marks a new chapter in its mission to empower, connect, and uplift the people who drive its business – one built on trust, cultural alignment, and the beautiful game.

    ABOUT INTERMEX
    Founded in 1994, Intermex applies proprietary technology to enable consumers to send money from the United States, Canada, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Germany to more than 60 countries. The company facilitates digital money movement through its website and mobile app, as well as through a vast network of retail agents and company-operated stores. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Intermex also operates international offices in Puebla, Mexico; Guatemala City, Guatemala; London, England; and Madrid, Spain. Lear more at www.intermexonline.com. 

    ABOUT LA GALAXY
    The LA Galaxy are Major League Soccer’s most successful club. Based in Carson, Calif. at Dignity Health Sports Park, the Galaxy have won the MLS Cup a record six times (2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2024), the MLS Supporters’ Shield four times (1998, 2002, 2010, 2011) and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup twice (2001, 2005), and one Concacaf Champions Cup (2000) since their inception in 1996. Under the direction of LA Galaxy President of Business Operations and Chief Operating Officer Tom Braun on the business operations side and LA Galaxy General Manager Will Kuntz on the soccer operations side, the Galaxy are the premier club in MLS, with stars like Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Javier Hernandez, Cobi Jones, Riqui Puig and Marco Reus representing LA over the team’s 29 years in MLS. For more information on the LA Galaxy, visit www.lagalaxy.com.

    ABOUT DIGNITY HEALTH SPORTS PARK
    Dignity Health Sports Park is southern California’s home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. Managed by AEG, the $150 million, privately financed facility was developed by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California. Dignity Health Sports Park features an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, a 27,000-seat stadium for soccer, football and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts; a 2,000-seat facility for track & field and a 2,450-seat indoor Velodrome – the VELO Sports Center – for track cycling. Dignity Health Sports Park is home to Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy, the six-time MLS Cup Champions. Dignity Health Sports Park is also home of the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) High Performance Training Center and the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). Additionally, Dignity Health Sports Park is home to Galaxy Park, a newly imagined complex on the campus of the facility that features five 5v5 soccer fields, three futsal courts, eight Pickleball courts, four Padel courts, and is home to a number of other recreational activities. For additional information, please visit http://www.dignityhealthsportspark.com.

    ABOUT AEG
    Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, AEG is the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. The company operates in the following business segments:

    • Music through AEG Presents, which is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performances, including the production and promotion of global and regional concert tours, an extensive portfolio of clubs, theaters and other music venues, concerts and special events and world-renowned festivals such as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival;
    • Venues and Real Estate, which develops, owns and operates world-class venues, as well as major sports and entertainment districts like Crypto.com Arena and L.A. LIVE, Uber Platz in Berlin and The O2 in London;
    • Sports, as the world’s largest operator of high-profile sporting events and sports franchises including the LA Kings, LA Galaxy and Eisbären Berlin;
    • Global Partnerships, which oversees worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships including naming rights, premium seating, and other strategic partnerships;
    • And Ticketing, which, through its AXS.com ticketing platform, provides more than 400 clients worldwide with ticketing services that cover the gamut of entertainments, including sporting events, arena tours, music clubs festival, rodeos and family events.

    Through its worldwide network of venues, portfolio of powerful sports and music brands and its integrated entertainment districts, AEG entertains more than 90 million guests annually. More information about AEG can be found at www.aegworldwide.com.

    MEDIA CONTACTS
    LA Galaxy 
    Jamie Alvarez 
    jaalvarez@lagalaxy.com

    AEG Global Partnerships 
    Shannon Donnelly 
    Shannon.donnelly@beckmedia.com

    Investor Relations:
    Alex Sadowski
    Investor Relations Coordinator
    ir@intermexusa.com
    305-671-8000

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Report of the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo: UK statement, May 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Report of the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo: UK statement, May 2025

    Ambassador Holland welcomes new Head of OSCE Mission in Kosovo Gerard McGurk to the Permanent Council, underlining continued support for the work of the Mission amid the difficult political and security context in the last six months.

    Thank you, Mr Chair.

    Firstly, I would like to welcome Ambassador McGurk – dear Gerard – to the Permanent Council for the first time as Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. Thank you for your informative presentation on the Mission’s recent work, so soon after your arrival, and to your team for the comprehensive written report.

    The United Kingdom welcomes the peaceful and competitive parliamentary elections held in Kosovo in February, and the important support provided to the Central Election Commission by the Mission. We continue to underline to Kosovo interlocutors the urgency of government formation.

    Mr Chair, the United Kingdom shares the concerns highlighted in the Mission report on the level of tensions in the four northern municipalities during the reporting period. We are particularly concerned by the uncoordinated nature of closures of institutions and facilities in northern Kosovo which provide vital services to Kosovo-Serbs and other non-majority communities. The UK will continue to encourage the Government of Kosovo to ensure that non-majority communities can play a full and equal role in the country’s future, and to uphold Kosovo’s commitments as an inclusive and multi-ethnic state.

    The UK also underlines the importance of ensuring justice and accountability for all acts of violence. We continue to call on Serbia to cooperate fully with efforts to hold to account those responsible for the 2023 attacks on KFOR troops and in Banjska, and to fulfil its pledge to cooperate in the investigation of the attack on the Ibar-Lepenc Canal. 

    We urge both Kosovo and Serbia to engage constructively in the EU-facilitated Dialogue and to deliver on their respective obligations, including establishing an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities. It is vital that Kosovo and Serbia abide by their commitments and not renege on Dialogue agreements. Failing to meet these commitments has negative implications for the daily lives of ordinary citizens and for wider stability in the Western Balkans.

    The UK commends the work of the OSCE Mission during the last six months across the three core pillars of its mandate. We particularly appreciate the Mission’s focus on electoral support, and continued prioritisation of monitoring and early warning functions. We also value the Mission’s support on human rights and inter-community relations, including on interfaith dialogue and assistance to the Kosovo-Serb community in language and documentation. We welcome ongoing efforts to address challenges to the right to freedom of religion or belief and the preservation of cultural heritage.

    While we recognise Kosovo’s progress in tackling corruption and its improved score in Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index, we note with concern the issues highlighted in the World Press Freedom Index on the protection and independence of journalists. We share the concerns highlighted in the Report over political influence in media institutions, and welcome the Mission’s planned activity to advance media freedom and journalist safety.

    Mr Chair, the United Kingdom is a longstanding and strong supporter of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state. During his visit to Kosovo in early April, my Foreign Secretary reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to supporting Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and its development of an inclusive, diverse and multi-ethnic democracy. The UK will continue to support stability, security and economic cooperation in the Western Balkans, including through the work of our Special Envoy, Dame Karen Pierce, and hosting the Berlin Process Summit in London this autumn.

    Finally, I wanted to again thank you, dear Gerard, for taking on the leadership of the Mission at this critical time. We highly appreciate the continued hard work and expertise of your team, and wish you every success during your time in the role.

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Second UK-Maldives Strategic Dialogue 2025: joint communique

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    Second UK-Maldives Strategic Dialogue 2025: joint communique

    The UK and Maldives held a second Strategic Dialogue on 28 May 2025 in Malé, Maldives, where they reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties.

    The Second Strategic Dialogue between the Republic of Maldives and the United Kingdom (UK) at the Senior Officials level was held on 28 May 2025 in Malé, Maldives.

    Building on the outcomes of the inaugural Strategic Dialogue in 2023, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening the Maldives-UK partnership through structured and regular engagement. Discussions focused on key thematic areas including economic and trade cooperation, security and defence collaboration, governance, human rights and the rule of law, higher education, visas and immigration, environment and climate change, and regional and multilateral co-operation.

    Acknowledging the importance of enhancing economic links to elevate the bilateral partnership, the Maldives and the UK reviewed progress on trade and investment since the first Dialogue and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen bilateral economic ties. Both sides celebrated the growing trade and investment relationship and discussed further avenues to advance collaboration in fisheries, tourism, renewable energy and financial services. Cooperation on customs matters were discussed to facilitate trade.

    The UK and the Maldives reiterated their shared commitment towards maintaining regional security, countering terrorism, violent extremism as well as serious and organised crime. The UK reaffirmed its support for capacity-building initiatives, including technical assistance and joint exercises in policing, defence, and maritime security.

    Both sides reviewed UK support to governance, criminal justice reform and judicial independence in the Maldives. The UK reiterated its commitment to continue supporting the Maldives in its endeavours to consolidate democratic governance and strengthen human rights, and, welcomed continued dialogue on shared values.

    The Maldives and the UK reaffirmed the importance of educational exchange and agreed to explore increasing opportunities for higher education through Chevening and Commonwealth scholarships. Recognising the increasing number of Maldivian students travelling to the UK for higher education, the Maldives raised visa and immigration matters, and both sides agreed to continue discussions to facilitate smoother processes for visa issuance.

    Both countries recognised the importance of people-to-people exchanges in promoting mutual understanding between the 2 countries. They recognised the increasing numbers of visitor arrivals from the UK to the Maldives, and agreed to explore opportunities to strengthen collaboration at local levels, promote cultural co-operation, and conduct friendly exchanges between the 2 countries.

    The UK and the Maldives discussed ongoing collaboration under the Ocean Country Partnership Programme and agreed to strengthen co-operation in marine conservation and climate resilience. Opportunities to co-operate in multilateral climate fora including the forthcoming COP30 were discussed and the key role that Maldives plays amongst Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) was recognised.

    The Maldives and the UK exchanged views on regional developments and multilateral co-operation, including within the United Nations and the Commonwealth. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to leverage international support towards global issues impacting SIDS.

    The Second Strategic Dialogue was convened in a hybrid format. The Dialogue was co-chaired for Maldives by Dr Hala Hameed, Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and for the UK by Ben Mellor, Director, India and Indian Ocean Directorate at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office with delegations comprised of senior officials from both governments. The Dialogue concluded with a shared commitment to continue the Strategic Dialogue on an annual basis and to explore other opportunities to support a continued deepening of the bilateral relationship.

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Man sentenced for importing £750,000 worth of cocaine29 May 2025 A 53-year-old man has been sentenced by the Royal Court to 11 years’ imprisonment for attempting to import three kilograms of cocaine, hidden under the rear seat of the vehicle he was driving. The street… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    29 May 2025

    A 53-year-old man has been sentenced by the Royal Court to 11 years’ imprisonment for attempting to import three kilograms of cocaine, hidden under the rear seat of the vehicle he was driving. 

    The street value of the cocaine seized was £750,000. 

    On Saturday 15 February 2025, David Paul RHODES from Bromley, travelled to Jersey from Portsmouth onboard the Condor Islander, driving a grey Nissan Juke. 

    When stopped and questioned by Jersey Customs and Immigration Officers, he stated that he was visiting until the following Tuesday, having originally booked to travel with his girlfriend. Following an argument on Valentine’s Day, he said she had elected not to travel.

    The vehicle that RHODES was travelling in belonged to a long-term friend who agreed to allow him to borrow the vehicle to travel to Jersey. 

    A search of the vehicle was carried out, with the aid of a drug detector dog, which provided positive drug indications within the vehicle. Officers quickly discovered six vacuum sealed packages containing a white powder concealed beneath the rear seat of the vehicle. When RHODES was shown the packages, he denied knowing what they were.

    During interview he declined to provide any comment but later pleaded guilty to the offence.

    Paul Le Monnier, Senior Manager at Jersey Customs and Immigration Service, said: “In Jersey terms this was a significant seizure of cocaine destined for our streets and undoubtedly the seizure of this quantity of drugs has hurt the pockets of those concerned in organising the importation.” 

    Anyone with information on drug smuggling can report it anonymously via 0800 735 5555.​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Latest council statement on injunction hearing

    Source: City of Birmingham

    Published: Thursday, 29th May 2025

    The city council has issued an updated statement on the injunction hearing on the waste service industrial action.

    “We are pleased that the court has ratified the Consent Order agreed with Unite yesterday that the injunction, which was granted by the High Court on Friday 23 May, will continue on an indefinite basis. This means that there will not be a court hearing at 2pm today.

    “This should ensure that vehicles are freely able to leave their depots and that workers are also able to continue to collect waste from the city. We have also agreed with Unite that the legal costs which the council incurred in securing the original injunction will be dealt with by the court at a later date.

    “As we have previously stated, we acknowledge that everyone has the right to protest and that Unite has the right to organise picketing in line with their statutory rights. The terms of the order which Unite has now agreed is designed to ensure that this is all done within the confines of the law.

    “In the meantime, our efforts to resolve the underlying industrial dispute will also continue.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: FMQ: SNP must recall destructive Flamingo Land appeal

    Source: Scottish Greens

    29 May 2025 Nature Save Loch Lomond

    There is still time to save Loch Lomond. The First Minister must act now.

    More in Nature

    The First Minister must listen to objections against Flamingo Land’s development in Loch Lomond and overturn his Government’s decision to accept the mega-resort’s latest appeal, says Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie.

    Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, Mr Harvie urged the SNP to listen to campaigners and the local community and take action to stop this destructive development in the iconic national park. 

    Prior to FMQs, campaigners met at a rally outside the Scottish Parliament today to express their anger and stand together to save Loch Lomond.

    In his first question to the First Minister, Mr Harvie said: 

    “Outside Parliament today, many people have gathered to express their anger at the Scottish Government’s intention to approve a resort development, by Flamingo Land, on the shores of Loch Lomond.

    “It’s been opposed by the National Trust for Scotland; by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency; and by over 155,000 people; and rejected unanimously by the National Park.

    “It’s the most unpopular development in the history of the Scottish planning system. 

    “I know the First Minister will tell us that he can’t comment on a specific appeal.
     
    “But his Minister has already made a political decision – it took Ivan McKee just two working days to announce his refusal to act in the public interest and recall the appeal. 

    “He, and the First Minister, have to be accountable for that now. 

    “There’s still a chance we can save Loch Lomond – this decision isn’t yet set in stone. 

    “So – will the First Minister listen to all those that have been objecting for years, put the natural environment ahead of corporate profit, and recall the decision?” 

    First Minister John Swinney would not comment in detail on the proposal as the Flamingo Land appeal is still live, but gave no indication that he was willing to recall the decision.

    In his second question, Mr Harvie asked:

    “I don’t think the First Minister is even attempting to acknowledge the scale of the anger – demonstrated by the people outside Parliament today and more than 44,000 people who have already written to the Minister – that anger is a result of this unnecessary, unwanted and destructive development.

    “But it’s not the first time this First Minister has defended that kind of development. 

    “In 2007, when John Swinney had been in government for less than a year, he overturned a local planning decision to approve another controversial, environmentally destructive project from a greedy, bullying developer.

    “That, of course, was to give Donald Trump his golf course. And even Trump’s project director from those days has made it clear that the Government was hoodwinked.

    “This isn’t standing up for Scotland. Did the First Minister learn nothing from his mistake, and why is he still willing to back greedy developers who can’t look at a landscape without seeing an opportunity to bulldoze it for profit?”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK and Ghana Unite for a Period-friendly Future

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    UK and Ghana Unite for a Period-friendly Future

    The British High Commission & the Office of the Vice President marked MHD 2025 with a dialogue and a documentary themed: “Together for a Period-Friendly Ghana

    In a landmark collaboration between the British High Commission and the Office of the Vice President of Ghana, a high-level dialogue and documentary premiere were held on Tuesday, May 27, to mark Menstrual Hygiene Day (MHD) 2025. The event took place at the British High Commissioner’s residence in Accra under the theme “Together for a Period-Friendly Ghana.” 

    Held under the distinguished patronage of Her Excellency Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, the event brought together government officials, development partners, civil society, and youth advocates to spotlight the urgent need for menstrual health equity. 

    The centrepiece of the event was the premiere of a powerful documentary produced by the National Technical Committee on MHM, which highlighted the lived experiences of schoolgirls in marginalised communities. Filmed in the Central Region, the documentary captured the voices of girls, educators, policy makers and community leaders, revealing the barriers girls face in managing menstruation and staying in school. 

    “Periods should not be the period to a girl’s education,” said one student featured in the film, reinforcing the event’s central message that menstruation must never hinder a girl’s right to learn and thrive. 

    The initiative was coordinated by the Social Policy Advisor to the Vice President, in partnership with the British High Commission, Ghana Education Service (GES), Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and a coalition of development partners including UNICEF, WaterAid Ghana, World Vision Ghana, Plan International Ghana, and CONIWAS. 

    The event successfully raised awareness of menstrual hygiene challenges and their impact on girls’ education, promoted inclusive policies and sustainable menstrual health solutions, and mobilised stakeholders to support local initiatives for affordable menstrual products.

    Speaking at the event, the British High Commissioner Harriet Thompson said:  

    The passage of Ghana’s the Affirmative Action Act provides a powerful framework to address systemic gender inequalities including those rooted in menstrual health. Ensuring girls can stay in school and thrive is a foundational step toward achieving the Act’s goals of equal participation and representation. This collaboration between the UK and Ghana reflects our shared commitments to dignity, equality, and opportunity for all girls.  

    Vice President H.E. Professor. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang said:

    Menstrual health is a matter of justice, dignity, and opportunity. No girl should ever be held back by her period. Together, we are building a Ghana where every girl can thrive free from stigma, free from barriers, and full of promise.

    The documentary is scheduled for nationwide broadcast and digital release to continue driving public engagement and policy dialogue. A public screening is also taking place today, May 28, at the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly, coinciding with the global observance of Menstrual Hygiene Day. 

    The campaign continues online under the hashtag #PeriodFriendlyGhana.

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Overseas Electors – Online Renewals Service Research

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    Overseas Electors – Online Renewals Service Research

    The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are developing a new online renewals service for overseas electors.

    The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are developing a new online renewals service for overseas electors which will be ready for use in the spring/summer of 2026.

    To ensure the service meets overseas electors’ needs, the digital delivery team in the Elections Division are working with a number of Electoral Registration Officers to invite overseas electors registered in their local authority areas to test the trial service. The testing will take place during June 2025.

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gross Domestic Product (Second Estimate), Corporate Profits (Preliminary Estimate), 1st Quarter 2025

    Source: US Bureau of Economic Analysis

    Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased at an annual rate of 0.2 percent in the first quarter of 2025 (January, February, and March), according to the second estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter of 2024, real GDP increased 2.4 percent.

    The decrease in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected an increase in imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, and a decrease in government spending. These movements were partly offset by increases in investment, consumer spending, and exports.

    Real GDP was revised up 0.1 percentage point from the advance estimate, reflecting an upward revision to investment that was partly offset by a downward revision to consumer spending. For more information, refer to the “Technical Notes” below.

    Compared to the fourth quarter, the downturn in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected an upturn in imports, a deceleration in consumer spending, and a downturn in government spending that were partly offset by upturns in investment and exports.

    Real final sales to private domestic purchasers, the sum of consumer spending and gross private fixed investment, increased 2.5 percent in the first quarter, revised down 0.5 percentage point from the previous estimate.

    The price index for gross domestic purchases increased 3.3 percent in the first quarter, revised down 0.1 percentage point from the previous estimate. The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index increased 3.6 percent, the same as previously estimated. Excluding food and energy prices, the PCE price index increased 3.4 percent, revised down 0.1 percentage point from the previous estimate.

    Real gross domestic income (GDI) decreased 0.2 percent in the first quarter, in contrast to an increase of 5.2 percent in the fourth quarter.

    Profits from current production (corporate profits with inventory valuation and capital consumption adjustments) decreased $118.1 billion in the first quarter, in contrast to an increase of $204.7 billion in the fourth quarter.

    Real GDP and Related Measures
    (Percent change from Q4 2024 to Q1 2025)
      Advance Estimate Second Estimate
    Real GDP -0.3 -0.2
    Current-dollar GDP 3.5 3.4
    Real final sales to private domestic purchasers 3.0 2.5
    Real GDI … -0.2
    Average of real GDP and real GDI … -0.2
    Gross domestic purchases price index 3.4 3.3
    PCE price index 3.6 3.6
    PCE price index excluding food and energy 3.5 3.4
    For definitions, statistical conventions, updates to GDP, and more, visit “Additional Information.”

    Next release:
    June 26, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. EDT
    Gross Domestic Product (Third Estimate)
    Corporate Profits (Revised Estimate)
    Gross Domestic Product by Industry
    1st Quarter 2025

    Technical Notes

    Sources of revisions to real GDP in the second estimate

    Real GDP decreased at an annual rate of 0.2 percent (less than 0.1 percent at a quarterly rate1), an upward revision of 0.1 percentage point from the previous estimate, primarily reflecting an upward revision to investment that was partly offset by a downward revision to consumer spending.

    • Within investment, an upward revision to private inventory investment primarily reflected an updated BEA adjustment to Census Bureau book value data to account for notable increases in imports. Updated and newly available information on the industries impacted the adjustment and led to an upward revision to nondurable goods manufacturing (specifically, chemical manufacturing) that was largely offset by a downward revision to nondurable goods wholesale trade (drugs and sundries). Private inventory investment in other industries (mainly, information) was also revised up, based on new Census Bureau Quarterly Financial Report data.
    • The downward revision to consumer spending reflected downward revisions to services and goods.
      • Within services, the downward revision was led by health care, recreation services, and financial services and insurance, based primarily on new data from the Census Bureau Quarterly Services Survey.
      • Within goods, the downward revision was led by food and beverages and by recreational goods and vehicles, based on revised Census Bureau Monthly Retail Trade Survey data.

    More information on the source data and BEA assumptions that underlie the first-quarter estimate is shown in the key source data and assumptions table.

    1 Percent changes in quarterly seasonally adjusted series are displayed at annual rates, unless otherwise specified. For more information, refer to the FAQ “Why does BEA publish percent changes in quarterly series at annual rates?“.

    MIL OSI USA News –