NewzIntel.com

Category: CTF

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Lincoln County

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Lincoln County

    Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Lincoln County

    FRANKFORT, Ky

    –A Disaster Recovery Center has opened in Lincoln County to offer in-person support to Kentucky survivors who experienced loss as the result of the April severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides

    The new Disaster Recovery Center in Lincoln County is located at: Lincoln County Fire Department Training Center, 309 KY Hwy 590, Stanford, KY 40484 Working hours are 9 a

    m

    to 7 p

    m

    Eastern Time, Monday through Saturday and 1 – 7 p

    m

    Eastern Time, Sunday

    FEMA representatives can explain available assistance programs, how to apply to FEMA, and help connect survivors with resources for their recovery needs

     FEMA is encouraging Kentuckians affected by the April storms to apply for federal disaster assistance as soon as possible

    The deadline to apply is June 25

    You can visit any Disaster Recovery Center to get in-person assistance

    No appointment is needed

    To find all other center locations, including those in other states, go to fema

    gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362

     You don’t have to visit a center to apply for FEMA assistance

    There are other ways to apply: online at DisasterAssistance

    gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call 800-621-3362

    If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service

    When you apply, you will need to provide:A current phone number where you can be contacted

    Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying

    Your Social Security Number

    A general list of damage and losses

    Banking information if you choose direct deposit

    If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name

    For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4860 and www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4864

    Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x

    com/femaregion4

    martyce

    allenjr
    Fri, 05/16/2025 – 16:47

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Muhlenberg County

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Muhlenberg County

    Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Muhlenberg County

    FRANKFORT, Ky

    –A Disaster Recovery Center has opened in Muhlenberg County to offer in-person support to Kentucky survivors who experienced loss as the result of the April severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides

    The new Disaster Recovery Center in Muhlenberg County is located at: Fire Training Center, 61 Career Way, Central City, KY 42330 Working hours are 9 a

    m

    to 7 p

    m

    Central Time, Monday through Saturday and 1 – 7 p

    m

    Central Time, Sunday

    FEMA representatives can explain available assistance programs, how to apply to FEMA and help connect survivors with resources for their recovery needs

     FEMA is encouraging Kentuckians affected by the April storms to apply for federal disaster assistance as soon as possible

    The deadline to apply is June 25

    You can visit any Disaster Recovery Center to get in-person assistance

    No appointment is needed

    To find all other center locations, including those in other states, go to fema

    gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362

     You don’t have to visit a center to apply for FEMA assistance

    There are other ways to apply: online at DisasterAssistance

    gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call 800-621-3362

    If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service

    When you apply, you will need to provide:A current phone number where you can be contacted

    Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying

    Your Social Security Number

    A general list of damage and losses

    Banking information if you choose direct deposit

    If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name

    For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4860 and www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4864

    Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x

    com/femaregion4

    martyce

    allenjr
    Fri, 05/16/2025 – 16:49

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA, International Astronauts Address Students from New York, Ohio

    Source: NASA

    NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi will answer prerecorded questions submitted by middle and high school students from New York and Ohio. Both groups will hear from the astronauts aboard the International Space Station in two separate events.
    The first event at 10:20 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 20, includes students from Long Beach Middle School in Lido Beach, New York. Media interested in covering the event at Long Beach Middle School must RSVP no later than 5 p.m. Monday, May 19, to Christi Tursi at: ctursi@lbeach.org or 516-771-3960.
    The second event at 11 a.m. EDT on Friday, May 23, is with students from Vermilion High School in Vermilion, Ohio. Media interested in covering the event at Vermilion High School must RSVP no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, May 22, to Jennifer Bengele at: jbengele@vermilionschools.org or 440-479-7783.
    Watch both 20-minute Earth-to-space calls live on NASA STEM YouTube Channel.
    Long Beach Middle School will host the event for students in grades 6 through 8. The school aims to provide both the students and community with an experience that bridge gaps in space sciences with teaching and learning in classrooms.
    Vermilion High School will host the event for students in grades 9 through 12, to help increase student interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics career pathways.
    For more than 24 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.
    Research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lay the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars, inspiring Artemis Generation explorers and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery.
    See videos of astronauts aboard the space station at:
    https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
    -end-
    Gerelle DodsonHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1600gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov
    Sandra JonesJohnson Space Center, Houston281-483-5111sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FAKE NEWS FRIDAY: DHS Torches Latest Media Hoax

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: FAKE NEWS FRIDAY: DHS Torches Latest Media Hoax

    ASHINGTON – The Daily Mail published yet another false story Thursday, claiming Secretary Kristi Noem “backed” a reality television show pitch about U

    S

    citizenship

    In a statement, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin slammed the Daily Mail’s false reporting and fake narratives

    “This is completely false

     Daily Mail’s ‘reporting’ is an affront to journalism

    Secretary Noem has not ‘backed’ nor is even aware of the pitch of any scripted or reality show

    DHS receives hundreds of television show pitches a year, ranging from documentaries surrounding ICE and CBP border operations to white collar investigations by HSI

    Each proposal undergoes a thorough vetting process prior to denial or approval

    We need to revive patriotism and civic duty in this country, and we’re happy to review out-of-the-box pitches

    This pitch has not received approval or rejection by staff

    ” – Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Brownlow Utility District to Receive $1 Million to Repair Crackers Neck Road Waterline

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Brownlow Utility District to Receive $1 Million to Repair Crackers Neck Road Waterline

    Brownlow Utility District to Receive $1 Million to Repair Crackers Neck Road Waterline

    FEMA has approved more than $1 million to repair the waterline that runs along Crackers Neck Road and serves the community near Vaught Creek, which was damaged after Tropical Storm Helene swept across Eastern Tennessee in late September

     FEMA’s Public Assistance program will cover eligible costs to remove the current waterline and replace it on the opposite side of the roadway

    The total project cost is $1,340,800

     The federal cost share is $1,005,600

    Because Public Assistance is a cost-sharing program, FEMA reimburses applicants 75% of the eligible cost of approved projects

    The federal share is paid directly to the state to disburse to agencies, local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations that incurred those costs

    The remaining 25% represents nonfederal funds

     The Public Assistance program is FEMA’s largest grant program, providing funding to help communities responding to and recovering from presidentially declared disasters or emergencies

    Helene swept across Tennessee Sept

    26-30 and the president approved a major disaster declaration on Oct

    2, allowing FEMA to pay for disaster-damaged infrastructure

    kwei

    nwaogu
    Fri, 05/16/2025 – 14:20

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Arkansas Survivors Affected by the March 14-15 Severe Storms and Tornadoes Can Apply for Possible FEMA Assistance

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Arkansas Survivors Affected by the March 14-15 Severe Storms and Tornadoes Can Apply for Possible FEMA Assistance

    Arkansas Survivors Affected by the March 14-15 Severe Storms and Tornadoes Can Apply for Possible FEMA Assistance

    LITTLE ROCK – FEMA is supporting state and local recovery efforts for Arkansas homeowners and renters in nine counties who sustained damage from the severe storms and tornadoes that occurred March 14-15

    Financial assistance is available to eligible homeowners and renters in Greene, Hot Spring, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph, Sharp and Stone counties

     FEMA may be able to help with serious needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss or other disaster-caused needs

    Survivors with homeowners or renters’ insurance, should file a claim as soon as possible

    By law, FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance

    If your policy does not cover all your damage expenses, you may then be eligible for federal assistance

    Currently, FEMA assistance is only available to individuals harmed by the March 14-15 severe storms

    It does not cover subsequent storms that occurred outside of those dates

    How To Apply for FEMA AssistanceHomeowners and renters who have disaster-caused damage or loss from the March severe storms and tornadoes can apply for Individual Assistance under the major disaster declaration DR-4865-AR in several ways:Apply online at www

    DisasterAssistance

    gov

    Download the FEMA App for mobile devices

    Call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 between 6 a

    m

    and 10 p

    m

    CT

    Help is available in most languages

    If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service

    To view an accessible video about how to apply visit: Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTube

    When you apply for assistance, have this information readily available:If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company nameA current phone number where you can be contactedYour address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now stayingYour Social Security number, if availableA general list of damage and lossesBanking information for direct depositRemember to keep receipts from all purchases related to cleanup and repair

     Assistance from FEMA can include grants for home repairs, replacement of uninsured personal property and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster

     U

    S

    Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest disaster loans are available to businesses of all sizes, nonprofits, homeowners and renters

    Like FEMA, SBA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance

    For more information, visit fema

    gov/disaster/4865

    Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x

    com/FEMARegion6 and at facebook

    com/FEMARegion6/
    toan

    nguyen
    Fri, 05/16/2025 – 13:33

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 9 Days Left To Apply for FEMA Assistance Following February Severe Storms and Flooding

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency 2

    9 Days Left To Apply for FEMA Assistance Following February Severe Storms and Flooding

    FRANKFORT, Ky. – Homeowners and renters in Breathitt, Clay, Estill, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Martin, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Simpson and Woodford counties who experienced damage or losses caused by the February severe storms and floods have 9 days to apply for federal disaster assistance. The deadline to apply for federal assistance is May 25.  Survivors of the April storms still have until June 25 to Apply.How To Apply for FEMA AssistanceThere are several ways to apply for FEMA assistance:Online at DisasterAssistance.gov.Visit any Disaster Recovery Center. To find a center close to you, visit fema.gov/DRC, or text DRC along with your Zip Code to 43362 (Example: “DRC 29169”).Use the FEMA mobile app.Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. It is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time. Help is available in many languages. If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service. FEMA works with every household on a case-by-case basis.FEMA representatives can explain available assistance programs, how to apply to FEMA, and help connect survivors with resources for their recovery needs.When you apply, you will need to provide:A current phone number where you can be contacted.Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying.Your Social Security Number. A general list of damage and losses.Banking information if you choose direct deposit. If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name.Survivors should keep their contact information updated with FEMA as the agency may need to call to schedule a home inspection or get additional information. Disaster assistance is not a substitute for insurance and is not intended to compensate for all losses caused by a disaster. The assistance is intended to meet basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts. Homeowners and renters in Woodford County may be eligible for federal assistance, if you had property damage or loss in Woodford County from the February severe incident, and then again from the April severe incident, you would need to complete two separate disaster assistance applications.For an accessible video on how to apply for FEMA assistance, go to youtube.com/watch?v=WZGpWI2RCNw. For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4860. Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x.com/femaregion4. 
    martyce.allenjr
    Fri, 05/16/2025 – 11:43

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hubble Captures Cotton Candy Clouds

    Source: NASA

    This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a sparkling cloudscape from one of the Milky Way’s galactic neighbors, a dwarf galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud. Located 160,000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa, the Large Magellanic Cloud is the largest of the Milky Way’s many small satellite galaxies.
    This view of dusty gas clouds in the Large Magellanic Cloud is possible thanks to Hubble’s cameras, such as the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) that collected the observations for this image. WFC3 holds a variety of filters, and each lets through specific wavelengths, or colors, of light. This image combines observations made with five different filters, including some that capture ultraviolet and infrared light that the human eye cannot see.
    The wispy gas clouds in this image resemble brightly colored cotton candy. When viewing such a vividly colored cosmic scene, it is natural to wonder whether the colors are ‘real’. After all, Hubble, with its 7.8-foot-wide (2.4 m) mirror and advanced scientific instruments, doesn’t bear resemblance to a typical camera! When image-processing specialists combine raw filtered data into a multi-colored image like this one, they assign a color to each filter. Visible-light observations typically correspond to the color that the filter allows through. Shorter wavelengths of light such as ultraviolet are usually assigned blue or purple, while longer wavelengths like infrared are typically red.
    This color scheme closely represents reality while adding new information from the portions of the electromagnetic spectrum that humans cannot see. However, there are endless possible color combinations that can be employed to achieve an especially aesthetically pleasing or scientifically insightful image.

    Media Contact:
    Claire Andreoli (claire.andreoli@nasa.gov)NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA X-59’s Latest Testing Milestone: Simulating Flight from the Ground

    Source: NASA

    NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft successfully completed a critical series of tests in which the airplane was put through its paces for cruising high above the California desert – all without ever leaving the ground.
    “The idea behind these tests is to command the airplane’s subsystems and flight computer to function as if it is flying,” said Yohan Lin, the X-59’s lead avionics engineer at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.
    The goal of ground-based simulation testing was to make sure the hardware and software that will allow the X-59 to fly safely are properly working together and able to handle any unexpected problems.
    Any new aircraft is a combination of systems, and identifying the little adjustments required to optimize performance is an important step in a disciplined approach toward flight.
    “We thought we might find a few things during the tests that would prompt us to go back and tweak them to work better, especially with some of the software, and that’s what we wound up experiencing. So, these tests were very helpful,” Lin said.
    Completing the tests marks another milestone off the checklist of things to do before the X-59 makes its first flight this year, continuing NASA’s Quesst mission to help enable commercial supersonic air travel over land.
    Simulating the Sky
    During the testing, engineers from NASA and contractor Lockheed Martin turned on most of the X-59’s systems, leaving the engine off. For example, if the pilot moved the control stick a certain way, the flight computer moved the aircraft’s rudder or other control surfaces, just as it would in flight.
    At the same time, the airplane was electronically connected to a ground computer that sends simulated signals – which the X-59 interpreted as real – such as changes in altitude, speed, temperature, or the health of various systems.
    Sitting in the cockpit, the pilot “flew” the aircraft to see how the airplane would respond.
    “These were simple maneuvers, nothing too crazy,” Lin said. “We would then inject failures into the airplane to see how it would respond. Would the system compensate for the failure? Was the pilot able to recover?”
    Unlike in typical astronaut training simulations, where flight crews do not know what scenarios they might encounter, the X-59 pilots mostly knew what the aircraft would experience during every test and even helped plan them to better focus on the aircraft systems’ response.

    Aluminum vs. Iron
    In aircraft development, this work is known as “iron bird” testing, named for a simple metal frame on which representations of the aircraft’s subsystems are installed, connected, and checked out.
    Building such a testbed is a common practice for development programs in which many aircraft will be manufactured. But since the X-59 is a one-of-a-kind airplane, officials decided it was better and less expensive to use the aircraft itself.
    As a result, engineers dubbed this series of exercises “aluminum bird” testing, since that’s the metal the X-59 is mostly made of.
    So, instead of testing an “iron bird” with copies of an aircraft’s systems on a non-descript frame, the “aluminum bird” used the actual aircraft and its systems, which in turn meant the test results gave everyone higher confidence in the design,
    “It’s a perfect example of the old tried and true adage in aviation that says ‘Test what you fly. Fly what you test,’” Lin said.
    Still Ahead for the X-59
    With aluminum bird testing in the rearview mirror, the next milestone on the X-59’s path to first flight is take the airplane out on the taxiways at the airport adjacent to Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, where the X-59 was built. First flight would follow those taxi tests.
    Already in the X-59’s logbook since the fully assembled and painted airplane made its public debut in January 2024:

    Testing the aircraft’s ability to maintain a certain speed while flying, essentially a check of the X-59’s version of cruise control.

    The X-59 Tests in 59

    [embedded content]
    Watch this video about the X-59 aluminum bird testing. It only takes a minute. Well, 59 seconds to be precise.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: South Asian Food Inc. Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Peanuts in “Bengal King Family Pack Vegetable Singara”

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    Summary

    Company Announcement Date:
    May 16, 2025
    FDA Publish Date:
    May 16, 2025
    Product Type:
    Food & BeveragesAllergens
    Reason for Announcement:

    Recall Reason Description
    Undeclared Allergen – Peanut

    Company Name:
    South Asian Foods Inc.
    Brand Name:

    Brand Name(s)
    Bengal King

    Product Description:

    Product Description
    Family Pack Vegetable Singara

    Company Announcement
    South Asian Food Inc. of Maspeth, NY, is recalling its 1875g packages of Bengal King Family Pack Vegetable Singara because they may contain undeclared peanuts. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.
    The recalled Bengal King Family Pack Vegetable Singara was distributed nationwide in retail stores and through mail orders.
    The product comes in a white paper, labeled with – Bengal King Family Pack Vegetable Singara”- 1875g in black, green and blue lettering on the front, Lot # 007, UPC Number # 1824448372340 and expiration date of 06/10/2026 printed on back of the package.
    No allergic reactions or illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this issue.
    The recall was initiated after it was discovered that a peanut-containing ingredient was included in the product without being declared on the label. A subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by unintentional human error in the packaging processes.
    Production of the product has been suspended while the company and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) work to ensure that the issue has been fully corrected.
    Consumers who have purchased 1875g packages of Bengal King Family Pack Vegetable Singara are urged not to consume them and to return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.
    Consumers with questions may contact South Asian Food Inc. at 718-894-2507 between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

    Company Contact Information

    Consumers:
    South Asian Food Inc., Mohammed Khan
    718-894-2507

    Content current as of:
    05/16/2025

    Regulated Product(s)

    Topic(s)

    Follow FDA

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Pillen Commits Administrative and Resource Support for Medical Cannabis Commission as it Begins its Regulatory Work

    Source: US State of Nebraska

    . Pillen Commits Administrative and Resource Support for Medical Cannabis Commission as it Begins its Regulatory Work  

    LINCOLN, NE – Today, Governor Jim Pillen announced his intentions to provide administrative support and resources to the newly-created Medical Cannabis Commission through the Policy Research Office and Department of Administrative Services, consistent with the support those agencies provide to other agencies during the regulatory process.  The Commission was created through voter approval of two statutory initiatives related to medical marijuana in November 2024. Initiative 437 enacted a statute known as the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection Act (“Patient Protection Act”), now codified at Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 71-24,103 to 71-24,105, and Initiative 438 enacted a statute known as the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation Act (“Regulation Act”), now codified at Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 71-24,106 – 71-24,111. Under the Regulation Act, the three members of the Liquor Control Commission shall be ex officio members of the Commission, and two more members are appointed by the Governor.

    “I have appointed two experienced, well-qualified individuals to the Medical Cannabis Commission, who will ensure this new industry is strongly regulated to the letter of the law the people of Nebraska enacted,” said Gov. Pillen. “I urge the Legislature to promptly confirm them so they can take up the urgent work of writing strong and effective ‘rules of the road’ for the medical cannabis industry.”

    With support from the Policy Research Office, the Department of Administrative Services, and other agencies, as necessary, the Medical Cannabis Commission is fully enabled to meet and carry out its responsibilities under the Patient Protection Act and the Regulation Act to meet its milestone dates of July 1 and October 1. With the operational funding already appropriated to the Medical Cannabis Commission and the statutory financial authority of the Department of Administrative Services, the Commission will have all the financial resources it needs to effectively function under current law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Governor Newsom reassures international partners that Trump’s tariffs don’t represent California

    Source: US State of California 2

    May 16, 2025

    SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom kicked off #WorldTradeMonth with a round of key international interviews with journalists from major broadcast networks in Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. In the interviews, Governor Newsom addressed the Trump Slump’s impact on the state’s economy and assured international partners that the harmful tariff policies from Washington, DC, are not reflective of the views of California.

    United Kingdom

    Interview with BBC

    Speaking with  Paddy O’Connell for BBC Newsnight, Governor Newsom said,

    “The impacts of these tariffs – the recklessness of these tariffs – are disproportionately felt on the tentpole of the U.S. economy. We’re 14% of the U.S. economy, so the success of this country is, in many respects, determined by the success of this state.”

    Facts:

    • British-owned companies employ more than 130,600 jobs in California
    • California exported $5 billion in goods to the United Kingdom in 2024 – making it the state’s 12th largest export market
    • Tourism from the United Kingdom to California was down 22% in March 2025 from the same time last year

    Canada

    Interview with CTV

    Speaking with Vassy Kapelos, Governor Newsom said,

    “Forget Trump’s golden age of success. From our ports to our shopping carts to vacation hotspots, the Trump Slump has already begun. American families shouldn’t have to pay for this administration’s chaotic policies.”

    Facts:

    • Canada is California’s fourth largest source of foreign investment
    • California exported $18.4 billion and imported $16.3 billion in goods from Canada in 2024
    • Canadian tourism to California declined 16% in March 2025 compared to March 2024

    Japan

    Interview with Nikkei

    Speaking with TV Tokyo’s Yifan Yu, Governor Newsom said,

    “California is a stable trading partner. When it comes to trade, we come with an open hand, not a clenched fist.”

    Facts:

    • Japan is California’s second largest source of foreign investment
    • Japan is California’s sixth largest partner in the world for two-way trade
    • California imported $27.7 billion and exported $10.9 billion in goods to Japan in 2024

    Mexico

    Interview with TV Azteca

    In an interview with TV Azteca’s Lucy Bravo, Governor Newsom said,

    “California is now the fourth largest economy in the world. No state has been more affected by these tariffs than California. The effects are being felt in real time. We are seeing reductions in cargo at our entry ports.”

    Facts:

    • Mexico is California’s 13th-largest source of foreign investment.
    • Mexico is California’s top export market, with the state exporting $33.5 billion in 2024.
    • Mexico is California’s second largest import market, with the state importing $64.3 billion in goods in 2024.

    South Korea

    Interview with MBC News Desk

    Speaking with Yoonsoo Park of MBC News Desk, Governor Newsom said,

    “Partnerships, both personally and professionally, are critical to the world we want to build. Your success is our success. This is not a zero-sum game.”

    Facts: 

    • Korean-owned companies in California support nearly 19,000 jobs
    • South Korea is California’s fifth largest partner globally in two-way trade

    California exported $8.8 billion worth of goods to South Korea in 2024, making it the state’s sixth largest export market

    California’s action on tariffs

    Beyond assuring international partners of their value to California’s economy, Governor Newsom has announced first-in-the-nation actions to block President Trump’s chaotic tariff policies. 

    This week, Governor Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to immediately stop President Trump’s unlawful tariffs. This follows the Governor’s lawsuit announced in April against President Trump’s tariffs, citing the president’s lack of authority to unilaterally impose tariffs through the International Economic Emergency Powers Act and noting their harmful effects on Americans and the economy. Following California’s lawsuit, 12 states have also announced similar legal action.

    Recent news

    May 15, 2025

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    May 15, 2025

    News Sacramento, California — Governor Gavin Newsom today condemned U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for calling on the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a “complete review” of mifepristone — the safe, effective, and…

    May 14, 2025

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DAGS hires Yovo Stefanov as Business Transformation Project Director

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    DAGS hires Yovo Stefanov as Business Transformation Project Director

    Posted on May 16, 2025 in Main

    Yovo Stefanov

    DAGS is pleased to announce it has hired Yovo Stefanov as Director of the Business Transformation Office (BTO), a newly created office to support Statewide Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system efforts to modernize business processes, beginning with the current Enterprise Financial System (EFS) project to revolutionize Hawai‘i’s financial and budget systems.

    “Yovo’s job is to leverage the latest technology and best practices to improve the financial management capabilities of state departments, agencies, and elected officials by giving them accurate financial information in a timely manner so they can make informed decisions for the state,” said DAGS Director and Comptroller Keith Regan. “He will guide the changes related to EFS, from preparation to deployment, with a strong emphasis on change management.”

    Stefanov’s expertise is in IT and change management. He was most recently at Hawaiʻi Gas as a senior project manager, but it was his work at First Hawaiian Bank (FHB) from 2019 to 2023 that most closely mirrors the work he will be doing now.

    “I was a compliance systems manager at FHB for four years managing anti-money laundering efforts that included fraud, risk management and compliance, and related strategic initiatives. Our biggest project was to convert a 40-year-old mainframe system into modern banking software,” said Stefanov. “That’s much like what DAGS has with its 55-year-old legacy mainframe system.”

    He draws comparisons to the complexity, magnitude and duration of the FHB project. “A bank is one of the few private sector businesses that can come close to the size of state government. I’m excited to bring my experience to the government sector and contribute to a large-scale modernization effort that puts Hawai‘i’s people first,” stated Stefanov.

    Stefanov has also worked in the real estate, technology and utility industries, in a career that extends over 15 years. He holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Business Administration, Finance and IT from Hawaiʻi Pacific University.

    In his spare time, you can still find the former professional soccer player on the pitch, when he’s not sailing, kitesurfing, training for triathlons, coaching youth soccer or performing volunteer work.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Selling More Than $64,000 Worth of Fentanyl

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    A fentanyl dealer was sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for his role in distributing over $64,000 worth of fentanyl, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.

    On May 15, 2025, Donald Derrell Slay, Jr., 31, of Richardson, Texas, was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison by United States District Judge Brantley Starr for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.  Court filings reveal that, in late 2022 into early 2023, Slay and two others, Hakeem Aziz Wiley and Richard Daniel Gomez, sold several quantities of fentanyl to undercover officers on multiple occasions in the Dallas area.  One delivery involved 6,000 fentanyl pills in exchange for $15,000.00.

    Slay, Wiley, and Gomez each pled guilty to a conspiracy count after indictment.  Hakeem Aziz Wiley, 26, of Frisco, was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison by Judge Starr in January 2025.   Richard Daniel Gomez, 24, of Carrollton, Texas, received a sentence of 37 months in federal prison from Judge Starr in February this year.

    Fentanyl pills have an approximate street value of $10 per pill.  The potential street value of the fentanyl pills seized in this case is approximately $64,690.00.

    The case was investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety.  Assistant United States Attorney George Leal prosecuted the case.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Repeat Sex Offender Who Held Standoff with SWAT Team Found Guilty of Federal Child Exploitation Crimes by South Florida Jury

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – This week, a federal jury sitting in Fort Pierce, Florida found Michael Gordon Douglas, 48, of Escondido, California guilty of seven counts of Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (“CSAM”) and one count of Attempted Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity.

    Federal prosecutors proved the following during the five-day trial: In October 2023, South Florida law enforcement learned that Douglas was active in an online chat room focused on incest and other sexual taboo. Douglas communicated with someone he believed was the mother of an eight-year-old girl. During months of chats, Douglas bragged about his sexual experiences with children and posted dozens of sexually explicit photos and videos. He repeatedly instructed the mother on how to gradually sexualize her child so that she would be ready, willing, and able to have sex with him. At one point, Douglas tried to set up a Halloween sex party where he offered to take the child’s virginity “in front of a meth-fueled orgy.”

    On the day of a planned meet-up with the child, Douglas spotted law enforcement and erratically drove away. Agents stopped the vehicle, and a female passenger jumped out screaming, “He’s got a grenade, he’s going to kill us!” Douglas then pulled the pin out of what looked like a real grenade and held a standoff with a SWAT team.  Douglas eventually put down the replica grenade and was arrested.

    Inside Douglas’s car, law enforcement discovered sex toys, personal lubricant, extra-small lingerie, a small speculum, and a unicorn stuffed animal. During planning chats, Douglas said he would bring those very items to his encounter with the child. The trial evidence showed that Douglas purchased most of these items online the day before the meeting with rush delivery.

    Sentencing is currently set for August 25 at 10 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon. Douglas faces a minimum of 15 years and up to life in federal prison.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and acting Special Agent in Charge Jose Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office made the announcement. 

    HSI Miami and HSI San Diego Field Divisions investigated the case. U.S. Attorneys Justin Chapman and Adam McMichael are prosecuting it. 

    The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-80219.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Montgomery Man Sentenced on Federal Firearm Charge Following High-Speed Vehicle Pursuit and Shooting Incident

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MONTGOMERY, AL – Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced today that a Montgomery man has been sentenced to prison following his conviction in federal court. On May 15, 2025, 38-year-old Lorenzo Anterrio Monta received a sentence of 180 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Upon completion of his 15-year prison term, Monta will serve three years of supervised release. As with all federal sentences, there is no parole.

    According to court records, on March 21, 2024, officers with the Montgomery Police Department (MPD) identified a vehicle traveling near Eastdale Road and Atlanta Highway that had been reported stolen earlier that day. When officers attempted a traffic stop, the driver refused to pull over and instead accelerated, initiating a high-speed pursuit.

    During the chase, a passenger in the vehicle—later identified as Monta—leaned out of the car window and fired multiple shots toward the pursuing MPD patrol vehicle. The pursuit ended when the driver brought the vehicle to a stop, and both occupants, including Monta, fled on foot. Officers quickly apprehended both individuals in the surrounding area. When Monta was taken into custody, officers recovered a handgun from his pocket.

    Monta has prior felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. On December 20, 2024, he pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    “Lorenzo Monta’s actions showed a complete disregard for public safety and law enforcement,” said Acting United States Attorney Davidson. “Firing a weapon during a high-speed pursuit placed countless lives at risk. The sentence imposed was the maximum allowed by statute and reflects the seriousness of the offense. Our office remains committed to holding armed, violent felons accountable and we will continue working with our local and federal partners to protect our communities from gun violence.”

    This case was investigated by the Montgomery Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorney Eric M. Counts prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Health Aide Worker Sentenced for Stealing from the Family of Dying Hospice Patient

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WASHINGTON – Beverly Ochoa, 30, of Derwood, Maryland, was sentenced today to a 12-month suspended sentence for first-degree theft in the stealing of $2,600 cash from the elderly wife of a hospice patient, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

    Ochoa pleaded guilty on Feb. 28, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of first-degree theft. As part of the sentence, Superior Court Judge Robert Salerno ordered one year of supervised probation to include 40 hours of community service and suspended three years of supervised release.

    According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of Oct. 1, MPD officers were called to the victims’ home in Southeast, where an elderly couple resided, and the husband was receiving hospice care. The couple employed two health aide caregivers from different companies to assist with the care of the patient. One of the workers, Ochoa, was in the home with the patient when the patient’s wife came downstairs to pay the other health aide worker. When she asked Ochoa where the other worker was, Ochoa said she had left the residence. The patient’s wife then placed the $2,600 in $100 bills inside a drawer so she could pay the other worker later and left for a medical appointment. When the patient’s wife returned later that day, the cash was missing from the drawer. The couple’s family arrived at the home and reviewed in-home security camera footage. The video captured Ochoa retrieving something from the kitchen and placing it in her purse. The family called law enforcement and when officers arrived, they found $2,600, in $100 bills, inside the defendant’s purse. She was arrested that day.

    In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

    They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nickolas Reck and Katherine Ballou, who prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defendant Sentenced to Prison in Domestic Violence Case

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Dulce man was sentenced to 24 months in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon following a violent domestic incident.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court documents, on November 16, 2021, Jicarilla Apache Police responded to a report of domestic violence at a residence within the Jicarilla Apache Nation. Upon arrival, officers found an adult female victim visibly distressed and injured. Officers observed fresh abrasions and other signs of physical harm.

    The investigation revealed that an argument between Orlyn Vigil, 49, an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and the victim escalated into violence. Vigil physically assaulted the victim, including strangling, dragging, and throwing her to the ground. As the victim attempted to leave the area, Vigil struck her with a vehicle, causing further injury.

    Vigil pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon. Upon his release from prison, Vigil will be subject to three years of supervised release.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison made the announcement today.

    The Jicarilla Apache Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Mia Ulibarri-Rubin and Nicholas J. Marshall are prosecuting the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jefferson County man sentenced to federal prison after robbing convenience store and leading police on a high-speed chase

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man has been sentenced to federal prison for violent crime violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.

    Patrick Lee Bridgewater, 22, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on May 16, 2025.

    According to court documents, on April 14, 2023, local law enforcement officers responded to a report of an armed robbery in progress at the Speedy Stop on College Street in Beaumont.  Witnesses reported two men entered the store and demanded money from the clerk at gunpoint. A description of the men and the vehicle they fled in was broadcast to law enforcement.  The vehicle was quickly located traveling eastbound on College Street. A traffic stop was initiated, but the vehicle evaded police resulting in a high-speed chase eventually ending in Nederland.  Bridgewater was a passenger in the vehicle, which had been reported stolen and was being driven by a minor.  Evidence from the robbery was found in the vehicle.

    This case was sentenced as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    This case was investigated by FBI’s Beaumont field office and the Beaumont Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Grove.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dominican National Sentenced Under Alien Registration Act

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WILMINGTON, Del. – A Dominican national residing in New Castle County, Delaware was sentenced on May 13, 2025, to 30 days’ probation for failing to notify the U.S. government of his change of address, in violation of the Alien Registration Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Shannon T. Hanson. The Honorable Laura D. Hatcher, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Delaware, pronounced the sentence.

    According to court documents and information provided in open court, Wagner Rivera-Campusano, 27, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) in 2023 and was given bail. He provided ICE an address in New York City.  Mr. Rivera did not appear for his immigration proceedings and was ordered removed from the U.S. in absentia.  In approximately September 2024, Mr. Rivera moved to Delaware without informing the federal government of his new address. 

    In April 2025, Mr. Rivera was convicted of a drug felony in the Superior Court of Delaware.  He was released to ICE custody and charged federally with failure to notify the U.S. government of his address change.  As Mr. Rivera was informed in open court, he will almost certainly be deported. Should he return to the U.S., Mr. Rivera will face significantly enhanced penalties because of his Delaware state drug conviction.  

    To date, in support of Operation Take Back America, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware has filed a total of 58 immigration and border security-related cases between January 20, 2025, and May 13, 2025, an 800% increase over those charged with illegally re-entering the country during the same timeframe in 2024.

    This announcement is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware.   

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Sustainability discussions focus on trade policy considerations and practices

    Source: WTO

    Headline: Sustainability discussions focus on trade policy considerations and practices

    Richard Tarasofsky of Canada, a co-convener of TESSD, together with Costa Rica, thanked the facilitators of the working groups for advancing the outcome documents.  “I encourage all of you to engage actively, (as) we are now less than one year away from MC14 ,” he said.
    The four TESSD working groups held technical discussions on their respective topics and exchanged views on the first drafts of possible outcome documents in line with guidance provided by the high-level plenary meeting on 4 December 2024.
    In the Working Group on Subsidies, members explored the role of trade policy and international cooperation in decarbonizing maritime transport. They focused in particular on subsidies and other policy incentives for sustainable marine fuels, port infrastructure and green corridors, as well as on the role of financing and technical assistance to support developing economies in this regard.
    Setting the scene, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) introduced the new IMO Net-Zero Framework with mandatory emission limits. The European Union presented its policies and measures to support sustainable marine fuels, while DNV, a Norwegian private company, and the Global Maritime Forum (GMF), a not-for-profit organization, introduced their work in supporting the establishment of green shipping corridors. MSC Group presented the actions being taken to decarbonize their global fleet and the necessity for regulatory certainty and clarity for private sector investments related to decarbonization. Regarding a possible working group outcome, members considered key design elements in subsidies, including considerations for effective subsidy design and related practices among members.
    The Working Group on Circular Economy – Circularity heard about technical assistance projects offering insights into trade and circular economy, including from the International Trade Centre (ITC) and Mauritius on trade policy and regional cooperation in recycling lithium-ion batteries of electronic vehicles. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) also shared perspectives on trade-related aspects of circular economy in developing economies, highlighting opportunities for technology transfer for water treatment and textile circularity. In terms of a possible working group outcome, members focused on trade-related practices in priority sectors, such as textiles, batteries, electronics and renewable energy.
    In the Working Group on Environmental Goods and Services (EGS), members shared experiences of identifying and facilitating trade in EGS. Jaime Coghi Arias from Costa Rica, Chair of the Joint Initiative on Services Domestic Regulation, highlighted the link between good regulatory practices and environmental services. Switzerland introduced approaches used for identifying EGS under the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS) undertaken by Costa Rica, Iceland, New Zealand and Switzerland. The United Kingdom shared insights into EGS for climate adaptation in the water sector, and Argentina outlined its work in relation to sustainable agriculture. Members also reviewed suggestions on the working group’s draft outcome document.
    In the Working Group on Trade-Related Climate Measures (TrCMs), members heard presentations on border carbon adjustments (BCAs), with a focus on carbon standards and measurement methodologies. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) introduced its work on interoperability in its “Global Stakeholder Dialogues”. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) highlighted the importance of cross-border data-sharing through digitalization and customs cooperation. With regard to the first draft for an outcome, members brainstormed on how to compile policies in relation to climate objectives.
    Concluding the two-day meetings, Ana Lizano of Costa Rica, co-convenor of TESSD, said: “It was very encouraging to see the participation of the private sector and the sharing of experiences by developing economies across all four groups, even from non-co-sponsors. Looking ahead, we have made significant progress on the outcome documents, reflecting members’ inputs. We look forward to your collective support in refining the documents to ensure they are fit for purpose.”
    Presentations and documents related to the working group meetings are available here.
    Guided by their 2021 Ministerial Statement, TESSD seeks to complement the work of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment and advance discussions at the intersection of trade and environmental sustainability towards identifying concrete actions that members could take individually or collectively. The initiative, which is open to all WTO members, is currently co-sponsored by 78 members representing all regions and all levels of development.

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    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Committee on Market Access marks 30th anniversary amid trade tensions

    Source: World Trade Organization

    30 years of the CMA

    Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard spoke at an event prior to the start of the meeting to mark the 30th anniversary of the CMA. Her remarks were followed by a panel discussion that included remarks from former chairs of the CMA.

    “Market access is one of the cornerstones of the multilateral trading system, and it lies at the heart of what the WTO seeks to achieve: enabling trade to flow as smoothly, predictably and transparently as possible through agreed rules,” DDG Ellard said.

    “This is why the work of the Committee on Market Access is not merely technical; it is foundational to the integrity and effectiveness of the entire WTO framework,” she continued. “Even amid widespread uncertainty these days surrounding tariff levels, this Committee provides stability for governments and traders on a wide variety of nuts-and-bolts issues, such as tariff classification, trade restrictions, and information sharing through databases and other means by operationalizing a durable system of rules and a mechanism to address concerns.”

    Achievements of the CMA include enabling members to make their commitments more accessible and ensuring the legal clarity and comparability of concessions across time and among members through the transposition of commitments into updated versions of the Harmonized System used to classify traded goods. Other achievements include strengthening the transparency around applied tariffs and import data through initiatives such as the Integrated Database and, more recently, the new Tariff and Trade Data platform.

    Linked with this event, a special exhibition was set up at the WTO headquarters to mark the 30th anniversary.  The exhibition highlights key historical milestones of the Committee’s work. In particular, it looks at how technology has shaped the preparation of members’ goods schedules, the development of trade and tariff databases, and the broader work of the WTO Secretariat in making trade information accessible to WTO members and the public.

    Joint work on Harmonized System codes for vaccines

    The interim Chair of the CMA, Nicola Waterfield (Canada), welcomed the progress made in the joint effort by the World Customs Organization (WCO), World Health Organization (WHO) and the WTO to establish new tariff headings for vaccines under the Harmonized System (HS). 

    “The new HS codes, which will be adopted by the WCO Council in June for implementation on 1 January 2028, help better identify and classify goods vital for responding to health crises and support coherence between trade policies and public health objectives, including ensuring global equitable access to vaccines,” the Chair said.

    Gael Grooby, Acting Director of the Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate of the WCO, said the aim of the exercise is to make the covered goods more visible within trade so that they can be tracked and appropriate measures put into place as needed. She emphasized that the work between the CMA and the WCO on this matter “has been unprecedented”.

    The Chair proposed that the CMA invite representatives from the three organizations to discuss the insights gained from this experience and to collectively reflect on the key elements that facilitated such a successful example of collaboration.

    Committee report on supply chain resilience

    The CMA adopted a report on supply chain resilience, the outcome of a series of thematic sessions on the topic held between 2023 and 2025. Specifically, the report defines supply chain resilience, identifies supply chain vulnerabilities, and describes how members measure and monitor global supply chains and what measures support supply chain resilience. The report also examines the role of international and regional cooperation, and the role of the CMA.  

    The Chair observed that the CMA has created a unique approach to thematic sessions, where members have a space to exchange information, learn from each other and produce concrete results that can be used for future reference.

    Trade fragmentation, EU deforestation regulation

    Canada, the European Union and Norway introduced an agenda item addressing fragmentation of global trade through tariffs and the associated global costs. They voiced concerns about the impact of recent tariff measures and the resulting uncertainty on global trade for businesses, consumers and workers. They also underlined the importance of the rules-based multilateral trading system. Ten other members took the floor on this item, with most echoing these concerns. Several also underlined the importance of WTO reform and improvement of its functions so that it remains a central pillar of the global trading system.

    Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru introduced a joint communication regarding the European Union’s Regulation on Deforestation-Free Supply Chains (EUDR). The four members contend the regulation is a quantitative restriction (QR) on imports and therefore should be notified to the CMA as such. They reiterated their belief that the regulation imposes cumbersome obligations and will virtually ban from the EU market the importation of beef, wood, palm oil, soya, coffee, cocoa and rubber that do not comply with the regulation’s requirements.  The EU said the EUDR is not a market access measure but rather an internal regulation measure designed in line with WTO rules.

    Trade concerns

    Members discussed 33 trade concerns, eight of which were raised for the first time. New concerns dealt with exports of coffee beans and macadamia nuts to China, proposed export restrictions on raw minerals by the Philippines and measures equivalent to quantitative restrictions on the import of wooden boards and viscose staple fibre in India.  Other new concerns covered market access issues for agricultural commodities and food products as well as market access issues faced by the pharmaceutical sector in Thailand, and import restrictions on pocket lighters in India.

    New concerns were also raised in relation to reciprocal tariffs and other tariff measures in the United States and the treatment of like products under the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS) concluded by Costa Rica, Iceland, New Zealand and Switzerland.

    The list of specific trade concerns discussed during the meeting is available here.

    Notifications on quantitative restrictions

    The interim Chair drew members’ attention to a new WTO Secretariat report, “Notification Status of Regular/Period and One-Time Only Notifications in the Goods Area (1995-2024)” (G/C/W/859 ). While the document found that there has been an overall submission rate of 68.9% for regular or periodic notifications, compliance with quantitative restrictions notifications, pursuant to the 2012 Decision  on Notification Procedure for Quantitative Restrictions, was the lowest at just over 26%.

    The Chair said she was aware that various initiatives have been undertaken over time by members and the WTO Secretariat to improve the overall compliance record but members still struggle to comply with certain notification requirements. As a result, she invited members to consider what barriers impact compliance and what possible steps could be taken to improve the submission rate and the quality of such notifications. The Committee agreed to hold such discussions at its next informal meeting scheduled in June.

    Next meeting

    The next formal meeting of the Committee on Market Access will take place on 15-16 October.

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    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Philip R. Lane: The communication of monetary policy decisions: incorporating risks and uncertainty

    Source: European Central Bank

    Remarks by Philip R. Lane, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at the Second Thomas Laubach Research Conference

    Washington, D.C., 16 May 2025

    In my remarks today I will focus on how the ECB communicates its monetary policy decisions, with a particular emphasis on the integration of risks and uncertainty into the monetary policy decision-making process.[1][2]

    Monetary policy meetings take place over two days. On Wednesday afternoon, there are presentations by ECB Executive Board members: Isabel Schnabel reports on the latest financial market developments and I review the global environment and the latest economic, monetary and financial developments in the euro area. This is followed by a general discussion of these topics by Governing Council members. On Thursday morning, I present a proposal for the monetary policy decision, which is then discussed by the Governing Council. After the monetary policy decision is made (typically by consensus), the monetary policy statement is finalised by the Governing Council, concluding the Thursday morning session.

    In the afternoon, a press release announcing the decision is published at 2:15 p.m. While this press release was quite succinct in the past, a summary explanation for the decision is now included, and — for the quarterly meetings — the main elements of the staff macroeconomic projections are reported.

    At the opening of the press conference at 2:45 p.m., President Lagarde reads out the monetary policy statement. The opening section matches the press release, while further sections go into more detail on economic activity, inflation, the risk assessment and monetary and financial developments. This is followed by a question-and-answer session. After the press conference, the quarterly forecast meetings also see the publication of a staff article that explains the new set of macroeconomic projections. About two weeks later, the Economic Bulletin is published, containing summaries of the preparatory analysis that was made available to the Governing Council prior to the meeting. An account of the meeting is published about a month after the meeting.

    The aim of the monetary policy statement is not only to explain the immediate decision but also to update the underlying narrative in terms of the overall orientation of the monetary stance, the main forces shaping the dynamics of the economy and the inflation process, the evolving risk assessment and monetary and financial developments. The discipline of limiting the length of the monetary policy statement (it was about 1,500 words in April) puts a premium on identifying the main issues that the Governing Council wishes to emphasise. At the same time, this length offers room for a sufficiently broad survey of these themes to underpin the monetary policy decision. Naturally, at the quarterly meetings, there is also considerable external interest in the details of the new staff macroeconomic projections: it makes sense to publish the staff article after the press conference. In that way, the initial focus in the monetary policy statement and the press conference is on the Governing Council’s overall assessment of the situation, whereas the technical details of the staff work follow thereafter.

    The publication of the meeting account summarises the presentations by Isabel and myself and the ensuing discussions among the members of the Governing Council. The account includes a section entitled “Monetary policy considerations and policy options” that provides the main features of the monetary policy proposal that I presented at the meeting. This typically includes considerations of how risk factors were taken into account in the proposal.[3] Especially since the Governing Council’s monetary policy decisions are typically consensual, the summary of the discussion provides valuable insights into the range of views expressed at the meeting.

    Taken together, the press release, the MPS, the press conference, the staff macroeconomic projections article, the Economic Bulletin and the meeting accounts provide a phased sequence of public information releases that helps external audiences to understand how we make our monetary policy decisions. In addition, in pursuing a multi-layered approach to public communication, a visual monetary policy statement is also released, which explains the monetary policy decision in short and easy-to-understand language, accompanied by a set of infographics to illustrate the main messages.[4]

    These decision materials are complemented by speeches and interviews by Executive Board and Governing Council members. The publication of an array of analytical contributions by staff (through the Economic Bulletin, the ECB Blog, working papers and occasional papers) also helps improve understanding of monetary policy formation, including in relation to the staff projections, which form a key analytical input into monetary policy meetings.

    In view of this rich information set, would it be a game changer if the Governing Council additionally published its conditional assessment of the most likely future rate path, as practised by some other central banks? Putting aside the logistical challenge of forming a consensus on the conditional future rate path among the twenty-six members of the Governing Council, it is my view that such an exercise would create unwarranted expectations about the future rate path. Moreover, it would distort the monetary policy decision-making process in view of the potential reputational costs associated with deviations of actual decisions from the previously-flagged path.[5] Procedurally, publishing a conditional rate path would also be awkward in the context of a staff-led projections exercise that is based on the market rate path.

    More fundamentally, publishing a conditional baseline for the future rate path would not well capture the sensitivity of future rate decisions to the evolving macroeconomic environment and shifts in the risk assessment. As part of the meeting preparations, the staff analyse a family of plausible future rate paths and it would convey excessive confidence if any one candidate rate path were to be singled out. In particular, staff simulation exercises show the sensitivity of rate paths to both the point-in-time macroeconomic projections and various underlying assumptions that underpin model-based optimal rate paths as well as “robust” rate paths that seek to minimise the risk of a policy error across a range of plausible scenarios. Importantly, all such rate path analyses are sensitive to the assumptions made about the preferences of policymakers.[6] Even if the rate path simulation exercises are highly valuable inputs into the internal development of the monetary policy proposal, it is preferable to take a meeting-by-meeting approach and focus the public communication on the immediate decision.[7]

    At the same time, to improve external understanding of how we make decisions, it is helpful set out the criteria guiding the reaction function to the main risk factors prevailing at any point in time.[8] This provides “reaction function” guidance in terms of the key inputs driving monetary policy decisions.[9] For instance, during the disinflation process over the last two years, the Governing Council has highlighted that measures of underlying inflation and the incoming evidence on the strength of monetary policy transmission were especially important in guiding decisions, in addition to the “standard” role of the inflation outlook (comprising both the baseline and the risks around it). The prominence of these specific risk proxies reflected the high uncertainty about the intrinsic persistence of the inflation surge (such that measures of underlying inflation provided important insights into the persistent component of inflation) and, similarly, the high uncertainty about the impact of the exceptionally fast pace of the cumulative rate hiking over 2022-2023 (such that monitoring the evidence on the strength of monetary transmission was crucial). Since both inflation persistence and the strength of monetary transmission are first order influences on the calibration of the rate path, the prominence given to these factors in our public communication have helped market participants to understand that the incoming information along these dimensions is central to our data-dependent monetary policy decisions. Looking to the future, the exact articulation of reaction function guidance should be periodically updated in line with the evolving risk environment: there is unlikely to be a fixed, timeless list of risk proxies.

    The risk assessment section of the monetary policy statement provides additional signals regarding the factors that might shape future rate decisions. The meeting-by-meeting list of upside and downside risks to growth and inflation help to shape market pricing of future rate decisions: as the evolution of these risks become more or less prominent between meetings, market participants can revise their views. Naturally, this risk assessment is informed by considerable staff analysis that identifies and calibrates material threats to the growth and inflation projections.

    Finally, alternative scenarios have been included in the staff macroeconomic projections exercise in the context of specific risk constellations. These include the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, the unjustified invasion of Ukraine by Russia in early 2022 and the elevation of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East in autumn 2023. In the near term, the ongoing uncertainty about US tariff policies means that alternative scenarios will also be included in the June macroeconomic projections exercise. These staff exercises are valuable in conveying the scale of revisions to the projected inflation and output paths that would be triggered under the realisation of the alternative scenarios.[10]

    In providing the risk assessment in the monetary policy statement and by staff publishing alternative macroeconomic projection scenarios in the context of specific risk constellations, there is extensive communication on how different risk factors might shape future decisions. Some might wish that the Governing Council lays out specific policy responses to these various risk profiles in order to “fill out” the distribution of future rate paths. However, as outlined above, the rich information set that is attached to each monetary policy decision together with reaction function guidance provides a sufficient foundation for market participants to assess how the realisation of various risks could affect the future rate path.

    An additional potential application of scenario analysis is to construct a limited set of specific “curated” alternative scenarios by combining selected alternative calibrations of the primary economic and financial judgements underpinning the baseline projections. Publishing such alternative scenarios can be helpful in conveying the difficult choices embedded in making forecasts and in capturing possible differences in policy preferences across policymakers. From a communications perspective, this can be particularly helpful in systems where policymakers have a collective responsibility to endorse the published forecast but retain individual responsibility in casting votes.

    Since the ECB relies on a staff-led projections exercise and has a strong preference for consensual decisions, the set of considerations in publishing such curated scenario analyses is different. In making sure monetary policy decisions are robust to non-baseline realisations, it is also not clear whether such a curated approach would be superior to a “many scenario” internal staff analysis (possibly augmented by machine learning algorithms) that explores robustness across the many combinations of shocks and modelling choices that are considered at each meeting. In addition, if the aim is to capture the main risk concerns of policymakers, selecting a limited set of curated alternative scenarios (out of very many possible scenarios) for each meeting would be logistically taxing for a twenty-six member Governing Council. A basic concern is that the selected curated scenarios might turn out to have shined the spotlight on risk factors that proved to be immaterial and might give the impression that the risk analysis was too narrow in scope.

    In any event, the specific methods used to convey how risks and uncertainty are incorporated into the monetary policy decision-making process are less important than the underlying commitment to articulate that policy decisions not only take into account the baseline but also the surrounding risk environment. Moreover, there is an active research agenda in academia and policy organisations on how best to incorporate uncertainty into monetary policy decisions and monetary policy communications: as this research bears fruit over time, central banks should adapt their practices.[11]

    In these remarks, I have focused on how we currently communicate our monetary policy decisions and the associated decision-making framework. How best to integrate risk and uncertainty into our monetary policy decisions and our communication is a key topic for our ongoing assessment of our monetary policy strategy.[12] We will publish our updated strategy in the second half of the year.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Syria: New government must prioritise justice, truth and accountability to prevent further abuse – Amnesty warns

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Syria’s new government faces a crucial opportunity to break with a legacy of grave human rights violations

    Justice for victims of mass enforced disappearances remains one of the most urgent human rights challenges in Syria today

    After the fall of the Assad government, tens of thousands of families hoped their missing loved ones would return. Instead, almost none reappeared – their fate still unknown, their absence a deepening tragedy

    ‘Delaying justice will only heighten the risk of further bloodshed such as the recent mass killing of Alawite civilians in the coastal areas of Syria’ – Kristine Beckerle

    Syria’s new government must take immediate concrete steps towards justice, truth and reparation that address the country’s devastating legacy of abuses and urgently undertake human rights-based reform to prevent further violations, Amnesty International said today.

    Between 2011 and 2024, Amnesty documented widespread crimes under international law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity and gross human rights violations, committed by Bashar al-Assad’s government. Amnesty also documented serious crimes committed by government allies, including Russia, as well as by armed groups opposing the government and their ally Turkiye, and the Kurdish-led de facto authorities and their allies.

    The new transitional government, led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa and formed on 29 March, has a crucial opportunity to break with the past and ensure these atrocities never occur again.

    Amnesty has today outlined the priority steps that the authorities should take to achieve this and to comply with Syria’s obligations under international law.

    On 14 April, Amnesty sent the recommendations to the Syrian authorities, requesting answers to a series of questions and updates on the authorities’ plans, but have not received a response to date.

    Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said:

    “To ensure a break with the past, the Syrian government must uphold the rights to truth, justice and reparation for all people in Syria.

    “The authorities have publicly committed to taking justice demands seriously, and key to keeping this promise will be ensuring the meaningful participation of survivors, victims and Syrian civil society organisations throughout the process, as well as maximum transparency.

    “The challenges facing Syria are immense, but ensuring accountability for crimes committed by all warring parties, providing reparation to victims and their families, implementing human rights-based reforms to Syria’s criminal justice and security sectors, and ensuring the families of the disappeared know the truth of what happened to their loved ones are foundational to building a new, more just Syria.

    “It is crucial for the authorities to rebuild trust between the people in Syria and the state. Delaying justice will only heighten the risk of further bloodshed such as the recent mass killing of Alawite civilians in the coastal areas of Syria.

    “It is essential that the authorities, without any delay, ensure that all those suspected of criminal responsibility for crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture and enforced disappearance are brought to justice in fair trials before ordinary civilian courts, in accordance with international law.”

    For decades, the former government systematically arrested and disappeared activists and human rights defenders, oppressed local human rights organisations and denied international human rights organisations access to the country. The new authorities have pledged a new approach; it is crucial that they allow Syrian and international organisations to work without interference, consult with Syrian civil society, and grant unfettered access for local and international organisations.

    The authorities are grappling with major economic challenges resulting from a decade-long conflict, compounded by international sanctions and the widespread destruction of infrastructure.

    The international community must support the Syrian people in their pursuit of truth, justice and reparation, and building a more just future after years of suffering.

    While many countries continue to support critical justice efforts for Syria, others have added to its challenges. The United States haphazardly cut foreign funding to those providing crucial humanitarian aid and doing critical human rights work in Syria in early 2025. Since former government’s fall, Turkiye and Israel have also carried out air strikes, killing and wounding civilians and damaging civilian infrastructure.

    Provide justice, truth and reparation

    One of the most urgent issues in Syria today is justice for victims of mass enforced disappearances. After the fall of the Assad government on 8 December 2024, tens of thousands of families hoped their missing loved ones would be released. Instead, nearly none re-emerged; many seemingly vanished.

    While the government announced a National High Commission for Missing Persons on 27 February, representatives of family associations of the disappeared and missing told Amnesty they had not been consulted on the formation of the body and how it would function and have seen no tangible progress five months after the Assad government’s collapse. The new government must immediately rectify this by ensuring full, meaningful inclusion of victims and their representatives in shaping the Commission’s mandate, operational framework, and oversight mechanisms.

    Article 49 of the Constitutional Declaration, adopted on 13 March, establishes a Transitional Justice Commission, tasked with adopting “victim-centred mechanisms…to determine accountability mechanisms, the right to know the truth, and justice for victims and survivors in addition to honouring martyrs”.  Effective truth, justice and reparation processes must be based on nationwide consultations with Syrians, particularly survivors and victims.

    The government must also create reparation programmes informed by survivors and victims’ families that deliver comprehensive remedies that acknowledge victims’ suffering and help rebuild lives. The Syrian government should also seek reparations from states such as Russia, Türkiye and the US, and other actors, including businesses, that are responsible for human rights violations.

    Undertaking human rights-based reforms

    For over a decade prior to the former government’s fall, Amnesty documented systemic violations, including arbitrary arrest, torture, and enforced disappearances, committed by former law enforcement officers and intelligence services, and within the prison system. In addition, Amnesty has documented abduction, torture and summary killings by former non-state armed groups, some now integrated into the ministry of defence and ministry of interior.

    As an immediate priority, and to prevent a repeat of violations and cycles of violence, Syrian authorities must ensure rigorous vetting of all government officials, military leaders, and other appointed figures suspected of criminal responsibility, including post-Assad crimes – such as the massacres of Alawite civilians on the coast. Amnesty documented unlawful killings, including deliberate targeting of civilians from the Alawite minority, which must be investigated as war crimes, on Syria’s coast in March. Syria’s new authorities have taken an important first step toward investigating the killings by establishing a dedicated fact-finding committee. How they proceed will serve as an important signal and a key precedent.

    Reform should also involve repealing laws that are not compliant with international law and enacting legislation that safeguards the human rights of all people, including their rights to a fair trial, truth, justice and reparation; freedom from torture and disappearance, equality and non-discrimination, including in the context of the rights to housing and property. Any reform committee should be accessible, inclusive, and participatory.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: “I never had a day off and barely left the house in two years”

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Katherine* is one of thousands of Kenyan women who migrate to Saudi Arabia each year for jobs as domestic workers in private households. She was recruited through an agent who sold her a dream of economic fortunes, which fast turned into a nightmare of human rights abuse.

    The abuses faced by migrant domestic workers are enabled by their exclusion from Saudi Arabia’s labour laws, poor enforcement of existing regulations, structural racism embedded in the country’s kafala sponsorship system and the legacies of slavery and colonialism that continue to manifest in human rights abuses today. Migrant domestic workers remain among the least protected, despite being essential to the functioning of households and the broader economies in both countries.

    Here, Katherine, reveals what life was like as a domestic worker in Saudi Arabia for two years, and what she thinks the Kenyan and Saudi authorities can do to end the exploitation of domestic workers and the structural discrimination they face as Black African women.

    A few years ago, my mother became ill and had to have heart surgery. She was the main breadwinner of the family. Being the first born, I had to step in.

    After three months, my mother was discharged from hospital, but by that time we had three months’ rent and school fees arrears because I was jobless.

    Around this time, I met a man in a local shop who told me that he heard that my mother was sick and that he had a job opportunity. I was shocked when he told me it was in Saudi Arabia, because of all the stories I’d heard.  But he said I will not have to pay any fees; everything would be taken care of. So, I accepted.

    After that, I was given a contract to sign. I remember it said the working hours would be eight daily with a weekly day off, the salary would be SAR 800 (around USD 215) monthly with paid overtime, and it would be increased after a few months. They were rushing us to sign, and I didn’t have time to do research.

    Soon after, the agent called to tell me I would be leaving on a flight the following day.

    At the airport, together with at least 30 other women, we were given our travel documents. Some were going to Dubai, others, like me, flew to Riyadh.

    On landing, I was greeted by another agent, who took my passport and handed it to my employer a few days after our arrival. At this point I did not know that I should not give my passport to anyone. To my relief, my employer handed it back to me after checking it. This is when I thought I was going to a good place. Indeed, my room was good with air conditioning and a lock. I was going to work for my 60-year-old employer, his wife and their six children. In the beginning, things were okay, and the workload was manageable.

    Soon the madam (employer’s wife) started complaining and shouting that I was not cleaning properly. She said I wasn’t clean, and I didn’t know how to clean. I was shocked at how she spoke to me.

    I never had a day off and barely left the house in two years.

    Katherine

    Each day I would start work at 6am and regularly work until around midnight, with just a few hours to rest and eat early in the evening. On Fridays, there used to be a party, so I would work even later, preparing, cleaning and then washing up after the guests had left. Even when I had to stay up into the early hours, my morning began at the same time, so I was sleeping just two hours on those days.

    I never had a day off and barely left the house in two years.

    Honestly speaking, this left me traumatized. Once, I asked my employers if I would ever be allowed outside to get some fresh air. That summer, they did take me out. But even this time I was not allowed to relax – I had to look after the grandchildren. These kids were very rude to me. They used to shout at me and tell me “you are a shaghala (maid/servant), you are supposed to do everything I tell you!”

    The madam would also often shout and scream at me in Arabic, calling me names, and sometimes she would physically abuse me. Once, she asked me to take one of the baby grandchildren to the bathroom to be washed, but this was not part of my job. When I said no, because I was worried if something happened to the baby they would say I hurt her, my employer slapped me. She said: “I bought you. You belong to me, and you do what I say!” I wanted to reply, but I remembered, this is Saudi Arabia, not your country. So, I sat in the corner and cried.

    The madam would also often shout and scream at me in Arabic, calling me names, and sometimes she would physically abuse me.

    They were spiteful too. They would make me wash the family’s clothes by hand using bleach, even though there was a washing machine, which gave me chest problems and discoloured my hands. Sometimes they would cut off my internet. Once, the madam took my mobile and broke it into pieces after I asked the husband for a smartphone so I could talk to my family. I was the only helper, but the grown-up children would refuse to help me carry heavy cartons of water up multiple flights of stairs when 100 boxes were delivered to the house at a time.

    They would resist taking me to get medical treatment too. I have a heart condition and one time it got worse. On that occasion they took me to the hospital where I was given medicine and asked to go back after two weeks. But when the two weeks came my madam said that going back is a waste of money as I have recovered.

    The madam would also often shout and scream at me in Arabic, calling me names, and sometimes she would physically abuse me.

    Katherine

    Food was the main issue, though. They would deprive me of food or only give me leftovers or gone-off food. The madam scolded me for taking bread from the cupboard when I was hungry. The rotten food caused me stomach problems, but they would only give me painkillers or Cardamom tea, and they would tell me off for being in the bathroom too long. When I made my own food, my madam complained that it smelled bad. Instead, I cooked dried noodles. but when she found out she threw it in the bin, saying that her children were the only ones allowed to eat noodles. So, I used to survive without eating or just drank black tea and ate biscuits.

    They would deprive me of food or only give me leftovers or gone-off food.

    Thankfully, I was paid on time, but because I was not allowed outside, they would just give me SAR 100 each month and send the rest directly to my family in Kenya. They didn’t increase my salary, like my contract had said. It was only after two years when I was about to go home that they offered to. By then I wanted to leave.

    Since returning to Kenya, I have started working with some local organizations to raise awareness about the risks people face when travelling to the Gulf for work. Us Kenyans have this habit of standing with each other like bees – when you attack one of us, others will come to help. Having heard the stories of many other women, I actually thank God, because I think my experience was better than some.

    Since returning to Kenya, I have started working with some local organizations to raise awareness about the risks people face when travelling to the Gulf for work.

    The problem in Kenya is that the government is not strict on the recruitment agents, who send us abroad and then abandon us – no one checks how we are doing.

    Our work as migrant domestic workers is vital in Saudi Arabia. If we did not do the work, everything would come to a standstill in the country, so the governments should make sure we are safe. The rights of human beings should apply to everyone, whatever their skin colour or nationality – policies in Saudi Arabia should protect the nationals but they should also protect us migrant workers. We domestic workers should be included under the Labour law so that we have the same rights as other workers. We call on the government to punish employers that mistreat foreigners and take real action to stop racism against migrant domestic workers.

    Read Amnesty International’s report Locked in, left out: the hidden lives of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia.

    *Name has been changed

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How existential philosophy can help you to cope with anguish

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Luca Costa, PhD Candidate in Italian and continental philosophy, University of Oxford

    Automat by Edward Hopper (1927). Des Moines Art Center

    “Am I with the right person?” Most of us have probably asked ourselves this question at least once in our life. I certainly have.

    To help you out, your friends might ask: “Well, do you love them?” Then you go home and the conversation goes around in your head. “Yes, I love them!” you tell yourself. But how can you be sure? Are you ready to spend your whole life with just one partner?

    The stomach flip you may have just had when reading the words “your whole life” is the emotion known as anguish – the overwhelming fear you feel when confronted with a big choice. I have felt anguish myself in this situation – and the philosophy of existentialism really helped me to make sense of it.

    But let’s start from the beginning: why do we feel anguish? It arises from uncertainty – in our example, from the choice between staying with the person you’re with for a lifetime, or breaking up.

    Anguish is the result of a conflict between two values that we equally cherish: in this case, love and freedom. It is painful because we want both options but can only have one, as they pull us in opposite directions.

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

    The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) argued that anguish arises because we are free. And, contrary to what most of us think, we don’t like freedom. Or at least, we like a decent degree of it, but certainly not as much of it as we actually have.

    What we like more than freedom is certainty. Suppose I happen to possess a formula that will tell you with absolute certainty what is the best course of action for every decision you have to make in your life. You would feel no more anguish, and would have no doubt that the decision you made is the best one.

    Would you want this formula? If the answer is yes, you have just admitted that certainty matters more to you than freedom.

    People who conceive of themselves as being independent might think they want freedom more, and refuse my formula. They may even claim that they don’t mind feeling anguish. But chances are they’re yet to be faced with the biggest decisions a human being can encounter.

    These people haven’t experienced freedom to the extent that it induces real anguish. After all, anguish is a clear sign of discomfort (which can even be felt physically) – and if we didn’t want certainty, we wouldn’t feel it in the first place.

    Can anguish be overcome?

    The French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) said that anguish can’t be overcome. But there’s reason to disagree.

    First, you need to understand that anguish is an intrinsic feature of life. Accept this, and you will be a little less scared by it.

    What you also have to accept is that no one has the formula I described earlier. This may seem trivial, but when a big decision looms over us, sure enough we long for certainty and this formula. There is usually no objective “ideal” course of action, though.

    The Monk by the Sea by Caspar David Friedrich (1808-10).
    Old National Gallery, Berlin

    Of course, we may have the illusion that we made the “right” or “wrong” choice in a certain situation. But that is narrative fallacy – meaning that in reality, we simply don’t know what would have happened had we made another decision.

    Then comes the hard part. It takes courage to choose what you think is right for you. You should take comfort, though, in the fact that no one usually knows what’s most right for you better than yourself.

    Insightful suggestions from good friends or families just uncover information that was already within you. No one sincerely accepts other people’s values if they weren’t theirs in some way already.

    Study yourself, establish what beliefs you cherish over others, and start from there. If your choices are the consequences of your deepest beliefs, they are less likely to feel wrong or uncertain. Release the demand for certainty, and you’ll have neutralised anguish.

    Luca Costa receives funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

    – ref. How existential philosophy can help you to cope with anguish – https://theconversation.com/how-existential-philosophy-can-help-you-to-cope-with-anguish-252836

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What is a downburst? These winds can be destructive like tornadoes − we recreate them to test building designs

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Amal Elawady, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida International University

    A downburst blasts Bangkok, Thailand, in 2017. Natapat Ariyamongkol/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    From a distance, a downburst can look like a torrent of heavy rain. But at ground level, its behavior can be far more destructive.

    When a downburst’s winds hit the ground, they shoot out horizontally in all directions, sometimes with enough force to shatter windows and overturn vehicles.

    These winds behave in complicated ways, particularly in cities, as our latest research shows. Downburst winds can deflect off tall buildings, increasing the pressure on neighboring buildings’ windows and walls. The result can blow out glass and chip off facade. Even buildings designed to survive hurricanes can suffer major damage in a downburst.

    As engineers, we study downbursts with the goal of designing buildings, components such as solar panels and windows, and infrastructure such as power lines that can stand up to that powerful force. To do this, informed by field measurements, we create our own powerful downbursts using a hurricane simulator known as the Wall of Wind at Florida International University.

    An illustration of how the winds of a downburst fan out in open space. In a city with tall buildings, the wind can deflect off buildings, causing damage in unexpected ways.
    NASA/Wikimedia Commons

    What is a downburst?

    Downbursts can be as destructive as tornadoes, but their winds develop in a very different way.

    A downburst forms when a thunderstorm pulls cooler, heavier air down from high in the atmosphere. As this rain-cooled air rushes downward, it gains speed. Once it slams into the ground, it has nowhere to go but outward, sending strong winds in all horizontal directions.

    Dust in the air shows the curling rotation of a downburst’s winds.
    NOAA

    The wind speed in a downburst can reach over 150 miles per hour. That’s the strength of a Category 4 hurricane and strong enough to knock down trees and power lines, damage buildings and flip vehicles.

    These winds also rotate, but not in the same way tornadoes do. Downburst winds are typically considered straight-line winds, but they rotate around a horizontal axis as the wind curls upward after hitting the ground. Tornadoes, in contrast, spin around a vertical axis.

    Powerful storm systems known as derechos are often made up of multiple downburst clusters, each containing many smaller downbursts, sometimes called microbursts.

    Recreating Houston’s downburst in a warehouse

    On May 16, 2024, a derecho hit Houston with a downburst that was so strong, it blew out windows in several high-rise buildings that had been built to survive Category 4 hurricanes. The winds also pried off chunks of buildings’ facades.

    Two months later, Hurricane Beryl hit Houston with similar wind speeds, yet it left minimal damage to the downtown buildings.

    When a downburst hit downtown Houston on May 16, 2024, it shattered windows on some sides of buildings but not others, and not always in the line of the storm. The damage offered clues to how downbursts interact with tall buildings.
    Cécile Clocheret/AFP via Getty Images

    To understand how a downburst like this can be so much more destructive – and what cities and building designers can do about it – we simulated both the Houston downburst winds and Hurricane Beryl’s winds in the Wall of Wind.

    The test facility is equipped with a dozen jet fans, each almost as tall as the workers who run them and powerful enough to simulate a Category 5 hurricane. Our team used these fans to recreate powerful downburst winds that hit horizontally with the maximum wind speeds near ground level. Then, we put several models of buildings to the test to see how roofs, windows, facades and the structures of power lines reacted under that force.

    How the Wall of Wind’s fans mimic a downburst’s horizontal force.

    In the Houston derecho, a downburst hit downtown with 100 mph winds. It cracked some lower windows, likely with blowing debris, but it also caused widespread unexpected damage midway up some of the buildings.

    The Chevron Building Auditorium actually suffered the most damage on a side that wasn’t directly in the line of the storm but was facing another tall building. That left some intriguing questions. It suggested that the way the buildings channel the wind may have created a strong suction that blew out windows midway up the tower. Another burning question is whether building design codes are outdated when it comes to how well their cladding can stand up to these localized winds.

    Using the Wall of Wind, we were able to test those pressures on models of the Houston buildings and see how downburst winds increased the pressured on a tall building model with excessive forces near the ground level.

    The ability to simulate these winds is important for improving engineers’ understanding of the differences in how downbursts and other wind events exert force on buildings. The results ultimately inform building standards to help create more resilient and better-protected communities.

    Building better power lines

    Big storms, like downbursts, can also take down power lines.

    Power lines extend hundreds of miles between cities and states, making them more susceptible to a hit from a localized severe storm, such as a downburst. If one of the towers falls, it can cause a chain reaction, like dominoes falling one after another. That can knock out power for large numbers of people.

    The derecho that hit Houston with a downburst also crumpled transmission towers in Texas.
    AP Photo/David J. Phillip

    With colleagues, we have been testing transmission towers and multispan power-line systems under downburst and hurricane winds to understand how these structures respond, with the goal of developing better construction techniques. That work has helped to update the American manual for the design of power lines, which engineers use for designing safer, more storm-resilient transmission towers.

    What’s next

    Low-rise and mid-rise buildings are also vulnerable to downbursts, but the effects are less well understood. Downburst winds are most intense between 10 and 300 feet above the ground, meaning the roofs and walls of some low-rises can be hit with intense horizontal wind.

    Recent building codes have offered design guidelines to help ensure these buildings can withstand tornadoes. However, the way downbursts rotate in a short time around a building or a community of buildings puts pressure on the walls and the roof in different ways. Similar to straight-line winds, we expect high suction on the roof. Due to their short duration, varying wind direction and intense wind speed, downbursts may also cause excessive vibrations and varying pressure distribution on the roof components.

    How microbursts form.

    We’re now testing downburst damage to low- and mid-rise buildings to better understand the risks and help highlight changes that can make buildings more resilient.

    As populations grow, cities are adding more buildings. At the same time, powerful storms are becoming more frequent and more intense. Understanding the effects of different types of storms will help engineers construct high-rises, low-rises and power lines that are better able to withstand extreme weather.

    Amal Elawady receives funding from the National Science Foundation.

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

    – ref. What is a downburst? These winds can be destructive like tornadoes − we recreate them to test building designs – https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-downburst-these-winds-can-be-destructive-like-tornadoes-we-recreate-them-to-test-building-designs-254931

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Announces $1.6 Million for Airport Improvements Across Louisiana from His Infrastructure Law

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is granting Louisiana a total of $1,627,346.00 in funding from his Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to improve airport infrastructure in Minden, Shreveport, Monroe, Vivian, Mansfield, Eunice, and Reserve.
    “Communities always want their airports to leave a good first impression,” said Dr. Cassidy. “These investments will help them do so. They’ll boost safety, support local economies, and help smaller airports better serve their communities.”
    Grant Awarded
    Recipient
    Project Description
    $585,000.00
    City of Minden
    This grant will provide federal funding to construct a 3,600 sq. ft. sponsor-owned hangar for aircraft storage to help the airport be self-sustaining by generating revenue.
    $292,125.00
    Shreveport Airport Authority
    This grant will provide federal funding to acquire a new sweeper/vacuum truck to bring the airport into conformity with current safety standards.
    $355,679.00
    City of Monroe
    This grant will provide federal funding to rehabilitate 2,153 feet of Runway 14/32 to maintain structural integrity and minimize foreign object debris.
    $57,770.00
    Town of Vivian
    This grant will provide federal funding to construct a new fuel farm by adding one fuel tank to expand availability of an existing fuel type and help generate airport revenue.
    $131,772.00
    De Soto Parish Police Jury
    This grant will provide federal funding to construct a 10,920 sq. ft. sponsor-owned hangar and a 735-foot taxilane to improve airfield access and meet current standards.
    $95,000.00
    City of Eunice
    This grant will provide federal funding to construct a new sponsor-owned hangar for aircraft storage to support revenue generation and self-sufficiency.
    $110,000.00
    Port of South Louisiana
    This grant will provide federal funding to construct an 8,400 sq. ft. sponsor-owned hangar to assist the airport in becoming self-sustaining through increased revenue.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Heinrich, Luján Fight to Protect Head Start, Meals on Wheels, Social Services from Republican Budget Cuts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined Democratic Senate colleagues in sending an open letter to the public exposing the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans’ plan to gut Head Start, Meals on Wheels, and other essential social services like those to prevent child abuse and provide special services for individuals with disabilities. 
    Republican senators are currently writing legislation that will give a tax break to the wealthiest by ripping away programs that American seniors, children, and families rely on. Republicans have targeted two essential funding sources for social services programs—Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) — putting nearly 25 million children, seniors, and families at risk across the country.
    “We write to make our position on this legislation perfectly clear: Congress should not give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans by ripping away programs that almost 25 million Americans – close to 50% of whom are children – rely on for basic needs,” the senators wrote to the American public. 
    “Earlier this month, Congressional Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate passed a budget that sets the stage for existential cuts to the safety net. Republican leaders claim they have no plans to eliminate essential services, but tens of billions in catastrophic cuts to these programs appeared on Republicans’ published wish list, alongside cuts to Medicaid and SNAP,” the senators continued. “State and local leaders confirm that eliminating SSBG and TANF would reduce programs that serve our most vulnerable as states and localities are already operating under tight budget constraints.”
    The senators’ letter concludes: “Right now, Republicans are writing the most consequential legislation contemplated in decades entirely behind closed doors. That’s because Trump and Congressional Republicans must hide the ugly truth – their legislation feeds corporate and wealthy individuals’ greed by abandoning vulnerable children, starving seniors, and cutting off families in need. You, your family, and your neighbors deserve far better. Democrats are fighting to protect your communities from Republican cuts. Join us and keep up the fight.”
    The open letter to the public is led by U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Alongside Heinrich and Luján, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.).
    The full text of the letter is here and below:
    An open letter to the public:
    The Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are planning to give another round of tax handouts to the ultra-wealthy and corporations that are paid for by gutting funding that supports Meals on Wheels, Head Start, and other essential programs that seniors, children, and working families rely on. While Republicans maintain that they are not cutting benefits for people, they have zeroed-in on two essential funding sources for these programs – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) – putting children, seniors, and families at risk across the country.
    We write to make our position on this legislation perfectly clear: Congress should not give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans by ripping away programs that almost 25 million Americans – close to 50% of whom are children – rely on for basic needs.
    Earlier this month, Congressional Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate passed a budget that sets the stage for existential cuts to the safety net. Republican leaders claim they have no plans to eliminate essential services, but tens of billions in catastrophic cuts to these programs appeared on Republicans’ published wish list, alongside cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. State and local leaders confirm that eliminating SSBG and TANF would reduce programs that serve our most vulnerable as states and localities are already operating under tight budget constraints.
    These devastating cuts will rip away access to child care and early education for close to 40,000 children, taking away programs that help set them up for successful lives. This will force working parents to walk an even tighter economic tightrope and make impossible choices about whether to cut back their hours or leave their jobs altogether to take care of their children. Moreover, these funding cuts will disproportionately impact kinship families – families in which grandparents or other family members raise children – as TANF is often their sole federal support outside of Social Security and the foster care system.
    Along with children, seniors will bear the brunt of these cuts. For example, in South Carolina, the state’s adult protective services is funded entirely by SSBG, raising questions about how the state will be able to effectively identify and prevent elder abuse without these dollars. SSBG is also a critical funding source for Meals on Wheels programs across the country. If Congressional Republicans get away with eliminating SSBG, the local Meals on Wheels program in Abilene, Texas will be forced to cut services for over half of the 1,700 seniors and people with disabilities across 15 rural communities it currently feeds. It doesn’t get crueler than going after a program that seniors rely on to eat what is often their only meal of the day, and there are programs like these in every community.
    Right now, Republicans are writing the most consequential legislation contemplated in decades entirely behind closed doors. That’s because Trump and Congressional Republicans must hide the ugly truth – their legislation feeds corporate and wealthy individuals’ greed by abandoning vulnerable children, starving seniors, and cutting off families in need. You, your family, and your neighbors deserve far better.
    Democrats are fighting to protect your communities from Republican cuts.
    Join us and keep up the fight.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Dem Energy & Commerce Members Blast Republicans for Voting to Strip Health Care Coverage from 13.7 Million Americans to Finance Billionaire Tax Breaks

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (Virginia 4th District)

    Washington, D.C. — Today, New Democrat Coalition Energy & Commerce Committee Members, including Rep. Greg Landsman (OH-01), Rep. Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Rep. Scott Peters (CA-50), Rep. Lori Trahan (MA-03), Rep. Troy Carter (LA-02), and Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) issued a joint statement following the Committee’s markup and party-line passage of the Republican reconciliation package:

    “The reconciliation package our Republican colleagues just forced through the Committee shocks the conscience. In their effort to give the richest billionaires yet another unearned tax cut, House Republicans are betraying the American people.

    “For more than 24 hours, we told the stories of our constituents and laid out the devastating impacts this legislation would have on the American people. We detailed how their Medicaid cuts would rip health care coverage away from a staggering 13.7 million people, including by raising Affordable Care Act premiums to jeopardize coverage for four million Americans. We railed against their efforts to defund reproductive healthcare at Planned Parenthood, raise copays on the lowest-income Americans, and handcuff healthcare providers at nursing homes and community health centers.

    “All the while, our Republican colleagues either remained silent or echoed the same lies they’ve been spreading for months to justify their multi-trillion dollar handout to billionaires, financed on the backs of working people.

    “The legislation is not inevitable, and the stakes are too high to give in. New Dems will do everything in our power to fight for our constituents, elevating the voices of everyday Americans to speak out against this injustice and blocking this bill at every opportunity.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –