NewzIntel.com

Category: CTF

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New HMRC service announced for workers to take control of their tax affairs

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    New HMRC service announced for workers to take control of their tax affairs

    New PAYE service announced to save around 35 million taxpayers’ time.

    • New PAYE service to make tax system simpler and easier for around 35 million workers.
    • At least 90% of customer interactions with HMRC to be digital by 2030.
    • Reducing post and letters to save £50 million a year – equal to almost 1,500 full time nurses.

    Workers are set to take control of their tax affairs as the government today (21 July 2025) announces a new online Pay As You Earn (PAYE) service for around 35 million UK taxpayers as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) sets out more than 50 measures to transform the UK’s tax and customs system.

    The new online service for all PAYE taxpayers will make it simpler and easier to check and update their income, allowances, reliefs and expenses, and will be available via their Personal Tax Account or through the HMRC app.

    This service forms part of HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap launched today that sets out ambitious plans to become a digital first organisation by 2030, with 90% of customer interactions taking place digitally.

    The roadmap sets out more than 50 IT projects, services and measures that, once delivered, will transform the UK’s tax and customs systems, simplifying processes and making it easier to pay the tax that funds public services and deliver the government’s Plan for Change.

    The plans to modernise the tax and customs system, introduce new AI technologies and work with third parties and intermediaries will make it easier for taxpayers, businesses and intermediaries to interact with HMRC.

    The digital first approach will see HMRC automating tax wherever possible and offering new digital self-serve options across a number of tax regimes.

    Alongside the new PAYE service, HMRC will save £50 million a year – the equivalent of almost 1,500 full time nurses – by moving customer letters and reminders to a digital first approach, reducing the reliance on paper correspondence, by the 2028 to 2029 tax year. Paper post provision will remain for critical correspondence and for the digitally excluded.

    Increasing the use and investment in AI will enable customers to meet their tax obligations and allow HMRC to monitor the tax system in near real time. HMRC plans to introduce AI in work areas including:

    • HMRC advisers and caseworkers: using AI capability to automate call summaries and the use of internal GenAI Chat Assistants to support them in their work
    • Digital assistants: developing new AI-powered features to help customers easily navigate HMRC services and improve the ability to update HMRC’s content and guidance on GOV.UK
    • Compliance: delivering an automatic document identifier system for HMRC caseworkers to identify fraudulent documents during compliance activities by using a biometric likeness-liveness check

    HMRC will work with developers to create a set of principles which will set out HMRC’s expectations of how third parties use AI in software where it interacts with the department and the tax administration system. These principles will give developers the confidence to introduce AI functionality into their products in the UK and minimise the risk of those products introducing error or non-compliance.

    James Murray MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said:

    We are going further and faster to make HMRC fit for the 21st century, including delivering a simpler and easier system for all PAYE workers.

    By 2030, taxpayers can expect a modern and innovative HMRC with cutting-edge AI, industry-leading customer service practices, and a laser focus on delivering taxpayer value for money by ensuring everyone pays their fair share.

    Mr Murray’s key priorities for the department are to improve day-to-day performance and the customer experience, reform and modernise the tax and customs system and to close the tax gap. As announced at the Spending Review 2025, £1.7 billion will be provided to HMRC over 4 years to fund an additional 5,500 compliance and 2,400 debt management staff – to ensure more of the tax owed is paid, to fund public services.

    HMRC is focusing on tackling wealthy offshore tax non-compliance, with an additional 400 people set to work on wealthy offshore tax risks. This includes experts in private sector wealth management, who will help find and tackle non-compliance more effectively and train HMRC compliance staff.

    JP Marks, HMRC’s Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary, said:

    The Government’s ambition is for a simpler tax and customs system and this roadmap sets out how HMRC will deliver a first-class experience that feels different to their customers.

    By 2030, UK citizens will experience a tax administration system that is more automated, more focused on self-service, and better set up to get things right first time so they can fulfil their tax obligations.

    The Transformation Roadmap sets out timescales for delivery and HMRC is committed to reporting on progress. Work is underway to deliver some of the measures set out in the roadmap this tax year, including:

    • extending the rollout of the SMS confirmation service to Self Assessment appeals, complaint cases and some PAYE services
    • improving Self Assessment registration service and streamlining the exit process for those customers who no longer need to file a Self Assessment tax return
    • expanding the rollout of the voice biometrics pilot to make customer verification easier when calling HMRC’s helplines
    • a new service to give employed parents, who are newly liable for the High Income Child Benefit Charge, the choice to pay it directly through their tax code without needing to register for Self Assessment
    • launching an enhanced reward scheme for informants, targeting information on serious non‑compliance in large corporates, wealthy individuals, offshore and avoidance schemes. The new scheme will reward informants with compensation linked to a percentage of any tax taken

    Further measures and projects to be delivered as part of the roadmap include:

    • digitalising the Inheritance Tax service to provide a modern, easy-to-use system, that makes submitting returns and paying tax simpler and quicker.
    • launching a new service to allow agents to digitally submit information which may impact their client’s tax code
    • delivering a Digital Disclosure Service to allow customers and intermediaries to correct mistakes, pay liabilities and penalties for all taxes and duties
    • introducing an electronic trade documentation pilot to see how it could improve customs operations
    • progressing the Verifiable Credentials pilot with US Customs and Border Protection to test the use of new internationally interoperable digital credentials and identity standards

    HMRC wants to incentivise taxpayers to pay their tax on time by simplifying and strengthening penalties. In the 2023 to 2024 tax year, HMRC collected 94.7% of the total tax due. Those who meet their obligations and pay their tax on time should not be disadvantaged by the minority who don’t follow the rules. HMRC will update on modernising behavioural penalties later this year.

    New legislation will come into effect from April 2026 to tackle tax avoidance and fraud by umbrella companies. Many umbrella companies operate within the law but the dishonest few can mean taxpayers are left with large and unexpected tax bills. The legislation will make recruitment agencies that use umbrella companies legally responsible for accounting for PAYE on workers’ pay.

    Further information

    The Transformation Roadmap can be found on GOV.UK.

    The new AI principles for organisations who interact with HMRC and the tax administration system will be informed by government AI and GenAI frameworks.

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government initial response to Independent Water Commission’s final report

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Government initial response to Independent Water Commission’s final report

    Environment Secretary Steve Reed sets out the government’s initial response to the Independent Water Commission final report, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe.

    Good morning everyone. Welcome to this beautiful venue.

    I’ve just watched Sir Jon Cunliffe’s statement presenting his report.

    I’d like to start by thanking Sir Jon Cunliffe and his team for the huge amount of work they have put into reviewing the regulation of our water industry.

    He’s produced an outstanding report that I will respond to in more detail in the House of Commons this afternoon. But I’d like to make some initial comments now.

    It is clear the water industry is broken.  

    Our rivers, lakes and seas are polluted with record levels of sewage.  

    Water pipes have been left to crumble into disrepair.  

    Soaring water bills are straining family finances. 

    There are hosepipe bans across the country right now because not a single new reservoir has been built in over 30 years,  

    The lack of water infrastructure is holding back economic growth. 

    Water companies have been allowed to profit at the expense of the British people when they should have been investing to fix our broken water pipes.  

    A broken regulatory system let them get away with this.    

    Failing customers, investors and the environment.   

    The public expressed their fury in last year’s General Election, and they voted for change.     That change will now come.   

    In just one year, this government has put in place the building blocks to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.  

    First, we restored accountability by giving the regulators more teeth with a ban on unfair bonuses, severe and automatic penalties for breaking the law, and jail sentences for serious offences.    

    Second, we have launched one of the biggest infrastructure projects in British history to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.  

    £104 billion pounds of private sector investment will rebuild the entire water network.  

    Upgrading crumbling pipes, repairing leaks and building new sewage treatment works around the country. 

    This is the biggest-ever investment in the water sector’s history and it allows me to make a new commitment to the country:  

    This government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half within five years. 

    This is the most ambitious sewage target the government has ever set.  

    Over a decade of national renewal, we will restore our rivers, lakes and seas to good health. 

    The third building block for change is today’s final report from Sir Jon Cunliffe’s Independent Water Commission.   

    It offers a blueprint for fixing our broken regulatory system so the failures of the past can never happen again.   

    I agree that water regulation has been too weak and too ineffective.   

    Having four separate regulators with overlapping and conflicting remits has created a merry-go-round that has failed customers and the environment.   

    Ofwat has failed to protect customers from water companies’ mismanagement of their hard-earned money.   

    Today I can announce that the Labour Government will abolish Ofwat.   

    In the biggest overhaul of water regulation in a generation we will bring water functions from four different regulators into one:  A single powerful regulator responsible for the entire water sector.   

    There are four further recommendations that the government can accept immediately and I will outline these in Parliament this afternoon.

    The new regulator will stand firmly on the side of customers, investors and the environment and prevent the abuses of the past. 

    For customers, it will oversee investment and maintenance so hardworking British families are never again hit by the shocking bill hikes we saw last year as customers paid the price of 14 years of failure by the previous government. 

    For investors, it will end the tangle of ineffective regulation and provide the clarity and direction required for a strong

    partnership between Government, the sector and investors to attract billions of pounds of new funding. 

    For the environment, it will cut all forms of pollution to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.   

    We will legislate to set up the new regulator, and I will provide more details of this in Parliament later today. 

    Ofwat will remain in place during the transition to the new regulator and I will ensure they provide the right leadership to oversee the current price review and investment plan during that time. 

    This Labour Government was elected to clean up water pollution.   

    We now have all the building blocks in place to make that happen.   

    This is our chance to make sure our children – and their children – can create the same wonderful memories we remember from our childhoods.  

    Splashing about in the waves on a beach, rowing along a river, without having to worry about toxic sewage pollution.  

    Today marks the start of a water revolution. 

    We are establishing a new partnership where water companies, investors, communities and the government will work together to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Presidents of Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia discussed key areas of bilateral cooperation

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    BISHKEK, July 21 (Xinhua) — Talks were held in Bishkek on Monday between Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh as part of the latter’s state visit to the Kyrgyz Republic, the Kyrgyz president’s Telegram channel reported.

    The parties discussed key areas of bilateral cooperation, including politics, trade and economics, transport and agriculture. Particular attention was paid to digitalization, the development of cultural and humanitarian ties and tourism.

    S. Japarov emphasized that Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia are states historically linked by ties of friendship, the roots of which go back to ancient times. “Comprehensive cooperation with Mongolia is one of the priority areas of development of Kyrgyzstan’s foreign policy,” he noted.

    The President of Kyrgyzstan expressed confidence that the visit of the head of Mongolia will give a powerful impetus to further strengthening political dialogue, expanding trade and economic ties and developing cultural and humanitarian cooperation.

    In turn, U. Khurelsukh emphasized that this visit provides a good opportunity to jointly with the President of Kyrgyzstan to sum up the 30-year path of bilateral relations, assess the implementation of the agreements reached, and also determine priority areas and prospects for cooperation filled with specific economic content.

    “For Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan is an important partner in Central Asia and a kind of bridge connecting the region. We strive to develop mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas, especially in the trade and economic sphere,” the President of Mongolia noted.

    Following the talks, the heads of the two states signed a Joint Declaration on the establishment of a comprehensive partnership between Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia, as well as a number of other documents aimed at increasing cooperation. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Annual inflation at 2.7 percent in June 2025 – Stats NZ media and information release: Consumers price index: June 2025 quarter

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Relief funds available to farmers

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Local farmers who suffered serious losses caused by the recent Typhoon Wipha can register for assistance from an emergency relief fund from July 22 to 30.

    The Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department made this announcement today and explained that its preliminary investigation had revealed that about 300 hectares of farmland in the New Territories were affected by Typhoon Wipha.

    An appropriate amount of the relief fund will be released to affected farmers according to established criteria, it added.

    Affected farmers who need to apply for the fund can register in person at the department’s Agricultural Extension Office at 5/F, Yuen Long Government Offices, or submit their applications online.

    Enquiries can be made by calling 2476 2424 during office hours.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Why it can be harder to sleep during the summer

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    By Timothy Hearn, Anglia Ruskin University

    As the days stretch long and the sun lingers late into the evening, most of us welcome summer with open arms. Yet for a surprising number of people, this season brings an unwelcome guest: insomnia.

    For these people, summer is a time of tossing and turning, early waking – or simply not feeling sleepy when they should. Far from just being a nuisance, this seasonal insomnia may chip away at mood, concentration and metabolic health.

    But why does insomnia spike in summer — and more importantly, what can be done about it? The answer lies in the light.

    Every tissue in the body owns a molecular “clock”. However, these clocks take their cue from a central timekeeper – the brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus. This cluster of about 20,000 neurons synchronises the myriad cellular clocks to a near 24-hour cycle.

    It uses the external light detected by the eyes as a cue, driving the release of two different hormones: melatonin, which makes us sleepy and a pre-dawn surge cortisol to help us wake.

    In winter, this light cue is short and sharp. But in June and July, daylight can stretch on for 16 or 17 hours in the mid‑latitudes. That extra dose matters because evening light is the most potent signal for pushing the central timekeeper later. In summer melatonin shifts by roughly 30 minutes to an hour later, while dawn light floods bedrooms early and kills the hormone off sooner.

    This can have a big effect on the amount of sleep we get. One study monitored the sleep of 188 participants in the lab on three nights at different times of the year. The researchers found that total sleep was about an hour shorter in summer than winter.

    Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep — the sleep stage most strongly linked to emotional regulation and the consolidation of emotionally charged memories — accounted for roughly half the sleep loss in summer.

    The same team later tracked 377 patients over two consecutive years and showed that sleep length and REM sleep began a five‑month decline soon after the last freezing night of spring. Sleep length shrank by an average of 62 minutes, while REM decreased by about 24 minutes. Slow-wave sleep – the phase most critical for tissue repair, immune regulation and the consolidation of factual memories – reached its annual low around the autumn equinox.

    Both studies took place in a city bathed in artificial light – suggesting that even in modern environments our sleep remains seasonally affected.

    Big population surveys echo these findings. Among more than 30,000 middle‑aged Canadians, volunteers interviewed in midsummer said they slept eight minutes less than those interviewed in midwinter. The summer interviewees also reported greater insomnia symptoms in the fortnight after the autumn clock change – suggesting the abrupt time shift exacerbates underlying seasonal misalignment.

    One study also compared the effect of summer sleep in people living at very different latitudes – such as near the equator, where there’s little change in day length in the summer, and near the Arctic circle, where the differences are extreme. The study found that for people living in Tromsø, Norway, their self-reported insomnia and daytime fatigue rose markedly in summer. But for people living in Accra, Ghana (near the equator), these measures barely budged.

    This show just how strongly daylight – and the amount of daylight hours we experience – can affect our sleep quality. But it isn’t the only culprit of poor summertime sleep.

    Temperature is another factor that can spoil sleep during the summer months.

    Just before we fall asleep, our core body temperature begins a steep descent of roughly 1°C to help us fall asleep. It reaches its lowest point during the first half of the night.

    On muggy summer nights this can make falling asleep difficult. Laboratory experiments show that even a rise from 26°C to about 32°C increases wakefulness and reduces both slow-wave and REM sleep.

    Different people are also more vulnerable to summer insomnia than others. This has to do with your unique “chronotype” – your natural preference to rise early or sleep late.

    Evening chronotypes – “night owls” – already lean towards later bedtimes. They may stay up even later when it stays bright past 10pm. Morning chronotypes, on the other hand, may find themselves waking up even earlier than they normally do because of when the sun rises in the summer.

    Mood can amplify the effect. Research found people who suffered with mental health issues were more likely to experience difficulty sleeping in summer.

    Chronic anxiety, alcohol use and certain prescription drugs — notably beta blockers, which suppress melatonin — can all make sleep more elusive in summer.

    Reclaiming summer sleep

    Happily, there are many ways of fixing the issue.

    • Get some morning sunshine. Try to step outside within an hour of waking up – even if it’s just for 15 minutes. This tells the clock that the day has begun and nudges it to finish earlier that evening.

    • Create an artificial dusk. Around two hours before bed, close the curtains, turn off the lights and reduce the intensity of your phone screen’s blue light to help your melatonin rise on time.

    • Don’t let the dawn light in. Being exposed to the dawn light too early will wake you up. Blackout curtains or a contoured eye-mask can ensure you don’t wake before you’re rested.

    • Keep things cool. Fans, breathable cotton or linen sheets or a lukewarm shower before bed all help the body to achieve that crucial one-degree drop in core temperature needed to get a good night’s sleep.

    The deeper lesson here from chronobiology is that humans remain, biologically speaking, seasonal animals. While our industrialised lives flatten the calendar, our cells still measure day length and temperature just as plants and migratory birds do.

    By adapting and aligning our habits with those light signals, we might just be able to recapture some sleep – even during the warmer months.

    Timothy Hearn, Senior Lecturer in Bioinformatics, Anglia Ruskin University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

    The opinions expressed in VIEWPOINT articles are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARU.

    If you wish to republish this article, please follow these guidelines: https://theconversation.com/uk/republishing-guidelines

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Grand ambition calls on city’s musicians to revive Victorian golden oldies

    Source: City of Leeds

    They were the boisterous barroom ballads that once rattled the rafters of Victorian music halls across Leeds.

    Now librarians are calling on the city’s modern-day musicians and singers to help them bring an incredible collection of vintage sheet music to life for the first time in more than a century.

    The array of late 19th and early 20th century songs is part of a vast collection at Leeds Central Library, which includes a combination of well-known musical classics alongside forgotten songs penned by local composers.

    Usually having comic, satirical or political themes, the raucous melodies would have been a hit with the eager crowds who packed into music halls and theatres which were hugely popular at the turn of the 20th century.

    With a small selection of sheet music currently on display outside the building’s newly refurbished music library, the search is now on for pianists and vocalists to perform more pieces at a series of events planned to celebrate Heritage Open Days this September.

    The library is keen to hear from local pianists and singers who think they can take on the challenge of performing the historic hits, some of which have not been played in more than a hundred years.

    Tunes which make up the collection include famed classics such as Ride a Cock Horse, billed as a “drawing room comic song” performed by Harry Liston, and George Leybourne’s “great comic song” The Organ Man which he both wrote and performed.

    They are joined by titles including The Parson and the Clerk, sung by G H MacDermott and The Mouse-Trap Man, also by George Leybourne.

    Other highlights include Mr and Mrs Baggs, described as “a most thrilling narrative giving an account of the frightful apparition, the appearance of which so affected Mrs B’s nerves that she was laid up for seven weeks after.”

    The front cover shows the eponymous, pyjama clad Mr Baggs brandishing a blunderbuss at a terrified cat as his horrified wife looks on.

    Lee Noon, music librarian at Leeds Central Library, said: “Music hall tunes like these were once a hugely popular part of leisure and entertainment in cities like Leeds, and would have been enjoyed by people of all different classes and backgrounds- they were very much the pop songs of their day.

    “Many of these songs won’t have been performed or heard by an audience for more than a century now, and we’d love to give people in Leeds the chance to experience them again and for our local musicians to try and recapture a bit of what was really the golden age of music halls.

    “Each of these pieces of music represents a little bit of the city’s musical history and it would be a really special moment to help bring them back to life again.”

    The music hall songs are just one element of Leeds Central Library’s huge collection of sheet music. One of the biggest collections in the UK, the library loans pieces to orchestras and musical institutions across the country.

    As well as a piano available to use, the building’s newly refurbished music library also includes specially created walk-in recording studios and podcasting facilities.

    Councillor Mary Harland, Leeds City Council’s executive member for communities, customer service and community safety, said: “Our music library and its collection is an incredible resource for the city and a great example of the multi-faceted role which libraries have in our city and its communities.

    “Having such a historic and unique array of music housed in Leeds is a real privilege and it will be wonderful if we can involve local talent in performing some pieces to celebrate the city and its heritage.”

    Any pianists, singers and groups interested in performing some of the pieces this September can contact lee.noon@leeds.gov.uk using the subject line “Heritage Week Piano.”

    More information about Leeds Central Library including facilities and opening hours can be found at: Central Library | Leeds Library

    ENDS

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Health bosses won’t be rewarded for failure under new regulations

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    Press release

    Health bosses won’t be rewarded for failure under new regulations

    NHS managers who commit serious misconduct won’t be able to take up other senior NHS roles, under plans to boost patient safety.

    • Managers who commit serious misconduct will be banned under proposals
    • Patients to benefit from proposals to professionalise NHS management
    • Whistleblowers will be protected under new regulations

    NHS managers who commit serious misconduct won’t be able to take up other senior NHS roles, under plans to boost patient safety.

    The new proposals set out by the Department of Health and Social Care will mean any leader who silences whistleblowers or behaves unacceptably will be banned from returning to a health service position.

    They set out the first steps to meet the government’s commitment to introduce professional standards for, and regulation of, NHS managers, with legislation set to be put forward to Parliament next year.

    Tens of thousands of clinical and non-clinical managers work in the NHS but there is currently no regulatory framework specifically for managers, like there is for doctors and nurses.

    Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said:

    I’m determined to create a culture of honesty and openness in the NHS where whistleblowers are protected, and that demands tough enforcement. If you silence whistleblowers, you will never work in the NHS again. We’ve got to create the conditions where staff are free to come forward and sound the alarm when things go wrong. Protecting the reputation of the NHS should never be put before protecting patient safety.

    I promised no more rewards for failure in the NHS, and these measures will deliver on it. Most NHS leaders are doing a fantastic job, but we need to stop the revolving door that allows managers sacked for misconduct or incompetence to be quietly moved to another well-paid role in another part of the NHS.

    The reforms we are making through our Plan for Change will slam the door in the face of unsuitable managers, while providing the training, support, and development to help NHS leaders thrive and lead the NHS into a brighter future.

    Reviews by Tom Kark KC, General Sir Gordon Messenger and the Infected Blood Inquiry all highlighted the need for strong, transparent and accountable leadership.

    The new proposals, developed following a public consultation, will strengthen health service leadership and professionalise NHS management as part of the 10 Year Health Plan.

    The consultation, launched in November last year, received more than 4,900 contributions on ways in which managers and leaders could be regulated.

    In response, the government will develop a proportionate regulatory system that focuses where need is greatest. It will ensure that those who have committed serious misconduct are no longer able to work in senior NHS management positions, preventing unacceptable behaviour and improving patient safety. 

    The statutory barring system will be for board-level directors and their direct reports within NHS bodies.

    Further legislation will set out new statutory powers for the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) to disbar NHS leaders in senior roles who have committed serious misconduct.

    Separate NHSE professional standards for managers will establish a consistent, national set of expectations about NHS management and leadership competency and conduct.

    This follows last year’s announcement of a new College of Executive and Clinical Leadership to attract, develop and keep the best talent in NHS leadership.

    Regulation will come alongside support and development, with managers being given the tools they need to meet standards and succeed in their roles.

    Sam Allen, NHS National Director for Leadership and Management, said: 

    The 10 Year Health Plan was clear about the huge importance of excellent leadership and management, both to the quality of patient care and staff experience now, and to how we deliver the plan’s ambitions for the future.

    Managers will welcome this new regulatory framework, as part of the broader package of actions set out in the Plan to attract, develop, and retain the best possible leaders for the NHS of today and tomorrow.

    Accountability is a crucial part of this, and can only boost trust with patients, the public and other professionals.

    Tom Kark KC, author of the Kark Review, said:

    I am pleased that the recommendation made in my report into the application of the NHS Fit and Proper Person Test to create a power to disqualify Board Directors found guilty of serious misconduct is being implemented. 

    Along with the ongoing implementation of my other recommendations for improving Board competence, this is a positive move to strengthen management in the NHS by weeding out poor leadership.  This is good news for whistleblowers and those looking for accountability in senior management which has long been lacking.

    Rachel Power, chief executive of The Patients Association, said:

    Patients have told us they expect NHS managers to be held to the same high standards as clinical staff, and that should include consistent regulation. A clear, fair process to prevent those who commit serious misconduct from returning to senior roles will be an important step forward, and it’s vital that patient involvement continues to shape proposals as further regulation is considered.

    We’re pleased to see a commitment to meaningful support and development for NHS managers, because the best way to address serious failings is to help prevent them from happening in the first place.

    The proposals come as part of a package of essential reforms needed to rebuild the NHS so it is fit for the future through the government’s Plan for Change.

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Government to improve rules for building crab boats

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Document

    Resolution of July 17, 2025 No. 1075

    The government has amended the requirements for crab boat construction projects under the investment quota mechanism. After the agreement with the previous investor is terminated, new companies will be able to begin completing the vessels under the same conditions.

    The government has amended the requirements for projects to build crab vessels under the investment quota mechanism

    “The fishing shipbuilding industry is currently on the rise, including thanks to the deep modernization of production. The “keel quota” mechanism has restarted the process of creating a Russian fishing fleet. The amendments adopted by the Russian Government will allow us to quickly respond to changes in the situation and, in the event of shipbuilding companies or investors withdrawing from projects, without losing momentum, to involve other participants – for the successful and timely completion of the construction of new crab vessels,” said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev.

    The practice of recent years has shown that the existing regulatory framework made it difficult to complete the construction of crab vessels. If the agreements were terminated for any reason, then upon completion of construction it was impossible to ensure compliance with current requirements for industrial products and the conclusion of new investment contracts for the completion of such vessels. The discrepancy was identified during meetings in the format of incident No. 42 “Fishing vessels” chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev. Thus, the changes introduced by the Government will allow new contracts to be concluded with investors for the freed up shares of the investment quota.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Deputy Minister of Economic Development inspected the infrastructure of the Mamison resort

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Ministry of Economic Development (Russia) – Ministry of Economic Development (Russia) –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    On July 17, 2025, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia Sergey Nazarov visited North Ossetia on a working visit. The main point of the trip was the all-season tourist and recreational complex “Mamison”, where an off-site meeting was held with the participation of the Minister of Economic Development of the Republic of North Ossetia Alania Marat Sokayev and representatives of “Kavkaz.RF”.

    During the meeting, key areas of further development of the resort were discussed, including the pace of construction of facilities and connection to utility networks. Sergey Nazarov inspected the transport, utilities and tourism infrastructure, including ski slopes, hotels, glampings and tent camps. In addition, the meeting participants tested the new Mamihdon trail from the upper cable car station to the tent camp (length over 4 km).

    Today, the resort has two cable cars, 14 km of ski slopes, hotels, cafes and year-round recreation facilities. Due to the national project “Tourism and Hospitality Industry”, 590 million rubles were allocated for infrastructure development in 2023-2024. In 2025-2027, financing in the amount of 150 million rubles is planned.

    Construction and installation works at the 110/10 kV Mamison substation have been fully completed. In December 2024, an agreement was concluded between JSC Kavkaz.RF and PJSC Rosseti North Caucasus, ensuring the technological connection of the resort facilities. The redistribution of capacity in the amount of 4480 kW allows for the launch of the infrastructure in normal mode.

    The main gas pipeline, 14.5 km long, is 90% complete, and 100% within the resort. Gas supply via this route is expected in the fourth quarter of 2025.

    The water intake unit with a capacity of 4,500 m³/day has been operating since 2014 and was transferred to the balance of the republican water utility in 2024. The resort is connected to the centralized water supply according to a temporary scheme: water comes directly from wells, bypassing reservoirs. This ensures the functioning of the facilities, but requires additional measures to modernize the system.

    “The creation of the Mamison resort is not only a contribution to the tourist attractiveness of North Ossetia, but also to the development of the entire economy of the region. Over the past two years, we have managed to overcome infrastructure barriers and move to the stage of stable operation. Today, the task is to ensure the stable operation of all engineering systems, involve investors and continue the comprehensive development of the resort,” emphasized Sergey Nazarov.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: State-owned companies’ purchases from SMEs exceeded 3.8 trillion rubles in the first half of 2025

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Ministry of Economic Development (Russia) – Ministry of Economic Development (Russia) –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    According to the results of the first half of 2025, the volume of purchases by government customers from small and medium-sized businesses under Federal Law 223 amounted to more than 3.8 trillion rubles, and the number of contracts exceeded 428 thousand. Almost 150 thousand SMEs became suppliers, which is 4.4% more than a year earlier.

    “The participation of small and medium-sized businesses in state-owned company purchases gives them access to a stable sales market. We see how the number of SME suppliers increases year after year and the range of purchased products expands. If earlier small businesses mainly purchased office supplies, furniture or paper, now it is increasingly industrial products. This indicates that small businesses are able to meet the demand of large companies in terms of quality and volume. Compared to the same period last year, the number of SME suppliers who concluded contracts as a result of state purchases increased by more than 6.3 thousand and reached almost 150 thousand from all regions of Russia. By the end of 2025, the total volume of purchases from SMEs may exceed 9 trillion rubles,” said Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak.

    Alexander Novak emphasized the need to meet the payment deadlines for contracts with small and medium businesses. According to him, this is of strategic importance, since timely payments ensure the stability of SMEs, preventing cash flow gaps and creating conditions for the development of enterprises.

    The leading regions in terms of the amount of purchases from small and medium businesses were Moscow (more than 1.2 trillion rubles), St. Petersburg (345 billion rubles), the Republic of Tatarstan (almost 250 billion rubles), Moscow Region (more than 200 billion rubles) and Sverdlovsk Region (almost 130 billion rubles).

    “We are noting the positive dynamics of growth in the volume of purchases from small and medium-sized businesses in a number of regions. The Republic of Tatarstan showed significant growth – almost 25 billion rubles, Samara and Rostov regions – more than 24 and 23 billion, respectively, the Donetsk People’s Republic – over 12 billion rubles, as well as the Yaroslavl region – more than 11.5 billion. The top ten leaders in terms of the rate of increase in purchases also included Primorsky Krai, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – with volumes of over 11.3 billion rubles, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) – 11.3 billion, as well as the Irkutsk Region and the Udmurt Republic, where volumes exceeded 9 billion rubles. These results are an indicator of the active involvement of SMEs in the public procurement system and a reflection of targeted work to develop entrepreneurship in the regions,” commented Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia Tatyana Ilyushnikova.

    For companies with state participation, there is a mandatory 25% quota for purchases from small and medium-sized businesses. It was established by the Government of the Russian Federation, and compliance is monitored by the SME Corporation and regional government agencies. Expanding the participation of small and medium-sized businesses in purchases under Federal Law No. 223 is one of the objectives of the federal project “Small and Medium-sized Entrepreneurship” of the national project “Efficient and Competitive Economy”.

    “Based on the results of the first half of 2025, manufacturing products came out on top in terms of purchase volumes from SME suppliers. Over the course of six months, the largest customers purchased over 1.3 trillion rubles worth of them. This is an important trend both for assessing the state of the SME sector in terms of competencies in supplying industrial products, including high-tech ones, and for continuing the qualitative growth of the segment. The leading industries also included services for scientific, engineering, technical and professional activities (209.1 billion rubles), as well as IT, where the purchase volume amounted to 170 billion rubles,” said Alexander Isaevich, CEO of the SME Corporation.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko: The plan for the Decade of Science and Technology is aimed at achieving technological leadership

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    A meeting of the Coordination Committee for the Decade of Science and Technology was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko. Participants discussed the interim results of the Decade’s initiatives for 2025 and preparations for the V Congress of Young Scientists.

    “The Decade of Science and Technology, announced by President Vladimir Putin, is aimed at strengthening the role of science and technology in solving key development problems of the country. Its main goal is to achieve technological leadership of Russia. To achieve this, a special plan has been developed, which provides for the popularization of modern scientific knowledge and obtaining a real socio-economic effect. One of the main annual events – the Congress of Young Scientists – has been included in the national project “Youth and Children” since this year. The event will traditionally bring together representatives of the scientific community, business leaders, as well as representatives of state and public organizations from Russia and other countries,” said Deputy Prime Minister, Co-Chairman of the Coordination Committee for the Decade of Science and Technology Dmitry Chernyshenko.

    Last year, more than 7,000 people from 85 regions of Russia and abroad took part in the Congress of Young Scientists.

    The Decade’s initiatives strengthen the human resources potential of the scientific and technological sphere.

    “Holding the Decade of Science and Technology in Russia is, of course, a very important initiative of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. It is aimed at popularizing scientific achievements and creating conditions for doing science. I believe that the organizers and all participants of the Decade of Science and Technology are, on the whole, successfully coping with these tasks,” said Gennady Krasnikov, President of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

    Minister of Education and Science Valery Falkov noted that the Decade of Science and Technology forms the correct perception of science and the profession of a scientist. According to surveys, the proportion of parents who welcome their children’s choice of a career in the scientific field is increasing, now there are more than 60%.

    “We also see a growing interest among young people in engineering specialties, which is associated with the extensive work within the Decade of Science and Technology. Compared to 2022, admission to engineering programs in 2024 increased by 7% – from 213 thousand to 228 thousand people,” the minister emphasized.

    Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Denis Sekirinsky reported that scientific volunteering is developing, the study of the legacy of the Soviet scientific school continues, the network of scientific playgrounds for children is expanding – today there are 55 of them in 41 cities in Russia. In the “Science and Innovation” domain, 26 services are available for the research community. In Russia, 12 new routes for popular science tourism have been launched in the regions, and in general, there are 87 of them in the country.

    “Since the beginning of 2025, more than 3,000 events of the Decade of Science and Technology have been held, reaching more than 4 million people. This reflects the scale of the work done and sets a high bar for the second half of the year. The development of existing formats continues, new areas are emerging so that more and more young people see science as an opportunity for professional growth and participation in the future of the country,” he said.

    Sofia Malyavina, Director General, spoke about the work of the operator of the Decade of Science and Technology, ANO National Priorities: “Since the beginning of the Decade of Science and Technology in 2022, we have organized more than a hundred excursions and lectures “Science is Nearby”, created dozens of thematic TV projects and podcasts, and attracted over 100 thousand schoolchildren and students to participate in competitions. Since the beginning of 2025 alone, over 24 thousand publications about science have been published – on television, radio, in the press, and online. Interest in this topic is growing, and our task is to ensure that as many people as possible learn about scientific achievements and the specialists behind them.”

    The head of Rosmolodezh Grigory Gurov noted that the scientific volunteer community consists of more than 60 thousand people, and in 2025, more than 3 thousand volunteers joined it: “Rosmolodezh, together with the “Movement of the First”, is implementing the direction “Science and Technology. “DARE AND DISCOVER”, which helps popularize science among children and young people, including through the flagship project “First in Science”. This year, we plan to launch at least 600 “First” scientific clubs in 30 pilot regions. We support young people who strive to develop in science, we create conditions so that children and young people can implement their ideas and propose innovative projects within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children”, launched on the initiative of the President of Russia.”

    Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President and Head of the Interdepartmental Working Group for the Preparation and Holding of the Congress of Young Scientists and Associated Events, spoke about the preparations for the anniversary V Congress of Young Scientists to be held on November 26–28, 2025.

    “Special attention in 2025 is being paid to expanding the international component of the Congress of Young Scientists – active work is underway to invite foreign scientists from friendly countries to participate in the congress. As part of the international promotion, the congress was presented at external communication platforms, including off-site events and presentation sessions of the SPIEF in Mexico, Turkey, India, and Arab countries. Also this year, the partner of the invitation campaign is Friends for Leadership – an association created following the XIX World Festival of Youth and Students, which operates in 130 countries. As a result of the work, to date, more than 1.6 thousand participants have submitted applications to participate in the congress,” said Anton Kobyakov.

    Among the innovations of the upcoming congress, the Presidential Advisor named the holding of the BRICS Social and Humanitarian Research Forum on the sidelines of the congress. In addition, exhibition clusters dedicated to industry, technological development, healthcare, ecology, and digitalization will be organized within the framework of the congress exhibition.

    The Director General of the State Corporation Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, spoke about the events of the V Congress of Young Scientists related to the topic of the atom and the 80th anniversary of the nuclear industry.

    The Governor of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Dmitry Artyukhov paid attention to the regional experience of implementing the Decade’s initiatives.

    The director of the National Center “Russia” Natalia Virtuozova spoke about the activities of the National Center “Russia” to implement the tasks of the Decade. According to her, one of the strategic areas was the popularization of science fiction – through exhibition projects, international discussion platforms and educational programs. The flagship of this work was the international symposium “Creating the Future”.

    The head of the Educational Foundation “Talent and Success” Elena Shmeleva, the rector of the Lomonosov Moscow State University Viktor Sadovnichy, the rector of the Presidential Academy Alexey Komissarov put forward a number of proposals for holding projects and events within the framework of the Decade and the Congress of Young Scientists.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Marat Khusnullin: About 2.5 million square meters of asphalt concrete were laid during the reconstruction of a section of the M-3 “Ukraine” highway

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    On the federal highway M-3 “Ukraine” the implementation of a large-scale project to reconstruct the section from the 65th km to the 124th km in the Kaluga region continues

    On the federal highway M-3 “Ukraine” the implementation of a large-scale project to reconstruct the section from the 65th km to the 124th km from the village of Bekasovo in the Moscow region to the city of Maloyaroslavets in the Kaluga region continues. To date, a total of about 2.5 million square meters of asphalt concrete have been laid at the site. This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.

    “Road renovation is necessary to improve transport accessibility in the regions. This increases the comfort of people’s lives, road safety and stimulates territorial development. On the M-3 “Ukraine” highway, reconstruction of the section from the 65th to the 124th km from the village of Bekasovo in the Moscow region to the city of Maloyaroslavets in the Kaluga region is ongoing. From the 65th to the 102nd km, three lanes will be arranged in each direction, from the 102nd to the 124th km – two lanes. In addition, secondary passages for local transport will appear in populated areas. During the reconstruction, overhead pedestrian crossings and interchanges will be built to eliminate intersections with other roads at the same level. High-speed traffic without traffic lights will be ensured. This will allow transit transport to pass freely without interfering with the movement of residents of Naro-Fominsk, Balabanovo and Obninsk. The reconstruction work is carried out in two stages and is distributed across the territories of the two regions. A total of about 2.5 million square meters of asphalt concrete has already been laid at the site, which is 553 thousand. t,” said Marat Khusnullin.

    The Deputy Prime Minister added that the roadbed construction work on the section from the 65th to the 86th km is nearing completion, the road surface is 68% complete – this is 353 thousand tons of asphalt concrete layers. All three interchanges are currently being actively built. The overall readiness on the first section from the 65th to the 86th km within the Moscow Region is 65%, and on the second section on the territory of the Kaluga Region from the 86th to the 124th km, the work has been completed by 25% of the planned volume.

    Also, 28 km of parapet fencing out of the planned 39 km have been installed here today. At the same time, the installation of culverts is at a high level of readiness.

    On the section from the 86th to the 124th km, 1.19 million cubic meters of roadbed were filled, 200 thousand tons of asphalt concrete were installed. Also, specialists began construction of reinforced soil embankments, which pass through the entire city of Balabanovo and partially through the city of Obninsk.

    The head of the state company Avtodor, Vyacheslav Petushenko, specified that a total of 33 artificial structures are being erected at the site. These are bridges, overpasses, an overpass, and overground pedestrian crossings.

    “The first stage of reconstruction in the Moscow Region involves the construction of eight artificial structures, five of which are in a high state of readiness. It should be noted that in general in this region we have reached the final stage of construction and installation works. As for the second stage, on the site within the borders of the Kaluga Region it is planned to build 25 artificial structures, including 15 overpasses, one flyover, three bridges and six overground pedestrian crossings. It is noteworthy that the spans of these overground pedestrian crossings are made of wood-composite materials, ensuring their environmental friendliness. Work is currently underway on 23 structures. At the same time, we are building reinforced soil retaining walls in Balabanovo and Obninsk with overpasses providing passage for local residents,” noted Vyacheslav Petushenko.

    Currently, over a thousand people and more than 300 units of special equipment are involved in the project.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Grigorenko: More than a third of the first wave of industrial competence center projects have been successfully completed

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Within the framework of industrial competence centers, the implementation of 66 IT products of the first wave has been completed. They have already been implemented by more than 500 Russian and foreign companies – from chain retailers to airports and nuclear industry enterprises. More than 135 thousand jobs have been transferred to domestic software solutions that were implemented within the framework of the ICC.

    In total, the first wave of particularly significant projects included 150 solutions that replace foreign software used in key sectors of the economy. Among the completed developments are 59 projects implemented using the companies’ own funds, as well as 7 projects implemented with the involvement of grant funds.

    “We are faced with the task of developing, including with government support, IT products that are not inferior in functionality to foreign ones, so that it would be interesting and profitable for businesses to implement them. And judging by the completed projects of the first wave, such mature domestic solutions exist. They have gone beyond the pilot stage and are already used by hundreds of companies,” said Deputy Prime Minister – Chief of the Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko.

    Among the completed solutions that are most actively replicated is the creation of a software and hardware complex (operating system, office software, browser, antivirus) designed to automate the activities of specialists (a project commissioned and funded by Rosatom State Corporation). It is necessary to transfer automated workstations that previously used Microsoft to domestic software. During the project, more than 133 thousand workstations of 150 nuclear industry organizations were transferred to Russian software. The active replication of the project continues.

    Another development within the framework of the ICC, which has already been implemented and is in great demand among Russian companies, is the Russian loyalty system Loyalty 2.0 for retail outlets. It has already been implemented by more than 50 Russian companies, such as Magnit, Domashniy Interier (Hoff), Dixie, Medsi, Rive Gauche, as well as three foreign companies. The solution uses data on customer purchases and preferences to create personalized offers and manage marketing campaigns. The system allows processing more than 6 thousand customer requests every second. The developer’s revenue from sales of the solution amounted to about 1 billion rubles.

    The solutions that showed the best sales revenue figures also included a digital platform for field design commissioned by JSC Rosgeo. The solution was developed with the help of grant funds. It is already being used in 33 companies. The solution’s sales revenue amounted to almost 160 million rubles (340% of the grant amount), and the return on government investment in the form of taxes was more than 72 million rubles (154% of the grant amount).

    In total, about 200 particularly significant projects are currently being implemented in Russia within the framework of the ICC. Most of the first wave projects will be implemented by the end of 2026. In May 2025, the second wave of ICC projects was launched. Within its framework, 49 projects were selected and supported. 17 of them received grant funding in the amount of 3.2 billion rubles. Completion of the implementation of most of the second wave projects is planned for the end of 2027.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Conversation between Mikhail Mishustin and the Governor of the Amur Region Vasily Orlov

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Current issues of the region’s socio-economic development were discussed.

    From the transcript:

    M. Mishustin: Dear Vasily Alexandrovich!

    Conversation between Mikhail Mishustin and the Governor of the Amur Region Vasily Orlov

    July 21, 2025

    Governor of the Amur Region Vasily Orlov

    July 21, 2025

    Previous news Next news

    Conversation between Mikhail Mishustin and the Governor of the Amur Region Vasily Orlov

    Not so long ago, about five years ago, we met here and spoke in detail about the infrastructure elements that were sorely needed in the Amur Region. I remember very well, then we looked at the bridge towards Heihe, talked about checkpoints, a new airport, coastal protection, the creation of modern embankment elements and much more.

    Today, these projects are being implemented systematically. The result of this was a twofold increase in the regional domestic product. This is a very good result. Today, we have seen from the implementation that everything is going as usual.

    The airport we visited is almost ready. I hope that it will welcome and serve the millionth passenger in the new terminal in December, as planned.

    Drive

    The projects “Golden Mile”, “Silver Mile”, the expo center, the hotel, the cable car, all the elements on the embankment, which we also discussed in detail with you – they are all being implemented, and I hope on time.

    It is also pleasing to see the creation of infrastructure for the movement of goods and, of course, for passenger transportation, tourism – both within the country and for tourism towards China. You are a border city.

    And here it is very important that Kanikurgan, as an infrastructure, as a customs and logistics warehouse, as a checkpoint, will become, I think, an anchor for the expansion of the entire transport and logistics system of the Far East.

    To be continued…

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Mikhail Mishustin visited the city center “Tribuna Hall” in Blagoveshchensk

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The Prime Minister inspected the Russian-Chinese Friendship House under construction and watched a presentation of key objects of the Blagoveshchensk master plan and the project for coastal protection and embankment reconstruction.

    Mikhail Mishustin visited the city center “Tribuna Hall” in Blagoveshchensk. With the Governor of the Amur Region Vasily Orlov

    July 21, 2025

    Mikhail Mishustin visited the city center “Tribuna Hall” in Blagoveshchensk. With the Governor of the Amur Region Vasily Orlov

    July 21, 2025

    Mikhail Mishustin visited the city center “Tribuna Hall” in Blagoveshchensk. With the Governor of the Amur Region Vasily Orlov

    July 21, 2025

    Mikhail Mishustin visited the city center “Tribuna Hall” in Blagoveshchensk. With the Governor of the Amur Region Vasily Orlov

    July 21, 2025

    Previous news Next news

    Mikhail Mishustin visited the city center “Tribuna Hall” in Blagoveshchensk. With the Governor of the Amur Region Vasily Orlov

    The key objects of the Blagoveshchensk master plan are located in the central part of the city on the Golden Mile section of the Amur embankment, which includes the House of Russian-Chinese Friendship, a cross-border cable car, an international congress and exhibition center, a premium hotel complex, the Fountain Alley, the Amur Dino Park and other objects.

    The entire territory of the Golden Mile is reclaimed and was formed as a result of the implementation of a large-scale project for coastal protection and improvement of the embankment of the city of Blagoveshchensk (implemented in the period from 2013 to 2024 on 10 sites, which are grouped into 3 key clusters – Golden Mile, Silver Mile and Cote d’Azur).

    The project was created using funds from a single subsidy, the regional budget and with the participation of partners (SBER). Within the framework of the project, the largest fountain complex in Eurasia was created, the House of Russian-Chinese Friendship with an observation deck, a dino park were built, and the central square of Blagoveshchensk was landscaped.

    Drive

    Mikhail Mishustin inspected the automobile checkpoint across the state border Kani-Kurgan

    Mikhail Mishustin inspected the new airport complex of the Blagoveshchensk International Airport (Ignatievo) named after N.N. Muravyov-Amursky

    The House of Russian-Chinese Friendship is a separate building with a complex architectural elliptical shape with variable number of storeys and a protruding cornice-spoiler. The area of the object is 6.3 thousand square meters, 2 floors, the roof of the building serves as an observation deck. Finishing works are currently underway at the object, completion is scheduled for September 2025.

    The cross-border cableway across the Amur River between the cities of Blagoveshchensk (Russia) and Heihe (China) is the world’s first cableway between two countries, Russia and China, and opens up great prospects for the development of international tourism and business. The cableway is being built under an intergovernmental agreement signed on September 3, 2015. The construction period is 2019–2025, with commissioning scheduled for May 2026. Technical readiness as of July 2025 is 80%.

    The length of the cable car is 976 meters, it consists of two independent lines with two cabins with a capacity of up to 110 people each, the throughput capacity is 6.8 thousand people per day in each direction, the throughput capacity of the checkpoint across the state border is up to 2.5 million people per year (in both directions).

    On the Russian side, a four-level passenger terminal with a total area of 26 thousand square meters is being built to accommodate the cable car terminal station, a platform and technological equipment, a checkpoint across the state border, a duty-free shop, restaurants, shopping and entertainment facilities. Commissioning is scheduled for May 2026.

    The construction of a multifunctional congress and exhibition center is included in the long-term plan for the comprehensive socio-economic development of Blagoveshchensk for the period up to 2030. The planned start date for construction is the first quarter of 2026, and the completion of work is 2028. International events will be held here (the Russian-Chinese Economic Forum “AmurExpo”, congresses, concerts, exhibitions), a center for Russian-Chinese business cooperation will be created, and a permanent export fair of Russian goods (from food to industrial equipment) for foreign guests will be organized.

    The construction of five-star hotels is planned on the territory adjacent to the cross-border cableway under construction, in the immediate vicinity of the planned international congress and exhibition center.

    The Alley of Fountains is the largest fountain complex in Eurasia, which has become the new calling card of the capital of the Amur Region. It is a pedestrian fountain with an area of 3 thousand square meters with a fogging system and 2114 jets. It was put into operation in May 2024.

    In the evening, the fountain jets “dance” to music, being painted in different colors thanks to the spotlights installed next to the nozzles. Spectators can see “swan wings”, “hearts”, and other water figures.

    The Amur Dinopark is an immersive area that will feature more than 20 exhibits, such as animatronic dinosaurs in jungle-like interiors. Finishing work is currently underway in the new building, with completion scheduled for May 2026.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The Center for Language and Brain Conducted the First Field Neurolinguistic Study of Reading in the Yakut Language

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University “Higher School of Economics” –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The site may not display correctly in older browser versions. For optimal site experience, we recommend using a modern browser.

    We use cookies to improve the HSE website and make it more convenient to use. More detailed information about the use of cookies can be foundHere, our rules for processing personal data are –Here. By continuing to use the site, you confirm that you have been informed of the use of cookies by the HSE website and agree with our rules for processing personal data. You can disable cookies in your browser settings.

    ABC ABC ABC A A A A A

    Regular version of the site

    Date

    July 21

    Headings

    The article mentions

    Persons

    You may also be interested in:

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: WFP partners with Careem to deliver food aid in Gaza

    Source: World Food Programme

    Dubai, UAE – July 21, 2025: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), through its award-winning ShareTheMeal app, has partnered with Careem, a leading multi-service app in the Middle East, to launch a donation campaign across Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The initiative enables Careem users to support WFP’s emergency food assistance efforts in Gaza and the West Bank directly through the Careem app.

    WFP is delivering life-saving food aid in Gaza despite worsening security, limited access, and rising desperation. A recent assessment shows nearly one in three people are going days without food, putting more lives at risk. Since May 21, WFP teams have dispatched dozens of aid convoys with over 1,200 trucks carrying 18,247 metric tons (MT) of food into Gaza.

    Through Careem’s in-app donations platform “Right Click”, users can contribute directly to WFP’s emergency response, with donations going towards delivering wheat flour, hot meals, and nutrition supplements to communities across Gaza and the West Bank, where WFP aims to reach over 1.5 million people this year.

    “We welcome this important partnership with Careem, which empowers those in Jordan and the UAE to directly support families in Gaza through our joint platforms. These meaningful contributions will enable WFP to save lives in one of the toughest operations to date,” said Stephen Anderson, Director of WFP UAE Office & Representative to GCC Region. 

    “At Careem, we believe in using our platform to empower communities and respond to moments that matter. The crisis in Gaza is a humanitarian emergency that demands urgent action, and through our partnership with the World Food Programme, we’re enabling our customers in Jordan and the UAE to make a direct impact,” Mudassir Sheikha, CEO and co-founder of Careem. “With just a few taps in the app, you can contribute to life-saving food assistance for families who are facing unimaginable hardship.”

    In Gaza, food aid has become the only realistic option for people to eat, as flour prices have soared to 3,000 times pre-war levels, and cooking fuel is virtually impossible to find. Currently, WFP has pre-positioned over 116,000 metric tons of food assistance just outside Gaza, enough to feed the entirety of Gaza’s population for two months.

    In 2025 alone, Careem has facilitated over $200,000 in donations to various causes, including emergency relief and education support, reflecting the ongoing commitment of Careem customers to making an impact through the app.

    WFP’s campaign is now live on Careem’s donations platform “Right Click” in Jordan and the UAE. Download the latest version of the Careem app on iOS or Android to donate and be part of the impact.

    -END-

    About WFP

    The United Nations World Food Program is the largest humanitarian organization in the world, which saves lives during emergencies and provides food assistance to build a road to peace, stability and prosperity amongst populations which are recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.

    Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter: @WFP_GCC and Instagram: @wfp_gcc

    Subscribe to our WhatsApp channel.

    About Careem

    Careem is building the Everything App for the greater Middle East, making it easier than ever to move around, order food and groceries, manage payments, and more. Careem is led by a powerful purpose to simplify and improve the lives of people and build an awesome organisation that inspires. Since 2012, Careem has created earning opportunities for over 3.5 million Captains, simplified the lives of over 75 million customers, and built a platform for the region’s best talent to thrive and for entrepreneurs to scale their businesses. Careem operates in over 70 cities across 10 countries, from Morocco to Pakistan.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 13th Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao Legal Seminar concludes (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    13th Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao Legal Seminar concludes  
         Addressing the opening ceremony at the seminar, the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, said that since the promulgation and implementation of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area more than six years ago, the legal departments and legal sectors of the three places have worked hard to continuously deepen co-operation and promote the high-quality development of the GBA. The remarkable progress of co-operation in the legal and dispute resolution fields has laid a solid foundation for closer co-operation in the GBA in the future. As the construction of the GBA continues to advance, it is particularly important to promote legal harmonisation between the three places and strengthen exchanges and co-operation in the legal sector. He expressed hope that everyone will contribute wisdom and strength to the high-quality development of the GBA to open up broader prospects for legal co-operation among the three places.
     
         The seminar focused on four topics, namely “Strengthening legislative co-ordination among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and promoting the interfaces of regulatory frameworks and mechanisms in the GBA”; “Data element market governance and competition order protection in the GBA”; “Legal obstacles and institutional innovation in cross-border co-ordination of protection of intellectual property rights in the GBA”; and “Establishing a diversified mechanism for the resolution of cross-border financial disputes in the GBA”. Officials of the three places, representatives of the Hong Kong Bar Association and the Law Society of Hong Kong, as well as legal professionals and experienced practitioners served as moderators and speakers to share experiences and exchange views on promoting the construction of the GBA with high-quality rule of law.
     
         Concluding the seminar, the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, said that the DoJ has been actively taking forward its work in setting up a dedicated platform for GBA lawyers and a GBA legal information platform, supporting the legal sector to deepen professional co-operation with Guangdong and Macao counterparts with a view to better supporting the professional development of GBA lawyers and enhancing the exchange of legal information, contributing to the construction of foreign-related rule of law of the country.
    Issued at HKT 18:17

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: SJ, others to attend Belt-Road event

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Justice Paul Lam, in his capacity as the chair of the sub-group on Belt & Road development under the Steering Group on Integration into National Development, will lead Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government officials in attending the eighth “Joint Conference on Advancing Hong Kong’s Full Participation in & Contribution to the Belt & Road Initiative”, due to be held on Thursday in Beijing. 

    The other officials attending include Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn, Permanent Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Maggie Wong, Under Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Joseph Chan and Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Lillian Cheong.

    During his stay in Beijing, Mr Lam and Law Officer (International Law) in the Department of Justice James Ding will visit the State Council’s Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to report on the progress of the Department of Justice’s major policy initiatives, including relevant work on the International Organization for Mediation and promoting Hong Kong’s position as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre.

    Mr Lam will also visit the Ministry of Commerce to exchange views on matters of mutual interest.

    He will return to Hong Kong on the afternoon of July 24. During Mr Lam’s absence, Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan will be Acting Secretary for Justice.

    In Mr Yau’s absence, Under Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Bernard Chan will be Acting Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development. During Ms Linn’s absence, Under Secretary for Development David Lam will be Acting Secretary for Development.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: How AI helps to solve a big problem with small earthquakes

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week’s contribution is from Alysha Armstrong, graduate student at the University of Utah Department of Geology and Geophysics.

    Although they mostly go unnoticed by humans, small earthquakes occur much more frequently than large earthquakes, and knowing more about these tiny seismic events can help us better understand the earthquake hazard and geological processes occurring in a region. Using conventional methods to measure the magnitude of small earthquakes in Yellowstone, however, can be challenging. But perhaps Artificial Intelligence (AI) approaches offer a solution.  After all, AI is already helping to refine earthquake location procedures in Yellowstone. 

    Earthquake magnitudes are calculated from the energy released by the earthquake as recorded by a seismometer. In Yellowstone, the University of Utah Seismograph Stations (UUSS) operates a network of seismometers to monitor earthquakes in the area. Generally, magnitude measurements for a single earthquake are made at several stations in the network independently, and the estimates are then averaged into the final magnitude that is reported. Accurately computing magnitude values for small earthquakes becomes challenging when 1) there are not enough measurements, or 2) earthquakes are happening close together. This is a particular problem during swarms of small earthquakes because the signals from individual seismic events can overlap. Usually, this can be fixed by a seismic analyst after they locate the earthquake, but not always! About 2% of the earthquakes in the UUSS catalog do not have a magnitude computed, likely because of a combination of these issues, so the value is reported as -9.99. To solve this problem, let’s reach into our AI toolkit!

    Example of a Yellowstone seismic waveform recorded at station YMC (at Maple Creek in the northeast part of Yellowstone National Park) with earthquakes for which a magnitude could not be determined. The magnitude was therefore set at -9.99 in the University of Utah Seismograph Stations catalog. The gold area highlights one event, but there are several others close by. The entire window is ~1 minute long. The close occurrence of several earthquakes in such a short time window and their small magnitude values make it a challenge to calculate an earthquake magnitude for any of these events.

    Most people are likely familiar with complicated “deep learning” models, like ChatGPT, that accept and output complex data like long text sequences and images. The deep learning models we use in processing small earthquakes are similar, and they take ground motion data from seismometers as the input. Deep learning models like these are a type of machine learning, which describes algorithms that learn patterns in a dataset to estimate values of interest for new data. The models learn the patterns during a training phase, in which the model is provided with examples—sort of like a test with an answer key. After training, the model can accept inputs it has never seen before and estimate the output, given what it learned from the training data.

    A map of the stations operating in the Yellowstone region between 2012 and 2024 shown as triangles with fill and edge colors indicating whether they are used to calculate magnitudes using traditional approaches, artificial intelligence methods, or both. Many more stations can be used with the AI magnitude method, allowing for more small-magnitude values to be computed. The black dots show the locations of the earthquakes cataloged by the University of Utah Seismograph Stations that were used to train the AI models.

    There is also a somewhat simpler, though still powerful, type of machine learning that relies on human-defined features that describe the data instead of the more complicated, raw data to make predictions. In a recent study, UUSS scientists used this method to train models to calculate earthquake magnitudes based on short windows of data, so it won’t generally be a problem if earthquakes are close together. 

     In the new approach, the UUSS scientists trained one machine learning model for each station in the Yellowstone region using data from the UUSS earthquake catalog. Each model uses features describing the earthquake signal—such as the amplitude—and the location of the earthquake to estimate a magnitude value. The new method makes better use of the available data by accounting for multiple types of seismic waves, and the method also can take advantage of data from more seismic stations because of the rigorous training step. The net result is that there are up to 4 times as many measurements available to calculate a magnitude. Like in the conventional approach, these measurements are combined to determine a final magnitude. 

    The new method will ultimately complement, and not replace, the traditional approach for magnitude calculations. This is because traditional methods work very well most of the time (except for these small, nearby events), and because the machine learning approach does have its limitations, mostly because the models are only going to work well for earthquakes that are similar to the training dataset. So, for example, a model may fail to estimate the magnitude of an earthquake occurring near Hebgen Lake if it saw very few training examples from that area. Similarly, if most training examples were greater than M0.5, the model may perform poorly when applied to earthquakes with a magnitude less than 0.5. Combining predictions from multiple station models can help us to remove and identify poor magnitude estimates, but it can be challenging to know when the models are uncertain. In the future, UUSS scientists plan to expand the approach to not only provide a magnitude, but also an assessment of the confidence in that magnitude.

    These machine learning methods are at the current cutting edge of seismology, and Yellowstone provides the perfect location to train and test the new approaches!

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK ramps up Ukraine military support with £150 million of vital air defence and artillery ammunition delivered in just two months

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    UK ramps up Ukraine military support with £150 million of vital air defence and artillery ammunition delivered in just two months

    More than £150 million worth of air defence and artillery has been delivered to Ukraine in the last two months, as procurement of hundreds of air defence missiles and thousands of rounds of artillery to provide to Ukraine ramps up.

    At least £700 million of this support is set to be spent this year on air defence and artillery ammunition including the £150 million already delivered – with other funding going towards procuring more drones, as well as critical contracts to maintain and repair UK weapons already provided to Ukraine, allowing damaged equipment to return to the frontline as quickly as possible.

    With Putin repeatedly targeting Ukraine’s cities in recent weeks with the most intense aerial bombardment since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, the UK is joining the US and European nations in ramping up deliveries of vital air defence.

    The UK signed an agreement with Ukraine in May to provide an additional £2.26 billion worth of military support that will be repaid using funds raised from immobilised Russian assets, with more than two-thirds of the money allocated for procurement of weapons and munitions in just two months.

    The deal delivers on this Government’s Plan for Change, by spending more on defence and creating jobs we will keep the country safe and boost economic growth. 

    The Defence Secretary will make the announcement at the 29th meeting of the 50-nation strong Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) which he will chair virtually on Monday alongside German Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius.

    Opening the UDCG meeting, Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, is expected to say:

    Last week, President Trump announced a new plan for large scale NATO weapons transfers and committed to getting these “quickly distributed to the battlefield”.

    The UK government backs this policy, and we will play our full part in its success to bolster Ukraine’s immediate fight and to support our own and wider European security.

    Alongside this, the US has started the clock on a 50-day deadline for Putin to agree to peace or face crippling economic sanctions.

    As members of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, we need to step up in turn with a “50-day drive” to arm Ukraine on the battlefield and force Putin to the negotiating table.

    It comes as the UK also completed delivery of nearly 50,000 military drones to Ukraine in under six months, in addition to 20,000 drones provided in the same period via the UK-Latvia co-led drone coalition, working closely with British defence companies to speed up procurement and delivery. The UK has committed £350 million this year to increase the supply of drones from 10,000 in 2024 to 100,000 in 2025.

    At the meeting, the UK and Germany will announce a new agreement to partner in providing critical air defence ammunition to Ukraine. Germany will provide more than 170 million Euros worth of funding, which the UK will use to rapidly procure air defence ammunition via the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine for delivery in the coming months. This supports the aims of the Integrated Air and Missile Defence Capability Coalition, co-led by Germany and France.

    The UK’s military support for Ukraine this year is more than ever before, with £4.5 billion allocated for this financial year. In March, the Prime Minister announced a historic £1.6 billion deal to provide more than five thousand air defence missiles for Ukraine.

    Last month, the Prime Minister announced a landmark agreement between the UK and Ukraine to share battlefield technology, boosting Ukraine’s drone production and linking up the UK’s defence industry with the cutting-edge technology being developed on the front lines in Ukraine.

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Emergency relief fund for farmers affected by Typhoon Wipha

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Emergency relief fund for farmers affected by Typhoon Wipha 
         An AFCD spokesman said today (July 21) that an appropriate amount of the relief funding would be released to affected farmers according to established criteria.
     
         The department’s preliminary investigation has revealed that about 300 hectares of farmland in the New Territories were affected by Typhoon Wipha.
     
         “After each typhoon or natural disaster, AFCD staff will inspect farmland areas in the New Territories to assess the resultant damage. Depending on the extent of the damage, the department may launch an operation to provide some relief to affected farmers,” the spokesman said.
     
         Affected farmers who need to apply for the fund can submit their applications in person at the Agricultural Extension Office of the AFCD at 5/F, Yuen Long Government Offices, 2 Kiu Lok Square, Yuen Long, or submit their applications online (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/agriculture/agr_loan/agr_loan_erf/agr_loan_erf.htmlIssued at HKT 18:00

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Catherine Staggs: Advancing Artemis Through Contracting Expertise

    Source: NASA

    A lifelong baseball fan, Catherine Staggs set out with her family to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums across the United States. That love of the game eventually led them to settle in Houston about eight years ago – a choice that helped lead Staggs to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where she is a contracting officer for the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Through CLPS, she helps manage the contracts with commercial companies delivering science and technology to the Moon. These efforts support NASA’s Artemis campaign and lay the groundwork for continuous human presence on the lunar surface.

    She joined NASA as a civil servant in 2018, but Staggs’ career in the federal government stretches back to her college days. She completed an accounting co-op with the Department of Defense as a student at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, and secured a full-time accounting position with the agency following her graduation. She transitioned to a business financial manager position supporting U.S. Marine Corps projects while earning an MBA from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. “That position is where I started to dabble in contracting,” she said.
    Staggs moved to Texas in 2014 to be closer to her boyfriend – now husband – who was stationed at Fort Hood in Killeen. She was hired as a contract compliance manager for a small, Killeen-based business that specialized in government contracts, officially launching her career in contracting. When Staggs’ husband retired from the Army, the couple decided to move to Houston because they loved to watch the Houston Astros play ball. Staggs continued working for the contracting company from her new home but missed meeting new people and collaborating with colleagues in person.
    “I applied for a contract specialist job with NASA to get back into the office, and the rest is history,” she said.
    Her current role at Johnson involves managing the administrative contract functions for the 13 base contracts that support CLPS, which are valued at $2.6 billion. She is also the contracting officer for Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission-3 and helps to train and develop up-and-coming contract specialists. “I love to see the development each contract specialist has over their career,” she said. “My first Pathways intern is now working full-time for NASA as a contract specialist, and they are working to become a limited warrant contracting officer.”

    Her training experience provides valuable perspective on new team members. “Everyone starts at the bottom, not knowing what they don’t know,” she said. “We all have a beginning, and we need to remember that as we welcome new employees.”
    Staggs said that navigating change has at times been difficult in her career, but she strives to remain flexible and open to adjusting work and life to meet the needs of the mission. “My time at NASA has helped develop my leadership skills through confidence in myself and my team,” she said.

    She looks forward to mentoring the Artemis Generation and sharing her contracting knowledge with new team members. She also anticipates crossing more baseball stadiums off her family’s list this summer.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Criminal Illegal Alien with Lengthy Rap Sheet Ambushes and Shoots CBP Officer in New York City

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: VIDEO: Criminal Illegal Alien with Lengthy Rap Sheet Ambushes and Shoots CBP Officer in New York City

    A witness of the attack—believed to be an attempted robbery—states that she and the victim were sitting on the rocks by the water when 2 subjects on a scooter drove up to them and the passenger got off the back and approached them with a firearm drawn

    The off-duty CBP officer responded by withdrawing his own firearm in self defense

    The CBP officer was shot in his right arm and left cheek

    Thankfully, the officer is in stable condition at the hospital

    Video of the attack is below

    Image

    One of the assailants is Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, a criminal illegal alien from the Dominican Republic

    He illegally entered the United States on April 4, 2023, and was released by the Biden Administration into the country

    Image

    This criminal illegal alien’s rap sheet includes:  

    On October 11, 2023, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) arrested and charged Nunez with felony grand larceny, petit larceny, and reckless driving

    On October 01, 2024, the NYPD arrested and charged Nunez with 2nd and 3rd degree assault

    On November 30, 2024, the NYPD arrested Nunez for criminal contempt

    On January 13, 2025, he was again attested for criminal contempt

    On February 21, 2025, the Leominster Police Department in Massachusetts issued a criminal warrant for Nunez for armed robbery with a firearm

    After failing to show up for his immigration hearing a judge issued Nunez a final order of removal on November 6, 2024

    “This violent criminal illegal alien had multiple run-ins with NYPD for assault and felony grand larceny before he ambushed and shot a CBP officer

    The Biden Administration arrested this criminal illegal alien at the border and chose to release him into our country to terrorize Americans

    We are thankful that our brave law enforcement officer is in stable condition,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin

    “Sanctuary city politicians allowed this to happen

    This suffering is a direct result of lawless sanctuary city policies

    Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, DHS will flood the zone in sanctuary cities and remove these criminals one by one

    We will not be deterred: if you break America’s laws we will hunt you down, arrest you, and deport you

    ”   

    The other suspect remains at large

    Anonymous tips may be reported on this form and via the toll-free ICE tip line, (866) 347-2423

      
    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Six Months of Keeping America Safe Under President Trump and Secretary Noem

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Six Months of Keeping America Safe Under President Trump and Secretary Noem

    lass=”text-align-center”>DHS has accomplished more in six months than most Administrations achieve in an entire term
    WASHINGTON – In just six months, President Trump and Secretary Noem have delivered the American people a long list of victories in their mission to secure the homeland and Make America Safe Again

     
    Under their leadership, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has closed the southern border, removed violent criminal illegal aliens, restored law and order to our immigration system, supported Americans in times of crisis, revolutionized our Coast Guard to meet the challenges of the 21st Century, and kept Americans safe

     
    Secured the Southern Border 

    On day one, President Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border

        
    President Trump immediately reinstated “Remain in Mexico” and ended catch-and-release

     
    Daily border encounters have plunged by 93% since President Trump took office

    Under President Trump’s leadership, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has located over 10,000 unaccompanied children

    Migrants are turning BACK before they even reach our border— migration through Panama’s Darien Gap is down 99%

    President Trump—with $46

    5 billion from the Big Beautiful Bill—is finishing the border wall

    DHS already has more than 85 miles either planned or under construction with funding from the prior year, in addition to hundreds of miles that are now planned to be funded by the bill

     President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill also includes over $5 billion for new technology and border surveillance

    With the Big Beautiful Bill, CBP will get the resources they need to keep America safe, including $4

    1 billion to hire additional personnel, including 5,000 more customs officers and 3,000 new Border Patrol agents

    In June, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had the lowest number of nationwide encounters in CBP history at 25,228

    The number of nationwide apprehensions in June was also a historic low of just 8,024

       
    Notably, on June 28, Border Patrol recorded only 136 apprehensions across the entire Southwest Border—the lowest single-day total in agency history

    And in both May and June, U

    S

    Border Patrol reported zero parole releases—reinforcing the Administration’s commitment to ending catch-and-release policies

    Removed the Worst of the Worst Illegal Aliens  

    The Trump Administration empowered our brave men and women in law enforcement to use common sense to do their jobs effectively

     
    DHS returned to using the term “illegal alien” which is the statutory language

    President Trump will not allow political correctness to hinder law enforcement

     
    The Trump administration has arrested more than 300,000 illegal aliens in 2025 alone

    70% of ICE arrests are criminal illegal aliens with criminal charges or convictions

         
    The Big Beautiful Bill will allow ICE to arrest and remove even more criminal aliens by providing $14

    4 billion for removals, 10,000 new ICE agents, 80,000 new ICE beds, and a $10,000 signing bonus for new ICE agents

    This will help ICE achieve as many as 1 million deportations per year

    As part of 287(g), DHS partnered with the State of Florida and opened Alligator Alcatraz, giving the Trump administration the capability to lock up some of the worst scumbags who entered the country illegally under the previous administration

    The new facility expands facility and bed space by the thousands

    Operation Tidal Wave, the first 287(g) enforcement operation coordinated with state and federal law enforcement partners, resulted in over 800 arrests

    President Trump and Secretary Noem are empowering state and local law enforcement to get these criminal illegal aliens off our streets

    DHS has secured more than 800 signed agreements with state and local partnerships under 287(g)

        
    At the direction of President Trump, CBP and ICE began widescale immigration enforcement operations in sanctuary city Los Angeles and southern California

    The month-long operation resulted in arresting some of the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens

    In July, federal law enforcement officers executed criminal warrant operations at marijuana grow sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo

    At least 14 migrant children have been rescued from potential exploitation, forced labor and human trafficking

    Federal officers also arrested at least 361 illegal aliens from both sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo

    After weeks of delays by activist judges, the Department of Homeland Security finally deported eight barbaric, violent criminal illegal aliens to South Sudan

    Delivering Justice for Victims of Illegal Immigration  

    President Trump and Secretary Noem reopened the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) office, which was shuttered by the Biden Administration

    President Trump and Secretary Noem are standing up for the victims of illegal alien crime and ensuring they have access to much needed resources and support they deserve

    Incentivizing Historic Self-Deportations 

    President Trump ended the CBP One app that allowed more than one million aliens to illegally enter the U

    S

    The Trump Administration replaced this disastrous program with the CBP Home app, which has a new self-deportation reporting feature for aliens illegally in the country

    President Trump launched Project Homecoming through a presidential EO

    The United States is also offering any illegal alien who uses the CBP Home App a stipend of $1,000 dollars, paid after their return to their home country has been confirmed through the app

    So far, tens of thousands of illegal aliens have used the app to self-deport

     
    In addition to offering CBP Home, DHS announced illegal aliens who self-deport through the app will receive forgiveness of any civil fines or penalties for failing to depart the United States

     DHS also made CBP Home more user friendly by eliminating certain steps and making it easier than ever for illegal aliens to self-deport

    DHS and DOJ are enforcing our immigration laws and fining illegal aliens who do not depart when they are supposed to

    So far, nearly 10,000 fine notices have been issued by ICE

    Restoring Common Sense to America’s Legal Immigration System 

    President Trump ended the broad abuse of humanitarian parole and returned the program to a case-by-case basis

    As part of this effort, Secretary Noem terminated the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela parole programs

    Following victory at the U

    S

    Supreme Court, DHS began sending termination notices in June, informing the illegal aliens both their parole is terminated, and their parole-based employment authorization is revoked – effective immediately

    DHS has returned the Temporary Protected Status immigration program to its original status: temporary

    No longer will this program be abused and exploited by illegal aliens

    Secretary Noem rescinded the previous administration’s extension of Venezuelan, Haitian, Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Afghan TPS

    Secretary Noem terminated Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification—meaning Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status—for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party

    It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from higher tuition to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments

    Harvard University repeatedly abused this privilege and even stonewalled DHS’s request for information

    Initiating a Golden Age in American Air Travel 

    Secretary Noem terminated the politically motivated Quiet Skies Program, which since its existence has failed to stop a single terrorist attack while costing US taxpayers $200 million a year

    The program, under the guise of “national security,” was used to target political opponents and benefit political allies

    TSA ended the “shoes-off” travel policy, allowing passengers traveling through domestic airports to keep their shoes on while passing through security screening at TSA checkpoints

    This change will drastically decrease passenger wait times at our TSA checkpoints, leading to a more pleasant and efficient passenger experience

    The Trump administration fully implemented REAL ID enforcement measures nationwide—a law signed 20 years ago

    REAL ID helps ensure that travelers are who they say they are and prevents fraud by criminals, terrorists, and illegal aliens

    Most travelers have not even noticed a difference because nearly 94% of travelers are already REAL ID compliant

    Secretary Noem ended collective bargaining for the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Transportation Security Officers, which constrained TSA’s chief mission to safeguard our transportation systems

    Fixing Disaster Relief for the 21st Century 

    The Federal Emergency Management Agency is now shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens

    The old processes are being replaced because they failed Americans in real emergencies for decades

    President Trump has established the FEMA Review Council to provide recommendations on how to best conduct disaster relief at the federal level

     
    Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, the FEMA Review Council is developing a comprehensive plan for necessary change

    DHS has empowered state and local governments to lead disaster relief efforts without interference from the federal government

    Provided Rapid and Effective Support to Flood Victims in Texas 

    Within moments of the flooding in Texas, DHS assets, including the U

    S

    Coast Guard (USCG), CBP Border Search, CBP BORSTAR, and FEMA personnel surged into unprecedented action alongside Texas first responders for search and rescue operations

    FEMA deployed 311 staffers delivering critical intelligence, aerial imagery, and shelter for 171 survivors

    Combined state and federal rescue efforts evacuated and rescued over 1,500 people

    Getting CISA Back on Mission 

    Under the Biden Administration, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) censored free speech and targeted Americans

    Under President Trump’s direction, DHS closed CISA’s politically weaponized offices and fired those responsible for abusing their power

    CISA is now back on-mission: Protecting Americans and critical infrastructure from cyberthreats

    CISA is shifting away from an all-hazards approach to a risk-informed approach, prioritizing resilience and action over mere information sharing

     
    CISA personnel are deployed across 10 regions in support of all 56 states/territories

     
    CISA is also on the front lines of defending America from cyberattacks

     
    CISA partnered with the FBI and NSA to ensure state and local governments have information and resources necessary for protection

    CISA is also providing security support for next year’s FIFA World Cup

    Secretary Noem discontinued the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) as a part of the implementation of President Trump’s Executive Order 14217, Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, and removed members of the Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB), which CISA oversees

    Revolutionizing the Coast Guard 

    When President Trump came back into office, the Coast Guard faced its greatest readiness crisis since World War II because the Biden Administration left it underfunded and neglected

    President Trump’s order to surge Coast Guard assets to our maritime border changed the game

    In the first few months of the Trump Administration, the Coast Guard seized more cocaine and other illegal drugs than during the entirety of 2024

    For the first time in years, the Coast Guard expects to exceed its recruiting goals

    In Fiscal Year 2025, the Coast Guard has brought in more than 4,250 recruits – 1,200 more than the same time last year

    That’s 108% over the goal

    Under Biden, the Coast Guard fell short of its recruiting goals four years straight

    Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, the Coast Guard is unleashing “Force Design 2028,” a revolutionary new blueprint that will make the Coast Guard more agile, more capable, and more responsive than ever before

    Standing up for the American taxpayer 

    The United States Coast Guard (USCG) eliminated an ineffective information technology (IT) program, saving nearly $33 million, and is now focusing resources where they’re most needed to protect our homeland

     
    USCG partially terminated a wasteful Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) contract with Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG), which has been slow to deliver four OPCs, harming U

    S

    defense capabilities

    The Trump Administration stopped aliens on the Terror Watchlist from receiving Medicaid benefits

         
    Secretary Noem cancelled CISA’s expensive headquarters project, saving taxpayers over half a billion dollars

    To stop policies that were magnets for illegal immigration, DHS froze all funding to non-governmental organizations that facilitate illegal immigration and announced a partnership with the U

    S

    Department of Housing and Urban Development to ensure taxpayer dollars do not go to housing illegal aliens

     
    ###  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Microsoft Releases Guidance on Exploitation of SharePoint Vulnerability (CVE-2025-53770)

    News In Brief – Source: US Computer Emergency Readiness Team

    CISA is aware of active exploitation of a new remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability enabling unauthorized access to on-premise SharePoint servers. While the scope and impact continue to be assessed, the new Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE), CVE-2025-53770, is a variant of the existing vulnerability CVE-2025-49706 and poses a risk to organizations. This exploitation activity, publicly reported as “ToolShell,” provides unauthenticated access to systems and enables malicious actors to fully access SharePoint content, including file systems and internal configurations, and execute code over the network. 

    CISA recommends the following actions to reduce the risks associated with the RCE compromise: 

    • For information on detection, prevention, and advanced threat hunting measures, see Microsoft’s Customer Guidance for SharePoint Vulnerability and advisory for CVE-2025-49706. Organizations are encouraged to review all articles and security updates published by Microsoft on July 8, 2025, relevant to the SharePoint platform deployed in their environment.
    • Monitor for POSTs to /_layouts/15/ToolPane.aspx?DisplayMode=Edit
    • Conduct scanning for IPs 107.191.58[.]76, 104.238.159[.]149, and 96.9.125[.]147, particularly between July 18-19, 2025.
    • Update intrusion prevention system and web-application firewall rules to block exploit patterns and anomalous behavior. For more information, see CISA’s Guidance on SIEM and SOAR Implementation.
    • Implement comprehensive logging to identify exploitation activity. For more information, see CISA’s Best Practices for Event Logging and Threat Detection.
    • Audit and minimize layout and admin privileges.

    For more information on this vulnerability, please see Eye Security’s reporting and Palo Alto Unit42’s post.

    Note: This Alert may be updated to reflect new guidance issued by CISA or other parties.

    Organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at Report@cisa.gov or (888) 282-0870.  

    Disclaimer:  

    The information in this report is being provided “as is” for informational purposes only. CISA does not endorse any commercial entity, product, company, or service, including any entities, products, or services linked within this document. Any reference to specific commercial entities, products, processes, or services by service mark, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by CISA. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Burnet County Disaster Recovery Center Opens July 20

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Burnet County Disaster Recovery Center Opens July 20

    Burnet County Disaster Recovery Center Opens July 20

    AUSTIN, Texas – A Disaster Recovery Center will open Sunday, July 20, in Burnet County to offer face-to-face help to survivors who had damage or losses from the severe storms and flooding in Central Texas

    Homeowners, renters and eligible non-residents may receive FEMA assistance for losses not covered by insurance

    Survivors with homeowner’s or renter’s insurance should first file a claim with their insurance company as soon as possible

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

    The Disaster Recovery Center is located at:Burnet Community Center401 E

    Jackson St

    Burnet, TX 78611Hours: 8 a

    m

    to 7 p

    m

    dailyFEMA and the U

    S

    Small Business Administration are supporting the Texas Division of Emergency Management, which is leading efforts to help survivors apply for federal disaster assistance

    Center specialists can also identify potential needs and connect survivors with local, state and federal agencies as well as nonprofit organizations and community groups

     Disaster Recovery Centers are accessible to people with disabilities and those with access and functional needs

    They are also equipped with assistive technology

    If you need a reasonable accommodation or an American Sign Language interpreter, call 833-285-7448 (press 2 for Spanish)

    You have until Thursday, Sept

    4, to apply for FEMA disaster assistance

    Here’s how:The fastest way to apply is online at DisasterAssistance

    govYou may also use the FEMA mobile appCall the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362

     Lines are open from 6 a

    m

    to 10 p

    m

    CT daily

    If you use a relay service, captioned telephone or other service, you can give FEMA your number for that service

    Helpline specialists speak many languages

    Press 2 for Spanish

    Visit any Disaster Recovery Center to receive in-person assistance

    To find one close to you, use your ZIP code to search FEMA

    gov/DRC

    To view an accessible video on how to apply, visit What You Need to Know Before Applying for FEMA Assistance

    For the latest information about the Texas recovery, visit fema

    gov/disaster/4879

    Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x

    com/FEMARegion6 and at facebook

    com/FEMARegion6
    toan

    nguyen
    Sat, 07/19/2025 – 21:09

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Tests Scalable Satellite Tech to Launch Sensors Quicker

    Source: NASA

    NASA’s Athena Economical Payload Integration Cost mission, or Athena EPIC, is a test launch for an innovative, scalable space vehicle design to support future missions. The small satellite platform is engineered to share resources among the payloads onboard by managing routine functions so the individual payloads don’t have to.
    This technology results in lower costs to taxpayers and a quicker path to launch.

    “Increasing the speed of discovery is foundational to NASA. Our ability to leverage access to innovative space technologies across federal agencies through industry partners is the future,” said Clayton Turner, Associate Administrator for Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington. “Athena EPIC is a valuable demonstration of the government at its best — serving humankind to advance knowledge with existing hardware configured to operate with new technologies.”
    The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the U.S. Space Force are government partners for this demo mission. Athena EPIC’s industry partner, NovaWurks, provided the space vehicle, which utilizes a small satellite platform assembled with a Hyper-Integrated Satlet, or HISat.

    The HISat instruments are similar in nature to a child’s toy interlocking building blocks. They’re engineered to be built into larger structures called SensorCraft. Those SensorCraft can share resources with multiple payloads and conform to different sizes and shapes to accommodate them. This easily configurable, building-block architecture allows a lot of flexibility with payload designs and concepts, ultimately giving payload providers easier, less expensive access to space and increased maneuverability between multiple orbits.
    Scientists at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, designed and built the Athena sensor payload, which consists of an optical module, a calibration module, and a newly developed sensor electronics assembly. Athena EPIC’s sensor was built with spare parts from NASA’s CERES (Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System) mission. Several different generations of CERES satellite and space station instruments have tracked Earth’s radiation budget.
    “Instead of Athena carrying its own processor, we’re using the processors on the HISats to control things like our heaters and do some of the control functions that typically would be done by a processor on our payload,” said Kory Priestley, principal investigator for Athena EPIC from NASA Langley. “So, this is merging an instrument and a satellite platform into what we are calling a SensorCraft. It’s a more integrated approach. We don’t need as many capabilities built into our key instrument because it’s being brought to us by the satellite host. We obtain greater redundancy, and it simplifies our payload.”

    This is the first HISat mission led by NASA. Traditional satellites, like the ones that host the CERES instruments — are large, sometimes the size of a school bus, and carry multiple instruments. They tend to be custom units built with all of their own hardware and software to manage control, propulsion, cameras, carousels, processors, batteries, and more, and sometimes even require two of everything to guard against failures in the system. All of these factors, plus the need for a larger launch vehicle, significantly increase costs.
    This transformational approach to getting instruments into space can reduce the cost from billions to millions per mission.  “Now we are talking about something much smaller — SensorCraft the size of a mini refrigerator,” said Priestley. “If you do have failures on orbit, you can replace these much more economically. It’s a very different approach moving forward for Earth observation.”

    Athena EPIC is scheduled to launch July 22 as a rideshare on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The primary NASA payload on the launch will be the TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) mission. The TRACERS mission is led by the University of Iowa for NASA’s Heliophysics Division within the Science Mission Directorate. NASA’s Earth Science Division also provided funding for Athena EPIC.
    “Langley Research Center has long been a leader in developing remote sensing instruments for in-orbit satellites. As satellites become smaller, a less traditional, more efficient path to launch is needed in order to decrease complexity while simultaneously increasing the value of exploration, science, and technology measurements for the Nation,” added Turner.
    For more information on NASA’s Athena EPIC mission:
    https://science.nasa.gov/misshttps://science.nasa.gov/mission/athena/ion/athena/

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: St. Louis County Disaster Recovery Centers to Close July 24

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: St

    Louis County Disaster Recovery Centers to Close July 24

    St

    Louis County Disaster Recovery Centers to Close July 24

    ST

    LOUIS – The two Disaster Recovery Centers in St

    Louis County are scheduled to close permanently on Thursday, July 24 at 7 p

    m

    The three Disaster Recovery Centers in the City of St

    Louis are staying open

    At all locations, FEMA and the U

    S

    Small Business Administration are helping impacted residents with their disaster assistance applications, answering questions, and uploading required documents

    St

    Louis County Locations – Closing July 24LOCATIONSHOURS OF OPERATIONSt

    Louis County Library                  Mid-County Branch7821 Maryland Ave

    Clayton, MO 63105Monday–Thursday: 8 a

    m

    – 7 p

    m

    Friday: 8 a

    m

    -5 p

    m

    Saturday: 9 a

    m

    – 4 p

    m

    Sunday: ClosedClosing Permanently: Thursday, July 24   St

    Louis County LibraryPrairie Commons Branch                        915 Utz Ln

    Hazelwood, MO 63042Monday–Thursday: 8 a

    m

    – 7 p

    m

    Friday: 8 a

    m

    -5 p

    m

    Saturday: 9 a

    m

    – 4 p

    m

    Sunday: ClosedClosing Permanently: Thursday, July 24You can visit any Disaster Recovery Center, no matter where you are staying now

    Three additional Disaster Recovery Centers are open in St

    Louis City to assist residents and businesses affected by the May 16 tornado and storms

     St

    Louis City Locations – Staying OpenLOCATIONSHOURS OF OPERATIONUnion Tabernacle M

    B

    Church626 N

    Newstead Ave

    St

    Louis, MO 63108Monday-Friday: 8 a

    m

    -7 p

    m

                         Saturday: 9 a

    m

    -4 p

    m

     Sunday: ClosedUrban League Entrepreneurship and    Women’s Business Center 4401 Natural Bridge Ave

    St

    Louis, MO 63115Monday-Friday: 8 a

    m

    -7 p

    m

    Saturday: 9 a

    m

    -4 p

    m

     Sunday: ClosedSumner High School — Parking Lot4248 Cottage Ave

    St

    Louis, MO 63113Monday-Friday: 8 a

    m

    -7 p

    m

    Saturday: 9 a

    m

    -4 p

    m

     Sunday: ClosedTo save time, please apply for FEMA assistance before coming to the Disaster Recovery Center

    Apply online at DisasterAssistance

    gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362

     If you are unable to apply online or by phone, someone at the Disaster Recovery Center can assist you

     The FEMA application deadline for the May 16 disaster is August 11, 2025

    If your home or personal property sustained damage not covered by insurance, FEMA may be able to provide money to help you pay for home repairs, a temporary place to live, and replace essential personal property that was destroyed

    sara

    zuckerman
    Fri, 07/18/2025 – 20:30

    MIL OSI USA News –