Category: DJF

MIL-OSI USA: Presidential Message on National Men’s Health Week, 2025

US Senate News:

Source: US Whitehouse
For far too long, the health, happiness, and well-being of our Nation’s men have been neglected, contributing to a troubling reality: men in the United States have a life expectancy five years shorter than women. They visit healthcare providers less frequently and often delay critical care. Men tend to have their first heart attack an average of 10 years earlier than women.
This neglect has been compounded by a vicious campaign against masculinity. This war on manhood has left many American men in a state of loneliness, confusion, and emptiness, with devastating consequences: men in the United States are four times more likely to commit suicide and more than twice as likely to overdose than women.
This National Men’s Health Week, I make a solemn pledge to honor the men in America: we will always have your back—and we will never waver in our promise to embolden you to lead long, healthy, and safe lives.
Just last month, I proudly signed an Executive Order to deliver most-favored-nation pricing to American patients, improve access to quality medical care, and lower the price of medications. Together, with my Make America Healthy Again Commission, we are empowering men to prioritize their health and prolong their lives.
Under my leadership, we will relentlessly pursue a healthier future for the men of our nation. We will always lift you up rather than tear you down, and we will champion the voices, values, and wellness of hardworking American men across our country.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Antoine Ferey is the 2025 AFSE Malinvaud Prize laureate

Source: Universities – Science Po in English

The Association Française de Science Économique (AFSE) announced the 2025 laureate of its Prix Edmond Malinvaud: Antoine Ferey.

The AFSE (French Economic Association) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1950. It aims at promoting exchange of knowledge and participation of its members in public debates on economic policies. It is open to all economists, whether they work in universities, public research organizations, government bodies or private companies.

Every year the AFSE awards a Prize for the best paper published in an indexed EconLit, peer-reviewed journal in the past two years by a young economist affiliated to a French laboratory.

Antoine is awarded the 2025 Prix Edmond Malivaud for his paper Sufficient Statistics for Nonlinear Tax Systems with General Across-Income Heterogeneity (joint with Ben Lockwood and Dmitry Taubinsky), published in 2024 in the American Economic Review.

The jury wanted to shed light on the topic of optimal non-linear tax systems, in particular taxation of savings which is much less investigated than taxation of income.

“In their paper, Antoine Ferey and his co-authors put forward a comprehensive approach to quantifying optimal commodity and savings taxes by developing sufficient statistics that capture various sources of income heterogeneity, extending the standard Atkinson-Stiglitz framework, and providing practical guidance for policy design and empirical estimation.”

A ceremony will be organised on June 20th during the Paris Economics Taxation Workshop to award the Malinvaud Prize to Antoine.

This is the third time that Antoine’s work has been honoured in as many months: earlier this year he became a CESifo Distinguished Fellow for his paper Redistribution and Unemployment Insurance (read abstract) and the Aix-Marseille School of Economics (AMSE) awarded him the Carine Nourry Best Doctoral Dissertation Prize.

Antoine also joins a growing list of faculty members whose papers have been awarded the Malinvaud Prize: Alfred Galichon, Isabelle Mejean, Clément de Chaisemartin, Johannes Boehm, and Michele Fioretti.

Congratulations Antoine !

(credits: Alexis Lecomte)

Antoine Ferey joined the Department of Economics in 2023 as an Assistant Professor (tenure track). He is also a Research Affiliate of the CESifo Network and of the Institut des politiques publiques. During the Spring Semester, he has been invited by Harvard University to teach a part of their public economics sequence to PhD students.

Prior to joining our faculty, he was an Assistant Professor at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). He received his PhD in Economics from the Centre de recherche en économie et statistique (CREST) and Ecole Polytechnique in 2021, for which he received two PhD Dissertation Awards from the Association française de science économique (AFSE) and from Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris).

Antoine Ferey’s website

MIL OSI Europe News –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Meet Daniela Espinal Fondeur and Gabrijela Papec, Recipients of the Competitive Schwarzman Scholars Programme
Source: Universities – Science Po in English

Daniela Espinal Fondeur and Gabrijela Papec have been selected to be part of the 150 students from 38 countries of the 10th cohort of Schwarzman Scholars, one of the most competitive scholarship programmes in the world – with an acceptance rate of below 3%. With its first anniversary coming up in 2026, this programme has reached this year the biggest number of applications and has admitted its 100th country represented, thanks to Sciences Po student Gabrijela Papec, from Croatia.

This scholarship offers the equivalent of €150,000 to each recipient, with automatic acceptance to the best university in Asia (Times Higher Education World University Rankings), Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, for a one-year master’s degree on a campus reserved exclusive to the 150 graduates, the Schwarzman College. The core purpose of this programme can be summed up in this quote from its founding trustee, Stephen A. Schwarzman, “Those who will lead the future must understand China today”.

Meet this year’s two Sciences Po recipients, Daniela Espinal Fondeur, a graduate from the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) and Gabrijela Papec, a master’s student from the Law School.

Who are you?

Daniela E. F.: I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, where I studied economics as an undergraduate student. In 2022, I joined the Master in International Governance and Diplomacy at Sciences Po, and graduated in June 2024. My interest lies in international cooperation. I undertook internships in embassies, UNESCO, and the Dominican Republic Consulate in Paris. I wish to become a diplomat in the near future.

Gabrijela P.: I am from Croatia. I began my journey at Sciences Po as an undergraduate student on the Reims campus, and its North America minor – just like Felipe Chertouh (2024 Schwarzman Scholar, article in French). I have a strong interest in the way advocacy work can be intertwined with human rights and international law, which grew even stronger after a summer internship at Genocide Watch. After a year as a master’s student in Economic Law, I decided to take a gap year and applied to the Schwarzman Scholar programme.

What are you expecting from this programme?

Daniela: I am really excited to benefit from this unique opportunity. China is so remote from the Dominican Republic, it is priceless to learn about a country while living there. I aim to build a bridge between China and my country through an internship at the Dominican Embassy in Beijing. Considering all the turmoil that’s happening in our world, it is incredible to go through that experience.

Gabrijela: Getting a deep cultural understanding of the way international law is applied in China – a gigantic country which holds much power over other countries – is very important. I feel that China needs to be included in the very making of international law and policies, or they will never work out. I already experienced working in Asia, for a South Korean company, and I can’t wait to further enrich my skill set.

How was your experience at Sciences Po ?

Daniela: It was my first time away from home! I met remarkable colleagues, professors, and had a unique experience as a Paris Peace Forum volunteer, assigned to the Montenegro delegation. You can access many academic opportunities, such as the European Forum Alpbach in Austria. One of my favourite courses was about great strategies in diplomacy, past and present, taught by Bruno Stagno Ugarte, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica. I made the most out of my Sciences Po experience by joining different clubs as well, in the fields of diplomacy and debate.

Gabrijela: Reims being quite a small city, I found it easy to meet people, who came from everywhere. The course that made a lasting impression on me was about conflict-related sexual violence, taught by David Eichert. This excellent course focused on the way international criminal law evolved to include sexual violence. I do believe that I, too, can change the course of history. I used to complain about the way Sciences Po gave me so much work, but I can see now that it prepared me to think for myself, to be responsible. It enabled me to apply to this programme, filling in a comprehensive file.
What advice would you give to sciences po students applying to the Schwarzman Scholars programme?

Daniela: Be open to getting out of your comfort zone, to consider living in other places that can challenge you, mentally and culturally. It can turn into the greatest opportunity for growth at all level.

A Schwarzman recipient must meet three main criteria :

demonstrated leadership,

intellect,

exemplary character and integrity.

Gabrijela: Be open to yourself and who you want to be, but also, try to be the best student you can be.

Both: Reach out to previous scholars, ask for help. Sciences Po has an alumni base for this programme now, rely on it, on its sense of community. We can’t wait to meet the 1,300+ programme graduates in 2026 for its 10th anniversary.
MIL OSI Europe News –
June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: School holiday meals for more children who are most in need thanks to transformative support package
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

School holiday meals for more children who are most in need thanks to transformative support package

Children most in need across the country will be kept from going hungry during the school holidays thanks to funding announced in the Spending Review.
Major support package will help ensure the poorest children don’t go hungry in the school holidays and give vital support to communities.

Latest pledge builds on existing commitments to help children including breakfast clubs and extension to free school meals entitlement.

Funding announced in Spending Review and forms package to build financial security for communities as part of Government’s Plan for Change.

Children most in need across the country will be kept from going hungry during the school holidays thanks to funding announced in the Spending Review.

This latest support for children will be delivered under a new £1 billion package – including Barnett consequentials funding – to reform crisis support, including the launch of a new Crisis and Resilience Fund.

As a multi-year deal, the Fund will for the first time give councils much needed certainty to protect households from falling into crisis and to provide vital support to those who need it most.

Local authorities will be empowered to best target support in their areas – including allocating funding to ensure children receive meals outside of term time.

Other examples could include bringing together existing services to deliver joined-up support such as on debt advice, income maximisation, budgeting and welfare support.

The ambition to ensure no child goes hungry builds on the government’s pledge to ensure 500,000 more children become eligible for free school meals following the major expansion to breakfast clubs in England.

Children who are most in need already receive meals out of term time via the government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme and the latest funding will extend this even further.

This marks a significant step in the government’s ambition to reduce child poverty and to end the mass dependence on emergency food parcels.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said:

No child should be left to go hungry and we are determined to do whatever it takes to tackle this issue.

Our commitment to feeding children most in need builds on measures like our expansion of free school meals – and we will be going further in our Child Poverty Strategy.

The funding we have secured is a major part of our Plan for Change and will help ensure left behind families across the country can look forward to a brighter future.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:

This government is committed to delivering excellence for every child.

That is why, as part of our Plan for Change, we are rolling out free breakfast clubs and extending free school meals to deliver better life chances for all of our children.

The only hunger a child should have is a hunger to learn – we will make sure children’s backgrounds should not determine where they end up.

The new Crisis and Resilience Fund will replace the Household Support Fund and launch from April 2026 – incorporating Discretionary Housing Payments.

The funding represents a total of £1 billion including Barnett consequentials – with £842 million allocated to England.

An allocation will go towards food support and meals to children during the holidays. Details will be set out in due course.

This comes alongside wider action to tackle poverty and make everyone better off – including increasing the National Minimum Wage for those on the lowest incomes and uprating benefits.

The government has also introduced a cap on how much Universal Credit can be taken for debt repayments – helping 1.2 million households become up to £420 better off.

Alongside this, the best route out of poverty for struggling families is well paid, secure work. That’s why the Government is delivering on its Get Britain Working reforms, to support people into good jobs, boost living standards and put money back into families’ pockets.

Additional Information:

A total of £1 billion to reform crisis support (including £842 million for England) has been announced in the Spending Review.

This includes funding for the new Crisis and Resilience Fund incorporating Discretionary Housing Payments as well as investment in ensuring the poorest children don’t go hungry in the holidays.

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Published 13 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Next steps for the former leisure centre site
Source: City of Winchester

Winchester City Council is inviting residents to attend a public engagement event about the next steps for the former leisure centre site.

Earlier this year, the city council received confirmation that the University of Southampton were no longer taking forward their planned investment in the site. Therefore, the council is proposing to begin an open process of finding a partner to invest in the site, subject to cabinet approving the proposed process at a meeting on 15 July.

Councillor Kathleen Becker, Cabinet Member for Healthy Communities, said:

“We really encourage people to come along and find out more and let us know their thoughts about the planned process and potential future uses of the site. This drop-in event will give local people the opportunity to hear the proposed approach, understand the process and timeline for finding a new partner to invest, learn about the opportunities and constraints of the site, ask the project team questions and have their say.

“This council is one that listens, and we’ve been clear that there must be opportunity for the public to have a proper say in what happens at this site.”

Winchester City Council committed to finding a new partner to invest in the site, on a long lease basis, as long as the following three conditions were met:
- The green space – whether park, sports or play area, tennis courts or access through the site – is wholly out of scope
- The public have a proper say during the process
- Provision of the skate park and indoor bowling must be absolutely protected
Drop-in engagement event:

Thursday 26 June 2025, from 3-7pm

The Courtyard, The Guildhall, Winchester, SO23 9GH

There is no need to book. Just pop along, find out more, ask questions and tell us what you think.

Can’t make the event? Don’t worry. You can read the supporting project information on the website- www.winchester.gov.uk/former-leisure-centre-site

and then complete the short feedback form- www.winchester.gov.uk/former-leisure-centre-site-feedback

There will also be further opportunities in the future for residents to provide their feedback.

Last Updated: Friday 13 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Smith On Israels Strikes Against Iran

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adam Smith (9th District of Washington)

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) released the following statement.

“As we work to understand the situation that is developing in the Middle East tonight, I urge both sides to do what they can to prevent further escalation of violence,” said Rep. Smith. “Too many innocent civilians are at risk of getting caught in the crossfire and leaders of both countries should proceed with caution.”

###

MIL OSI USA News –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: U.S. natural gas storage capacity increased in 2024

Source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

June 13, 2025

Underground working natural gas storage capacity in the Lower 48 states increased in 2024 according to our latest data. We calculate natural gas storage capacity in two ways: demonstrated peak capacity and working gas design capacity. Both increased in 2024. Underground natural gas storage provides a source of energy when demand increases, balancing U.S. energy needs. In 2024, demonstrated peak capacity rose 1.7%, or 70 billion cubic feet (Bcf), to 4,277 Bcf, while working gas design capacity increased slightly by 0.1%, or 3 Bcf.

Demonstrated peak capacity is the sum of the largest volume of working gas stored in each storage field during the previous five-year period, regardless of when the peaks occurred. Demonstrated peak capacity is typically less than working gas design capacity because it relates to actual usage rather than potential capacity based on the design of the facility.

In 2024, demonstrated peak capacity increased in four of the five storage regions of the Lower 48 states. The increased demonstrated peak capacity reflected both greater utilization of existing facilities and expansions of existing infrastructure. The largest increase in demonstrated peak capacity was in the Mountain region, where colder-than-normal temperatures during the 2023–24 winter required more working gas in storage to meet winter demand, resulting in increased injection activity during the subsequent months. In California, the California Public Utilities Commission increased the authorized working gas capacity at the Aliso Canyon facility by 67% to 69 Bcf in late August 2024. This regulatory change contributed to increased demonstrated peak capacity in the Pacific region.

The working gas design capacity of a natural gas storage field measures the theoretical capacity of a facility based on physical characteristics of the reservoir, installed equipment, and operating procedures, which are often certificated by federal or state regulators.

Total U.S. working gas design capacity increased slightly in 2024. Working gas design capacity increased 7 Bcf in the Mountain region, offsetting declines elsewhere in the Lower 48 states. In the South Central region, working gas design capacity declined slightly in 2024 primarily due to base gas adjustments in the region. The East region also saw a decline primarily due to base gas adjustments (of 5 Bcf), which reduced the amount of capacity available for working gas storage. The increases in base gas—coupled with no changes in total design capacity—had the effect of reducing working gas capacity at these facilities.

For the most up-to-date weekly data and regional breakdowns on U.S. underground natural gas storage, readers can visit EIA’s Natural Gas Storage Dashboard.

Principal contributors: Jose Villar, Eulalia Munoz-Cortijo

MIL OSI USA News –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: SEC Names Jamie Selway as Director of Trading and Markets

Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the appointment of Jamie Selway, an accomplished financial markets leader, as Director of the Division of Trading and Markets, effective June 17, 2025.

“I’d like to welcome Jamie to the SEC,” said SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins. “He brings decades of industry experience in market structure and across multiple asset classes to this critical role. I look forward to working with him to protect our markets and ensure the agency’s regulations balance costs and benefits.”

Mr. Selway was most recently a partner at Sophron Advisors, where he advised clients on capital markets issues. He was also a board member at Protego Holdings, board chair at AllofUs Financial and Skew, and served as an advisor to multiple financial technology companies. He previously was a managing director and head of electronic brokerage at Investment Technology Group, a global institutional broker. He co-founded institutional brokerage White Cap Trading, where he was a managing director and chairman. Earlier in his career, he was chief economist at Archipelago, worked in Equity Derivatives Research at Goldman Sachs, and was associate director of research at the National Association of Securities Dealers, which became the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

“Chairman Atkins is bringing about a ‘new day’ at the SEC,” said Mr. Selway. “I thank him for selecting me to lead Trading and Markets at this exciting and pivotal time. Together, we will promote the SEC’s mission and enable innovation, to the benefit of our nation’s investors.”

Mr. Selway has served on a number of industry committees and previously testified at Congressional and SEC roundtables. He is a member of the National Organization of Investment Professionals (NOIP) and the Investment Traders Association of Philadelphia, and has served as chair of NOIP and the NOIP Foundation. He previously was associate editor of the Journal of Trading.

Mr. Selway received an M.S. in financial mathematics from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in mathematics and European history from Washington & Lee University.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Public Notice of Proposed State Fiscal Year 2026 Intended Use Plan, including the proposed Project Priority List, for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund

Source: US State of Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank (RIIB) and the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) are seeking public comment on the proposed State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2026 Intended Use Plan (IUP) for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), which includes the proposed SFY 2026 Project Priority List (PPL).

The proposed document can be found at the link below, on RIDOH’s DWSRF webpage (https://health.ri.gov/drinking-water-quality/drinking-water-state-revolving-loan-fund), on RIIB’s website (https://www.riib.org/), by calling 401-453-4430 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by writing to: Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank 275 Promenade Street, Suite 301Providence, RI 02908.

The proposed SFY 2026 IUP, including the proposed PPL, was published on June 13, 2025. Written comments on the proposed document should be sent to RIIB at the above address or by email to Suh Walker at swalker@riib.org within thirty (30) days of June 13, 2024.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 14, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Eugene Doyle: Team Genocide and the West’s war on Iran

COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle

I have visited Iran twice. Once in June 1980 to witness an unprecedented event: the world’s first Islamic Revolution. It was the very start of my writing career.

The second time was in 2018 and part of my interest was to get a sense of how disenchanted the population was — or was not — with life under the Ayatollahs decades after the creation of the Islamic Republic.

I loved my time in Iran and found ordinary Iranians to be such wonderful, cultured and kind people.

When I heard the news today of Israel’s attack on Iran I had the kind of emotional response that should never be seen in public. I was apoplectic with rage and disgust, I vented bitterly and emotively.

Then I calmed down. And here is what I would like to say:

Just last week former CIA officer Ray McGovern, who wrote daily intelligence briefings for the US President during his 27-year career, reminded me when I interviewed him that the assessment of the US intelligence community has been for years that Iran ceased its nuclear weapons programme in 2003 and had not recommenced since.

The departing CIA director William Burns confirmed this assessment recently. Propaganda aside, there is nothing new other than a US-Israeli campaign that has shredded any concept of international laws or norms.

I won’t mince words: what we are witnessing is the racist, genocidal Israeli regime, armed and encouraged by the US, Germany, UK and other Western regimes, launching a war that has no justification other than the expansion of Israeli power and the advancement of its Greater Israel project.

This year, using American, German and British armaments, supported by underlings like Australia and New Zealand, the Israelis have pursued their genocide against the Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza, and attacked various neighbours, including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Iran.

They represent a clear and present danger to peace and stability in the region.

Iran has operated with considerable restraint but has also shown its willingness to use its military to keep the US-Israeli menace at bay. What most people forget is that the project to secure Iran’s borders and keep the likes of the British, Israelis and Americans out is a multi-generational project that long predates the Islamic Revolution.

I would recommend Iran: A modern history by the US-based scholar Abbas Amanat that provides a long-view of the evolution of the Iranian state and how it has survived centuries of pressure and multiple occupations from imperial powers, including Russia, Britain, the US and others.

Hard-fought independence
The country was raped by the Brits and the Americans and has won a hard-fought independence that is being seriously challenged, not from within, but by the Israelis and the Western warlords who have wrecked so many countries and killed millions of men, women and children in the region over recent decades.

I spoke and messaged with Iranian friends today both in Iran and in New Zealand and the response was consistent. They felt, one of them said, 10 times more hurt and emotional than I did.

Understandable.

A New Zealand-based Iranian friend had to leave work as soon as he heard the news. He scanned Iranian social media and found people were upset, angry and overwhelmingly supportive of the government.

“They destroyed entire apartment buildings! Why?”, “People will be very supportive of the regime now because they have attacked civilians.”

“My parents are in the capital. I was so scared for them.”

Just a couple of years ago scholars like Professor Amanat estimated that core support for the regime was probably only around 20 percent. That was my impression too when I visited in 2018.

Nationalism, existential menace
Israel and the US have changed that. Nationalism and an existential menace will see Iranians rally around the flag.

Something I learnt in Iran, in between visiting the magnificent ruins of the capital of the Achaemenid Empire at Persepolis, exploring a Zoroastrian Tower of Silence, chowing down on insanely good food in Yazd, talking with a scholar and then a dissident in Isfahan, and exploring an ancient Sassanian fort and a caravanserai in the eastern desert, was that the Iranians are the most politically astute people in the region.

Many I spoke to were quite open about their disdain for the regime but none of them sought a counter-revolution.

They knew what that would bring: the wolves (the Americans, the Israelis, the Saudis, and other bad actors) would slip in and tear the country apart. Slow change is the smarter option when you live in this neighbourhood.

Iranians are overwhelmingly well-educated, profoundly courteous and kind, and have a deep sense of history. They know more than enough about what happened to them and to so many other countries once a great power sees an opening.

War is a truly horrific thing that always brings terrible suffering to ordinary people. It is very rarely justified.

Iran was actively negotiating with the Americans who, we now know, were briefed on the attack in advance and will possibly join the attack in the near future.

US senators are baying for Judeo-Christian jihad. Democrat Senator John Fetterman was typical: “Keep wiping out Iranian leadership and the nuclear personnel. We must provide whatever is necessary — military, intelligence, weaponry — to fully back Israel in striking Iran.”

We should have the moral and intellectual honesty to see the truth: Our team, Team Genocide, are the enemies of peace and justice. I wish the Iranian people peace and prosperity.

Eugene Doyle is a writer based in Wellington. He has written extensively on the Middle East, as well as peace and security issues in the Asia Pacific region. He contributes to Asia Pacific Report and Café Pacific, and hosts the public policy platform solidarity.co.nz.

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Nuclear energy is a risky investment, but that’s no reason for the UK government to avoid it

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Renaud Foucart, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster University

Sizewell B on the UK’s Suffolk coast. Nick Beer/Shutterstock

The UK government’s investment of around £14 billion in a new nuclear power plant marks a big economic shift for the country’s approach to energy.

The Sizewell C plant in Suffolk will be the second of a new generation of reactors to be built in the country, after Hinkley Point C in Somerset, which is expected to open in 2031.

French energy firm EDF is building Hinkley and will probably end up building Sizewell too. But it seems that the British government is finally prepared to take on the considerable financial risk which these projects bring.

Previously it has preferred to look elsewhere. China, notably, has a longstanding appetite for investment in British infrastructure. (Although in 2022, the UK government bought back China’s stakes in Sizewell C amid geopolitical concerns.)

But the money has to come from somewhere. And after EDF announced it wanted to limit its participation in Sizewell C – and in particular, exposure to the risk of cost overruns – the UK government has stepped in.

EDF has has already lost a lot of money building Hinkley Point C. When construction began in 2017, costs were estimated at £18 billion.

At the time, the UK government agreed to pay a set rate for the electricity produced so the French company could recoup its cost and make a reasonable profit. That price was perceived by some as as extremely high and remains higher than current wholesale prices.

But as construction costs have more than doubled, the project has generated an estimated loss of around £13 billion for EDF. The company hopes to keep construction costs down this time, after similar costs overruns in projects it completed in France and in Finland.

But now Sizewell C will only progress because the British government has said it will take on almost all of the financial risk.

In doing so, the UK is not an outlier. In France, China and South Korea, nuclear power plants are built by state-owned companies. In the US, private companies are waiting for public funding to finance Donald Trump’s dream of a nuclear renaissance.

And perhaps it’s an expense the state should be willing to take on.

After all, although nuclear reactors (like solar farms and wind turbines) are expensive to set up, once they are built, the cost of producing electricity is very small.

And if the long-term goal is to eliminate the need for fossil fuels, it means all electricity will need to come from a mixture of renewables, batteries and nuclear. Electricity could then become much cheaper than it is now.

But building the means of creating this power comes with varying degrees of risk.

Solar, for example, is not that risky. Panels are usually imported, there are no major safety concerns, and investors can roughly predict how much sun there will be in a typical year.

For nuclear energy, production is also predictable. But the time it will take to complete construction of a plant and the associated costs are not.

Part of this is down to choice. UK regulations around nuclear energy are complex and strict, and other countries build faster and cheaper. This may be why globally, solar power is attracting much more investment than other sources of energy.

Political energy

But this does not mean governments should ignore the nuclear option. One of the main reasons governments are useful to society is that they can afford to take risks that private investors cannot, and finance long term innovation.

This in turn can lead to much greater strategic and geopolitical autonomy. While solar panels and batteries are getting ever cheaper, the vast majority of production is in China.

Domestic production of nuclear allows for greater diversity in energy sourcing, and arguably from some more predictable partners. The key component, uranium, can be found in large quantities in places like Canada or Australia, or directly reused.

Research suggests that nuclear energy may be particularly suited to feed the needs of digital datacentres and artificial intelligence.

Meanwhile, the government also hopes to get small nuclear reactors from domestic producer Rolls Royce which could be built in factories at a much more predictable cost. Russia and China have each already built this kind of reactor.

Plus there’s £2.5 billion for UK research on nuclear fusion, with the potential to deliver electricity on an unprecedented scale.

No one knows if fusion will ever be possible. It is the kind of uncertain, incredibly expensive projects (with potentially massive returns) that pretty much no private investor would risk looking at.

But again, it is the kind of bet only governments can take. For nuclear power, for reasons of scale, risk and uncertainty, is mostly a government business – and ultimately a political choice.

It will take a long time to know if the decision to spend taxpayers’ money on Sizewell C was the right way to respond to the country’s energy needs. But ending reliance on private or foreign financing for nuclear projects could one day be seen as a positive reaction.

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

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

– ref. Nuclear energy is a risky investment, but that’s no reason for the UK government to avoid it – https://theconversation.com/nuclear-energy-is-a-risky-investment-but-thats-no-reason-for-the-uk-government-to-avoid-it-258645

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Minister calls for urgent, coordinated, and victim-focused response to GBVF

Source: South Africa News Agency

Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe has called for a more urgent, coordinated, and victim-centred national response to the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) in the country.

“This initiative is an urgent call for a more coordinated, victim-centered, and accountable approach to combating GBVF and ensuring justice and protection for women and children,” the Minister said.

She was delivering opening remarks at a roundtable discussion at the Atteridgeville Community Hall in Pretoria on Friday, focusing on the implementation and progress made in the National Strategic Plan as well as evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of services provided to GBVF victims.

The engagement, convened during Youth Month, comes as South Africa grapples with the devastating consequences of recent disasters and ongoing gender-based crimes that continue to claim the lives of women and children.

The Minister took a moment to send her condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the floods in the Eastern Cape this week.

“Today, we are gathered here once again, saddened by the news as our country is devastated by the disaster that took the lives of young and elder people. To all those who have lost their lives, we are sending deepest condolences to their families and those who might be hospitalised we wish them a speedy recovery.

“To those who have been affected; some in having lost their shelters; may our government agilely working with the relevant partners, work towards their settlement. This has also impacted negatively on the attendance of some Ministers who were supposed to be with us today,” she said.

The roundtable is a response to widespread public protests and marches demanding justice for victims of GBVF.

According to the Minister, the public outcry triggered the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) to propose an urgent engagement.

She highlighted the need to reflect on and address the challenges of existing legislation, including the National Strategic Plan on GBVF, which has yet to fully bridge service gaps or ensure trauma-informed support for survivors.

“Gender-based violence and femicide remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations affecting women and children in South Africa.

“Hence today we must deal with all existing legislation and national strategies, including the National Strategic Plan on GBVF as victims continue to experience delays in accessing justice, poor service integration, and a lack of trauma-informed support. “Today we gather here to gain insights and brainstorm on ways to respond to the cry out there,” she said.

Tolashe said the roundtable must serve as a platform to develop practical, community-driven and institutionally supported solutions.

“We need to respond in a collective national way to address institutional inefficiencies and restore public confidence,” the minister said.

A Cry for Shelter Services

One of the key voices at the roundtable, Dr Zubeda Dangor, Head of the National Shelter Movement of South Africa, painted a dire picture of the state of shelters in the country – particularly in Gauteng.

“Women’s shelters play an essential role in the fight against GBV, offering women and children safe accommodation, support, and training as they attempt to leave their abusers,” Dangor told SAnews.

Representing more than 100 affiliated shelters, Dangor called on government to urgently address the chronic underfunding of shelter services.

“Currently in Gauteng, only 10 out of 23 shelters are funded. Now, the government is closing down some of the shelters or not supporting them, while starting new ones. Yes, it is good to open new ones since they are needed, however, the ones that are functioning need support as well,” she said.

She emphasised that shelter helplines now have no place to refer victims to, placing them at risk of returning to dangerous environments.

“We are appealing and hoping to engage government further,” she said.

Background

The roundtable reaffirmed the urgent need for collaboration between government, civil society, and communities, to safeguard the rights and lives of South Africa’s women and children.

The South African government, through the Justice, Crime Prevention and Social Cluster (JCPS Cluster) established the 90-Day Accelerated Programme on Gender Based Violence and Femicide to focus and accelerate efforts to end the scourge of gender based violence.

The 90- Day Accelerated Programme is co-chaired by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Department of Social Development, respectively.

The implementation of the programme is convened through the NatJoints.

Six workstreams were established to focus on key areas of the response to gender-based violence and femicide, with targeted deliverables for each workstream.

One of the targeted deliverables was to convene a roundtable to focus on GBVF.

The roundtable convened national leaders, state departments, and civil society stakeholders to directly respond to these petitions, assess current gaps, and define a clear, actionable pathway to improve services and ensure justice for GBVF victims and survivors. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Deputy President to undertake working visit to Russia

Source: South Africa News Agency

Strengthening economic and trade relations will be at the core of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s working visit to Russia.

According to the Deputy President’s Office, the trip will focus on enhancing cooperation in key sectors, including agriculture, automotive, energy, and mining, as well as collaboration in science and technology.

The working visit set for 17-21 June in Moscow and St. Petersburg, will involve high-level engagements and activities focused on economic diplomacy.

In Moscow, Deputy President Mashatile will meet with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to discuss cooperation in the areas of economy, trade, and energy.

The Deputy President will meet with several high-ranking officials, including President Vladimir Putin, Valentina Matvienko, the Chairman of the Russian Federation Council, and Vyacheslav Volodin, the current Chairman of the State Duma, which is the lower house of the Russian Parliament.

While in Moscow, the Deputy President will lay a wreath at the memorial site honouring South Africa’s liberation heroes, John Beaver (JB) Marks and Moses Kotane.

Following this, he will participate in the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF2025).

This year’s forum will be held from 19 to 21 June, under the theme: “Shared Values: The Foundation of Growth in a Multipolar World.”

The Deputy President will take part in the plenary session of SPIEF2025 while he has also received an invitation to speak at the Russia-Africa Business Dialogue.

In addition, he is scheduled to deliver a public lecture at St. Petersburg State University on the topic: “South Africa’s G20 Presidency in a Rapidly Changing Geopolitical Environment.”

He will address attendees at the opening of the South African Trade and Investment Seminar.

“The St. Petersburg leg of the visit is expected to leverage on promoting South Africa’s trade relations and South Africa as an investment destination.”

According to the Deputy President’s Office, this trip will be his first visit to Russia since he took office under the seventh administration.

He will be accompanied by a delegation of Ministers and Deputy Ministers who are part of the Economic Sectors, Investment, Employment and Infrastructure Development Cabinet Cluster. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: President Ramaphosa expresses sadness over tragic loss of life during recent floods in E Cape

Source: South Africa News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his sorrow over the recent floods in the Eastern Cape, which have claimed the lives of nearly 80 people.

In response to the devastating situation in Mthatha this week, government officials, including the President, key Ministers, the Premier, and local government representatives, visited the area to offer support and assess the damage.

The disaster has caused significant loss of life and widespread destruction of infrastructure.

“Many people have tragically died, especially young children whose school transport was swept away by the floods. I was informed that one child has still not been accounted for,” he told the community.

The President shared a story about a local woman who lost her mother and children, one of whom is still missing.

“We sympathise with you because losing a parent or child is one of the most painful experiences one can endure. I also came here because we are not accustomed to losing so many people all at once.”

The country’s commander-in-chief emphasised the severity of the situation, noting that while the impact has been tragic, quick response teams prevented an even worse outcome.

“We are very, very disturbed that so many people have passed away, but it could have been much worse. The response teams acted quickly.”

The President announced that the deceased individuals have been taken to a mortuary and that the forensic team have acted quickly to perform autopsies, ensuring that their loved ones can receive their remains and prepare for memorial services as well as burials.

“And my thanks also go to the Premier, his MECs, to the Mayors, as well as all other officials. This is a catastrophic disaster for us, which is caused by climate change.”

The floods have caused widespread destruction to homes, government facilities, roads, hospitals, and schools, highlighting the urgent need to tackle climate change.

“There shouldn’t be any floods during winter. In the Eastern Cape, we expect cold weather and snow during this season. However, the occurrence of floods highlights the severity of the climate change issue we are facing. The same flooding issues are also happening in KwaZulu-Natal.”

He highlighted that this is becoming a new reality for South Africa, with both Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal experiencing recurring annual disasters.

“The Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal are now prone to continuous annual disasters that are causing a lot of pain and suffering amongst our people, where a number of people are dying.”

Government officials pledged continued support to the affected communities, promising to assist families in their time of grief.

“We will continue to give you the support and the assistance that is required, so that your sorrow must not deepen beyond what you are experiencing now; this we will do; because it’s our responsibility as government, and that is why I also came.”

He also extended his condolences to the people of KwaZulu-Natal, who are facing significant challenges due to climate change.

The President expressed his gratitude to the Gift of the Givers, as well as other organisations and religious leaders, for their support and for comforting grieving families during this difficult time.

Government also announced that mourning is being considered to remember those who lost their lives in this catastrophic event. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Canterbury is Best, Bar None!
Source: City of Canterbury

Hosted by Canterbury BID, the third annual Best Bar None awards took place on Wednesday 11 June, recognising the efforts of 33 venues in Canterbury.

Best Bar None is a national accreditation scheme that recognises excellence in the hospitality industry, promoting safer and more welcoming nights out. Canterbury remains the leading location for accredited venues in Kent.

The scheme was introduced by Kent Police, Canterbury City Council and Canterbury BID in 2022 and provides businesses with an official, independent, accreditation that shows customers how hard they work to provide a safe and welcoming place to visit while they are out socialising.

This year’s ceremony took place at The Lounge Bar & Kitchen, with 33 businesses receiving their awards, along with 14 Special Achievements awards for those venues and individuals that have gone above and beyond in keeping our community safe.

The event was opened by the Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Cllr Keji Moses, District Commander CI Paul Stoner and BID CEO Lisa Carlson.

Awards for top scoring assessments were given to The Venue, Woody’s, Tokyo Tearoom and The Cricketers, while staff from Club Chemistry, McDonald’s, Boom Battle Bar, The Shakespeare and The Foundry BrewPub also received individual and special awards.

Awards based on the highest scores achieved in the Best Bar None accreditation process:
- Best Venue Management: The Venue
- Best Staff Training & Care: Woody’s
- Best Customer Safety & Welfare: Tokyo Tearooms
- Best Customer Safety & Community: The Lounge
- Best Newcomer: The Cricketers
- Best Overall Venue: The Venue
Individual and special awards based on the stories submitted by management about their staff and project work:
- Special Recognition Award: Thomas Garncarek, Club Chemistry
- Community Ambassador Award: McDonald’s Team
- Best Commitment to Safety and Prevention: Chloe Petter, The Shakespeare
- Best Dedicated Member of Staff: Ricky Richards, Boom Battle Bar
- Best Diversity and Inclusion Awareness Award: Sarah and Alice from Club Chemistry
- Best Customer Experience: Kristina Hopkins, The Shakespeare
- Sustainability Award: The Foundry BrewPub
- Outstanding Service: PC Danielle Rolfe, Kent Police
Lisa Carlson, CEO Canterbury BID said: “Canterbury has been the proud receiver of the Purple Flag for 13 years, thanks to the existing partnership working between agencies, police and businesses and we are delighted to see that Best Bar None continues to grow in popularity.

“When we started three years ago, 19 venues were accredited and we’re now up to 33. The scheme was so successful in its first year that we were part of the Kent-wide team that won the national Best Newcomer award because of the number of venues accredited in the first year (actually, within four months!).

“Our licensed venues drive economic growth, support jobs and improve the quality of life for residents and visitors. They provide the vibrant cultural atmosphere that well and truly make Canterbury the best night out in Kent – and beyond!”

PC Danielle Rolfe, Canterbury Licensing Officer, said: “Through the Best Bar None scheme, Kent Police is able to build stronger relationships with local venues. By working closely with businesses, officers are creating a safer local environment, helping to prevent crime and will gain the ability to identify suspects faster.

“It is a pleasure to work alongside the venues and individuals that are being recognised at the event, and I congratulate them for their contribution to the community.”

Cabinet member for community safety, Cllr Connie Nolan, said: “Our licensed premises play a vital role in the economic and social fabric of the city and residents and visitors need to know that when they are heading for a night out, they are doing so in well run, responsible and safe businesses.

“It’s great to see such a range of pubs, clubs and restaurants being recognised in this year’s awards and I congratulate them all.

“Managing the night-time economy is one big collaborative effort between the businesses and all the authorities and it’s by taking such an approach that Canterbury retains its reputation as a great and safe city to socialise in and spend time in.”

The 33 venues to receive Best Bar None accreditation were:

The Ballroom, The Bishops Finger, The Black Griffin, Boom Battle Bar, Canterbury Cathedral, Club Chemistry, The Cherry Tree, Citi Terrace, The Cosy Club, The Cricketers, The Cuban, Curzon Riverside, The Dolphin, The Lady Luck, Las Iguanas, Matches Sports Bar, McDonalds, The Miller’s Arms, Old City Bar, The Foundry BrewPub, The Lounge (Canterbury Christ Church University), The Parrot, The Penny Theatre, The Pound, The Seven Stars, The Shakespeare, Thomas Ingoldsby, Tokyo Tea Rooms, The Unicorn, The Venue (University of Kent), The Westgate Inn, Woody’s (University of Kent), Ye Olde Beverlie.

Published: 13 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Christopher Hui visits Norway

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui said during his visit to Oslo, Norway, on June 11 and 12 that Hong Kong and Norway could create a powerful synergy to address global challenges with regards to climate change and digital transformation, leveraging the complementary strengths of the two places.

He was also pleased to note that after a meeting with the Norwegian Ministry of Finance, positive progress was made with the early signing of a comprehensive avoidance of double taxation agreement (CDTA) between Hong Kong and Norway.

At a meeting with Norwegian State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Torgeir Micaelsen and Director General of Tax Law Department Omar G Dajani on June 12, Mr Hui called for an early signing of a CDTA between the two places.

Mr Micaelsen responded positively and indicated that they will look into the matter to expedite the process.

The treasury chief also told the gathering that Hong Kong had just been confirmed by the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation as being among the initial set of jurisdictions having set a target of fully adopting the ISSB Standards, affirming Hong Kong’s efforts and determination in supporting and promoting a common international language in sustainability disclosures.

To unlock new opportunities in the area of maritime finance, Mr Hui visited Norwegian marine and energy insurance provider Gard, which has a strong presence in Hong Kong’s marine insurance market and provides services to manage maritime risk for clients, by meeting its Chief Customer Officer Line Dahle as well as Vice President and Head of Analytics Sigvald Fossum.

He also met Vice-President and Director of Group Government and Public Affairs of DNV Lars Almklov. The global assurance and risk management company DNV has been recognised by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority as an approved external reviewer for the Green & Sustainable Finance Grant Scheme.

Mr Hui told the management of the two companies that Hong Kong and Norway possess complementary strengths that can create a compelling case for financial co-operation. While Norway’s maritime industry is the cornerstone of its economy, Hong Kong’s maritime services industry is also a valued brand in the international arena.

Joint ventures in maritime insurance could combine Norway’s expertise in marine risk management with Hong Kong’s accessibility, creating comprehensive solutions for the sector and addressing the new demands arising from geopolitical and climatic challenges.

He highlighted that Hong Kong has a sophisticated ecosystem for ship financing and leasing, supported by tax incentives and its strategic location along global trade routes.

On June 12, Mr Hui paid a courtesy call to Chinese Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Norway Hou Yue.

He also had a meeting with Director of Politics & Society of Finance Norway Jan Erik Fane. Finance Norway is the industry organisation for the financial sector in Norway, representing banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions on regulatory, policy and industry developments.

Mr Hui noted that the Norwegian sovereign fund is one of the largest funds in the world and is positioned as a pioneer in responsible investing with a strong emphasis on environmental, social and governance principles.

He said that the shared focus of Hong Kong and Norway on sustainability creates significant opportunities for collaboration.

At a dinner reception co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office, London, and the Norway-Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce on June 11, Mr Hui said that even though there is a geographical distance of around 8,600 km between Norway and Hong Kong, the two places share more commonalities in the financial market than perceived.

The first one is the commitment to green and sustainable developments. The other commonality is expertise in wealth management.

Mr Hui noted that Norway’s expertise in long-term asset management driven by its sovereign fund aligns seamlessly with Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s premier wealth management centre.

Capitalising on Hong Kong’s advantages of having a solid financial infrastructure and an extensive international client base, abundant co-investment opportunities are available for Norwegian capital in the Asian markets, particularly in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Mr Hui returned to Hong Kong this evening.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: New pool and convention centre for Canberra

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Our CBR is the ACT Government’s key channel to connect with Canberrans and keep you up-to-date with what’s happening in the city. Our CBR includes a monthly print edition, email newsletter and website.

You can easily opt in or out of the newsletter subscription at any time.

MIL OSI News –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Kershaw County Man Sentence to Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Frederick Siou Beaufort, 41, of Camden has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on Sept. 3, 2023, a Kershaw County sheriff’s deputy saw Beaufort driving his car while not wearing a seatbelt. The deputy conducted a traffic stop on the car and while speaking with Beaufort, the deputy spotted a large hand-rolled cigarette sitting on the front passenger seat. The officer asked him what the item was, and he stated it was a “blunt,” a street name for a marijuana cigarette. As the deputy searched the car, he located a handgun under the driver’s side floor mat. Beaufort stated he did not have a concealed weapons permit and that he was a convicted felon.

At the time of his arrest, Beaufort had been convicted of possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, resisting arrest, distribution of crack cocaine and was out on bond for murder.

United States District Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Beaufort to 27 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.

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MIL Security OSI –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Otis Elevator Company Agrees to Pay More Than $600,000 to Settle False Claims Act Allegation Related to Invoices for Elevator Maintenance

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Otis Worldwide Corporation, an international elevator services firm headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut, which is branded and doing business as Otis Elevator Company (Otis), has agreed to settle allegations under the False Claims Act (FCA) related to invoices for preventive maintenance services submitted to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) that were not rendered pursuant to the terms of a Contract. Under the settlement, Otis will pay the United States $616,987.02.

“A contractor, like Otis, has an obligation to submit invoices and seek reimbursement solely for work and services that have been performed as claimed,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee. “This settlement with Otis demonstrates that the United States Attorney’s Office and federal partners like TVA’s Office of the Inspector General are using all tools available to address fraud, waste, and abuse and protect public funds.”

“The TVA Office of the Inspector General is committed to identifying and investigating instances where vendors fail to fulfill contractual obligations as well as false claims and overpayments that negatively impact ratepayers throughout the Tennessee Valley. We would like to thank the United States Attorney’s Office for their dedicated support of such efforts,” said Assistant Inspector General, Investigations D. Eric Beals of the Tennessee Valley Authority Office of Inspector General.

The United States’ investigation focused on an August 2017 Contract between Otis and TVA. The United States contended that the Contract required Otis to provide turnkey modernization and specified monthly preventative maintenance services related to certain elevators in the TVA Knoxville Office Complex. The United States maintained that it has certain civil claims against Otis arising from its performance of the Contract. Specifically, the United States contended that Otis submitted false claims for payment to TVA for preventive maintenance services that were not rendered.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee and the TVA Office of the Inspector General – Office of Investigations (TVA-OIG).

The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating waste, fraud, and abuse impacting federal agencies. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, and mismanagement of TVA resources can be reported to TVA-OIG at 1-855-882-8585 or www.oigempowerline.com

The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alan G. McGonigal and Alexa Ortiz Hadley for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

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MIL Security OSI –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: San Antonio Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced in a federal court to 180 months imprisonment to be followed by 15 years of supervised release for attempted production of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to court documents, between May of 2022 and June of 2023, George Isaac Del Bosque, 33, made a surreptitious recording of a 15-year-old minor while the child victim was undressing and nude. A search of Del Bosque’s phone revealed 16 sexually explicit images and three sexually explicit videos of the minor. Del Bosque was arrested Sept. 5, 2023. He pleaded guilty to the charge on March 11, 2025, and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery. Prior to his arrest, Del Bosque was a licensed clinical vocational nurse. As a result of the charges, he voluntarily surrendered his license.

“Protecting children has been and will remain one of the highest priorities of law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “I appreciate the handling of this case by our partners at Homeland Security Investigations and the San Antonio Police Department, and I also want to express how important it is—as demonstrated in this case—for child victims and their families to be vigilant and not hesitate to report sexual exploitation when it occurs.”

“This sentencing sends a clear message that HSI is committed to holding accountable those who exploit the most vulnerable members of our society,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee. “We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to investigate and prosecute individuals involved in internet crimes against children.”

HSI and the San Antonio Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Mangels prosecuted the case.

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

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MIL Security OSI –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Five Defendants Charged in Federal Investigation Targeting Fentanyl Sales in Chicago

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

CHICAGO — A federal investigation into fentanyl sales in Chicago has resulted in drug or firearm charges against five individuals.

An indictment unsealed this week in federal court in Chicago accuses four of the defendants of conspiring to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin in the city in 2023 and 2024. Three defendants are charged with illegally possessing firearms, including handguns equipped with a “switch” device, making them capable of firing multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger.

Charged with drug conspiracy and distribution are JARED DANIELS, 33, of Chicago, CRISTINE SERRANO, 34, of Chicago, SHERNELL ANDERSON, 35, of Chicago, and LARRY LEMON, 43, of Brookfield, Ill. Daniels, Serrano, and JONATHAN COLLINS, 33, of Chicago, are also charged with federal firearm offenses.

All five defendants are in law enforcement custody. The charges against Daniels, Serrano, Anderson, and Lemon carry a maximum sentence of life in federal prison, as well as mandatory minimums ranging from ten to 15 years. The charge against Collins is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the Brookfield, Ill. Police Department, U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago, FBI Minneapolis, Minn. Field Office, and the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Satellite Office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

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

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

MIL Security OSI –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Oklahoma Man Sentenced for Attempting to Destroy Satanic Temple in Salem With a Pipe Bomb

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

BOSTON – An Oklahoma man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for throwing a pipe bomb at The Satanic Temple (TST) in Salem, Mass. on April 8, 2024.

Sean Patrick Palmer, 49, of Perkins, Okla., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2025, Palmer pleaded guilty to one count of using an explosive device to damage and attempt to damage a building used in interstate or foreign commerce. He was charged by criminal complaint and arrested on April 17, 2024, in Perkins, Okla.

TST is a non-theistic religious organization headquartered in Salem, Mass. According to the charging documents, at approximately 4:14 a.m. on April 8, 2024, surveillance cameras captured a man, subsequently identified as Palmer, walking towards TST wearing a black face covering, a tan-colored tactical vest and gloves. As Palmer approached TST, he ignited a pipe bomb – a type of improvised explosive device or “IED” – threw it at TST’s main entrance, and then ran away. The IED did not fully detonate and therefore caused only minor damage to TST’s exterior.

The pipe bomb was constructed from a roughly two-foot section of plastic pipe covered with metal nails attached to the pipe with duct tape. The inside of the pipe was filled with smokeless gunpowder. During the investigation, Palmer’s DNA was found on the outside of the IED.

A six-page handwritten note was found in a flower bed adjacent to TST, near the area where Palmer threw the IED. Among other things, the letter stated:

DEAR SATANIST
ELOHIM SEND ME 7 MONTHS AGO TO GIVE YOU
PEACEFUL MESSAGE TO HOPE YOU REPENT. YOU SAY
NO, ELOHIM NOW SEND ME TO SMITE SATAN AND I
HAPPY TO OBEY. AND ELOHIM WANT ME TO CONTACT
YOU TO TELL YOU REPENT. TURN FROM SIN. ELOHIM
NO LIKE THIS PLACE AND PLAN TO DESTROY IT. MAYBE
SALEM TOO? ELOHIM SEND ME TO FIGHT CRYBABY
SATAN, BUT WANT ME TO MAKE HARD EFFORT SO NO
ONE DIES. I OBEY.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Lucas J. Miller, Chief of the Salem Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Massachusetts State Police; Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Oklahoma City Field Office; Payne County Sherriff’s Office; Oklahoma Highway Patrol; the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma; and Stillwater (Okla.) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason A. Casey of the National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.

MIL Security OSI –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Supreme Court ignores precedent instead of overruling it in allowing president to fire officials whom Congress tried to make independent

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Claire B. Wofford, Associate Professor of Political Science, College of Charleston

Can President Donald Trump — or any president — fire the heads of independent agencies created by Congress? Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images Plus

What may be one of the U.S. Supreme Court’s most important and far-reaching rulings in decades dropped in late May 2025 in an order that probably didn’t get a second – or even first – glance from most Americans.

But this not-quite-two-page ruling, as technical and procedural as they come, potentially rewrites a major principle of constitutional law and may restructure the operation of the federal government.

The case is dry in a way only lawyers could love, but its implications are enormous.

Public mission, not presidential whims

The dispute began when President Donald Trump fired two Biden-era officials: Gwynne Wilcox, a member of the National Labor Relations Board, and Cathy Harris, a member of the Merit Systems Protection Board.

The National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board, like the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Reserve, are among more than 50 independent agencies established by Congress to help the president carry out the law. Though technically located within the executive branch, independent agencies are designed to serve the public at large rather than the president.

The dispute began when President Donald Trump fired board members of two independent agencies.
Win McNamee/Getty Images

To ensure these agencies are devoted to their public mission, not the will or whims of a president, congressional statutes generally permit the president to remove leaders of these agencies only for “good cause.” Malfeasance in office, neglect of duty, or inefficiency generally constitute “good cause.”

Other executive branch agencies, such as the FBI, Food and Drug Administration and Department of Homeland Security are entirely under presidential command – if he wants their leaders out, out they go. But independent agencies, in existence since the late 19th century, are to carry out congressional policy free from the president’s purview and his political pressure.

Because independent agencies are creatures of Congress housed within the executive branch, there is long-standing disagreement among scholars about just how much power the president should have over them.

Limiting Congress, empowering the president

In the two firings, there was agreement that Trump had violated the relevant statute by firing Wilcox and Harris without “good cause.”

He justified Wilcox’s removal, in part, because she did not share his policy preferences. For Harris, he gave no reason at all.

But the bigger issue was whether the law itself was constitutional: Could Congress limit why or how a president can remove employees of the executive branch?

The root of the problem lies within the Constitution. Although Article 2 specifically gives the president the power to “appoint” certain federal officials, it says nothing about the power to fire -– or “remove” – them.

Conservative legal scholars propose, under what’s called the “unitary executive theory,” that because the president “is” the executive branch, he has complete authority, including removal, over all who serve within it. Only with the unfettered ability to fire anyone who serves under him can the president fulfill his constitutionally mandated duty to ensure that “the Laws be faithfully executed.”

Opponents have countered that this ignores fundamental aspects of our constitutional framework: the framers’ devotion to checks and balances, their aversion toward monarchical, kinglike rule, and their determination to put policymaking in the hands of Congress.

These questions are not new.

The Supreme Court first took up the issue in 1926 in Myers v. United States, when Chief Justice – and former president – William Howard Taft held that Congress could not limit the president’s ability to fire an Oregon postmaster, writing that “the power to remove inferior executive officers … is an incident of the power to appoint them.”

Less than a decade later, however, the court ruled in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States that the Constitution did not grant the president an “illimitable power of removal,” at least over certain types of officials. This included the head of the Federal Trade Commission, whose firing by President Franklin Roosevelt had sparked the case.

Humphrey’s Executor stood basically untouched for decades, until Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito – both of whom had previously served in the executive branch – were appointed.

With a now-solid conservative majority, the Supreme Court invalidated restrictions on the president’s ability to remove members of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in 2009.

Two years after the arrival of fellow executive branch alumnus Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, the court struck down the “good cause” removal restriction for the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Rather than explicitly overrule Humphrey’s Executor, however, the justices declared that these agencies were factually distinct from the Federal Trade Commission – leaders of one were protected by a “two-layer” removal system and the other because it was run by a single individual, not a multimember board.

‘Massive change in the law’

Because Humphrey’s Executor was still good law, and the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board were structured like the Federal Trade Commission, district courts in 2025 initially held that the firings of Wilcox and Harris were unlawful.

On April 9, 2025, Trump filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court, asking it to put the district court decisions on hold. On May 22, the Supreme Court granted that request, at least while the cases proceed through the lower courts.

The court did not decide on the constitutionality of the removal statute, but the ruling is nonetheless a major victory for Trump. He can now fire not only Wilcox and Harris but also potentially the heads of any independent agency. Low-level civil servants may also be at risk.

In the unsigned order, the high court echoed unitary executive theory, stating, “Because the Constitution vests the executive power in the Presidents … he may remove without cause executive officers who exercise that power on his behalf, subject to narrow exceptions.” It simply ignored Humphrey’s Executor altogether, leaving its value as precedent unclear.

The Supreme Court also said that the holding did not apply to the Federal Reserve Board. That “uniquely structured, quasi-private entity” would remain free from executive control via removal.

Such an explicit carve-out in legal doctrine is striking but responds directly to claims made by litigants and political commentators of the dire economic consequences that could result were the president to have free rein over the Federal Reserve’s chairman.

In dissent, Justice Elena Kagan blasted the majority for allowing the president to overrule Humphrey’s Executor “by fiat,” a result made even worse because the court had done so via the so-called shadow docket, in the absence of full briefing or oral argument. Such “short-circuiting” of the “usual deliberative process” is, she wrote, a wholly inappropriate way to make a “massive change in the law.”

After the appointments of conservatives John Roberts, left, and Samuel Alito, the Supreme Court in 2009 invalidated restrictions on the president’s ability to remove members of an independent agency.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

The shadow of Humphrey’s Executor

What happens now?

The National Labor Relations Board is paralyzed, and the Merit Systems Protection Board is somewhat hamstrung, with both lacking the quorum necessary to act. Cases about the firing of Harris, Wilcox and multiple other officials will bedevil lower courts as they try to figure out whether Humphrey’s Executor still stands, even as a shadow of its former self.

Trump aims to continue axing federal employees, even as the administration struggles to rehire others.

And, already asked again to make major legal change on its emergency docket, the Supreme Court will need to determine whether such change warrants more than the few paragraphs of explanation it gave in the ruling on the Wilcox and Harris firings.

If, as seems likely, the court ultimately overturns Humphrey’s Executor, Kagan’s dissent serves as a warning voiced by others as well: A decision that allows the president to have total control over the heads of more than 50 independent agencies – agencies that pursue the public interest in areas from financial regulation to the environment, to nuclear safety – could shift their focus from serving the public to pleasing the president, profoundly affecting the lives of many Americans.

In 2022, I donated $20 to ActBlue.

– ref. Supreme Court ignores precedent instead of overruling it in allowing president to fire officials whom Congress tried to make independent – https://theconversation.com/supreme-court-ignores-precedent-instead-of-overruling-it-in-allowing-president-to-fire-officials-whom-congress-tried-to-make-independent-257784

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Secretary of State challenged on Baroness O’Loan appointment to Finucane inquiry

Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

Statement by TUV leader and North Antrim MP Jim Allister:

“The Secretary of State’s decision to appoint Baroness Nuala O’Loan as an assessor to the Pat Finucane public inquiry is highly questionable and fundamentally undermines public confidence in a process which is already highly suspect in the eyes of many.

“Baroness O’Loan has been personally and publicly invested in the Finucane case for nearly two decades. As Police Ombudsman her office produced Operation Ballast in 2007, a report that investigated alleged collusion between the RUC and loyalist paramilitaries, including in relation to the Finucane murder. That report formed a key part of the narrative that ultimately led to sustained political pressure for a public inquiry.

“On her departure from the Ombudsman role, The Guardian noted that her work had been dominated by collusion cases, and highlighted her personal frustration that no prosecutions had followed, singling out the Finucane case. This was not the dispassionate stance of an investigator concluding her work — it was the expression of someone who clearly regarded the Finucane case as unfinished business.

“More than a decade later, in December 2020, she publicly criticised the UK government for its refusal to initiate a public inquiry, continuing to advocate for the very process she has now been appointed to help direct. Her comments made clear she had already formed a view on the need for such an inquiry and on the alleged failures of state agencies.

“To now place her in a formal advisory role — after so many years of active and vocal involvement — compromises the credibility of the inquiry before it has even begun. This is not a matter of legal competence, but of perceived impartiality, which is essential if justice is to be seen to be done.

“At a time when countless victims of terrorist violence have never had so much as a day in court, let alone a public inquiry, the decision to proceed with this case in this manner, and with this appointment, will be seen by many as confirmation of a two-tier approach to victims.

“I have therefore today written to the Secretary of State to formally challenge the appointment of Baroness O’Loan.

“I am not questioning Baroness O’Loan’s professionalism, but nonetheless this is not the case for her talents.”

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/IRAN – Is the attack on Iran a dangerous gamble?

Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

Friday, 13 June 2025 war

Rome (Agenzia Fides) – The attack launched last night (June 13) by Israel against Iran raises the level of the “global war in pieces” repeatedly denounced by Pope Francis. In fact, Iran has described last night’s attacks as “a declaration of war.” The Israeli government has justified the military operation, (which is expected to last for weeks), to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.Just yesterday, June 12, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) approved a resolution condemning Iran for “non-compliance” with its nuclear obligations. The text, drafted by London, Paris, and Berlin (E3) in collaboration with Washington, was approved by 19 of the 35 countries, with three votes against and 11 absences. On the night of June 12-13, the Israeli attack, clearly planned for a long time, was launched.The initial attack targeted the Natanz uranium enrichment complex, but not the other facilities of Iran’s atomic program (we will see if they will be attacked later), air defenses, and missile bases capable of reaching Israel. These targets were followed by the targeted assassinations of Iranian scientists and military officials. Among the assassinated figures was Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s political advisor, Ali Shamkhani, a key figure in the Iranian political system who had engaged with the Trump administration to allow Iran to continue its civilian nuclear program.Shamkhani had delivered a moderate message during the negotiations between the United States and Iran, stating that “a solution is at hand through diplomacy.” He also played an important role in normalizing relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.The Trump administration has stated, through Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that “Israel has taken unilateral action against Iran” and that the United States “is not involved in attacks against Iran, and our top priority is to protect US forces in the region.” Israel has informed us that it believes this action was necessary for its self-defense.” In a message posted on Truth Social, President Trump stated: “There has already been significant death and destruction, but there is still time to end this massacre, as the next planned attacks will be even more brutal,” implying that he is aware of Israel’s upcoming moves. Are these Israeli attacks coordinated with Washington to obtain Iranian concessions at the negotiating table? Or has the situation gotton out of control? It is also worth asking whether there are deep disagreements within the Trump administration over the launch of Israeli military operations. The Director of National Intelligence, who oversees the 18 US spy agencies, released a video on June 10 in which she warned that humanity is “on the brink of nuclear annihilation,” which could be interpreted as distancing herself from an attack with unpredictable consequences. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 13/6/2025)
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MIL OSI Europe News –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Cryptocurrency Financial Services Firm “Gotbit” and Founder Sentenced for Market Manipulation and Fraud Conspiracy

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

BOSTON – Gotbit Consulting LLC (Gotbit), a financial services firm known in the cryptocurrency industry as a “market maker,” was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for criminal charges relating to Gotbit’s fraudulent manipulation of cryptocurrency trading volume on behalf of client cryptocurrency companies.

Aleksei Andriunin, 26, of Russia and Portugal, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to eight months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. In March 2025, Andriunin pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit market manipulation and wire fraud. Andriunin was arrested in Portugal on Oct. 8, 2024 and extradited to the United States on Feb. 25, 2025.

As part of its criminal resolution, Gotbit was ordered to forfeit a total of approximately $23 million in seized cryptocurrency. The court also sentenced Gotbit to a term of probation for five years, during which time Gotbit shall cease to exist or operate.

Gotbit and Andriunin were indicted by a federal grand jury on the same charges in October 2024. The indictment also charges two of Gotbit’s directors, Fedor Kedrov and Qawi Jalili.

Gotbit was a well-known “market maker” in the cryptocurrency industry. Between 2018 and 2024, Gotbit provided market manipulation services to create artificial trading volume for multiple cryptocurrency companies, including companies located in the United States and companies whose cryptocurrencies traded on platforms available to investors located in the United States. Andriunin was Gotbit’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer. In a 2019 interview, Andriunin described how he developed a code to “wash trade” cryptocurrencies to artificially inflate trading volume for the purpose of getting cryptocurrencies listed on CoinMarketCap (a website that published information about “trending” cryptocurrencies) and trading on larger cryptocurrency exchanges. Andriunin and Gotbit’s employees marketed these wash trading tactics to prospective clients and explained how Gotbit used multiple accounts to avoid detection of the wash trades on the public blockchain. Gotbit made wash trades worth millions of dollars on behalf of clients and received tens of millions of dollars in payments from clients.

Gotbit admitted that it engaged in manipulative trades to artificially increase the trading price and volume of tokens for clients that included Robo Inu and Saitama. Leaders of those cryptocurrency companies were charged in separate cases unsealed in October 2024.

Gotbit is the third market maker to resolve criminal charges relating to wash trading in the cryptocurrency industry. In October 2024, the founder of MyTrade pleaded guilty in connection with providing an unlawful wash trading service identified through an undercover law enforcement operation. In April 2025, CLS Global FZC LLC was sentenced in connection with offering illegal “volume support” services uncovered by the same operation.

The Securities & Exchange Commission brought a related civil enforcement action against Gotbit alleging violations of the securities laws.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Markham and David M. Holcomb of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit is handling the forfeiture matter.

MIL Security OSI –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Sly Stone turned isolation into inspiration, forging a path for a generation of music-makers

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jose Valentino Ruiz, Associate Professsor of Music Business and Entrepreneurship, University of Florida

The charismatic front man of Sly and the Family Stone died on June 9, 2025, at the age of 82. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

In the fall of 1971, Sly and the Family Stone’s “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” landed like a quiet revolution. After two years of silence following the band’s mainstream success, fans expected more feel-good funk from the ensemble.

What they got instead was something murkier and more fractured, yet deeply intimate and experimental. This was not just an album; it was the sound of a restless mind rebuilding music from the inside out.

At the center of it all was front man Sly Stone.

Long before the home studio became an industry norm, Stone, who died on June 9, 2025, turned the studio into both a sanctuary and an instrument. And long before sampling defined the sound of hip-hop, he was using tape and machine rhythms to deconstruct existing songs to cobble together new ones.

As someone who spends much of their time working on remote recording and audio production – from building full arrangements solo to collaborating digitally across continents – I’m deeply indebted to Sly Stone’s approach to making music.

He was among the first major artists to fully embrace the recording environment as a space to compose rather than perform. Every reverb bounce, every drum machine tick, every overdubbed breath became part of the writing process.

From studio rat to bedroom producer

Sly and the Family Stone’s early albums – including “Dance to the Music” and “Stand!” – were recorded at top-tier facilities like CBS Studios in Los Angeles under the technical guidance of engineers such as Don Puluse and with oversight from producer David Rubinson.

These sessions yielded bright, radio-friendly tracks that emphasized tight horn sections, group vocals and a polished sound. Producers also prized the energy of live performance, so the full band would record together in real time.

But by the early 1970s, Stone was burnt out. The dual pressures of fame and industry demands were becoming too much. Struggling with cocaine and PCP addiction, he’d grown increasingly distrustful of bandmates, label executives and even his friends.

So he decided to retreat to his hillside mansion in Bel Air, California, transforming his home into a musical bunker. Inside, he could work on his own terms: isolated and erratic, but free.

Stone relied heavily on overdubbing when recording music from his home.
Richard McCaffrey/Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images

Without a full band present, Stone became a one-man ensemble. He leaned heavily into overdubbing – recording one instrument at a time and building his songs from fragments. Using multiple tape machines, he’d layer each part onto previous takes.

The resulting album, “There’s a Riot Goin’ On,” was like nothing he’d previously recorded. It sounds murky, jagged and disjointed. But it’s also deeply intentional, as if every imperfection was part of the design.

In “The Poetics of Rock,” musicologist Albin Zak describes this “composerly” approach to production, where recording itself becomes a form of writing, not just documentation. Stone’s process for “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” reflects this mindset: Each overdub, rhythm loop and sonic imperfection functions more like a brushstroke than a performance.

Automating the groove

A key part of Stone’s tool kit was the Maestro Rhythm King, a preset drum machine he used extensively.

It wasn’t the first rhythm box on the market. But Stone’s use of it was arguably the first time such a machine shaped the entire aesthetic of a mainstream album. The drum parts on his track “Family Affair,” for example, don’t swing – they tick. What might have been viewed as soulless became its own kind of soul.

This early embrace of mechanical rhythm prefigured what would later become a foundation of hip-hop and electronic music. In his book “Dawn of the DAW,” music technology scholar Adam Patrick Bell calls this shift “a redefinition of groove,” noting how drum machines like the Rhythm King encouraged musicians to rethink their songwriting process, building tracks in shorter, repeatable sections while emphasizing steady, looped rhythms rather than free-flowing performances.

Though samplers wouldn’t emerge until years later, Stone’s work already contained that repetition, layering and loop-based construction that would become characteristic of the practice.

He recorded his own parts the way future DJs would splice records – isolated, reshuffled, rhythmically obsessed. His overdubbed bass lines, keyboard vamps and vocal murmurs often sounded like puzzle pieces from other songs.

Music scholar Will Fulton, in his study of Black studio innovation, notes how producers like Stone helped pioneer a fragment-based approach to music-making that would become central to hip-hop’s DNA. Stone’s process anticipated the mentality that a song isn’t necessarily something written top to bottom, but something assembled, brick by brick, from what’s available.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Stone’s tracks have been sampled relentlessly. In “Bring That Beat Back,” music critic Nate Patrin identifies Stone as one of the most sample-friendly artists of the 1970s – not because of his commercial hits, but because of how much sonic space he left in his tracks: the open-ended grooves, unusual textures and slippery emotional tone.

You can hear his sounds in famous tracks such as 2Pac’s “If My Homie Calls,” which samples “Sing a Simple Song”; A Tribe Called Quest’s “The Jam,” which draws from “Family Affair”; and De La Soul’s “Plug Tunin’,” which flips “You Can Make It If You Try.”

The studio as instrument

While Sly’s approach was groundbreaking, he wasn’t entirely alone. Around the same time, artists such as Brian Wilson and The Rolling Stones were experimenting with home and nontraditional recording environments – Wilson famously retreating to his home studio during “Pet Sounds,” and the Stones tracking “Exile on Main St.” in a French villa.

Yet in the world of Black music, production remained largely centralized in institutionally controlled studio systems such as Motown in Detroit and Stax in Memphis, where sound was tightly managed by in-house producers and engineers. In that context, Stone’s decision to isolate, self-produce and dismantle the standard workflow was more than a technical choice: It was a radical act of autonomy.

The rise of home recording didn’t just change who could make music. It changed what music felt like. It made music more internal, iterative and intimate.

Sly Stone helped invent that feeling.

It’s easy to hear “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” as murky or uneven. The mix is dense with tape hiss, drum machines drift in and out of sync, and vocals often feel buried or half-whispered.

But it’s also, in a way, prophetic.

It anticipated the aesthetics of bedroom pop, the cut-and-paste style of modern music software, the shuffle of playlists and the recycling of sounds that defines sample culture. It showed that a groove didn’t need to be spontaneous to be soulful, and that solitude could be a powerful creative tool, not a limitation.

In my own practice, I often record alone, passing files back and forth, building from templates and mapping rhythm to grid – as do millions of musical artists who compose tracks from their bedrooms, closets and garages.

Half a century ago, a funk pioneer led the way. I think it’s safe to say that Sly Stone quietly changed the process of making music forever – and in the funkiest way possible.

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

– ref. Sly Stone turned isolation into inspiration, forging a path for a generation of music-makers – https://theconversation.com/sly-stone-turned-isolation-into-inspiration-forging-a-path-for-a-generation-of-music-makers-258659

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: South Sudan’s peace deal at risk of collapse without stronger regional action, warns United Nation (UN) Commission

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The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has sounded the alarm that the 2018 Revitalized (Peace) Agreement is at serious risk of collapse and called for urgent, coordinated regional intervention to salvage the faltering peace process.

The Commission stressed that escalating military offensives, political crackdowns, and foreign military presence are not only accelerating the breakdown of the Agreement but also fueling deep fear, instability and widespread trauma among the people of South Sudan.

“South Sudan’s peace agreement is in crisis,” said Yasmin Sooka, Chair of the Commission. “The renewed violence is pushing the Revitalized Peace Agreement to the brink of irrelevance, threatening a total collapse. Such a breakdown risks fragmenting the country even further.”

“Regional partners – especially the African Union and IGAD – must urgently increase their leverage and pressure on South Sudan’s leaders to de-escalate tensions, return to meaningful dialogue, and fully implement the peace agreement,” Sooka said. “It remains the only credible pathway to stability, peace, and democratic transition.”

Earlier this week, the Commission held consultative dialogues with a range of stakeholders, including civil society representatives, to assess the deepening crisis and explore measures to avert a return to civil war. Participants expressed widespread fear and anxiety among communities, who are increasingly traumatized by persistent violence, arbitrary arrests, and the erosion of civic space.

Since March 2025, the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) have launched sustained military operations, including airstrikes on civilian-populated areas, causing significant casualties and mass displacement. A state of emergency has been declared in several regions where operations continue.

Reports of Ugandan forces supporting the SSPDF, alongside the government’s move to recruit thousands of additional soldiers – seemingly outside the security sector reform commitments in the Revitalized Agreement and pointing towards protracted conflict – have further heightened public fear and concern over looming widespread violations.

“South Sudanese are living with extreme trauma. They are enduring targeted military attacks that have upended lives and instilled widespread fear. The ongoing recruitment drive by the SSPDF directly contradicts the Revitalized Agreement, which calls for the training and deployment of the Necessary Unified Forces. The country’s leaders – signatories of the Agreement – must abandon partisan agendas and act in the interest of the people,” said Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernández. “The world cannot remain as bystander while civilians are bombed, and opposition voices are silenced. The time for passive diplomacy is over – these senseless attacks must stop.”

Political tensions in South Sudan have sharply escalated with the arbitrary detention of key opposition figures, including the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, alongside expanded military operations by the SSPDF, including in populated civilian areas, and against armed opposition forces and groups.

Escalating armed violence has deepened South Sudan’s humanitarian and human rights crises. Civilians in Upper Nile State have been particularly affected, as the region – already grappling with emergency-level food insecurity – has become a key transit corridor for refugees fleeing the conflict in Sudan. Fears are growing that if this conflict trajectory is not averted, South Sudan’s conflict will entwine with the crisis of Sudan, with even more dire consequences.

“Salvaging South Sudan’s peace agreement should be of utmost priority in an already turbulent region, as the agreement enables political adversaries to partner towards a transformative transition in this country,” said Commissioner Barney Afako. “Torpedoing the transition is an act of profound folly and recklessness, that is already reigniting violence, deepening insecurity, and imposing further grave violations on long suffering citizens, and undermining regional peace architectures.”

“Regional partners and peace guarantors must not indulge these damaging machinations; rather, they should resolve to urgently restore a credible transition that will deliver citizens’ aspirations for durable peace and justice,” Afako said.

The Commission reiterated its call for regional and international actors to intensify diplomatic pressure on South Sudan’s leaders to ensure immediate de-escalation and full implementation of the Revitalized Agreement.

Commissioner Yasmin Sooka also noted that “any unilateral attempts to derail the transition and undermine regional peace architectures have grave implications for peace and security in the Horn of Africa, and that failure to act could plunge the country into another devastating cycle of conflict.”

The Commission continues to monitor developments closely and is documenting human rights violations and abuses committed by all parties to the conflict, including those potentially amounting to war crimes.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

MIL OSI Africa –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Ghana Accelerates Efforts to Boost Intra-African Trade

Ghana is fast-tracking the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to unlock new opportunities for Ghanaian businesses across Africa by moving beyond commodity-based trade towards value addition for its traditional exports such as gold, oil and cocoa.

Speaking during the Ghana Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2025 Business Roadshow, Ghana’s Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare highlighted the government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive under AfCFTA by improving trade infrastructure, financing and market access.

“Under our Market Expansion Programme, the National AfCFTA Coordination Office is providing firm-level support to over 2,000 MSMEs in Ghana. This includes sensitization, market readiness training programmes, training on AfCFTA’s Rules of Origin, trade finance and market access initiatives. Ghana has also conducted targeted trade expeditions to East Africa, taking Ghanaian businesses to Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda to explore real-time opportunities and negotiate supply contracts,” the Minister said in a speech read on her behalf by the Acting National Coordinator, National AfCFTA Coordination Office, Benjamin Kwaku Asiam.

The Ghana IATF2025 Business Roadshow brought together government officials, the trade community, including businesses and investors, and executives from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). The event focused on promoting intra-African trade under the theme: Harnessing Regional and Continental Value Chains: Accelerating Africa’s Industrialisation and Global Competitiveness through AfCFTA.

The Business Roadshow is one of five planned in Accra, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Lagos, and Algiers ahead of the fourth edition of the biennial Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 (IATF2025), scheduled to take place in Algiers, Algeria, from 4 – 10 September 2025. IATF is Africa’s premier trade and investment event, held by Afreximbank, in collaboration with the African Union Commission and the AfCFTA Secretariat, and provides a platform for businesses to showcase their goods and exchange trade and investment information within the continent’s single market.

In his keynote address, the Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, H.E. Wamkele Mene noted that the IATF offers an unparalleled platform for the exchange of trade and investment information; and is a marketplace of ideas, opportunities, and partnerships.

“As we work to scale up intra-African trade, build regional value chains, and accelerate industrialisation, IATF serves as a key platform for connecting African businesses, investors, governments, and innovators. It is a catalyst for turning the promise of AfCFTA into concrete outcomes: trade deals signed, investments mobilised, and jobs created. By establishing a large, integrated market, AfCFTA encourages countries to specialize and add value to products, attracting investment and creating jobs,” H.E. Mene said, adding that this supports economic diversification, poverty reduction, and Africa’s vision for sustainable and inclusive development.

Afreximbank’s Group Chief Economist & Managing Director, Research, Dr. Yemi Kale described IATF as AfCFTA’s commercial marketplace, which brings to life Africa’s efforts to trade more with itself not only in raw materials, but also in value-added goods, services, and innovations.

“One of the persistent barriers to intra-African trade is not tariffs or logistics alone—but also access to accurate, timely, and actionable market intelligence. Trade cannot flourish in the absence of information,” Dr Kale said, adding that IATF2025 provides a platform for addressing this. He invited Ghanaian businesses and government agencies to participate in IATF2025, where over 2,000 exhibitors from Africa and beyond will showcase their products to more than 35,000 visitors and buyers from over 140 countries, with trade and investment deals projected to exceed US$44 billion.

Cumulatively, IATF has attracted over 4,500 exhibitors, more than 70,000 visitors, and facilitated over US$100 billion in deals. The last edition held in Cairo attracted nearly 2,000 exhibitors from 65 countries generated US$43.7 billion in trade and investment deals.

The upcoming IATF2025 will be hosted by the Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria. Speaking at the Business Roadshow, Algeria’s Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Mourad Louhaidia welcomed visitors and exhibitors to Algiers, pledging his government’s commitment to facilitate a successful IATF2025 by mobilising transport and hospitality infrastructure and facilitating smooth entry for all participants into the country.

“The Algerian embassy will fast track processing of visas for all participants from Ghana. We have set up a dedicated team at the embassy to handle all information requests and visa applications to participate in IATF2025,” H.E. Louhaidia added.

IATF2025 will feature a trade exhibition, the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme spotlighting cultural industries, a four-day Trade and Investment Forum, and the Africa Automotive Show. Special Days will highlight countries, public and private sector entities, tourism, cultural attractions, and Global Africa Day celebrating ties with the African diaspora.

Additional activities include business-to-business and business-to-government matchmaking, the AU Youth Start-Up programme, the Africa Research and Innovation Hub, and the African Sub-Sovereign Governments Network (AfSNET) to promote local trade and cultural exchanges. The IATF Virtual platform is also live, connecting exhibitors and visitors all year-round.

Ghanaian IATF Ambassador and Chairman, Oakwood Green Africa, Gabriel Edgal said: “Long before borders were drawn, Africa thrived as a connected economy. Trade was a way of life. Value was created locally. Progress moved through relationships and exchange. Across the world, we see increasing protectionism. Traditional aid partners are looking increasingly inward. The global economic tide is shifting, and everybody is focusing on themselves instead. I believe this is a wake-up call — that we need to now be more deliberate about trading among ourselves, to create interconnected prosperity, to trade among ourselves, build with ourselves, and grow for ourselves. It is time for action”.

Ghana has been recognized as a leading example in AfCFTA implementation, with the government actively facilitating private sector participation through the National Coordination Office and initiatives like the Guided Trade Initiative, which has seen Ghanaian companies successfully trade with neighbouring African countries

To participate in IATF2025 please visit www.IntrAfricanTradeFair.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

Media contact:
media@intrafricatradefair.com
press@afreximbank.com

About the Intra-African Trade Fair:
Organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) is intended to provide a unique platform for facilitating trade and investment information exchange in support of increased intra-African trade and investment, especially in the context of implementing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). IATF brings together continental and global players to showcase and exhibit their goods and services and to explore business and investment opportunities in the continent. It also provides a platform to share trade, investment and market information with stakeholders and allows participants to discuss and identify solutions to the challenges confronting intra-African trade and investment. In addition to African participants, the Trade Fair is also open to businesses and investors from non-African countries interested in doing business in Africa and in supporting the continent’s transformation through industrialisation and export development.

MIL OSI Africa –

June 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: OSCE Chairperson-in-Office’s Special Representative on Youth, Peace and Security concludes visit to North Macedonia and Montenegro

Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

Headline: OSCE Chairperson-in-Office’s Special Representative on Youth, Peace and Security concludes visit to North Macedonia and Montenegro

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office’s Special Representative on Youth, Peace and Security concludes visit to North Macedonia and Montenegro | OSCE

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Home Newsroom News and press releases OSCE Chairperson-in-Office’s Special Representative on Youth, Peace and Security concludes visit to North Macedonia and Montenegro

MIL OSI Europe News –

June 14, 2025