Samsung in collaboration with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) has opened its third call, inviting all suitable, black-owned ICT and Service Centre SMMEs to apply for participation in this year’s Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP) for Enterprise Development (ED).
Samsung’s R280-million worth EEIP, which was launched in 2019, has managed to demonstrate considerable success since its inception. In its six years of sustained success, this year represents the 3rd edition of the programme and seeks to continue making a measurable difference to the socio-economic development of black South Africans. This year’s call follows two successful cycles and forms part of Samsung’s broader commitment to the ICT sector, SMME development and the government’s Vision 2030.
Nicky Beukes, Samsung EEIP Project Manager said: “This programme has in the last few years seen great success and has also had a positive impact in the lives of entrepreneurs in the ICT space. As part of our transformation objectives, our EEIP programme continues to contribute to the sustainable development goals of the National Development Plan (NDP).”
Importantly, through Samsung’s collaboration with the DTIC – these partners remain committed to making a positive contribution to broader economic growth and, to continue playing a significant role in both job creation as well as sustainable entrepreneurship opportunities within South Africa.
Beukes added: “And together with the DTIC, we have in the last few years re-affirmed our commitment to ICT development and economic transformation which are aligned to South Africa’s Vision 2030. This third edition of EEIP and its success to date, is a clear indication that Samsung’s significant investment in SMME development is yielding tangible results.”
This third, consecutive call to all black-owned SMEs in the ICT and Service Centre space across South Africa is a great opportunity for the country’s ICT SMMEs to grow and shape the future of their businesses through this Samsung ED Programme.
For more information on how to respond to the call and apply, please see link: www.samsung.com/za/local-programme/ed-programme/
Main Page: Samsung EEIP | Enterprise Development | Samsung South Africa
Application form: Samsung EEIP Application for Enterprises | Samsung South Africa
Climate change is a growing threat across Africa, with West Africa feeling its effects especially intensely. According to the ND-GAIN index, Burkina Faso (162nd out of 182), Senegal (144th), and Côte d’Ivoire (134th) rank among the most vulnerable countries. They face a dangerous mix of low capacity to adapt and high exposure to climate hazards.
This vulnerability shows up in more extreme weather, worsening food insecurity, and growing precarity—particularly harming women and young people.
To tackle this urgent challenge, the Union of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions of Africa (UCESA), supported by the African Development Bank, has developed three national advocacy papers. These papers promote participatory climate governance that reflects citizens’ real needs. They also aim to strengthen the role of Economic and Social Councils in shaping national climate policies.
“These advocacy plans put citizens back at the centre of climate action,” said Arona Soumare, Principal Climate Change and Green Growth Officer at the African Development Bank. “By giving them full backing, the African Development Bank is reiterating its commitment to inclusive, equitable climate governance rooted in local realities. These initiatives lay the foundations for sustainable and resilient development in Africa.”
According to Abdelkader Amara, current head of UCESA and President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) of Morocco, “UCESA is aware of these challenges and consequently intends to promote and support actions taken by African Economic and Social Councils and similar institutions that help to integrate sustainability and resilience into the frameworks for defining, implementing, and evaluating relevant institutional and policy mechanisms.”
Burkina Faso:
Building resilience in a Sahelian setting
Located in the middle of the Sahel belt, Burkina Faso is one of the countries that is most vulnerable to climate change. This fragility is exacerbated by a limited ability to adapt, which is particularly pronounced among women and young people. The advocacy effort developed by the Economic and Social Council of Burkina Faso, aided by technical support from UCESA, reflects citizens’ perceptions of the real effects of climate change. It proposes responses rooted in local realities, with a view to steering public policies towards a more inclusive, participatory and community resilience-oriented approach.
Côte d’Ivoire:
Towards citizen-centred climate governance
Côte d’Ivoire lies in a region highly vulnerable to climate shocks. This vulnerability is compounded by the limited involvement of women, especially in rural areas, and the still marginal role of civil society. The national advocacy paper, developed through extensive consultation, captures citizens’ expectations and offers clear recommendations for more equitable climate governance. It underscores the importance of fully including people’s voices in decision-making processes—an essential element for effective climate action.
Senegal:
Citizen participation and climate resilience
Senegal, a country in the Sahel-Sudan region, is already bearing the brunt of climate change. The national advocacy campaign draws on a citizen perception survey to inform a participatory discussion on future policy directions. Led by Senegal’s Economic, Social and Environmental Council, in partnership with UCESA and the African Development Bank, the resulting document calls for a unified effort from civil society, researchers, NGOs, and policymakers to create climate strategies that are inclusive, locally grounded, and capable of sustainably strengthening national resilience.
A regional dynamic
These three advocacy papers are part of a regional dynamic propelled by UCESA, with the support of the African Development Bank. They demonstrate a shared commitment to rooting climate action in citizen participation, stakeholder synergy, and regional solidarity. Through this initiative, the Economic and Social Councils are re-asserting their role as a strategic interface between civil society and public authorities in responding to the continent’s climate challenges.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Thirteen-year-old Beni Cial Yumba Musoya used to spend her days scavenging for cobalt under the scorching sun in the artisanal mines of Kolwezi. Today, she dreams of donning a white coat and saving lives. “I want to be a doctor,” she says, smiling shyly from her wooden desk at Kasanda Primary School in Kasulo, a neighbourhood nestled in Congo’s mining heartland of south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. “I will build schools and health centres to help people, just as I was helped before,” she continues.
Beni is one of thousands of Congolese children whose lives have been transformed by the Support Project for Alternative Welfare of Children and Young People Involved in the Cobalt Supply Chain (PABEA-COBALT) (https://apo-opa.co/4l0Hwfv), a bold $82 million initiative funded by the African Development Bank.
The project aims to eliminate child labour in the cobalt sector – an industry vital to the global tech economy, yet plagued by poverty, informally and exploitation.
The atmosphere here has changed dramatically. Just a few years ago, the soundscape of Kasulo was dominated by the roar of rudimentary mining machinery and the shuffle of children burdened by sacks of ore. Today, those echoes have been replaced by the buzz of classrooms, the chatter of pupils at recess, and the laughter of children rediscovering play and learning.
In early 2022, PABEA-COBALT identified more than 16,800 Congolese children working in artisanal cobalt mines in the provinces of Haut-Katanga and Lualaba. Since then, 13,587 of them – including Beni – have been enrolled in schools. Many attend newly constructed or rehabilitated facilities like Kasanda Primary School, where education, healthcare, psychological support and civil registry services are provided at no cost.
“Before, I used to collect minerals in artisanal mines. That was all I knew,” recalls Beni, her expression briefly clouded by painful memories.
A few steps away, Marie Samba tends to her hens and quails, her hand dusted with feed rather than cobalt residue. A former mine worker, Marie once spent her days sorting and washing cobalt to survive. Today, she’s a trained poultry farmer. “I used to collect and wash minerals to sell them,” she sighs.
Marie is one of over 10,500 parents and guardians supported by the project – well above the initial target of 6,250. They have received training in agriculture and livestock farming, as well as materials to start-up kits to launch small businesses. Additionally, 8,200 young people formerly working in the mines are being supported to integrate into school, vocational training, or income-generating activities.
“We have been educated and trained in livestock farming and agriculture. We have also been given supplies to start our activities. I didn’t think I could change my life like this,” says Marie Samba, who is delighted with the excellent results she is achieving with her poultry farm
PABEA-COBALT has also helped establish two entrepreneurship centres in Haut-Katanga and Lualaba, equipped with modern equipment for agriculture, livestock farming and food processing. These centres serve as anchors for change, empowering young people and parents to build livelihoods away from the mines.
“One of the project’s greatest successes is that it has anchored change from within the communities,” says project coordinator Alice Mirimo Kabetsi. “Solutions don’t just come from outside: they are now driven by parents, teachers and young people themselves. This model proves that by focusing on education and local entrepreneurship, we can break the cycle of child labour in the mines for good,” she said.
Across the region, this shift is tangible. Nearly 1,000 agricultural cooperatives have been reorganized, strengthening local agricultural and livestock value chains and offering new economic opportunities. The transformation has drawn international attention. A recent report from the DRC’s National Human Rights Commission titled Child labour in artisanal cobalt mining sites (https://apo-opa.co/4lU5lGn), produced in collaboration with the UN Human Rights Council, commended the project’s “tangible results” and urged replication in other mining-affected region across the Great Lakes.
Back in Kasulo, children like Beni are rediscovering their childhood dreams and the power of innocence. Mothers like Marie are holding their heads high, proud to be building a future free from the cobalt mines.
For partners such as the African Development Bank, this project has not only changed lives. It has paved the way for a whole generation growing up far from the mines and building, day after day, a stronger, fairer and resolutely forward-looking society.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
About the African Development Bank Group: The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org
A Hanley store has been ordered to pay almost £18,500 after selling a knife to a person under 18.
Stoke Discount Ltd, trading as Hanley Discount Store, was found guilty at North Staffordshire Justice Centre last week after a member of staff sold a knife to an underage volunteer during a council-led test purchase. No attempt was made to check the young person’s age.
The exercise was carried out by the city council’s Trading Standards team following a previous inspection where the store had been advised on how to follow the law and prevent underage sales.
The test purchase was carried out in support of Staffordshire Police’s Ditch the Blade campaign, which works to reduce knife crime across the city.
The court also heard that the Stafford Street store had already been warned by Staffordshire Police to move knives into a secure display unit.
The store was ordered to pay a total of £18,404.15, including a £12,500 fine, a £5,000 victim surcharge and £904.15 in court costs.
Councillor Amjid Wazir, cabinet member for city pride, enforcement, and sustainability at the city council, said: “This is a very serious case and I welcome this guilty verdict. This work forms part of the council’s commitment to creating a safer city for all and we will not tolerate underage sales of knives. The message is clear – you will face serious consequences if you choose to sell products to underage residents.
“Our Trading Standards team work hard to keep people safe and this case shows the consequences for people who fail to follow the law. We’re proud to support Ditch the Blade and will continue doing everything we can to help prevent knife crime in Stoke-on-Trent.”
Anyone wishing to report underage sales can contact the Trading Standards Hotline 01782 238444 or visit www.stoke.gov.uk/tradingstandards
Plymouth has been selected by the Government to take part in a new programme aimed at transforming how public services work for real people. The “Test, Learn, Grow” initiative is all about trying new ideas, learning quickly, and improving services.
The city will be one of the first in the country to pilot this approach, focusing on health and wellbeing. It’s a big opportunity to rethink how we support residents facing complex challenges and inequalities — from children’s health to families in need, and those living with multiple disadvantages.
Councillor Mary Aspinall, Cabinet Member for Health at Plymouth City Council, said: “This is about putting people first. We’re moving away from tick-box targets and towards listening, learning, and adapting. We want to build services that work for the real world — messy, complicated, and full of human stories. Plymouth has already shown how powerful this can be, and now we’re taking it to the next level. We’re proud to be leading the way. This is about building trust, empowering communities, and making sure our services reflect the lives of the people who use them. It’s not just reform — it’s a revolution in how we care for each other.”
The pilot will embed the concept of Human Learning Systems (HLS) into the city’s Health and Wellbeing Board — a way of working that embraces human complexity and focuses on relationships, trust, and learning. Instead of assuming one-size-fits-all solutions, it asks: What’s working? What’s not? And how can we do better next week?
This follows on from some of the positive work already happening in Plymouth, including:
A compassionate approach to children’s health that focuses on wellbeing, not just weight.
Helping parents and carers feel heard and supported.
Supporting people with complex lives through trauma-informed, person-centred care.
The city’s network of Wellbeing and Family Hubs, working closely with local charities and community groups, will play a key role in this transformation. The goal is to build a system that’s more responsive, more resilient, and more rooted in the communities it serves. As part of the pilot, Plymouth will test a new governance model where elected members and community partners act as “learning stewards” — listening to feedback, sharing stories, and adapting strategies in real time. It’s a shift from top-down decision-making to something more collaborative and human.
Acomb Explore library will receive a £390,000 boost to improve facilities for local residents.
The plans, which were approved by City of York Council’s Executive yesterday [15 July], include creating a larger children’s library; increasing the capacity and accessibility of the indoor café area; new quiet spaces for work and study; improved toilet facilities; a larger area for books and improved meeting rooms and IT suite.
The plans have been developed in response to direct feedback from local residents and have been funded in part by £100,000 from the council’s Future Libraries Investment Fund (£100k). The £7.7m fund was originally set up in 2022 to deliver three key library projects in order: creating a new library for Haxby & Wigginton, providing a new library learning centre in Clifton, and improving Acomb Explore.
Additional funding for Acomb Explore – the first Library Learning Centre to open in the city, in 2007 – has been secured from the Arts Council, Libraries’ Investment Fund (£250,000); and a total grant of £40,000 from the Mayoral Renewables Fund for renewable energy generation projects (match funded with £14,000 from the council’s Climate Change budget).
Local residents shared their views on what improvements were needed to the library space in 2023, citing bigger children’s space, more indoor café space and quiet space for work or study as their top three priorities, requests which have been matched by the plans.
Jenny Layfield, Chief Executive, Explore York Libraries and Archives said:
“Acomb was our first Explore centre and a blueprint for our vision of libraries shaped by and for their communities, so it is great news that, with this investment from the Arts Council, the Mayoral Renewables Fund and the Council we will be able to make the improvements to Acomb Explore in line with the priorities identified by local people.
“Acomb Explore is already a vibrant place, well loved by its community, and supported by a committed team of staff and volunteers. These improvements will make a brilliant library even better!”
Cllr Pete Kilbane, Deputy Leader of City of York Council and Executive Member for Economy and Culture, said:
“The plans for Acomb form the third and final part of our Future Library Investment Programme, which has already delivered new libraries in Haxby & Wigginton and Clifton, bringing benefits for local communities and library users across the city.
“Securing significant external grant funding for the Acomb project has made it possible to put forward plans which will enable us to meet the need and priorities set out by local residents.”
Luke Burton, Director Libraries, Arts Council England said:
“The Libraries Investment Fund enables library services to invest in the upgrade of buildings and technology, so they are better able to respond to the changing ways people are using them.
“I’m delighted that investment of £250,000 will contribute to the redevelopment of Acomb Library resulting in the creation of a bigger children’s library and improved facilities so that everyone in the community can enjoy and benefit from what the library has to offer.”
The delivery timetable will be finalised when plans have been approved and a construction partner appointed. It’s likely that the library will need to close for a 12-week period over the next 6-9 months for work to be completed, with options that minimise disruption to the public, prioritised.
Residents are being invited to Roker on Saturday 19 July for a Back to the Bandstand event and the first of three Sunderland Art Festivals.
From 11am to 4pm at Roker Park, visitors can immerse themselves in Tide and Terrain, an art exhibition curated by Amy South, featuring works inspired by nature’s textures and tides. Throughout the day, live art performances will bring fresh perspectives to familiar landscapes. This includes Stephanie Smith and Victoria Armstrong’s rhythmic Turn-Re-Turn, Phil Wardle’s thought-provoking poetry, and Sarah Dobbs’ evocative Body of Water on the beach.
Art lovers can also browse art stalls, join mindful workshops like Park Patterns: Nature Mandalas, craft with sea glass, and transform old photo frames through creative upcycling. Families can hop aboard the Little Locomotive Loop, try their hand at bowls, or sail miniature boats thanks to the Friends of Roker Park. Free portraits, storytelling sessions, live DJ sets, and creative challenges like the Rapid Draw Rally ensure there’s something for everyone.
As the day continues, the festival extends to Roker Beach from 12noon to 9pm, offering tote bag printing, jellyfish mobile-making, sand art, and chalk walks. Visitors can explore augmented reality artworks, join beach cleans with Durham Wildlife Trust, and discover coastal wildlife with Coast Sunderland. The evening brings collaborative community sand art and a seaside sculpture. This can be enjoyed to the soundtrack of a laid-back DJ set from Déja Brew who will keep the summer atmosphere going.
Councillor Beth Jones, Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism, said: “This collaborative event is a celebration of Sunderland’s creativity, resilience and incredible sense of community. By bringing art, music and performance into the heart of Roker, we’re not only showcasing our local talent—we’re strengthening the social fabric of our city and making culture more accessible to everyone. From toddlers to grandparents, there’s truly something for all to enjoy. I’d like to encourage all residents to get down and be part of this fantastic day.”
Roberta Redecke, Marketing and Events Manager for Sunderland BID said: “Roker Park and Beach is the perfect setting to launch the first Sunderland Art Festival. It will bring creativity to the coast with a day full of colour, community, and imagination. From immersive art experiences to live music and mindful moments, this is about celebrating local talent and offering something genuinely unique for visitors of all ages at Sunderland’s Seafront. We hope this will become a regular event in the calendar to support the fantastic businesses we have within the Seafront BID.”
Whether you’re an art enthusiast, a family looking for a fun day out, this promises a day of creativity, community, and coastal charm.
Back to the Bandstand is a Sunderland City Council programme to invite local community groups to help bring Sunderland’s parks and outdoor spaces to life. This is part of a citywide celebration of arts and culture.
Whether it’s performances, creative workshops, wellbeing sessions, or sports activities, the Sunderland Festivals & Events Fund offers grants to support your ideas. This is a fantastic opportunity to engage the community and transform local spaces into vibrant hubs of creativity and connection.
A pioneering new data centre looks set to be built at Salt Ayre Leisure Centre after councillors approved its delivery as part of a major investment in the district’s digital infrastructure.
Lancaster City Council’s cabinet has given the green light to a business plan for the building of the new facility, which will be located at the rear of Salt Ayre and replace ageing facilities near to Lancaster Town Hall.
Designed to integrate into the leisure centre’s existing solar and heat pump systems, the data centre will host the council’s own ICT infrastructure while also making space available for other partners to host their own secure cloud data storage to generate an additional revenue stream.
The data exchange is a key feature of the Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) that was completed earlier this year, and which positions the district as a hub for digital infrastructure and innovation, including potential AI Growth Zone initiatives.
Waste heat from the data centre will help to heat the swimming pool – saving money on the data servers’ cooling systems – while an on-site battery energy storage system will allow the council to maximise value for money from the nearby solar farm and support the operational resilience of the data centre and Salt Ayre.
Councillor Tim Hamilton-Cox, cabinet member with responsibility for finance and property, said: “The building of this new data centre will be a big step forward.
“Our current facilities in Lancaster are not fit for purpose and would require very significant investment. Investing in this modern data centre ensures we will be fit for the future as an organisation while also providing digital infrastructure for users of the fibre network.
“There are also many environmental benefits as the new data centre will cut our carbon emissions and lower our energy bills, supporting our net zero ambitions.
“The scheme is also another example of strong partnership working with both the private sector and Blackpool Council.”
Subject to planning permission being approved it’s planned that the new data centre will be up and running by the end of March 2026.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, July 16 /Xinhua/ — The mass introduction of the digital ruble will begin in Russia on September 1, 2026. This was reported on Tuesday by the press service of the Bank of Russia /Central Bank/.
From now on, the largest Russian banks will have to provide customers with the opportunity to open digital wallets, as well as pay for goods and services, make transfers and carry out other transactions in digital rubles. Such transactions will become mandatory for trading companies with revenues of more than 120 million rubles, if they are serviced by the largest banks.
From September 1, 2027, these rules will become mandatory for other banks with a universal license and their clients from among trading companies with annual revenue over 30 million rubles. Other banks and sellers with revenue from 5 million to 30 million rubles per year must implement operations with the digital ruble by September 1, 2028.
The digital ruble is being created to become another means of payment and transfer that will not depend on bank restrictions in the form of commissions and limits. People will be able to open a digital wallet through the applications of banks connected to the digital ruble platform of the Bank of Russia. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Kyiv, July 16 /Xinhua/ — The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Wednesday accepted the resignation of the country’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, parliamentarian Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported on Telegram.
The corresponding decision was supported by 261 deputies, with the required minimum being 226 votes.
D. Shmyhal resigned the day before. Before that, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed that the First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy of the country Yulia Svyrydenko head the Ukrainian government. According to Y. Zheleznyak, the parliament will consider her candidacy on July 17.
According to Ukrainian law, the dismissal of the prime minister entails the resignation of all members of the government. However, they will continue to exercise their powers until the newly formed cabinet begins work.
D. Shmyhal has served as Prime Minister of Ukraine since March 4, 2020. According to media reports, he may become Minister of Defense in the new government. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Yerevan, July 16 (Xinhua) — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan believes that the country’s withdrawal from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is likely. The head of the Armenian government said this at a press conference on Wednesday.
“Armenia’s withdrawal from the CSTO is more likely than freezing its membership in this organization,” N. Pashinyan said.
Answering another question on the same topic, he confirmed that the problem in relations with the CSTO arose in the fall of 2022, when Armenia, during another escalation of the situation on the border with Azerbaijan, turned to its partners in this bloc for help, but did not receive support. Then, according to N. Pashinyan, the CSTO stated that the Armenian-Azerbaijani border was not defined and therefore the bloc could not provide support to Armenia.
Since February of last year, Armenia has practically not participated in events held under the auspices of the CSTO and does not pay membership fees to this organization. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, July 16 /Xinhua/ — Russia is very attentive to the issue of long-range weapons supplies to Ukraine and is monitoring the relevant reports, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
“The topic is, of course, high on the news agenda. Of course, we are very closely monitoring all relevant reports,” he told reporters.
Answering the question of how the Kremlin feels about the decision of US President Donald Trump to sell NATO weapons for further deliveries to Ukraine, D. Peskov pointed out that the US has supplied and will continue to supply weapons to Ukraine, for them “it’s business.”
“It’s just a question of who pays for them. Now some Europeans will pay for them,” the Kremlin spokesman noted. At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that there will be disagreements among European countries on paying for weapons for Ukraine. “You heard that the French will not pay, the Czechs will not pay. That is, there will be disagreements there too, because there is so much to pay, so much money. There will be nothing left for the citizens,” the Russian president’s press secretary emphasized.
D. Peskov noted that “the Europeans are displaying a completely unbridled militaristic attitude and are declaring their intention to spend countless amounts of money on purchasing weapons” in order to further provoke a continuation of the war. “Of course, against the backdrop of such an emotional state, bordering on inadequacy, it is very difficult to predict anything on the European continent,” he stated.
D. Peskov also confirmed that all provisions of the Russian Federation’s nuclear doctrine, including the responsibility of nuclear countries for “inciting” non-nuclear ones, are in effect.
In this regard, Moscow calls on all interested parties to provide assistance in continuing direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, the Kremlin representative emphasized.
In the fall of 2024, an updated nuclear doctrine of Russia was adopted in connection with the emergence of new military risks. The new version, in particular, expanded the list of states against which nuclear deterrence is carried out and supplemented the list of military threats. It contains a clause stating that aggression by a non-nuclear state with the support or participation of a country possessing nuclear weapons is considered a joint attack on the Russian Federation. At the same time, the basic principle of the use of nuclear weapons remains the same: it is an extreme and forced measure to protect Russia’s sovereignty.
On July 14, D. Trump announced that Ukraine would receive weapons from the United States, and that European countries would fully pay for them. “We are talking about military equipment worth billions of dollars, which will be purchased from the United States, transferred to NATO and very quickly put on the battlefield. Ukraine will receive it,” he explained. In particular, the American president announced the delivery of 17 Patriot air and missile defense systems to Ukraine. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
DAMASCUS, July 16 (Xinhua) — A new ceasefire agreement was reached between Syria’s interim government and Druze leaders in the southern province of As-Suwayda on Wednesday, aiming to end days of deadly clashes and return the province to full government control, the Syrian government said. -0-
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Headline: Ship Manager Pleads Guilty to Dumping Oily Waste into U.S. Waters Off Coast of New Orleans
Eagle Ship Management LLC (ESM), based in Stamford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) by deliberately polluting U.S. waters off the coast of New Orleans from the M/V Gannet Bulker, a foreign-flagged bulk carrier. If approved by the court, ESM would pay a criminal fine of $1,750,000 and serve a four-year term of probation that includes external audits by an independent technical expert.
The European Banking Authority (EBA) today published the latest chapter of its resolution Handbook on simulation exercises for resolution authorities. The Handbook provides, for the first time, a comprehensive framework of best practices, methodologies and processes to support resolution authorities in enhancing their preparedness and operational capabilities through structured simulation exercises.
Testing requirements are already imposed to institutions through the EBA Guidelines on resolvability testing, and simulations are becoming more prevalent in ensuring preparation among authorities, the EBA’s Handbook proposes a taxonomy for simulation exercises for resolution authorities to harmonise the use of main concepts within the financial stability framework.
In addition, the Handbook distinguishes between testing, simulations and dry runs and introduces six main types of simulation exercise: brainstorms, desktop exercises, walkthroughs, fire drills, decision-making exercises and operational simulations. This new chapter also presents the concept of end-to-end simulations, which combine multiple exercise types to replicate real-world resolution scenarios.
The Handbook describes in operational terms how to initiate, plan, prepare and deliver a simulation exercise. It provides practical guidance on defining objectives and scope, designing scenarios, allocating resources, managing delivery, and collecting feedback. The Handbook also includes templates and examples to support authorities in implementing effective and proportionate simulation exercises.
Legal basis and background
This initiative is part of the EBA’s broader mandate under Article 8(1)(ab) of Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 to maintain an up-to-date Union resolution handbook. The Handbook draws on the experience of resolution authorities across the EU and aims to foster convergence, interoperability and cross-border cooperation.
Simulation exercises are a key tool for resolution authorities to test and refine their internal procedures, decision-making processes and coordination mechanisms as well as to train their staff.
The Handbook is available on the EBA’s website and is intended for use by all resolution authorities in the EU. It complements the EBA’s existing Guidalines on resolvability testing and supports the ongoing development of a robust and credible resolution framework.
HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Lance L. Bermudez, 34, of Honolulu, Hawaii was sentenced yesterday in federal court by U.S. District Chief Judge Derrick K. Watson to 360 months of imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, racketeering conspiracy, and Hobbs Act Robbery. Bermudez is the last defendant to be sentenced for his role in the Miske Enterprise.
As part of his 2022 plea agreement, Bermudez admitted that he and other members of the Enterprise participated in a murder-for-hire conspiracy with codefendant Michael J. Miske and other Enterprise members. Miske put a murder contract out on an individual he believed was cooperating with law enforcement. Bermudez agreed to commit the murder for $60,000 and laid in wait outside of the victim’s home on multiple occasions, waiting for the right opportunity to kill the victim. The murder did not ultimately occur because Miske eventually rescinded the contract. Bermudez also admitted to taking part in multiple attempted murders where he shot victims from his vehicle. Further, Bermudez admitted to burning a van at Miske’s direction that Bermudez later discovered was utilized in the abduction and murder of 21-year-old Johnathan Fraser. Bermudez also admitted to committing several armed robberies of Honolulu area drug dealers and then selling the stolen drugs to others in the community.
Bermudez was charged alongside twelve other defendants, all of whom pled guilty except for Michael J. Miske who proceeded to trial and was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy, murder, and 11 other felony charges on July 18, 2024.
Seven other members and associates of the Miske Enterprise pled guilty to various offenses in related cases.
“You terrorized this city and this county to a greater extent than anyone I can remember,” Judge Watson advised Bermudez during today’s sentencing before reciting the litany of racketeering acts for which the Court found Bermudez responsible. Judge Watson called out the “brazenness” and “unprecedented” nature of Bermudez’s acts of violence, noting that he had never seen the same level of violence even collectively among multiple coconspirators that here was attributed solely to Bermudez.
“For his grisly work in pummeling victims with his fists, Lance Bermudez was coined with the nickname, ‘The Hammah.’ Yesterday, Bermudez was at the business end of the federal justice hammer as U.S. District Chief Judge Derrick Watson sentenced him to a lengthy 30-year sentence for his violent role in promoting the nefarious and illicit activities of the Miske organization. Bermudez’s sentence is the final one to be handed down against the members of the Miske Enterprise and is the capstone of our investigation into the violent and corrupt activities of Michael Miske and his henchmen,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “Our decade-long effort with our outstanding law enforcement partners has now resulted in the federal convictions of 20 Miske confederates who now can no longer victimize Hawaii’s citizens and communities. While the work against the Miske Enterprise is done, the people of Hawaii can rest assured that the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii and our dedicated and resolute law enforcement partners at the Honolulu Division of the FBI, Internal Revenue Service, and Homeland Security Investigations, among others, will continue to tirelessly hunt down and prosecute those who operate violent criminal enterprises in our state and endanger our citizens.”
“Mr. Bermudez was a key member of the Miske Enterprise, actively participating in a longstanding pattern of violence and racketeering activity involving murder-for-hire, armed robbery, and drug trafficking,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “This sentencing reflects years of collaboration between FBI Honolulu and our law enforcement partners. The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to dismantle violent criminal enterprises, hold their members accountable, and pursue justice for victims.”
“Mr. Bermudez’s account of attempted murder-for-hire reminds us that even the worst crimes have a price,” said Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office. “IRS-CI follows the money to uproot organizations that profit from violence.”
“Today’s sentencing marks a significant step towards justice for the victims and the community terrorized by the Miske Enterprise. The severity of the crimes committed by Lance L. Bermudez underscores the necessity of our relentless collaborative efforts to dismantle such criminal organizations and ensure the safety and security of our citizens,” said Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to holding accountable those who engage in such egregious acts of violence and criminal conduct.”
This prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Honolulu Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, the Cybercrime Lab of the Department of Justice Criminal Division Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center, the Honolulu Fire Department, the Hawaii National Guard, 93rd Civil Support Team, the Office of Investigations–Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Inciong, Michael Nammar, KeAupuni Akina, and Aislinn Affinito prosecuted the case.
HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Lance L. Bermudez, 34, of Honolulu, Hawaii was sentenced yesterday in federal court by U.S. District Chief Judge Derrick K. Watson to 360 months of imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, racketeering conspiracy, and Hobbs Act Robbery. Bermudez is the last defendant to be sentenced for his role in the Miske Enterprise.
As part of his 2022 plea agreement, Bermudez admitted that he and other members of the Enterprise participated in a murder-for-hire conspiracy with codefendant Michael J. Miske and other Enterprise members. Miske put a murder contract out on an individual he believed was cooperating with law enforcement. Bermudez agreed to commit the murder for $60,000 and laid in wait outside of the victim’s home on multiple occasions, waiting for the right opportunity to kill the victim. The murder did not ultimately occur because Miske eventually rescinded the contract. Bermudez also admitted to taking part in multiple attempted murders where he shot victims from his vehicle. Further, Bermudez admitted to burning a van at Miske’s direction that Bermudez later discovered was utilized in the abduction and murder of 21-year-old Johnathan Fraser. Bermudez also admitted to committing several armed robberies of Honolulu area drug dealers and then selling the stolen drugs to others in the community.
Bermudez was charged alongside twelve other defendants, all of whom pled guilty except for Michael J. Miske who proceeded to trial and was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy, murder, and 11 other felony charges on July 18, 2024.
Seven other members and associates of the Miske Enterprise pled guilty to various offenses in related cases.
“You terrorized this city and this county to a greater extent than anyone I can remember,” Judge Watson advised Bermudez during today’s sentencing before reciting the litany of racketeering acts for which the Court found Bermudez responsible. Judge Watson called out the “brazenness” and “unprecedented” nature of Bermudez’s acts of violence, noting that he had never seen the same level of violence even collectively among multiple coconspirators that here was attributed solely to Bermudez.
“For his grisly work in pummeling victims with his fists, Lance Bermudez was coined with the nickname, ‘The Hammah.’ Yesterday, Bermudez was at the business end of the federal justice hammer as U.S. District Chief Judge Derrick Watson sentenced him to a lengthy 30-year sentence for his violent role in promoting the nefarious and illicit activities of the Miske organization. Bermudez’s sentence is the final one to be handed down against the members of the Miske Enterprise and is the capstone of our investigation into the violent and corrupt activities of Michael Miske and his henchmen,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “Our decade-long effort with our outstanding law enforcement partners has now resulted in the federal convictions of 20 Miske confederates who now can no longer victimize Hawaii’s citizens and communities. While the work against the Miske Enterprise is done, the people of Hawaii can rest assured that the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii and our dedicated and resolute law enforcement partners at the Honolulu Division of the FBI, Internal Revenue Service, and Homeland Security Investigations, among others, will continue to tirelessly hunt down and prosecute those who operate violent criminal enterprises in our state and endanger our citizens.”
“Mr. Bermudez was a key member of the Miske Enterprise, actively participating in a longstanding pattern of violence and racketeering activity involving murder-for-hire, armed robbery, and drug trafficking,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “This sentencing reflects years of collaboration between FBI Honolulu and our law enforcement partners. The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to dismantle violent criminal enterprises, hold their members accountable, and pursue justice for victims.”
“Mr. Bermudez’s account of attempted murder-for-hire reminds us that even the worst crimes have a price,” said Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office. “IRS-CI follows the money to uproot organizations that profit from violence.”
“Today’s sentencing marks a significant step towards justice for the victims and the community terrorized by the Miske Enterprise. The severity of the crimes committed by Lance L. Bermudez underscores the necessity of our relentless collaborative efforts to dismantle such criminal organizations and ensure the safety and security of our citizens,” said Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to holding accountable those who engage in such egregious acts of violence and criminal conduct.”
This prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Honolulu Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, the Cybercrime Lab of the Department of Justice Criminal Division Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center, the Honolulu Fire Department, the Hawaii National Guard, 93rd Civil Support Team, the Office of Investigations–Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Inciong, Michael Nammar, KeAupuni Akina, and Aislinn Affinito prosecuted the case.
Staff Guidance Note on The Implementation of The IMF Strategy for Fragile and Conflict-Affected States (FCS), (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2023) accessed July 16, 2025
Summary
This note provides operational advice and information to help staff implement the IMF Strategy for Fragile and Conflict-Affected States (FCS) approved by the Executive Board on March 9, 2022. Topics covered include (i) the new IMF FCS classification methodology, which is aligned with that of the World Bank; (ii) the preparation of Country Engagement Strategies (CES) that will be rolled out across FCS to ensure that Fund engagement is appropriately tailored to country-specific manifestations of fragility and/or conflict; (iii) advice on tailoring the thematic focus of Article IV consultations and Fund analytics to FCS, as well as on the prioritization, design, and implementation of capacity development (CD) projects in fragile contexts; (iv) guidance on making full use of the flexibilities of the lending toolkit; (v) guidance on engaging in specific FCS situations, including building accountable institutions to exit fragility, cases of rising fragility risks, active conflict, post-conflict, and addressing the impact of external shocks and spillovers; and (v) strengthening partnerships with humanitarian, development, and peace actors, in accordance with the Fund’s mandate. Dedicated annexes provide additional information on the CES process, addressing good governance in FCS, program design, and country examples of Fund engagement in FCS.
Latest information and actions from the Department for Education about funding, assurance and resource management, for academies, local authorities and further education providers.
July 16, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada
Today, the Honourable Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, spoke with Cristina A. Roque, Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines.
Minister Sidhu and Secretary Roque discussed the continued growth of the Canada-Philippines trade relationship, building on enduring people-to-people ties, as highlighted by the launch of a Vancouver-Manila Air Canada route in April 2025. They noted the importance of increasing opportunities and support to businesses and workers in the 2 countries and promoting free trade.
The Minister and Secretary reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to accelerating the pace of negotiations for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Canada free trade agreement to make as much progress as possible this year. They also committed to advancing the exploratory discussions on a potential Canada-Philippines free trade agreement, with the hopes to begin negotiations soon.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
For Immediate Release: July 16, 2025
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it is revoking, or proposing to revoke, 52 food standards after concluding they are obsolete and unnecessary. The 52 standards are for canned fruits and vegetables, dairy products, baked goods, macaroni products and other foods. Today’s actions are the first results from the agency’s ongoing analysis of its portfolio of over 250 food Standards of Identity (SOI) to make sure they are useful, relevant and serve consumers in the best possible way. The removal of these standards is in alignment with broader efforts to ensure that HHS is directing resources to where they’re most needed – delivering better outcomes for the American people. “I’m eliminating outdated food regulations that no longer serve the interests of American families,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “Today marks a crucial step in my drive to cut through bureaucratic red tape, increase transparency and remove regulations that have outlived their purpose.” The FDA began establishing food standards in 1939 to promote “honesty and fair dealing” and to ensure that the characteristics, ingredients and production processes of specific foods were consistent with what consumers expect. However, advances in food science, agriculture and production practices, and additional consumer protections have made many of these older, rigid “recipe standards” unnecessary. “The FDA’s Standards of Identity efforts have helped ensure uniformity, boost consumer confidence and prevent food fraud. But many of these standards have outlived their usefulness and may even stifle innovation in making food easier to produce or providing consumers healthier choices,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “Antiquated food standards are no longer serving to protect consumers. It is common sense to revoke them and move to a more judicious use of food standards and agency resources.” Today’s actions include publication of the following:
A direct final rule revoking standards for 11 types of canned fruits and vegetables that are no longer sold in U.S. grocery stores, including seven standards for fruits artificially sweetened with saccharin or sodium saccharin. The agency is issuing a companion proposed rule in the same issue of the Federal Register in case the direct final rule is withdrawn because significant adverse comments are received, and the agency needs to move forward with a proposed rule to put these changes in place. A proposed rule that would revoke standards for 18 types of dairy products – including certain milk and cream products, cheeses and related cheese products and frozen desserts. A proposed rule that would revoke standards for 23 types of food products –including bakery products, macaroni and noodle products, canned fruit juices, fish and shellfish, and food dressings and flavorings.
Many of the standards listed in the two proposed rules predate more recent consumer protections such as requirements about ingredient safety, ingredient labeling, food packaging, safe food production and manufacturing practices and nutrition labeling information and claims. On May 13, HHS and FDA issued a Request for Information to identify and eliminate outdated or unnecessary regulations. This initiative supports a broader federal effort to reduce regulatory burdens and increase transparency, in alignment with President Trump’s Executive Order 14192 “Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation.” Related Information
Related Information
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Boilerplate
The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, radiation-emitting electronic products, and for regulating tobacco products.
Source: US State of California Department of Justice
California will receive more than $4 million from multistate settlement in principle
OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined a coalition of 48 other attorneys general in securing $202 million from Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Gilead), for running an illegal kickback scheme to promote its HIV medications. Gilead allegedly violated federal law by illegally providing incentives – including awards, meals, and travel expenses – to healthcare providers to prescribe Gilead’s medications, resulting in millions of dollars of false claims submitted to government health care programs, including Medi-Cal. The settlement in principle, reached in coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice and approved by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, provides $49 million for Medicaid programs nationwide, including $4,118,184 for California, with the remainder going to Medicare, Tricare, and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).
“The best interests of patients must always come first,” said Attorney General Bonta. “At this time of unprecedented funding cuts to Medicaid, it is particularly important to protect the program from illegal kick-back schemes that harm the program and patients alike. Today’s settlement returns critical funding to our communities and programs like Medicaid that keep them healthy.”
From January 2011 to November 2017, Gilead allegedly violated federal anti-kickback laws by providing gifts to healthcare providers who attended and spoke at promotional speaker programs for Gilead’s HIV drugs: Stribild, Genvoya, Complera, Odefsey, Descovy, and Biktarvy. Gilead paid high-volume prescribers tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars to present as “HIV Speakers.” The company also covered travel expenses for speakers, including those traveling long distances and to attractive destinations, such as Hawaii, Miami, and New Orleans, and hosted dinners at high-end restaurants.
Gilead’s internal compliance mechanisms failed to halt these violations. The company’s internal policies and procedures failed to prevent its sales representatives from improperly offering incentives to induce prescriptions.
Joining Attorney General Bonta in securing settlements with Gilead are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $69,244,976 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2025. The remaining 25 percent is funded by the State of California. FY 2025 is from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025.
SOUTH BEND – Yesterday, Quadir Quiroz, 20 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.
Quiroz was sentenced to 216 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, Quiroz robbed a person at gunpoint and stole the person’s car. Ten days later, Quiroz robbed a gas station in South Bend. During the robbery, Quiroz struck a gas-station employee in the head with his gun.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the South Bend Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joel Gabrielse.
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.
Eagle Ship Management LLC (ESM), based in Stamford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty yesterday to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) by deliberately polluting U.S. waters off the coast of New Orleans from the M/V Gannet Bulker, a foreign-flagged bulk carrier. If approved by the court, ESM would pay a criminal fine of $1,750,000 and serve a four-year term of probation that includes external audits by an independent technical expert.
The chief engineer of the Gannet Bulker was prosecuted in a separate case and sentenced to serve a year and a day in prison for his role in the discharge of oil and obstructing justice.
The Coast Guard launched its investigation after a crew member sent a message via social media on March 14, 2021, indicating that the engine room had flooded and that the resulting oil-contaminated bilge waste had been deliberately pumped overboard at night. Flooded bilges can pose a serious threat to the safety of the ship and crew, including creating a risk of electrocution, loss of power, and inability to steer.
At the time, the Gannet Bulker was at an anchorage near the Southwest Passage of the Port of New Orleans, near the mouth of the Mississippi River. According to court records, the intentional overboard oily discharge into U.S. waters involved approximately 39 cubic meters (approximately 10,303 gallons), and was done without the use of required pollution prevention equipment or required recordkeeping
“The Department of Justice vigorously prosecutes violations of the laws that protect U.S. ports and waters,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “The criminal conduct involved here was serious, including intentional pollution and a deliberate coverup.”
“Today’s announcement sends a clear message intended to deter deliberate pollution,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “This office will continue to work with our agency partners to enforce the laws that were designed to protect U.S. ports and waters.”
“The United States Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Investigative Service remain steadfast in our commitment to enforcing maritime environmental laws to protect U.S. waters and ensure compliance with international regulations,” said Special Agent in Charge Damon J. Youmans of the Coast Guard Investigative Service’s Gulf Field Office. “We will continue to hold accountable those who violate these laws and endanger our marine environment.”
In pleading guilty, ESM admitted that its crew engaged in a variety of obstructive acts to conceal the internal flooding that was caused by a botched repair. The obstructive acts included retaliation against the whistleblower whose identity was known. Senior ship officers and crew also lied to the Coast Guard and destroyed evidence including a printout from the engine control room computer that contained key information. Additionally, senior ship officers created false and backdated personnel evaluations intended to discredit the whistleblower.
Sentencing has been scheduled for Oct. 16.
The Coast Guard Criminal Investigations Division and the Coast Guard Heartland District investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Dall Kammer for the Eastern District of Louisiana and Senior Litigation Counsel Richard A. Udell of the ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case.
When the FIFA World Cup hits North America in June 2026, 48 teams and millions of soccer fans will be traveling to and from venues spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
It’s a dramatic expansion – 16 more teams will be playing than in recent years, with a jump from 64 to 104 matches. The tournament is projected to bring in over US$10 billion in revenue. But the expansion will also mean a lot more travel and other activities that contribute to climate change.
The environmental impacts of giant sporting events like the World Cup create a complex paradox for an industry grappling with its future in a warming world.
A sustainability conundrum
Sports are undeniably experiencing the effects of climate change. Rising global temperatures are putting athletes’ health at risk during summer heat waves and shortening winter sports seasons. Many of the 2026 World Cup venues often see heat waves in June and early July, when the tournament is scheduled.
Some athletes are speaking out for more sustainable choices and have called on lawmakers to take steps to limit climate-warming emissions. At the same time, the sport industry is growing and facing a constant push to increase revenue. The NCAA is also considering expanding its March Madness basketball tournaments from 68 teams currently to as many as 76.
Park Yong-woo of team Al Ain from Abu Dhabi tries to cool off during a Club World Cup match on June 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C., which was in the midst of a heat wave. Some players have raised concerns about likely high temperatures during the 2026 World Cup, with matches scheduled June 11 to July 19. AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
Estimates for the 2026 World Cup show what large tournament expansions can mean for the climate. A report from Scientists for Global Responsibility estimates that the expanded World Cup could generate over 9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, nearly double the average of the past four World Cups.
This massive increase – and the increase that would come if the NCAA basketball tournaments also expand – would primarily be driven by air travel as fans and players fly among event cities that are thousands of miles apart.
A lot of money is at stake, but so is the climate
Sports are big business, and adding more matches to events like the World Cup and NCAA tournaments will likely lead to larger media rights contracts and greater gate receipts from more fans attending the events, boosting revenues. These are powerful financial incentives.
In the NCAA’s case, there is another reason to consider a larger tournament: The House v. NCAA settlement opened the door for college athletic departments to share revenue with athletes, which will significantly increase costs for many college programs. More teams would mean more television revenue and, crucially, more revenue to be distributed to member NCAA institutions and their athletic conferences.
When climate promises become greenwashing
The inherent conflict between maximizing profit through growth and minimizing environmental footprint presents a dilemma for sports.
Several sport organizations have promised to reduce their impact on the climate, including signing up for initiatives like the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework.
However, as sports tournaments and exhibition games expand, it can become increasingly hard for sports organizations to meet their climate commitments. In some cases, groups making sustainability commitments have been accused of greenwashing, suggesting the goals are more about public relations than making genuine, measurable changes.
For example, FIFA’s early claims that it would hold a “fully carbon-neutral” World Cup in Qatar in 2022 were challenged by a group of European countries that accused soccer’s world governing body of underestimating emissions. The Swiss Fairness Commission, which monitors fairness in advertising, considered the complaints and determined that FIFA’s claims could not be substantiated.
Alessandro Bastoni, of Inter Milan and Italy’s national team, prepares to board a flight from Milan to Rome with his team. Mattia Ozbot-Inter/Inter via Getty Images
Aviation is often the biggest driver of emissions. A study that colleagues and I conducted on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament found about 80% of its emissions were connected to travel. And that was after the NCAA began using the pod system, which is designed to keep teams closer to home for the first and second rounds.
These solutions are frankly not practical, in my view, nor do they align with other positive developments. The growing popularity of women’s sports shows the challenge in limiting sports events – more games expands participation but adds to the industry’s overall footprint.
Further compounding the challenges of reducing environmental impact is the amount of fan travel, which is outside the direct control of the sports organization or event organizers.
Many fans will follow their teams long distances, especially for mega-events like the World Cup or the NCAA tournament. During the men’s World Cup in Russia in 2018, more than 840,000 fans traveled from other countries. The top countries by number of fans, after Russia, were China, the U.S., Mexico and Argentina.
There is an argument that distributed sporting events like March Madness or the World Cup can be better in some ways for local environments because they don’t overwhelm a single city. However, merely spreading the impact does not necessarily reduce it, particularly when considering the effects on climate change.
How fans can cut their environmental footprint
Sport organizations and event planners can take steps to be more sustainable and also encourage more sustainable choices among fans. Fans can reduce their environmental impact in a variety of ways. For example:
Avoid taking airplanes for shorter distances, such as between FIFA venues in Philadelphia, New York and Boston, and carpool or take Amtrak instead. Planes can be more efficient for long distances, but air travel is still a major contributing factor to emissions.
While in a host city, use mass transit or rent electric vehicles or bicycles for local travel.
Consider sustainable accommodations, such as short-term rentals that might have a smaller environmental footprint than a hotel. Or stay at a certified green hotel that makes an effort to be more efficient in its use of water and energy.
Engage in sustainable pregame and postgame activities, such as choosing local, sustainable food options, and minimize waste.
You can also pay to offset carbon emissions for attending different sporting events, much like concertgoers do when they attend musical festivals. While critics question offsets’ true environmental benefit, they do represent people’s growing awareness of their environmental footprint.
Through all these options, it’s clear that sports face a significant challenge in addressing their environmental impacts and encouraging fans to be more sustainable, while simultaneously trying to meet ambitious business and environmental targets.
In my view, a sustainable path forward will require strategic, yet genuine, commitment by the sports industry and its fans, and a willingness to prioritize long-term planetary health alongside economic gains – balancing the sport and sustainability.
Brian P. McCullough 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.
Golden oyster mushrooms, with their sunny yellow caps and nutty flavor, have become wildly popular for being healthy, delicious and easy to grow at home from mushroom kits.
In a study we believe is the first of its kind, fellow mycologists and I demonstrate that an invasive fungus can cause environmental harm, just as invasive plants and animals can when they take over ecosystems.
A scientist documents golden oyster mushrooms growing wild in a Wisconsin forest, where these invasive fungi don’t belong. DNA tests showed the species had pushed out other native fungi. Aishwarya Veerabahu
Native mushrooms and other fungi are important for the health of many ecosystems. They break down dead wood and other plant material, helping it decay. They cycle nutrients such as carbon and nitrogen from the dead tissues of plants and animals, turning it into usable forms that enter the soil, atmosphere or their own bodies. Fungi also play a role in managing climate change by sequestering carbon in soil and mediating carbon emissions from soil and wood.
Their symbiotic relationships with other organisms also help other organisms thrive. Mycorrhizal fungi on roots, for example, help plants absorb water and nutrients. And wood decay fungi help create wooded habitats for birds, mammals and plant seedlings.
However, we found that invasive golden oyster mushrooms, a wood decay fungus, can threaten forests’ fungal biodiversity and harm the health of ecosystems that are already vulnerable to climate change and habitat destruction.
The dark side of the mushroom trade
Golden oyster mushrooms, native to Asia, were brought to North America around the early 2000s. They’re part of an international mushroom culinary craze that has been feeding into one of the world’s leading drivers of biodiversity loss: invasive species.
As fungi are moved around the world in global trade, either intentionally as products, such as kits people buy for growing mushrooms at home, or unintentionally as microbial stowaways along with soil, plants, timber and even shipping pallets, they can establish themselves in new environments.
Where golden oyster mushrooms, an invasive species in North America, have been reported in the wild, including in forests, parks and neighborhoods. Red dots indicate new reports each year. States in yellow have had a report at some point. Aishwarya Veerabahu
Many mushroom species have been cultivated in North America for decades without becoming invasive species threats. However, golden oyster mushrooms have been different.
No one knows exactly how golden oyster mushrooms escaped into the wild, whether from a grow kit, a commercial mushroom farm or outdoor logs inoculated with golden oysters – a home-cultivation technique where mushroom mycelium is placed into logs to colonize the wood and produce mushrooms.
As grow kits increased in popularity, many people began buying golden oyster kits and watching them blossom into beautiful yellow mushrooms in their backyards. Their spores or composted kits could have spread into nearby forests.
In our study, designed by Michelle Jusino and Mark Banik, research scientists with the U.S. Forest Service, our team went into forests around Madison, Wisconsin, and drilled into dead trees to collect wood shavings containing the natural fungal community within each tree. Some of the trees had golden oyster mushrooms on them, and some did not.
We then extracted DNA to identify and compare which fungi, and how many fungi, were in trees that had been invaded by golden oyster mushrooms compared with those that had not been.
We were startled to find that trees with golden oyster mushrooms housed only half as many fungal species as trees without golden oyster mushrooms, sometimes even less. We also found that the composition of fungi in trees with golden oyster mushrooms was different from trees without golden oyster mushrooms.
For example, the gentle green “mossy maze polypore” and the “elm oyster” mushroom were pushed out of trees invaded by golden oyster mushrooms.
Mossy maze polypore growing on a stump. This is one of the native species that disappeared from trees when the golden oyster mushroom moved in. mauriziobiso/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Given what my colleagues and I discovered, we believe it is time to include invasive fungi in the global conversation about invasive species and examine their role as a cause of biodiversity loss.
That conversation includes the idea of fungal “endemism” – that each place has a native fungal community that can be thrown out of balance. Native fungal communities tend to be diverse, having evolved together over thousands of years to coexist. Our research shows how invasive species can change the makeup of fungal communities by outcompeting native species, thus changing the fungal processes that have shaped native ecosystems.
The golden oyster mushrooms’ invasion of North America should serve as a bright yellow warning that nonnative fungi are capable of rapid invasion and should be cultivated with caution, if at all.
Golden oyster mushrooms are now recognized as invasive in Switzerland and can be found in forests in Italy, Hungary, Serbia and Germany. I have been hearing about people attempting to cultivate them around the world, including in Turkey, India, Ecuador, Kenya, Italy and Portugal. It’s possible that golden oyster mushrooms may not be able to establish invasive populations in some regions. Continued research will help us understand the full scope of impacts invasive fungi can have.
What you can do to help
Mushroom growers, businesses and foragers around the world may be asking themselves, “What can we do about it?”
For the time being, I recommend that people consider refraining from using golden oyster mushroom grow kits to prevent any new introductions. For people who make a living selling these mushrooms, consider adding a note that this species is invasive and should be cultivated indoors and not composted.
If you enjoy growing mushrooms at home, try cultivating safe, native species that you have collected in your region.
Most mushrooms you see in the grocery store are grown indoors.
There is no single right answer. In some places, golden oyster mushrooms are being cultivated as a food source for impoverished communities, for income, or to process agricultural waste and produce food at the same time. Positives like these will have to be considered alongside the mushrooms’ negative impacts when developing management plans or legislation.
In the future, some ideas for solutions could involve sporeless strains of golden oysters for home kits that can’t spread, or a targeted mycovirus that could control the population. Increased awareness about responsible cultivation practices is important, because when invasive species move in and disrupt the native biodiversity, we all stand to lose the beautiful, colorful, weird fungi we see on walks in the forest.
Aishwarya Veerabahu receives funding from UW-Madison Dept. of Botany, the UW Arboretum, the Society of Ecological Restoration, and the Garden Club of America. Aishwarya Veerabahu was an employee of the USDA Forest Service.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Felia Allum, Professor of Comparative Organised Crime and Corruption, University of Bath
It has been 33 years since anti-mafia prosecutor Paolo Borsellino was blown up by Cosa Nostra in front of his mother’s home in Palermo, Sicily. His death on July 19 1992 came 57 days after the murder of his colleague, Giovanni Falcone. This was the peak of Cosa Nostra’s attack on state representatives.
A vital document was lost that day – a red notebook believed to have been in Borsellino’s work bag. This loss has hampered attempts to understand how deep into the Italian state Cosa Nostra’s activities run.
The early 1990s were a turbulent time in Italy. The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 broke the Italian party system and wiped out the traditional political parties, which had been based around the opposing forces of the Christian Democrats (supported by the US and the Vatican) and the Communist party.
The Christian Democrats, in power during the post-war period, had often protected Cosa Nostra. But losing power meant an inability to honour its “pact” with mafiosi. This led to the mafia attacking anyone who got in its way.
Falcone and Borsellino, as anti-mafia prosecutors, had got under the skin of Cosa Nostra. Their work zoned in on its mentality and activities. They were the driving force behind the 1986 “maxi trial” that saw hundreds of mafiosi prosecuted. This was the first time important mafia bosses were imprisoned. Falcone and Borsellino had brought a new understanding to the internal workings of the mafia, including its links with politics and money laundering operations.
The mafia was deploying terrorist tactics against state representatives and institutions in the early 1990s in what appears to have been an attempt to get the state to negotiate with it. Borsellino, it is believed, was investigating this when he was murdered.
The red notebook
Crucially, on the day Borsellino was murdered, his work bag, which contained his red notebook (“l’agenda rossa”) disappeared from the wreckage of his car.
He carried his red notebook around with him everywhere, making copious notes of his investigations and ideas. Had it been recovered, l’agenda rossa could have revealed the possible links between state representatives (including with the police and judiciary), businessmen and Cosa Nostra.
It could, in effect, have mapped out how and to what extent Cosa Nostra had infiltrated the Italian state and the nature of its relationships with the new political class, the business elite, freemasons and other covert actors.
A photograph of a police officer walking off with what looks very much like the bag that presumably contained the notebook has circulated ever since. But this is where the trail ends. The bag – minus the notebook – was later found in the office of the head of the flying squad, with no explanation as to how and why it got there.
The disappearance of the red notebook remains a persistent enigma – and one which continues to haunt contemporary Italy because of what it might suggest about the nation’s underworld and political class.
This photo could even suggest that the goal of killing Borsellino was not just to eliminate a zealous public prosecutor but to remove a pantheon of knowledge about organised crime and its infiltration into the public realm as part of a more orchestrated plan.
Then, in 1993, Cosa Nostra suddenly and inexplicably ceased its terrorist tactics against the state. It was as though a truce had been reached. Could this be the case?
The history of these dynamics between state and the mafia has since been written and re-written, dividing Italians and mafia scholars.
At the heart of all these disagreements lie two questions: was the notebook taken intentionally and why did Cosa Nostra stop its attacks on the state at the specific moment that it did?. The answer to these would essentially establish whether or not there was a negotiated peace between the mafia and the state.
Some legal experts and historians have argued that the theory of coordinated action by state representatives and mafiosi was always an absurd hypothesis. While there might have been some random informal contacts, they contest that there was never a formal pact. The end of Cosa Nostra‘s violence, they argue, was due to a combination of other factors, including greater enforcement of the law.
Others argue that there is evidence of a pact. These include first-hand accounts from former criminals. But of course it is hard to make these stories stick because all evidence of a relationship of this kind would, by definition, be covert and off the books. As with many trials and in particular, mafia trials, there are no facts, just interpretations of facts.
In 2018, some state representatives and mafiosi were found guilty. But in 2023, the Italian supreme court overturned the 2018 ruling and concluded that there was no pact and no state-mafia negotiation.
All involved were cleared for different reasons as the court attempted to draw a line under the intrigue by articulating a clear position. But with the mafia, answers are rarely that simple. And history is not only written in the courtroom.
Borsellino’s legacy is celebrated in Italy to this day – but the unresolved matter of his missing notebook haunts the country more profoundly. His bag – minus the notebook – has recently been put on show at the Italian senate to celebrate his life. The display is also a reminder of how much remains unresolved from that period.
Felia Allum 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.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) with colleagues on the powerful House Armed Services Committee, marked up the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)—the large, annual defense bill that creates the policies related to our armed services and other national security-related efforts. Congressman Deluzio voted for the measure, which passed out of committee by a vote of 55-2.
“The United States faces tremendous strategic challenges across the globe, including the war in Ukraine, intensifying competition with Communist China, and instability in the Middle East. All this activity is stressing the highly consolidated defense industrial base,” said Congressman Deluzio. “For too long, our government has neglected America’s manufacturing competitiveness and power. We need stronger accountability, transparency, and competition in government contracting to beef up our defense industrial base and to protect public money. While not a perfect bill, the 2026 NDAA takes on many of these important issues and more, and that’s why I voted yes last night.”
Specifically, the NDAA included Congressman Deluzio’s amendment to fight defense industry price gouging by requiring defense contractors to report when their products under sole source contracts increase by more than 25% of the price specified in the contract bid, over 25% more than the price of the product the preceding year, or by 50% more than the government paid for the product at any time over the last five years.
During the NDAA markup, Congressman Deluzio successfully secured several important wins, including some that will specifically benefit the people and economy of Western Pennsylvania.
This legislation:
Implements an assessment and evaluation of the use of inland waterways for national defense purposes, and an assessment of vulnerabilities in our Marine Transportation Systems and associated infrastructure.
Authorizes an additional two and a half million dollars in funding to improve long range precision fires technology. This kind of research is ongoing at Western Pennsylvania institutions like the University of Pittsburgh.
Requires a new report about the technology and disposal methods of Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). This is important because the Defense Department has previously considered incinerating PFAS “forever chemicals” in East Liverpool, Ohio—just across the border from Pennsylvania’s 17th District.
This year’s NDAA also includes the text of Congressman Deluzio’s bill, theDepot Investment Reform Act. This bill strengthens federal investment in military depots, including those in Pennsylvania, like the Letterkenny and Tobyhanna Army Depots.
Congressman Deluzio secured additional national priorities in this defense bill. This legislation:
Strengthens the “right to repair,” requiring contractors to give access to tools, parts, and information for major weapon systems so that our military and servicemembers can repair their own equipment.
Adjusts annual reporting on the U.S. Navy’s shipyard modernization efforts at the four public shipyards to include efforts related to the incorporation of digital hardware, software, and cloud storage.
Extends the number of days that national guardsmen can be activated by a governor of a state to respond to an emergency like a natural disaster from 3 to 14 days, with possible extensions of 7 and up to 46 days.
Requires a report on the Department of Defense’s efforts to incorporate artificial intelligence data centers on Department of Defense land. This report will analyze the risks, benefits, impacts, and footprint of those facilities.
Requires the Department of Defense to identify shortfalls and propose solutions for shortfalls of critical minerals and other materials in the National Defense Stockpile. This will better inform the United States’ current readiness and preparedness for any future conflict.
Fights consolidation in the defense industry by requiring the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate impacts of mergers and acquisitions on the defense industrial base and competition in the defense industry.
Requires that contractors who are negotiating sole-source contracts with the government provide timely andcritical pricing data to the government. This will assist the military in getting the best deal for our servicemembers and will steward good use of American public dollars.
Requires the Department of Defense to assess the current competitive environment for contracts under $10 million. This will help the military and Congress assess whether recent policy changes have been effective in uplifting small businesses and growing the defense industrial base.
A full summary of the Fiscal Year 2026 NDAA as prepared by Democratic committee staff can befound here.
The NDAA now goes to the House Floor for a vote, and the final bill will be negotiated with the Senate.
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Banking Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D- Mass.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and 24 other Senators in pushing the Trump administration for answers regarding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) decision to vacate the medical debt rule finalized in January 2025. The letter demands CFPB share any data the agency relied on in deciding to petition a court to vacate the rule and any communications it had with entities during the process that would profit from its decision.
“On April 30, 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) asked a court to vacate the agency’s recently released rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports. We write to request the information you relied on in making that determination, including any communications with collection agencies that stand to profit from it,” the Senators said.
“Medical debt collections information is often inaccurate, and studiesshow that it is not useful in determining a consumer’s ability to repay other debts…Almost half of all medical bills contain at least one error, and almosthalfof nonprofit hospitals have routinely and mistakenly billed patients who were eligible for free or discounted care,” they continued.
At the conclusion of the letter, the Senators emphasize the need for transparency into the agency’s decision-making process.
“On April 30, the CFPB filed a joint motion with the industry groups that oppose the rule, petitioning the court to vacate it – lining the pockets of corporations off the backs of American consumers. Given the substantial evidence that the CFPB’s rule was well-considered and would help consumers without reducing the accuracy of their credit scores, we write to request that the CFPB make public all information relied on by the agency in its decision to drop the rule, including any communications with the debt collection industry,” the Senators closed.
Senator Luján has long worked to support Americans facing medical debt. In March 2024, Senator Luján called on CFPB Director Rohit Chopra to eliminate reporting of all medical debt in consumers’ credit reports. In November 2024, Senator Lujánintroduced the Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act to ease the burden on Americans forced into bankruptcy because of unforeseen medical expenses. Senator Luján continues to stand up in defense of New Mexicans by holding the CFPB under President Trump accountable.
In addition to Senators Heinrich, Lujan, Warnock, Warren, Schumer, and Merkley, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Adam Schiff (D-CA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Angus King (I-ME), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).
Read the full letter HERE, and the text is below
Dear Acting Director Vought,
On April 30, 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) asked a court to vacate the agency’s recently released rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports. We write to request the information you relied on in making that determination, including any communications with debt collection agencies that stand to profit from it.
Medical debt collections information is often inaccurate, and studiesshow that it is not useful in determining a consumer’s ability to repay other debts. One major credit scoring company, VantageScore, hasstoppedusing medical debt in its newer models entirely. Almost halfof all medical bills contain at least one error, and almosthalfof nonprofit hospitals have routinely and mistakenly billed patients who were eligible for free or discounted care. People often receive collection notices for debts they did not owe, in the wrong amount, or that should have been covered by insurance—but still end up experiencing long-lasting damage to their credit scores.
Listing medical debt on a person’s credit report drives down their credit score, which hurts their ability to purchase a car, buy a home or rent an apartment, get utility service, start a business, or access other banking services. This has profound effects on families that can last generations. To make matters worse, medical debt is the most commonreason debt collectors contact consumers; the debt collection industry makes one-fourthof its annual revenue from health care debt. Including medical debt on credit reports makes consumers more vulnerable to predatory debt collection practices. Medical debt on credit reports also blocks working families from access to credit that they would be able to repay.The CFPB found that people who had all their medical debts completely removed from their credit reports experienced an average credit score increase of 20 points, in some cases elevating families into a higher credit score tier.
In response to growing data that medical debt is not a good indicator of creditworthiness, states across the country have acted to ban the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports. And on January 7, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a final rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports. The rule would remove an estimated $49 billion in medical bills from the credit reports of 15 million Americans, prohibit credit reporting companies from sharing medical debt information with lenders, and bar lenders from considering medical debt in underwriting decisions. It was designed to help the millions of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet, by lowering costs and increasing access to affordable credit for working families without affecting the predictive value of their credit reports. The rule would also help reduce the effects of structural racism and other prejudices. People of color are disproportionately harmed by the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports. Meanwhile, adults with a disability and new moms are more than twice as likely to carry medical debt.
Despite the critical importance of the medical debt rule, on April 30, the CFPB filed a joint motion with the industry groups that oppose the rule, petitioning the court to vacate it—lining the pockets of corporations off the backs of American consumers. Given the substantial evidence that the CFPB’s rule was well-considered and would help consumers without reducing the accuracy of their credit scores, we write to request that the CFPB make public all information relied on by the agency in its decision to drop the rule, including any communications with the debt collection industry, by July 28, 2025. We specifically request that CFPB publicly publish all data about how medical debt relates to key economic indicators, including:
Barriers to home and car ownership, including challenges getting loans or not being approved to rent or lease,
Paying higher premiums for auto, homeowner’s and other types of insurance,
Losing job opportunities as a result of credit reporting on background checks,
Obstacles to starting small businesses because of challenges with securing loans,
Paying more for everyday services such as household utilities or cell phone contracts
We are particularly concerned about the outsize impact that medical debt has on the credit scores of seniors, veterans, new parents, people with disabilities, cancer patients and survivors, and small business owners.
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Jean-Pierre Azéma, historian and professor at Sciences Po, who died on Monday, 14 July 2025, in his eighty-seventh year.
Alongside Serge Berstein, Jean-Noël Jeanneney, Pierre Milza, and Michel Winock, Jean-Pierre Azéma was one of the founding members of the group of historians at Sciences Po who, under the benevolent guidance of René Rémond, brought together scholars of contemporary history with a particular focus on modern political developments.
A specialist in the Second World War, the Occupation, the Resistance and the Vichy regime, he established himself from the 1970s onwards as one of France’s foremost experts on the period. He authored numerous landmark publications — including De Munich à la Libération, 1938–1944 (Seuil, 1979) and Jean Moulin: Le politique, le rebelle, le résistant (Perrin, 2003) — and contributed to major collective volumes such as Vichy et les Français (Fayard, 1992).
After teaching in secondary education, notably at the Lycées Lakanal and Henri IV, Jean-Pierre Azéma joined Sciences Po in 1973 as an assistant professor. There, he rejoined Serge Berstein and Pierre Milza, who had arrived a few years earlier, and was later followed by his lifelong friend and former schoolmate Michel Winock. A few years later, he was promoted to full professor – among the very first in the field of history at Sciences Po.
Over the course of thirty-five years, Jean-Pierre Azéma taught with unwavering dedication and intellectual rigour across all levels of instruction at Sciences Po. As lecturer of the first-year general history course, he trained and inspired generations of students in the “année préparatoire” (undergraduate programme), his deep erudition and colourful temperament leaving a lasting impression.
He was also a key figure in Sciences Po’s graduate programme in history, mentoring numerous master’s and doctoral students with both generosity and high standards (among them Alya Aglan, Anne Simonin, Guillaume Piketty, and Florent Brayard).
“In history, you need the real stuff,” (by which he meant sources), he would often remind his students, regardless of their level — as recalled by historian Nicolas Offenstadt, one of his former undergraduate and postgraduate students.
A committed member of the academic community, Jean-Pierre Azéma also served the institution in other capacities. For over a decade, he co-chaired Sciences Po’s Joint Committee, a university body established in the wake of May 1968, bringing together faculty and students in equal numbers — the forerunner of today’s Student Life and Education Committee (CVEF). In this role, he played a vital part in mediating between interests, always with integrity and without demagoguery.
Beyond Sciences Po, his scholarly reputation led to frequent public engagement. He was notably cited by the civil parties during the Maurice Papon trial. He also brought historical insight to wider audiences through his contributions to L’Histoire magazine, his collaboration with Claude Chabrol on the documentary L’œil de Vichy, and his role as historical advisor for the acclaimed television series Un village français.
For years, students, faculty, and staff at Sciences Po encountered the instantly recognisable figure of Jean-Pierre Azéma — often distinguished by his trademark scarf, long a vivid red, which never left his neck. Many will retain the memory of a professor whose mischievous gaze and intellectual passion brought history vividly to life.
Our thoughts are with his family, his loved ones, and all those at Sciences Po who knew, respected, and loved him.
