NewzIntel.com

Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI USA: 27 Colorado Schools Received State’s First Purple Star School Designation

    Source: US State of Colorado

    DENVER – In a special ceremony on Thursday, Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova and Governor Jared Polis awarded the state’s first-ever Purple Star School designation to 27 schools from eight school districts and the Charter School Institute. The Purple Star School designation recognizes school communities for their work to support military-connected students and their families. 

    “Colorado is the proud home to a strong military and veteran community, and it’s only appropriate that our schools are recognized for the work they do to support military families and their children. I’m excited to celebrate the schools who are leading this work and setting an example for the rest of the state,” said Governor Jared Polis. 

    Commissioner Córdova and Gov. Polis were joined by members of the State Board of Education, representatives from the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission, and military school liaisons from the United States Army, Air Force, and Space Force. 

    “Military families and their children make extraordinary sacrifices in service to our country. For military-connected students, frequent moves and long separations from loved ones can present unique challenges. Our Purple Star Schools go above and beyond to create welcoming, supportive environments where every student feels seen, supported, and a true sense of belonging—no matter where their family is stationed,” said Cordova. 

    Last spring, Gov. Polis signed into law House Bill 24-1076 – sponsored by Reps. Bob Marshall (D-Douglas County) and Mike Weissman (D-Adams/Araphaoe) and Sens. Rhonda Fields (D-Adams/Arapahoe) and Bob Gardner (R-El Paso/Teller) – creating the Purple Star Program to recognize schools that help military-connected students navigate the academic and social-emotional challenges that come with frequent relocations, parental deployments, and adjusting to new school communities. 

    Purple Star Schools must meet specific criteria, including offering dedicated programs and resources for military-connected students and their families. More information about the Purple Star Program is available on the Colorado Department of Education’s website. 

    The following schools received the Purple Star designation: 

    Academy School District 20 

    • Douglass Valley Elementary School
    • Eagleview Middle School
    • Ranch Creek Elementary School 

    Aurora Public Schools 

    • Edna and John Mosley P-8 School 

    Colorado Springs School District 11

    • Jenkins Middle School James
    • Irwin Elementary School – Howard
    • McAuliffe Elementary School 

    Charter School Institute 

    • Colorado Military Academy 

    District 49 

    • Bennett Ranch Elementary School
    • Falcon Middle School 

    Ellicott School District 22 

    • Ellicott Elementary School 

    Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 

    • Abrams Elementary School
    • Aragon Elementary School
    • Eagleside Elementary School
    • Jordahl Elementary School
    • Mesa Elementary School
    • Mountainside Elementary School
    • Patriot Elementary School
    • Weikel Elementary School
    • Welte Education Center
    • Carson Middle School
    • Fountain Middle School
    • Fountain-Fort Carson High School 

    Harrison School District 2 

    • James Irwin Charter Middle School
    • James Irwin Elementary School–Astrozon 

    Widefield School District 3 

    • Grand Mountain School
    • Widefield High School 

    The Colorado Department of Education’s vision is to create equitable educational environments where all students and staff in Colorado thrive. Our role is to improve student outcomes and ensure students and families across Colorado have access to high-quality schools by serving, guiding, and elevating our state’s 178 school districts and BOCES. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Spartan Capital Securities Announces the Hiring of Robert Forte

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Spartan Capital Securities is Pleased to Announce the Hiring of Robert Forte as Managing Director of Capital Markets

    NEW YORK, NY, April 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Robert Forte, a seasoned investment banker with extensive experience in capital markets, has joined Spartan Capital Securities as Managing Director of Capital Markets. With 15 years of experience in investment banking and transaction execution, Mr. Forte has successfully closed over $6 billion in total assets across 250+ transactions, making him a highly skilled addition to the Spartan team.

    Mr. Forte previously held key roles at EF Hutton (formerly), Maxim Group LLC, and Dawson James Securities, where he advised on mergers and acquisitions, capital raises, and other strategic financial initiatives. A licensed Series 7 and SIE professional, Mr. Forte has a deep understanding of deal structuring, regulatory compliance, and institutional sales. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from West Virginia University.

    Spartan Capital Securities’ Founder and CEO, John Lowry, commented:
    “We are very pleased to welcome Robert Forte to the Spartan team. His extensive experience in capital markets and investment banking, along with his strong transaction history and deep industry relationships, aligns with our firm’s strategic vision. As we continue to expand, Mr. Forte’s expertise will be instrumental in driving value for our clients and stakeholders. His addition to our Capital Markets team marks an exciting step forward in the continued growth of our company.”

    About Spartan Capital Securities, LLC (SCS):

    Spartan Capital Securities, LLC is a full-service, integrated financial services firm that provides sound investment guidance for high-net-worth individuals and institutions. Their in-depth market knowledge, calculated risk management strategy, and investment acumen have earned them a strong reputation as trusted financial advisors. Spartan Capital’s experienced investment professionals provide highly customized personal service, tailoring an asset allocation program to enable each client to meet their financial goals. Spartan Capital also offers advisory and insurance services through its affiliates, Spartan Capital Private Wealth Management, LLC, and Spartan Capital Insurance Services, LLC.

    For inquiries, contact:
    info@spartancapital.com
    John D. Lowry
    Spartan Capital Securities
    +1 (212) 293-0123

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker Introduces Legislation to End Pushout of Students of Color

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced legislation to end the pushout of students, especially girls of color, from schools. The Ending PUSHOUT Act invests in safe and nurturing school environments for all students to put an end to the harmful way students are overcriminalized and policed at school. U.S. Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) reintroduced companion legislation in the House.

    “Research shows that students of color, particularly girls, are often subjected to harsher and more frequent disciplinary action,” said Senator Booker. “The Ending PUSHOUT Act is critical legislation that would invest federal dollars into implementing evidence-based alternatives to suspension and expulsion while also creating a safer academic environment for all students to thrive.”

    “Classrooms should be a place for students to learn, grow, and thrive – not be overpoliced and criminalized. With Republicans gutting public education and attacking vulnerable students, our bill would help stop the pushout of Black and brown girls from schools, and invest in safe, nurturing learning environments for all students,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “I’m grateful to Senator Booker for his ongoing partnership and for the coalition of individuals and organizations from across the country who joined us in support of the Ending PUSHOUT Act. We must affirm the right for every student to learn in a setting free from fear.”

    The Ending PUSHOUT Act would aim to create a safe academic environment for all students, especially girls of color, by:

    1. Establishing new federal grants to support local educational agencies and nonprofit organizations to:
      1. Evaluate the current discipline policies of schools under the eligible entity in partnership with students, family members of students, and the local community; 
      2. Provide training and professional development for school officials to avoid or address the overuse of discriminatory and exclusionary discipline practices;
      3. Implement and evaluate evidence-based alternatives to suspension or expulsion.
    2. Grantees would be required to ban:
      1. Out-of-school suspension or expulsion for students in preschool through grade 5 for non-violent offenses and all students in preschool through grade 12 for infractions such as insubordination, willful defiance, vulgarity, truancy, tardiness, chronic absenteeism, or violations of grooming or appearance policies; and
      2. The use of corporal punishment, seclusion, mechanical or chemical restraints, and any form of physical restraint or escort.
    3. Protecting the Civil Rights Data Collection and strengthening the Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) by:
      1. Requiring the Department of Education to collect civil rights data annually to ensure all students have equal access to a high-quality education and a safe and nurturing school environment.
      2. Requiring additional reporting on the school pushout crisis to spot harmful trends in real time and help hold schools accountable for discriminating against students.
      3. Making data about pushouts and other harmful discipline practices publicly available while protecting student privacy.
      4. Investing $500 million annually for OCR to build additional capacity for monitoring and enforcing civil rights laws.
    4. Establishing a federal interagency taskforce to end school pushout and examine its disproportionate impact on girls of color

    To read the full text of the bill, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Blumenthal, Bonamici, Lee Urge ED, OCR to Rescind Guidance on Inclusive Classrooms

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01) and Summer Lee (D-PA-12), led colleagues in writing a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor calling for the Department of Education (ED) to immediately rescind their guidance on inclusive classrooms.

    “In February, OCR’s DCL threatened to rescind federal funding from any school, district, or state that seeks to create inclusive classrooms. Although ED published the March FAQ ostensibly to clarify this guidance, the FAQ document spreads misinformation by falsely suggesting, without evidence, that social and emotional learning (SEL) and culturally responsive teaching are discriminatory,” the lawmakers wrote. 

    SEL and culturally responsive teaching are both evidence-based educational practices that create supportive environments, help students build social and emotional skills, and promote student engagement and academic achievement in the classroom.

    “Although we have numerous significant concerns with the substance and content of OCR’s recent guidance, we write specifically to express our opposition to the guidance provided in Question 8 of the FAQ, which falsely claims that “schools have sought to veil discriminatory policies with terms like ‘social-emotional learning’ or ‘culturally responsive’ teaching,” and suggests such curricula are discriminatory under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. This erroneous guidance contradicts scientific evidence, prior OCR guidance, and long-standing state and local laws and practices,” the lawmakers continued. 

    The Department of Education’s guidance seeks to override state and district leadership over curriculum despite Congress and numerous federal laws specifically prohibiting federal involvement in curriculum decisions.

    “Because of the strong, established evidence that supports schools’ use of SEL and culturally responsive teaching, we strongly urge OCR to immediately rescind the February 14th Dear Colleague Letter and March 1st FAQ, both of which undermine OCR’s long-standing guidance and threaten critical funding that supports students nationwide,” the lawmakers concluded

    The letter is endorsed by the following organizations: CASEL, National Association for College Admission Counseling, National Science Teaching Association, Educators for Excellence, International Literacy Association, National Parents Union, National Association of School Psychologists, American Federation of School Administrators, and Social Emotional Learning Alliance for the United States.

    The letter is cosigned by U.S. Senators Andy Kim (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and U.S. Representatives Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03), Betty McCollum (D-MN-04), Andrea Salinas (D-OR-06), Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Terri Sewell (D-AL-07), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-01), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Bennie Thompson (D-MS-02), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY-07), Dwight Evans (D-PA-03), Chellie Pingree (D-ME-03), Shri Thanedar (D-MI-13), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), and  Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03). 

    To read the full text of the letter, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: University of Boumerdes Student Chapter Organizes a Successful “IADC Energy Forum”

    Source: International Association of Drilling Contractors – IADC

    Headline: University of Boumerdes Student Chapter Organizes a Successful “IADC Energy Forum”

    From 19-24 March, the IADC University of Boumerdes Student Chapter and IADC co-hosted the first “IADC Energy Forum.” This virtual event brought together industry experts, professionals, and students to discuss the latest trends in the oil and gas sector.

    Through interactive discussions and expert sessions, attendees explored:

    • Industry Trends
    • The Future of Drilling in a Decarbonized World
    • AI Applications
    • The Energy Transition
    • Next-Generation Drilling Technologies
    • Networking Opportunities
    • Career Paths in the Energy Sector

    Thank you to everyone who attended this event and to the presenters who shared their insights with us! Well done to the IADC University of Boumerdes Student Chapter for organizing this impactful event. 

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Côte d’Ivoire: A unionist sentenced to two years imprisonment must be released and the right to strike guaranteed for everyone in the country

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Reacting to the sentencing by the Ivorian courts on 8 April of a unionist to two years’ imprisonment for “coalition of public officials” and “obstructing the operation of the public service”, Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Interim Regional Director for West and Central Africa, said:

    “Amnesty International calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Ghislain Duggary Assy, Communications Secretary of the Movement of Teachers for the Dignity Dynamic (Mouvement des Enseignants pour la Dynamique de la Dignité) union. All charges against him must be dropped.

    “The strike notice, sent to the Ministry of Education on 21 March in compliance with legal procedure, announced a strike on 3 and 4 April, and resulted in this conviction and a dozen of arrests, which constitute a flagrant violation of workers’ fundamental rights, in particular the right to strike and freedom of association, guaranteed by the Ivorian Constitution and international conventions ratified by Côte d’Ivoire.

    “Teachers cannot be treated as criminals for exercising their fundamental rights. The authorities must respect and guarantee the human rights of everyone in the country, including the right to freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining and the right to a fair trial.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Inter-American Institute for Disaster Risk Reduction (IIARRD)

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Mission

    The Inter-American Institute for Disaster Risk Reduction (IIARRD) is an institution that seeks to instil in the community the importance of implementing disaster risk reduction actions, both through public policies and changes in daily habits.

    Climate change adaptation must be addressed alongside civil society as a cultural shift. Therefore, we aim to work with the media, schools from an early age, and women who can share knowledge as Resilient Ambassadors.

    The team is made up of experts in risk reduction, humanitarian work, communication, the environment, geology, and meteorology.

    In Spanish:

    El Instituto Interamericano para la Reducción de Riesgos de Desastres (IIARRD) es unainstitución que pretende instalar en la comunidad la importancia de implementar acciones para la reducción de riesgos de desastres, tanto en políticas públicas como en cambios de hábitos cotidianos.

    La adaptación al cambio climático debe tratarse junto a la sociedad civil como un cambio cultural. Por ello, nos proponemos trabajar junto a medios de comunicación, escuelas desde edad inicial y mujeres que pueden retransmitir los conocimientos como Embajadores Resilientes.

    El equipo está conformado por expertos en reducción de riesgos, trabajo humanitario, comunicación, medio ambiente, geología y meteorología.

    DRR activities

    IIARRD has participated in various projects, both in Argentina and abroad. Here are some examples:

    • Communication and dissemination efforts for MUJERES DRR
    • Evaluation of the Venezuela Master Plan 2019-2021 – IFCR
    • Cyan traffic light for the Province of Buenos Aires
    • Water Risk Website for the Province of Buenos Aires
    • Book project for teachers in collaboration with COPE
    • Risk reduction plan for Chaco and Formosa
    • Volunteer firefighter training
    • Conferences on safety at public events

    In Spanish:

    El IIARRD ha participado en diferentes proyectos, tanto en Argentina como en otros países. Estos son algunos ejemplos:

    • Tareas de comunicación y difusión de MUJERES RRD
    • Evaluation of the Venezuela Master Plan 2019-2021 – IFCR
    • Cianosemáforo de la Provincia de Buenos Aires
    • Web de Riesgo Hídrico de la Provincia de Buenos Aires
    • Proyecto de libros para docentes junto a Cope
    • Plan de reducción de riesgo para Chaco y Formosa
    • Capacitaciones a bomberos voluntarios
    • Conferencias sobre seguridad en eventos públicos

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Healthcare Front-Line Health Care Professionals Ratify First Union Contract, Win Safety and Pay Improvements

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    Nearly 1,000 Patient Care Associates (PCAs) and Psychiatric Care Technicians (PCTs) employed by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center voted overwhelmingly late last week to ratify their first union contract. The agreement, which took effect on Monday, April 7, ends a tense period of negotiations which saw hundreds of front-line health care workers and Columbus community members picket OSU executives.

    Local leaders of IAM Healthcare, the union that rebspresents front-line health care workers at the Medical Center, said that the agreement averted a “vote of no confidence” in OSU executives, which the union had planned to hold this week. The parties bargained into the evening on Thursday, March 27th, ultimately coming to an agreement that includes staffing protections, as well as competitive pay raises and range adjustments to improve recruitment and retention of highly skilled staff.

    “This is a tremendous victory, not only for the PCAs and PCTs who care for our community every day, but also for the patients who depend on the expert care we provide,” said Kelly Williams, a Senior PCA at Dodd Hall Rehabilitation Hospital and a member of the IAM Healthcare Bargaining Committee. “We put OSU executives on notice – it’s long past time to prioritize recruitment and retention at the medical center – and our new union contract does that.”

    The victory is the latest in a growing wave of healthcare professionals who are organizing with IAM Healthcare.

    “IAM Healthcare continues to grow in power and numbers as we win hard-fought victories for healthcare professionals from coast to coast,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “Our entire union congratulates our new members at OSU for standing strong to win the respect they’ve earned.”

    The OSU agreement, which will remain in effect for three years, requires the Medical Center to maintain a staffing system based on patient needs and evidence-based staffing standards. It also includes new protections to ensure safer floating practices based on clinical competencies. The new union contract also includes backpay for merit increases that OSU executives had withheld from PCAs and PCTs since September 2024.

    “By taking united public action for our patients, front-line health care professionals showed the OSU executives that inaction was an untenable choice” said Senior PCT Dylan England-Carroll, who also served as a member of the IAM Healthcare Bargaining Committee. “This agreement starts to reverse the trend of underinvestment and gives us powerful new tools to ensure improvements continue over the life of our union contract.”

    Williams and England-Carroll said their next step is to elect union stewards and educate their coworkers about the beneficial provisions of their new union contract, including how to file grievances in cases of understaffing, inappropriate floating, and other safety issues.

    “This is an industry-leading union contract for our patients and our profession,” said Williams. “Now we will hold the medical center accountable to make sure it is consistently implemented and enforced.”

    Share and Follow:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Canadian retailers are seeing a surge in domestic sales amid the ‘Buy Canadian’ movement

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Melise Panetta, Lecturer of Marketing in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University

    In recent months, the “Buy Canadian” movement has gained significant momentum, driven by a collective push to support domestic products and services, strengthen local businesses and reduce reliance on foreign imports.

    Escalating trade tensions and tariff disputes with the United States and threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to annex Canada have played a pivotal role in fuelling this shift toward economic nationalism.

    Though still in its early stages, the movement has already gained strong support from Canadians, with both consumers and businesses prioritizing homegrown products to strengthen the local economy.

    Early results are promising

    The “Buy Canadian” movement is already delivering promising results across the retail sector. Major retailers such as Loblaws Companies have reported a 10 per cent increase in sales of Canadian-made products. Sobey’s parent company Empire also noted a decline in sales of U.S.-sourced goods.

    Importantly, the shift isn’t limited to big retailers or headline product categories. Smaller retailers and established brands are also seeing tangible benefits.

    Ice cream producer Chapman’s, long known for its strong Canadian brand identity, has seen a 10 per cent increase in sales. E-commerce platform giant Shopify has reported a spike in sales for Canadian merchants across a long list of categories including mattresses, row boats, ribbons, armchairs and more.

    Some provinces have pulled U.S. alcohol from store shelves to prioritize selling homegrown options, putting Canadian wineries, breweries and distillers in a position to grow substantially.

    Though more data will emerge in the months ahead, early indications show that Canadians are backing the “Buy Canadian” movement not just in spirit, but with their wallets.

    Helping Canadians choose Canadian

    One of the most noticeable effects of the “Buy Canadian” campaign has been a nationwide effort to make it easier for consumers to identify Canadian-made products.

    Demand for clear labelling has surged, prompting the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to issue a notice to industry urging producers to improve transparency.

    Consumers are becoming increasingly proactive in educating themselves, with searches for “Buy Canadian” related terms skyrocketing in the past few months. Websites such as Madeinca.ca have seen a large uptick in traffic, peaking at 100,000 visits in a single day.

    Retailers have been offering more in-store and online signage highlighting Canadian products. Loblaws has introduced a “Swap & Shop” tool in its Optimum app that helps users find Canadian-made alternatives for items on their shopping list. It has seen a 75 per cent week-over-week growth.

    Home improvement retailer RONA has launched the “Well Made Here” campaign that provides staff training and partners with non-profits to educate consumers about Canadian-made alternatives.

    Celebrity endorsements have also amplified the movement. Actor and comedian Mike Myers showcased the colloquial expression “elbows up” on Saturday Night Live, while Michael Bublé used his platform at the Juno Awards to deliver the message that “Canada is not for sale.”

    #TheMoment ‘Elbows Up’ became a rally cry against Trump (CBC News).

    Pushing the movement forward

    Consumers have been turning to social media to further propel the Buy Canadian movement. Hashtags like #ShopLocalCanada and #MadeInCanada have gained significant traction, with nearly three million posts across major social media channels Facebook and Instagram.

    A newly launched web browser plug-in called Support Canadian is also gaining attention. It works by bringing Canadian products to the top of search results on retailers such as Amazon. In its first week, it attracted 500 users. Although these numbers may appear small, early analytics suggest it could keep over a million dollars inside the Canadian economy.

    Mobile apps designed to help consumers determine the origin of their purchases are gaining popularity. The BuyBeaver app, which crowd-sources product origins, reached 100,000 downloads in just five weeks.

    Meanwhile, OScanAda, which uses AI and barcode scanning to provide detailed insights into Canadian ownership and sourcing, has been downloaded 160,000 times. MapleScan, which currently is ranked second in the shopping category on the Apple App Store, uses AI to scan products and suggest Canadian alternatives.

    Brands are leveraging their Canadian roots

    In response to growing national sentiment, a number of Canadian brands are using marketing strategies to underscore their national identity for consumers.

    Kicking Horse Coffee, for example, has humorously rebranded the Americano as the “Canadiano” in a nod to Canadian pride. Black Diamond recently launched a campaign with the cheeky tagline “Made with 0% American Cheese.”

    Meanwhile, Moosehead Brewery has launched a limited-edition “Presidential Pack” containing 1,961 beers — one for each day of the U.S. presidential term.

    Other companies have modified existing campaigns to better align with the movement. Sobeys recently debuted a new “So Canadian” campaign, a new iteration of its long-running “So.be.it.” campaign.

    Healthy Planet has expanded its #Healthyplanetswap campaign to include #HealthyCanadianSwap, which focuses on providing domestically sourced options.

    Whether through packaging that clearly marks country of origin or marketing campaigns that play on national pride, Canadian brands are leveraging their national identity to resonate with consumers.

    A smart choice in uncertain times

    The early momentum behind the Buy Canadian movement is promising. While Canada was largely spared from Trump’s most recent tariffs under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, the unpredictability of U.S. trade policy and broader global tensions make it more important than ever to build long-term economic resilience at home.

    The early days of the movement show a strong desire among Canadians to support local industries, protect jobs and reinforce national self-sufficiency. Even as higher costs and global disruptions remain real challenges, buying Canadian serves as both a practical and symbolic choice, one that reduces dependency on volatile foreign markets and strengthens the domestic economy.

    This is a pivotal moment. The foundations of the movement are in place, and its early success is encouraging. For the “Buy Canadian” effort to have lasting impact, it needs sustained commitment from consumers, businesses and policymakers alike.

    By continuing to prioritize homegrown goods and services, Canadians can help shield their economy from future shocks and chart a more independent, stable path forward.

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

    – ref. Canadian retailers are seeing a surge in domestic sales amid the ‘Buy Canadian’ movement – https://theconversation.com/canadian-retailers-are-seeing-a-surge-in-domestic-sales-amid-the-buy-canadian-movement-253502

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Measures Moonlight to Improve Earth Observations

    Source: NASA

    Flying high above the clouds and moon-gazing may sound like a scene from a timeless romance, but NASA did just that in the name of Earth science research. In March 2025 pilots took the agency’s ER-2 science aircraft on a series of night flights over NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, as the Moon increased in visible size. For those few nights, the high-flying plane was converted into a one-of-a-kind airborne lunar observatory.
    The Airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance, or air-LUSI, mission observed the Moon at different phases and measured the sunlight reflected by the lunar surface. Specifically, the instrument tracks the amount of light reflected at different wavelengths. This information enables scientists to use the Moon as a calibration tool for Earth-observing sensors.
    As an “absolute reference, the Moon also becomes the perfect benchmark for satellites to consistently and accurately measure processes on Earth,” said Kevin Turpie, air-LUSI’s principal investigator and a researcher based at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. This helps scientists to improve the precision of many different measurements, including data on weather patterns, vegetation growth, and ocean conditions.
    As the highest-flying platform for airborne science, the ER-2 can fly the air-LUSI instrument in the stratosphere, above 95% of the atmosphere. Data collected at an altitude nearing 70,000 feet are highly accurate because the air is predominantly clear of the gases and particles found in the lower atmosphere that can interfere with measurements.

    “To date, air-LUSI measurements of the Moon are the most accurate ever made,” said Kelsey Bisson, the NASA program scientist supporting the mission. “Air-LUSI data can advance our ability to understand the Earth and our weather, and they provide a new way to calibrate satellites that can result in cost savings.”
    The quality of these data has transformative implications for satellite and Earth observing systems. The improved accuracy and enhanced ability provided by air-LUSI data flown on the ER-2 reduces the need for onboard reference devices, effectually cutting satellite costs.
    The air-LUSI project is a collaboration between scientists and engineers from NASA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and McMaster University in Ontario.

    “The collective effort of the American and Canadian team members offers an opportunity for truly exciting engineering and science collaboration,” said Andrew Gadsden, associate professor and associate chair for graduate studies in mechanical engineering at McMaster University, and co-investigator on the air-LUSI project. The McMaster team developed the Autonomous Robotic Telescope Mount Instrument System and High-Altitude Aircraft Mounted Robotic (HAAMR) telescope mount, which support the air-LUSI system.

    The HAAMR telescope mount was integrated onto the ER-2 and flown for the first time during the science flights in March. This new lunar tracking system is contributing to what John Woodward IV, co-investigator for air-LUSI, called the “highest accuracy measurements” of moonlight. To improve Earth observation technology, air-LUSI represents an important evolutionary step.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Webb’s Autopsy of Planet Swallowed by Star Yields Surprise

    Source: NASA

    Observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have provided a surprising twist in the narrative surrounding what is believed to be the first star observed in the act of swallowing a planet. The new findings suggest that the star actually did not swell to envelop a planet as previously hypothesized. Instead, Webb’s observations show the planet’s orbit shrank over time, slowly bringing the planet closer to its demise until it was engulfed in full.
    “Because this is such a novel event, we didn’t quite know what to expect when we decided to point this telescope in its direction,” said Ryan Lau, lead author of the new paper and astronomer at NSF NOIRLab (National Science Foundation National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory) in Tuscon, Arizona. “With its high-resolution look in the infrared, we are learning valuable insights about the final fates of planetary systems, possibly including our own.”
    Two instruments aboard Webb conducted the post-mortem of the scene – Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) and NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph). The researchers were able to come to their conclusion using a two-pronged investigative approach.

    The star at the center of this scene is located in the Milky Way galaxy about 12,000 light-years away from Earth.
    The brightening event, formally called ZTF SLRN-2020, was originally spotted as a flash of optical light using the Zwicky Transient Facility at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego, California. Data from NASA’s NEOWISE (Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) showed the star actually brightened in the infrared a year before the optical light flash, hinting at the presence of dust. This initial 2023 investigation led researchers to believe that the star was more Sun-like, and had been in the process of aging into a red giant over hundreds of thousands of years, slowly expanding as it exhausted its hydrogen fuel.
    However, Webb’s MIRI told a different story. With powerful sensitivity and spatial resolution, Webb was able to precisely measure the hidden emission from the star and its immediate surroundings, which lie in a very crowded region of space. The researchers found the star was not as bright as it should have been if it had evolved into a red giant, indicating there was no swelling to engulf the planet as once thought.

    Researchers suggest that, at one point, the planet was about Jupiter-sized, but orbited quite close to the star, even closer than Mercury’s orbit around our Sun. Over millions of years, the planet orbited closer and closer to the star, leading to the catastrophic consequence.
    “The planet eventually started to graze the star’s atmosphere. Then it was a runaway process of falling in faster from that moment,” said team member Morgan MacLeod of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “The planet, as it’s falling in, started to sort of smear around the star.”
    In its final splashdown, the planet would have blasted gas away from the outer layers of the star. As it expanded and cooled off, the heavy elements in this gas condensed into cold dust over the next year.

    While the researchers did expect an expanding cloud of cooler dust around the star, a look with the powerful NIRSpec revealed a hot circumstellar disk of molecular gas closer in. Furthermore, Webb’s high spectral resolution was able to detect certain molecules in this accretion disk, including carbon monoxide.
    “With such a transformative telescope like Webb, it was hard for me to have any expectations of what we’d find in the immediate surroundings of the star,” said Colette Salyk of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, an exoplanet researcher and co-author on the new paper. “I will say, I could not have expected seeing what has the characteristics of a planet-forming region, even though planets are not forming here, in the aftermath of an engulfment.”
    The ability to characterize this gas opens more questions for researchers about what actually happened once the planet was fully swallowed by the star.
    “This is truly the precipice of studying these events. This is the only one we’ve observed in action, and this is the best detection of the aftermath after things have settled back down,” Lau said. “We hope this is just the start of our sample.”
    These observations, taken under Guaranteed Time Observation program 1240, which was specifically designed to investigate a family of mysterious, sudden, infrared brightening events, were among the first Target of Opportunity programs performed by Webb. These types of study are reserved for events, like supernova explosions, that are expected to occur, but researchers don’t exactly know when or where. NASA’s space telescopes are part of a growing, international network that stands ready to witness these fleeting changes, to help us understand how the universe works.
    Researchers expect to add to their sample and identify future events like this using the upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory and NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will survey large areas of the sky repeatedly to look for changes over time.
    The team’s findings appear today in The Astrophysical Journal.
    The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
    To learn more about Webb, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/webb
    Downloads
    Click any image to open a larger version.
    View/Download all image products at all resolutions for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute.
    View/Download the science paper from the The Astrophysical Journal.

    Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.govNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
    Hannah Braun – hbraun@stsci.eduSpace Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.

    Read more about Webb’s impact on exoplanet research
    Video: How to Study Exoplanets
    Learn more about exoplanets
    More Webb News
    More Webb Images
    Webb Science Themes
    Webb Mission Page

    What is the Webb Telescope?
    SpacePlace for Kids
    En Español
    Ciencia de la NASA
    NASA en español 
    Space Place para niños

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Station Nation: Meet Nick Kopp, SpaceX Dragon Flight Lead 

    Source: NASA

    Nick Kopp is a Dragon flight lead in the Transportation Integration Office at Johnson Space Center in Houston. He is currently leading NASA’s efforts to prepare, launch, and return the agency’s 32nd SpaceX commercial resupply services mission. He works directly with SpaceX and collaborates with NASA’s many internal, external, and international partners to ensure the success of this and other cargo missions to the International Space Station. 
    Read on to learn about his career with NASA and more! 

    Nick Kopp
    Transportation Integration Office Flight Lead

    Where are you from? 
    I am from Cleveland, Ohio. 
    Tell us about your role at NASA.  
    I work directly with SpaceX to ensure the Dragon cargo spacecraft meets NASA’s requirements to visit the space station. I also collaborate with NASA’s various partners who are safely flying science investigations and other cargo to and from the space station. For the upcoming flight, I’ve worked extensively with SpaceX to prepare to return the Dragon cargo spacecraft off the coast of California. 
    How would you describe your job to family or friends who may not be familiar with NASA?  
    I’m responsible for getting stuff to and from the International Space Station safely. 
    How long have you been working for NASA?  
    I have been working for NASA for about 15 years at both Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama and Johnson Space Center in Texas. 
    What advice would you give to young individuals aspiring to work in the space industry or at NASA?  
    It takes so many different people with all kinds of different skills working together to make missions happen. I would suggest looking at NASA’s websites to find the skill or task that makes you want to learn more and then focusing your energy into that skill. Surround yourself with people with similar goals. Connect with people in the industry and ask them questions. You are in control of your destiny! 

    What was your path to NASA?  
    I’ve wanted to work at NASA since I was a kid and my grandfather showed me the Moon through his home-built telescope. I studied aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois, where I joined Students for the Exploration and Development of Space and attended a conference at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. I met some folks from the Payload Operations Integration Center and learned of the awesome space station science operations at Marshall. I was lucky enough to be chosen for a contractor job working directly with astronauts on the space station to conduct science experiments! 
    Is there someone in the space, aerospace, or science industry that has motivated or inspired you to work for the space program? Or someone you discovered while working for NASA who inspires you?   
    After working with him from the ground when he was aboard the space station, I was lucky enough to spend many overnight shifts getting to know NASA astronaut and Flight Director TJ Creamer. TJ’s path to NASA and his servant leadership have left an ongoing legacy for people at the agency. His general attitude, extreme competence, friendly demeanor, and genuine care for people around him continue to inspire me every day to become a great leader.   
    What is your favorite NASA memory?  
    My favorite NASA memory is being selected as a payload operations director on the International Space Station Payload Operations and Integration Center flight control team. I looked up to those in this position for 10 years and did everything I could to gather the skills and knowledge I needed to take on the role. I became responsible for the minute-to-minute operations of astronauts conducting science investigations on the space station. I vividly remember the joy I felt learning of the news of my assignment, taking my first shift, my first conversation with an astronaut in space, and the bittersweet decision to leave and continue my career goals at NASA in a different role. 

    What do you love sharing about station? What’s important to get across to general audiences to help them understand the benefits to life on Earth?  
    Although it takes place off the planet, research on the space station is conducted for people on Earth. The time and effort spent building, maintaining, and conducting science on the International Space Station is spent by people in our community and communities around the world to further humanity’s collective understanding of the universe around us. When we understand more about science, we can be more successful. So many people around the planet have had life-changing benefits from experiments that can only be done by people conducting research in microgravity, above the atmosphere, where you can view most of Earth. 
    If you could have dinner with any astronaut, past or present, who would it be?  
    I would have dinner with anyone from the Apollo 13 crew. I’d love to learn how they felt that NASA’s culture drove the outcome of that mission. 
    Do you have a favorite space-related memory or moment that stands out to you?  
    While working a night shift at the operations center in Huntsville, Alabama, we were monitoring payloads returning to Earth on a Dragon cargo spacecraft. We took a quick break outside the control center to watch as the spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere above us on its way to splash down off the coast of Florida. It was a clear night. As the spacecraft flew overhead, we saw the ablative heat shield create a shimmering trail of fire and sparkles that stretched across the whole night sky. It looked as though Tinker Bell just flew over us!   
    What are some of the key projects you’ve worked on during your time at NASA? What have been your favorite?   
    Some of my favorite projects I’ve worked on include: 

    Serving as the International Space Station Program’s representative as flight lead for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission 

    Troubleshooting unexpected results when conducting science on the space station 

    Writing instructions for astronauts filming a virtual reality documentary on the space station 

    Assessing design changes on the Space Launch System rocket’s core stage  

    Managing and training a team of flight controllers 

    Helping NASA move Dragon spacecraft returns from Florida to California 

    What are your hobbies/things you enjoy outside of work?  
    I love playing board games with my wife, sailing, flying, traveling around the world, and learning about leadership and project management theory. 
    Day launch or night launch?   
    The Crew-8 night launch, specifically, where the Falcon 9 booster landed just above me! 
     Favorite space movie?  
    Spaceballs 
    NASA “worm” or “meatball” logo?  
    Meatball 

    Every day, we’re conducting exciting research aboard our orbiting laboratory that will help us explore further into space and bring benefits back to people on Earth. You can keep up with the latest news, videos, and pictures about space station science on the Station Research & Technology news page. It’s a curated hub of space station research digital media from Johnson and other centers and space agencies.  
    Sign up for our weekly email newsletter to get the updates delivered directly to you.  
    Follow updates on social media at @ISS_Research on Twitter, and on the space station accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Studies Trove of Rocks on Crater Rim

    Source: NASA

    The diversity of rock types along the rim of Jezero Crater offers a wide glimpse of Martian history.
    Scientists with NASA’s Perseverance rover are exploring what they consider a veritable Martian cornucopia full of intriguing rocky outcrops on the rim of Jezero Crater. Studying rocks, boulders, and outcrops helps scientists understand the planet’s history, evolution, and potential for past or present habitability. Since January, the rover has cored five rocks on the rim, sealing samples from three of them in sample tubes. It’s also performed up-close analysis of seven rocks and analyzed another 83 from afar by zapping them with a laser. This is the mission’s fastest science-collection tempo since the rover landed on the Red Planet more than four years ago.
    Perseverance climbed the western wall of Jezero Crater for 3½ months, reaching the rim on Dec. 12, 2024, and is currently exploring a roughly 445-foot-tall (135-meter-tall) slope the science team calls “Witch Hazel Hill.” The diversity of rocks they have found there has gone beyond their expectations.
    “During previous science campaigns in Jezero, it could take several months to find a rock that was significantly different from the last rock we sampled and scientifically unique enough for sampling,” said Perseverance’s project scientist, Katie Stack Morgan of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “But up here on the crater rim, there are new and intriguing rocks everywhere the rover turns. It has been all we had hoped for and more.”

    That’s because Jezero Crater’s western rim contains tons of fragmented once-molten rocks that were knocked out of their subterranean home billions of years ago by one or more meteor impacts, including possibly the one that produced Jezero Crater. Perseverance is finding these formerly underground boulders juxtaposed with well-preserved layered rocks that were “born” billions of years ago on what would become the crater’s rim. And just a short drive away is a boulder showing signs that it was modified by water nestled beside one that saw little water in its past.
    Oldest Sample Yet?
    Perseverance collected its first crater-rim rock sample, named “Silver Mountain,” on Jan. 28. (NASA scientists informally nickname Martian features, including rocks and, separately, rock samples, to help keep track of them.) The rock it came from, called “Shallow Bay,” most likely formed at least 3.9 billion years ago during Mars’ earliest geologic period, the Noachian, and it may have been broken up and recrystallized during an ancient meteor impact.
    About 360 feet (110 meters) away from that sampling site is an outcrop that caught the science team’s eye because it contains igneous minerals crystallized from magma deep in the Martian crust. (Igneous rocks can form deep underground from magma or from volcanic activity at the surface, and they are excellent record-keepers — particularly because mineral crystals within them preserve details about the precise moment they formed.) But after two coring attempts (on Feb. 4 and Feb. 8) fizzled due to the rock being so crumbly, the rover drove about 520 feet (160 meters) northwest to another scientifically intriguing rock, dubbed “Tablelands.”
    Data from the rover’s instruments indicates that Tablelands is made almost entirely of serpentine minerals, which form when large amounts of water react with iron- and magnesium-bearing minerals in igneous rock. During this process, called serpentinization, the rock’s original structure and mineralogy change, often causing it to expand and fracture. Byproducts of the process sometimes include hydrogen gas, which can lead to the generation of methane in the presence of carbon dioxide. On Earth, such rocks can support microbial communities.
    Coring Tablelands went smoothly. But sealing it became an engineering challenge.

    Flick Maneuver
    “This happened once before, when there was enough powdered rock at the top of the tube that it interfered with getting a perfect seal,” said Kyle Kaplan, a robotics engineer at JPL. “For Tablelands, we pulled out all the stops. Over 13 sols,” or Martian days, “we used a tool to brush out the top of the tube 33 times and made eight sealing attempts. We even flicked it a second time.”
    During a flick maneuver, the sample handling arm — a little robotic arm in the rover’s belly — presses the tube against a wall inside the rover, then pulls the tube away, causing it to vibrate. On March 2, the combination of flicks and brushings cleaned the tube’s top opening enough for Perseverance to seal and store the serpentine-laden rock sample. 
    Eight days later, the rover had no issues sealing its third rim sample, from a rock called “Main River.” The alternating bright and dark bands on the rock were like nothing the science team had seen before.
    Up Next
    Following the collection of the Main River sample, the rover has continued exploring Witch Hazel Hill, analyzing three more rocky outcrops (“Sally’s Cove,” “Dennis Pond,” and “Mount Pearl”). And the team isn’t done yet.  
    “The last four months have been a whirlwind for the science team, and we still feel that Witch Hazel Hill has more to tell us,” said Stack. “We’ll use all the rover data gathered recently to decide if and where to collect the next sample from the crater rim. Crater rims — you gotta love ’em.”
    More About Perseverance
    A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover is characterizing the planet’s geology and past climate, to help pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet and is the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith.
    NASA’s Mars Sample Return Program, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), is designed to send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.
    The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio and the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
    NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.
    For more about Perseverance:

    Mars 2020: Perseverance Rover

    News Media Contacts
    DC AgleJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.818-393-9011agle@jpl.nasa.gov
    Karen Fox / Molly WasserNASA Headquarters, Washington202-358-1600karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov  
    2025-051

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Offers Free High School Engineering Program This Summer

    Source: NASA

    NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is launching the NASA Glenn High School Engineering Institute this summer. The free, work-based learning experience is designed to help high school students prepare for a future in the aerospace workforce.
    Rising high school juniors and seniors in Northeast Ohio can submit applications for this new, in-person summer program from Friday, April 11, through Friday, May 9.
    The NASA Glenn High School Engineering Institute will immerse students in NASA’s work while providing essential career readiness tools to help them in future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-focused academic and professional pursuits.
    Throughout the five-day institute, students will use authentic NASA mission content and work alongside Glenn’s technical experts to gain a deeper understanding of the engineering design process, develop practical engineering solutions to real-world challenges, and test prototypes to answer questions in key mission areas:

    Acoustic dampening – How can we reduce noise pollution from jet engines?
    Power management and distribution – How can we develop a smart power system for future space stations?
    Simulated lunar operations – Can we invent tires that don’t use air?

    Program DatesSelected students will participate in one of the following week-long sessions.

    Session 1: July 7 – 11, 2025
    Session 2: July 14 – 18, 2025
    Session 3: July 21 – 25, 2025

    Eligibility and Application RequirementsTo be eligible for this program, students must:

    Be entering 11th or 12th grade for the 2025-2026 academic year
    Have a minimum 3.2 GPA, verified by their school counselor
    Submit a letter of recommendation from a teacher

    Additional application requirements are outlined in the Supplemental Application.
    How to Apply:To be considered for this opportunity, complete and submit the NASA Gateway application and the Supplemental Application by Friday May 9.
    Questions pertaining to the NASA Glenn High School Engineering Institute should be directed to Gerald Voltz at GRC-Ed-Opportunities@mail.nasa.gov.
    For information about NASA Glenn, visit:
    https://www.nasa.gov/glenn
    -end-
    Debbie WelchGlenn Research Center, Cleveland216-433-8655debbie.welch@nasa.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Ayushman cards of AB PM-JAY distributed to beneficiaries of NCT of Delhi

    Source: Government of India

    Ayushman cards of AB PM-JAY distributed to beneficiaries of NCT of Delhi

    Government of NCT of Delhi signs MoU for implementation of PM -ABHIM with Union Health Ministry

    It is a moment of pride that 36 lakh people in Delhi will be benefitted by the AB PM-JAY scheme: Shri JP Nadda

    “8.19 Crore people have already availed treatment under the scheme and the government has cumulatively spent a total of Rs. 1.26 lakh crore for the same”

    For the NCT of Delhi, an amount of Rs. 1749 Crore has been approved for the establishment of 1139 Urban AAM, the strengthening of 11 Integrated Public Health Laboratories, and 9 Critical Care Blocks under PM-ABHIM during the scheme period: Smt. Rekha Gupta

    Posted On: 10 APR 2025 5:31PM by PIB Delhi

    The National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi achieved another significant milestone in healthcare by launching the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM- ABHIM), after the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of NCT, Delhi, here today.

    The signing ceremony was presided by Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare & Chemicals and Fertilizers in presence of Smt. Rekha Gupta, Chief Minister, Government of NCT Delhi; Shri Harsh Malhotra, Union Minister of State for Corporate Affairs and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; Dr. Pankaj Kumar Singh, Minister, Health and Family Welfare & Transport and Information Technology, Delhi; Shri Pravesh Sahib Singh, Minister, PWD, Legislative Affairs, Irrigation and Flood Control and Water, Delhi; Sardar Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Minister, Industries, Food & Supplies, Environment, Forest & Wildlife, Delhi; Shri Ashish Sood, Minister, Home, Power, Urban Development, Education, Training and Technical Education, Delhi and Shri Ravinder Singh, Minister, Social Welfare, Welfare of SC & ST, Cooperative, Delhi. The event was also attended by the Hon’ble Members of Parliament (Shri Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Shri Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Shri Yogender Chandolia and Smt. Bansuri Swaraj) and Hon’ble Members of Legislative Assembly of NCT of Delhi. Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava, Union Health Secretary and Shri Dharmendra, Chief Secretary, NCT Delhi were also present during the event.

    Addressing the gathering, Shri JP Nadda said that AB PM-JAY is the world’s largest health coverage program under which 62 crore people are currently being benefitted. He said, “it is a moment of pride that 36 lakh people in Delhi will be benefitted by the AB PM-JAY scheme.”

    Shri Nadda also informed that with the implementation of AB PM-JAY in Delhi, all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status, will be covered under Ayushman Vay Vandana Yojana.

    The Union Health Minister highlighted that “8.19 Crore people have already availed treatment under the scheme and the government has cumulatively spent a total of Rs. 1.26 lakh crore for the same.” He stated that out of these people, 19 lakh are downtrodden people who could not have afforded these treatment without the Ayushman Bharat health coverage. “As a result of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, out-of-pocket expenditure has declined from 62% to 38% today”, he further stated.

    Speaking on the occasion, Smt. Rekha Gupta stated, “Health has always been a priority for the Union Government. Besides improving health infrastructure and making quality and affordable medicines accessible to the masses, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has always emphasized on nutrition, yoga, meditation etc. which shows the emphasis being given to the health sector.”

    She informed that “for the NCT of Delhi, an amount of Rs. 1749 Crore has been approved for the establishment of 1139 Urban Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAM), the strengthening of 11 Integrated Public Health Laboratories (IPHLs), and 9 Critical Care Blocks (CCBs) under PM-ABHIM during the scheme period.”

    Union Health Minister and other dignitaries distributed Ayushman cards of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) to 30 beneficiaries of AB PM-JAY in Delhi. These beneficiaries represented different socio-economic profile of the population of the UT. Beneficiaries of the scheme in Delhi may now create their Ayushman cards.

    Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava stated that this is an important day for Delhi as joining PM-ABHIM will provide Delhi with resilient, inclusive and future ready health infrastructure, while under AB PM-JAY, beneficiary families in Delhi will be benefited with Rs. 10 lakh health cover every year in any of the empaneled hospitals under the scheme.

    Background:

    PM-ABHIM, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), was launched for strengthening of public health infrastructure on 25th October, 2021.  The objective of the scheme is to fill critical gaps in health infrastructure, surveillance and health research – spanning both the urban and rural areas so that the communities are atmanirbhar in managing any health crisis.

    Earlier, on April 5, 2025, Government of NCT of Delhi signed an MoU for implementation of AB PM-JAY in Delhi. Beneficiary families of AB PM-JAY in Delhi would be benefitted with Rs. 5 lakh health cover per year in any of the empaneled hospitals of the scheme. The Government of NCT of Delhi has also supplemented the health cover by another additional Rs.5 lakh for each beneficiary family of Delhi. As the scheme of AB PM-JAY is nationally portable, the benefits of the scheme can be taken by the residents of Delhi in any of the 30,000+ empaneled hospitals of the scheme across the country.

    Both AB PM-JAY and PM-ABHIM fall under the umbrella of Ayushman Bharat and were launched in mission mode to improve healthcare accessibility, affordability and availability. While Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, launched on 23rd September 2018, has been a game-changer in healthcare, mainly for the millions of poor and vulnerable families across the country, the PM-ABHIM has made robust outcomes in strengthening healthcare infrastructure leapfrogging India to one of the most advanced countries in terms of management of public health during peak healthcare demand.

    *****

    HFW/PM-ABHIM MoU Event/10April2025/1

    (Release ID: 2120720) Visitor Counter : 75

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Naxalmukt Bharat Abhiyan: From Red Zones to Growth Corridors

    Source: Government of India

    Naxalmukt Bharat Abhiyan: From Red Zones to Growth Corridors

    India’s Decisive Battle Against Left Wing Extremism

    Posted On: 10 APR 2025 7:49PM by PIB Delhi

    “It is true that Maoist violence had stalled the progress of many districts in central and eastern India. That is why in 2015, our government formulated a comprehensive ‘National Policy and Action Plan’ to eradicate Maoist violence. Along with zero tolerance towards violence, we have also focused on a massive push to infrastructure and social empowerment to bring a positive change in the lives of the poor people in these regions.”

    – Prime Minister Narendra Modi

    Introduction

    Left Wing Extremism (LWE), often referred to as Naxalism, is one of India’s most serious internal security challenges. Rooted in socio-economic inequalities and fueled by Maoist ideology, LWE has historically affected some of the most remote, underdeveloped, and tribal-dominated regions of the country. The movement has aimed to undermine the Indian state through armed rebellion and parallel governance structures, particularly targeting security forces, public infrastructure, and democratic institutions. Originating from the Naxalbari movement of 1967 in West Bengal, it spread primarily across the “Red Corridor,” affecting states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The Maoist insurgents claim to fight for the rights of the marginalized, particularly tribal communities, but their methods include armed violence, extortion, destruction of infrastructure, and recruitment of children and civilians.

    However, in recent years, India’s multidimensional counter-LWE strategy – combining security enforcement, inclusive development, and community engagement – has delivered significant success. The movement has been systematically weakened, violence has drastically declined, and many LWE-affected districts are being reintegrated into the national mainstream. The government of India is committed to completely eliminate Naxalism by 31st March 2026, since Naxalism is seen as the biggest obstacle in the development of remote areas and tribal villages, as it prevents education, healthcare, connectivity, banking, and postal services from reaching these villages.

    The number of LWE affected districts reduced from 126 to 90 in April 2018, 70 in July 2021 and further to 38 in April-2024. Out of total Naxalism-affected districts, number of most affected districts has been reduced from 12 to 6, which include four districts from Chhattisgarh (Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, and Sukma), one from Jharkhand (West Singhbhum), and one from Maharashtra (Gadchiroli). Similarly, out of the total 38 affected districts, the number of Districts of Concern, where additional resources need to be intensively provided beyond the severely affected districts, has reduced from 9 to 6. These 6 districts are: Andhra Pradesh (Alluri Sitarama Raju), Madhya Pradesh (Balaghat), Odisha (Kalahandi, Kandhamal, and Malkangiri), and Telangana (Bhadradri-Kothagudem). Due to persistent action against Naxalism, number of Other LWE-affected Districts has also decreased from 17 to 6. These include districts from Chhattisgarh (Dantewada, Gariaband, and Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki), Jharkhand (Latehar), Odisha (Nuapada), and Telangana (Mulugu). In the last 10 years, over 8,000 Naxalites have abandoned the path of violence, and consequently, the number of Naxal-affected districts has reduced to fewer than 20.

    The most affected Districts and Districts of Concern are given financial assistance of Rs. 30 crore and Rs. 10 crore, respectively, by the Government of India under a special scheme, Special Central Assistance (SCA), to fill the gaps in public infrastructure. Apart from this, special projects are also provided for these districts as per the need.

    Incidents of violence by LWE which reached its highest level of 1936 in 2010 have reduced to 374 in 2024 i.e. a reduction of 81%. The total number of deaths (civilians + security forces) has also reduced by 85% during this period from 1005 deaths in 2010 to 150 in 2024.

    State-wise details of LWE perpetrated violence (number of deaths recorded) in the last 3 years are as given under:

    State

    2022

    2023

    2024

    Andhra Pradesh

    3

    3

    1

    Bihar

    11

    4

    2

    Chhattisgarh

    246

    305

    267

    Jharkhand

    96

    129

    69

    Kerala

    0

    4

    0

    Madhya Pradesh

    16

    7

    11

    Maharashtra

    16

    19

    10

    Odisha

    16

    12

    6

    Telangana

    9

    3

    8

    West Bengal

    0

    0

    0

    TOTAL

    413

    485

    374

    Government Strategy: National Policy and Action Plan (2015) and other Key Initiatives

    The government of India has adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards left-wing extremism and with 100% implementation of government schemes, it seeks to fully develop the LWE-affected areas. The government had laid down two rules of law to fight left wing extremism. First, to establish the rule of law in Naxalism-affected areas and completely stop illegal violent activities. Second, to quickly compensate for the loss in those areas which were deprived of development due to the long Naxalite movement.

    To address the LWE menace holistically, a National Policy and Action Plan to address LWE was approved in 2015. It envisages a multi-pronged strategy involving security related measures, development interventions, ensuring rights and entitlements of local communities etc.

    The Central Government closely monitors the situation and supplements and coordinates their efforts in several ways. These include providing the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs); sanction of India Reserve (IR) battalions, setting up of Counter Insurgency and Anti-Terrorism (CIAT) schools; modernisation and upgradation of the State Police and their Intelligence apparatus; reimbursement of security related expenditure under the Security-related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme; providing helicopters for anti-LWE operations, assistance in training of State Police through the Ministry of Defence, the Central Police Organisations and the Bureau of Police Research and Development; sharing of Intelligence; facilitating inter-State coordination; assistance in community policing and civic action programmes etc. On development side, apart from flagship schemes, Government of India has taken several specific initiatives in LWE affected States, with special thrust on expansion of road network, improving telecommunication connectivity, skilling and financial inclusion.

    • Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme: This Scheme is being implemented as a sub-scheme of the umbrella scheme ‘Modernization of Police Forces’. Under the SRE Scheme, the Central Government reimburses security related expenditure for LWE affected districts and districts earmarked for monitoring. The reimbursement includes the expenditure relating to training and operational needs of security forces, ex-gratia payment to the family of civilians/security forces killed/injured in LWE violence, rehabilitation of surrendered LWE cadres, community policing, village defence committees and publicity materials. The SRE Scheme aims at strengthening of the capacity of the LWE affected States to fight the LWE menace effectively. During 2014-15 to 2024-25, Rs. 3260.37 crore has been released under this Scheme.
    • Special Central Assistance (SCA) for most LWE affected districts: This Scheme was approved in 2017 and is being implemented as a sub-scheme of the umbrella scheme ‘Modernization of Police Forces’. The main objective of the Scheme is to fill the critical gaps in Public Infrastructure and Services in most LWE affected districts, which are of emergent nature. Till now, Rs 3,563 crore have been released since the inception of Scheme in 2017.
    • Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS): This Scheme is being implemented as a sub-scheme of the umbrella scheme ‘Modernization of Police Forces’. Under Special Infrastructure Scheme, funds are provided for strengthening of State Intelligence Branches (SIBs), Special Forces, District Polices and Fortified Police Stations (FPSs). Under the SIS, Rs. 1741 crore have been sanctioned. 221 Fortified Police Stations have been constructed under the Scheme.
    • Scheme of Fortified Police stations: Under the scheme 400 Fortified Police Stations have been constructed in 10 LWE affected States. Put together 612 Fortified Police Stations have been constructed in LWE affected areas in the last 10 years. This is in contrast to 2014, when there were only 66 fortified police stations.
    • Assistance to Central Agencies for LWE management Scheme: This Scheme is being implemented as a sub-scheme of the umbrella scheme ‘Modernization of Police Forces’. Under the Scheme, assistance is provided to Central Agencies (CAPFs/IAF etc.) for strengthening of infrastructure and hiring charges for Helicopters. Rs. 1120.32 crore have been given to Central Agencies during the period 2014-15 to 2024-25.
    • Civic Action Programme (CAP): This Scheme is being implemented as a sub-scheme of the umbrella scheme ‘Modernization of Police Forces’ to bridge the gaps between Security Forces and local people through personal interaction and bring the human face of SFs before the local population. The Scheme has been very successful in achieving its goal. Under the Scheme, funds are released to the CAPFs, deployed in LWE affected areas, for conducting various civic activities for the welfare of the local people. Rs. 196.23 crore has been released to CAPFs since 2014-15.
    • Media Plan: The Maoists have been misguiding and luring the innocent tribals/ local population in LWE affected areas by their so-called poor-friendly revolution through petty incentives or by following their coercive strategy. Their false propaganda is targeted against the security forces and the democratic setup. Therefore, the Government is implementing this Scheme in LWE affected areas. Under the scheme activities like Tribal Youth Exchange programmes, radio jingles, documentaries, pamphlets etc. are being conducted. Rs. 52.52 crore have been released under the scheme since 2017-18.
    • Road Requirement Plan-I (RRP-I) for LWE affected areas and Road Connectivity Project for LWE affected areas (RCPLWE): The RRP-I Scheme is being implemented by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways for improving road connectivity in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. The RCPLWE scheme was launched in the year 2016 to improve the road connectivity in 44 worst affected LWE districts and some adjoining districts in 9 States, viz. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. The scheme has twin objectives of enabling smooth and seamless anti-LWE operations by the security forces and also ensuring socio-economic development of the area. 17,589 km of roads have been sanctioned under these two schemes. Of these, 14,618 km have been constructed.
    • Telecom Connectivity: 3 telecom projects, namely, Mobile Connectivity Project Phase-I & Phase-II, Provision of 4G mobile services in uncovered villages of Aspirational Districts and Saturation of 4G mobile services, are being implemented in LWE affected areas to improve telecom connectivity. A total of 10,505 mobile towers have been planned, of which 7,768 towers have been commissioned. The entire Naxal-affected region will be equipped with mobile connectivity by December 1, 2025.
    • Aspirational District: The Ministry of Home Affairs has been tasked with the monitoring of Aspirational districts programme in 35 LWE affected districts.
    • Financial Inclusion: For financial inclusion of the local populace in these areas, 1,007 bank branches and 937 ATMs in 30 Most LWE affected districts and 5,731 new post offices have been opened in LWE affected districts since April 2015. 37,850 Banking Correspondents (BCs) have been made operational in Most LWE affected districts.
    • Skill Development and Education: For Skill development 48 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and 61 Skill Development Centres (SDCs) have been made functional in LWE affected districts.  For quality education in tribal blocks of LWE affected districts 178 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) have been made functional in LWE affected districts. The Skill Development Scheme reached all 48 districts, and a strong vertical of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was created. 1,143 tribal youths were recruited into the security forces.

    Since 2019, to fill the security vacuum, 280 new camps have been established, 15 new Joint Task Forces have been created, and 6 CRPF battalions have been deployed to assist state police in various states. Along with this, an offensive strategy has been adopted by activating the National Investigation Agency to choke the financing of Naxalites, which has resulted in a shortage of financial resources for them. Multiple long-duration operations were conducted, ensuring that the Naxalites are surrounded, leaving them with no opportunity to escape.

    October 2, 2024, PM Narendra Modi launched the ‘Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan’ from Jharkhand. This campaign will be a milestone in providing personal amenities for achieving full saturation in rural areas in over 15,000 villages, benefiting nearly 1.5 crore people in LWE affected areas. The government is strengthening 3-C i.e., Road connectivity, Mobile connectivity and Financial connectivity in the LWE affected areas.

    Success Stories

    As part of zero-tolerance policy against Naxalism, 90 Naxals have been killed, 104 arrested, and 164 have surrendered in the year, by March 2025. In 2024, 290 Naxalites were neutralized, 1,090 were arrested, and 881 surrendered.

    Recently on 30th March 2025, 50 Naxalites in Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) surrendered. On 29th March 2025, our security agencies neutralised 16 Naxalites and recovered a massive cache of automatic weapons in an operation in Sukma (Chhattisgarh). On 20th March 2025, in two different operations by our security forces in Bijapur and Kanker, Chhattisgarh, 22 Naxals were killed, achieving another major success in the ‘Naxalmukt Bharat Abhiyan’.

    As per the information shared by the honourable Home Minister, for the first time in 30 years, the number of casualties due to LWE was below 100 in 2022, which is a significant achievement. From 2014 to 2024, there has been a substantial decline in Naxal-related incidents. 15 top Naxal leaders have been neutralized, and the government welfare schemes have been better implemented to reach to the last man in the queue. Areas like Buddha Pahad and Chakarbandha have been completely free from the grip of Naxalism. 85% of the LWE cadre strength in Chhattisgarh has been eliminated. Since January 2024, a total of 237 Naxalites have been killed, 812 arrested, and 723 have surrendered in Chhattisgarh. More than 13,000 people from the Northeast, Kashmir, and LWE affected areas have renounced violence and joined the mainstream.

    In 2014, there were 330 police stations where Naxal incidents occurred, but now this number has reduced to 104. Earlier Naxal-affected area was spread in more than 18,000 square kilometers, now only span 4,200 square kilometers. Between 2004 and 2014, there were a total of 16,463 incidents of Naxal violence. However, during 2014 to 2024, the number of violent incidents decreased by 53%, dropping to 7,744. Similarly, the number of causalities of security forces decreased by 73%, from 1,851 to 509. By 2014, there were a total of 66 fortified police stations, but over the past 10 years, their number has increased to 612. In the past 5 years, a total of 302 new security camps and 68 night landing helipads have been established.

    To financially choke the Naxalites and break their financial backbone, National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Enforcement Directorate were used, seizing several crores of rupees from Naxalites. Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), cases were filed, and those who funded the Naxalites were sent behind bars. To bring development to Naxal-affected areas, the budget allocation for these regions was increased by 300%.

    In December 2023, within a single year, 380 Naxalites were killed, 1,194 were arrested, and 1,045 surrendered.

    Conclusion

    India’s multi-pronged strategy against Left Wing Extremism has significantly weakened the insurgency, both territorially and operationally. The government’s focus on a blend of security, development, and rights-based empowerment has transformed the landscape in previously affected areas. With sustained political will, administrative commitment, and people’s participation, the vision of a LWE-free India is closer than ever.

    References

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2062905

    https://www.mha.gov.in/en/divisionofmha/left-wing-extremism-division

    https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/2025-01/QuestionFaqEng_16012025.pdf

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2042128

    https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/183/AU3524_Vx5iCE.pdf?source=pqals

    https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/182/AU2378_awyJFP.pdf?source=pqals

    https://www.narendramodi.in/our-prime-role-is-to-ensure-good-governance-harness-aspirations-of-those-who-have-reposed-faith-in-us-pm-540680

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2112250

    https://sansad.in/getFile/annex/267/AU2951_bVSJLP.pdf?source=pqars

    https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/184/AU3989_Tr9MsC.pdf?source=pqals

    https://x.com/amitshah/status/1909881269950853260?s=48&t=TYQpZk9GYbxE_Un686FYnA
    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2117140

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2113303

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2113902

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2042680

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2101652

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2116756

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2116853

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILUCYOQpDTc

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2115170 

    See in PDF

    ***

    Santosh Kumar | Sarla Meena | Rishita Aggarwal

    (Release ID: 2120771) Visitor Counter : 74

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Unfair competition from Chinese pushchair manufacturers – need for EU action to protect the internal market – E-002790/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    Pushchairs, whether imported or manufactured in the EU, are not subject to origin marking. The Union Customs Code (UCC) establishes that imported products originate in the country where they underwent their last substantial, economically justified transformation[1].

    Usually, simple assembly does not confer origin. Were the Commission to propose a label certifying EU origin, it could take into consideration the origin criteria set out in the UCC.

    The EU has several trade defence instruments, such as anti-dumping or anti-subsidy duties, to protect European production against unfair international trade.

    EU industry can contact the complaints office of the Directorate-General for Trade for advice[2]. The increase of the EU customs duties for pushchairs may not be the appropriate policy tool, especially since the maximum bound rates authorised for the EU under its World Trade Organisation commitments for pushchairs correspond to the applied most favoured nation rates.

    On 17 May 2023 the Commission proposed a comprehensive Customs Reform package[3] to strengthen EU customs’ capacity to monitor the import of goods from third countries .

    This includes the creation of a new EU Customs Authority and an EU Customs Data Hub, which will centralise data to improve , amongst others, targeting of unsafe products.

    The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)[4] introduces a digital product passport to store sustainability information on products, accessible electronically, helping economic actors take informed decisions and proving regulatory compliance.

    The first ESPR working plan, p rioritising products, will be adopted in April 2025, but pushchairs are not prioritised[5].

    • [1] Article 60(2) of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 October 2013 laying down the Union Customs Code.
    • [2] https://trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to-markets/en/glossary/single-entry-point
    • [3] Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Union Customs Code and the European Union Customs Authority, and repealing Regulation (EU) No 952/2013, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52023PC0258
    • [4] Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for sustainable products, amending Directive (EU) 2020/1828 and Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 and repealing Directive 2009/125/EC, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj/eng
    • [5] Based on the Joint Research Centre’s preparatory work, Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation: Study on new product priorities, https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC138903

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: MEDIA ADVISORY: Sanders to Join Domestic Care Workers from Across the Country for a Town Hall

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
    WASHINGTON, April 10 – As the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress plan massive cuts to Medicaid, which supports home care for millions of seniors and Americans with disabilities, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today announced he would join hundreds of care workers, domestic workers, family caregivers, and people with disabilities for a Care Workers Town Hall on Friday.
    Details
    What: Care Can’t Wait Town Hall with Sen. Bernie Sanders and the National Domestic Workers Alliance 
    When: Friday, April 11, 10:00 a.m. ET
    Where: Location available upon RSVP. The town hall will also be livestreamed on Sanders’ social media. 
    Press RSVP: Press interested in attending should RSVP with press@sanders.senate.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Prominent Educator Nathan C. Newbold to be Featured on N.C. Highway Historical Marker

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Prominent Educator Nathan C. Newbold to be Featured on N.C. Highway Historical Marker

    Prominent Educator Nathan C. Newbold to be Featured on N.C. Highway Historical Marker
    jejohnson6

    A prominent education leader who worked with African American students soon will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker.

    The marker commemorating Nathan C. Newbold will be dedicated during a ceremony Friday, April 25, at 1 p.m., at the corner of Hillsborough Street and West Park Drive in Raleigh.

    Newbold, an educator, public servant, reformer, and longtime director of the Division of Negro Education in North Carolina was born in Pasquotank County, near Elizabeth City, on Dec. 27, 1871. He enrolled at Trinity College (later renamed Duke University) in 1894. He began his public service as a teacher and principal in eastern North Carolina and served as superintendent of schools in Asheboro, Roxboro, and Washington County.

    In 1913, Newbold moved to Raleigh and became the state’s first state agent for Negro Education where he sought to expand educational opportunities for Black students. He convinced the state legislature and local governments to allocate matching funds to build rural schools.

    Newbold’s enthusiasm for education led him to contact Julius Rosenwald and arrange for funding for a school to be built in Chowan County. This was one of the first Rosenwald Schools to be built outside of the Tuskegee area in Alabama. Over the years, Newbold and his team secured funding for over 843 Rosenwald Schools in North Carolina, more than any other state.

    In 1920, following a state educational survey, he outlined to the State Board of Education a plan to create an entire Division of Negro Education. The plan was approved, $15,000 in funding was appropriated by the General Assembly, and Newbold was named division director in 1921. He retired from that position in 1950, 29 years later.

    Newbold was a founding member of the North Carolina Commission for Interracial Cooperation and served as the director of the Division of Cooperation in Education and Race Relations, a project sponsored by the State Department of Public Education, Duke University, and the University of North Carolina.

    He died at his home in Raleigh on Dec. 23, 1957, at the age of 85, after having given a full life to work across race and religious lines.

    The marker describes Newbold as a “White advocate for Black opportunities within the system of segregation.” For more information about the historical marker, please visit https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/06/27/nathan-newbold-1871-1957-h-127, or call (919) 814-6625.

    The Highway Historical Marker Program is a collaboration between the N.C. departments of Natural and Cultural Resources and Transportation.

    About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
    The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

    The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
    Apr 10, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Admits Fraudulently Obtaining Student Visa, Other Documents

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

    T. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted fraudulently obtaining a student visa and admission to the University of Missouri and admitted using the visa to obtain a Social Security card, a driver license, a bank account and an apartment.

    Mercy Ojedeji, 24, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of unlawful use of fraudulent immigration documents and one count of wire fraud.

    Ojedeji admitted using counterfeit academic transcripts, recommendations, a resume and a report about his English language proficiency to obtain a student visa from the University of Missouri and admission to the chemistry PhD program in the fall of 2023. Ojedeji also obtained a stipend and a tuition waiver worth more than $49,000. Ojedeji presented his student visa and other documents to the Social Security Administration to obtain a Social Security card and used the fraudulently-issued Social Security number and other documents to open a bank account. He also used the Social Security number and documents produced by his paramour to rent an apartment. After Ojedeji failed to attend classes, his assistantship or join a research group, the university terminated him from the graduate program in January 2024. This also resulted in the termination of his student visa. On Feb. 26, 2024, Ojedeji used his fraudulently-obtained and now invalid visa and other documents to obtain a Missouri driver license.

    The investigation into Ojedeji began when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service received complaints that romance fraud victims were mailing packages containing cash and gift cards to the home of Ojedeji’s paramour. Between Dec. 19, 2023, and Jan. 4, 2024, 35 Express Mail packages that had been tracked by Nigerian internet protocol addresses were delivered to the paramour’s address. A court-approved search of the home resulted in the discovery of packages sent pursuant to a Nigerian romance fraud scheme. A total of 193 packages were sent to the home through the Postal Services Express Mail, Federal Express, and United Parcel Service during Ojedeji’s relationship with the woman. At sentencing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will argue that the total intended loss is more than $1 million, based on the $94,150 contained in the 17 packages seized by law enforcement. Ojedeji continues to deny any involvement in romance fraud.

    A judge will ultimately determine the loss amount at Ojedeji’s sentencing hearing, scheduled for July 10. Wire fraud carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The immigration charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the same fine.

    “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to defending the nation’s mail system from criminal activity, preserving the integrity of the U.S. Mail, and protecting United States Postal Service employees. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service values our law enforcement partners for supporting our mission to protect the integrity of the U.S. Mail,” said Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.

    The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, with the assistance of the FBI and the Town and Country Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: UT Permian Basin Student Chapter Organizes Lunch & Learn Sessions and Facility Tours

    Source: International Association of Drilling Contractors – IADC

    Headline: UT Permian Basin Student Chapter Organizes Lunch & Learn Sessions and Facility Tours

    The IADC University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) Student Chapter has recently organized a series of Lunch & Learn sessions and attended various facility tours. 

    Over the last month or so, the students have participated in the following Lunch & Learn sessions:

    • The Wireline Group brought a wireline truck to the UTPB campus and taught the engineering students more about perforating operations, logging, and modern surveying methods.
    • Welltec presented their cutting-edge technology and innovative downhole tools, teaching students about advanced solutions designed to tackle the toughest downhole challenges.
    • Scott Gordon, on behalf of the IADC Student Chapter Program, talked to the students about the drilling industry, with a focus on drilling contracts between the operator and the drilling contractor.
    • BP Pump & Supply, Inc. taught the students more about artificial lift. The main topic covered was rod pump design, which is crucial to maximize production efficiency.
    • The DarkVision team introduced the students to their work in acoustic imaging technology, specializing in downhole inspections to improve the integrity and performance of wells.

    In addition to the Lunch & Learn sessions, students also visited facilities. They took a shop tour at Stage 3 Separation, providing them with a firsthand look into technology for solid control equipment. They also visited Jacam Catalyst and received an insightful lab tour, where they got an inside look at the equipment and testing processes used for different types of lab testing.

    Excellent work to the IADC UTPB Student Chapter for arranging these events, and many thanks to the companies and individuals providing these invaluable opportunities!

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Drug pollution in water is making salmon take more risks – new research

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jack Brand, Researcher in Behavioural and Movement Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

    An Atlantic salmon smolt, ready for its seaward migration. Jörgen Wiklund

    “Out of sight, out of mind” is how we often treat what is flushed down our toilets. But the drugs we take, from anxiety medications to antibiotics, don’t simply vanish after leaving our bodies. Many are not fully removed by wastewater treatment systems and end up in rivers, lakes and streams, where they can linger and affect wildlife in unexpected ways.

    In our new study, we investigated how a sedative called clobazam, commonly prescribed for sleep and anxiety disorders, influences the migration of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from the River Dal in central Sweden to the Baltic Sea.

    Our findings suggest that even tiny traces of drugs in the environment can alter animal behaviour in ways that may shape their survival and success in the wild.

    A recent global survey of the world’s rivers found drugs were contaminating waterways on every continent – even Antarctica. These substances enter aquatic ecosystems not only through our everyday use, as active compounds pass through our bodies and into sewage systems, but also due to improper disposal and industrial effluents.

    To date, almost 1,000 different active pharmaceutical substances have been detected in environments worldwide.

    Particularly worrying is the fact that the biological targets of many of these drugs, such as receptors in the human brain, are also present in a wide variety of other species. That means animals in the wild can also be affected.

    In fact, research over the last several decades has demonstrated that pharmaceutical pollutants can disrupt a wide range of traits in animals, including their physiology, development and reproduction.

    Pharmaceutical pollution in the wild

    The behavioural effects of pharmaceutical pollutants have received relatively less attention, but laboratory studies show that a variety of these contaminants can change brain function and behaviour in fish and other animals. This is a major cause for concern, given that actions critical to survival, including avoiding predators, foraging for food and social interaction, can all be disrupted.

    Lab-based research has provided useful insights, but experimental conditions rarely reflect the complexity of nature. Environments are dynamic and difficult to predict, and animals often behave differently than they do in controlled settings. That’s why we set out to test the effects of pharmaceutical exposure in the wild.

    As part of a large field study in central Sweden, we attached implants that slowly released clobazam (a common pharmaceutical pollutant) and also miniature tracking transmitters to juvenile Atlantic salmon on their seaward migration through the Dal.

    The Dal is a large river in central Sweden that flows into the Baltic Sea.
    Michael Bertram

    We found that clobazam increased the success of this river-to-sea migration, as more clobazam-treated salmon reached the Baltic Sea compared with untreated fish. These clobazam-exposed salmon also took less time to pass through two major hydropower dams that often delay or block salmon migration.

    To better understand these changes, we followed up with a laboratory experiment which revealed that clobazam also altered how fish group and move together – what scientists call shoaling behaviour – when faced with a predator.

    This suggests that the migration changes observed in the wild may stem from drug-induced shifts in social dynamics and risk-taking behaviour.

    What does this mean for wildlife?

    Our study is among the first to show that pharmaceutical pollution can affect not just behaviour in the lab, but outcomes for animals in their natural environment.

    While an increase in migration success might initially sound like a positive effect, any disruption to natural behaviour can have ripple effects across ecosystems.

    Even seemingly beneficial changes to animal behaviour, like faster passage through barriers, can come at a cost. Changes to the timing of migrations, for instance, might lead fish to arrive at the sea when conditions are not ideal, or expose them to new predators and risks. Over time, these subtle shifts could influence the dynamics of entire populations and threaten the balance of ecosystems.

    Pharmaceuticals are vital for keeping people and animals healthy. But the accumulation of these drugs in rivers and lakes demands smarter approaches to keeping waterways clean.

    One part of the solution is upgrading wastewater treatment plants. Some advanced methods such as ozonation, which involves bubbling ozone gas through wastewater to break down pollutants, can be effective at removing pharmaceuticals. But such advanced treatment systems are often prohibitively expensive to install and out of reach for many regions.

    Another promising avenue is green chemistry: designing drugs that break down more easily in the environment or become less toxic after use. Our team has recently highlighted this as a key step toward reducing pharmaceutical pollution in the environment.

    Stronger regulations and better drug disposal practices can also help to prevent medications from ending up in waterways in the first place.

    There’s no single fix, but by advancing and integrating science, technology and policy, we can help to protect wildlife from the unintended effects of pharmaceutical pollution.

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

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Jack Brand receives funding from the Swedish Research Council Formas and the Carl Trygger Foundation.

    Michael Bertram receives funding from the Swedish Research Council Formas, the Kempe Foundations, the Marie-Claire Cronstedt Foundation, the ÅForsk Foundation, and the Baltic Salmon Foundation.

    – ref. Drug pollution in water is making salmon take more risks – new research – https://theconversation.com/drug-pollution-in-water-is-making-salmon-take-more-risks-new-research-254312

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cancer hijacks your brain and steals your motivation − new research in mice reveals how, offering potential avenues for treatment

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Adam Kepecs, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis

    Many patients with late-stage cancer slip into a profound apathy as the disease ravages their bodies − and brains. demaerre/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    A cruel consequence of advanced cancer is the profound apathy many patients experience as they lose interest in once-cherished activities. This symptom is part of a syndrome called cachexia, which affects about 80% of late-stage cancer patients, leading to severe muscle wasting and weight loss that leave patients bone thin despite adequate nutrition.

    This loss of motivation doesn’t just deepen patients’ suffering, it isolates them from family and friends. Because patients struggle to engage with demanding therapies that require effort and persistence, it also strains families and complicates treatment.

    Doctors typically assume that when late-stage cancer patients withdraw from life, it is an inevitable psychological response to physical deterioration. But what if apathy isn’t just a byproduct of physical decline but an integral part of the disease itself?

    In our newly published research, my colleagues and I have discovered something remarkable: Cancer doesn’t simply waste the body – it hijacks a specific brain circuit that controls motivation. Our findings, published in the journal Science, challenge decades of assumptions and suggest it might be possible to restore what many cancer patients describe as most devastating to lose – their will to engage with life.

    Untangling fatigue from physical decline

    To unravel the puzzle of apathy in cancer cachexia, we needed to trace the exact path inflammation takes in the body and peer inside a living brain while the disease is progressing – something impossible in people. However, neuroscientists have advanced technologies that make this possible in mice.

    Modern neuroscience equips us with a powerful arsenal of tools to probe how disease changes brain activity in mice. Scientists can map entire brains at the cellular level, track neural activity during behavior, and precisely switch neurons on or off. We used these neuroscience tools in a mouse model of cancer cachexia to study the effects of the disease on the brain and motivation.

    We identified a small brain region called the area postrema that acts as the brain’s inflammation detector. As a tumor grows, it releases cytokines − molecules that trigger inflammation − into the bloodstream. The area postrema lacks the typical blood-brain barrier that keeps out toxins, pathogens and other molecules from the body, allowing it to directly sample circulating inflammatory signals.

    When the area postrema detects a rise in inflammatory molecules, it triggers a neural cascade across multiple brain regions, ultimately suppressing dopamine release in the brain’s motivation center − the nucleus accumbens. While commonly misconstrued as a “pleasure chemical,” dopamine is actually associated with drive, or the willingness to put in effort to gain rewards: It tips the internal cost-benefit scale toward action.

    Researchers measured effort through two tests.
    Reprinted with permission from XA Zu et al., Science 388:eadm8857 (2025)

    We directly observed this shift using two quantitative tests designed with behavioral economics principles to measure effort. In the first, mice repeatedly poked their noses into a food port, with progressively more pokes required to earn each food pellet. In the second task, mice repeatedly crossed a bridge between two water ports, each gradually depleting with use and forcing the mice to switch sides to replenish the supply, similar to picking berries until a bush is empty.

    As cancer progressed, mice still pursued easy rewards but quickly abandoned tasks requiring greater effort. Meanwhile, we watched dopamine levels fall in real time, precisely mirroring the mice’s decreasing willingness to work for rewards.

    Our findings suggest that cancer isn’t just generally “wearing out” the brain − it sends targeted inflammatory signals that the brain detects. The brain then responds by rapidly reducing dopamine levels to dial down motivation. This matches what patients describe: “Everything feels too hard.”

    Restoring motivation in late-stage disease

    Perhaps most exciting, we found several ways to restore motivation in mice suffering from cancer cachexia − even when the cancer itself continued progressing.

    First, by genetically switching off the inflammation-sensing neurons in the area postrema, or by directly stimulating neurons to release dopamine, we were able to restore normal motivation in mice.

    Second, we found that giving mice a drug that blocks a particular cytokine − working similarly to existing FDA-approved arthritis treatments − also proved effective. While the drug did not reverse physical wasting, it restored the mice’s willingness to work for rewards.

    While these results are based on mouse models, they suggest a treatment possibility for people: Targeting this specific inflammation-dopamine circuit could improve quality of life for cancer patients, even when the disease remains incurable.

    The boundary between physical and psychological symptoms is an artificially drawn line. Cancer ignores this division, using inflammation to commandeer the very circuits that drive a patient’s will to act. But our findings suggest these messages can be intercepted and the circuits restored.

    Cancer treatment can demand tremendous effort from patients.
    FG Trade/E+ via Getty Images

    Rethinking apathy in disease

    Our discovery has implications far beyond cancer. The inflammatory molecule driving loss of motivation in cancer is also involved in numerous other conditions − from autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis to chronic infections and depression. This same brain circuit might explain the debilitating apathy that millions of people suffering from various chronic diseases experience.

    Apathy triggered by inflammation may have originally evolved as a protective mechanism. When early humans faced acute infections, dialing down motivation made sense − it conserved energy and directed resources toward recovery. But what once helped people survive short-term illnesses turns harmful when inflammation persists chronically, as it does in cancer and other diseases. Rather than aiding survival, prolonged apathy deepens suffering, worsening health outcomes and quality of life.

    While translating these findings into therapies for people requires more research, our discovery reveals a promising target for treatment. By intercepting inflammatory signals or modulating brain circuits, researchers may be able to restore a patient’s drive. For patients and families watching motivation slip away, that possibility offers something powerful: hope that even as disease progresses, the essence of who we are might be reclaimed.

    Adam Kepecs receives funding from the National Institutes of Health.

    – ref. Cancer hijacks your brain and steals your motivation − new research in mice reveals how, offering potential avenues for treatment – https://theconversation.com/cancer-hijacks-your-brain-and-steals-your-motivation-new-research-in-mice-reveals-how-offering-potential-avenues-for-treatment-254043

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Ministry of Ayush Brings Together Global Homoeopathy Fraternity on World Homoeopathy Day 2025 in a mega convention at Gandhinagar

    Source: Government of India

    Ministry of Ayush Brings Together Global Homoeopathy Fraternity on World Homoeopathy Day 2025 in a mega convention at Gandhinagar

    On this World Homoeopathy Day, we reaffirm our commitment to expanding its scope through research, education and public outreach: Ayush Minister, Shri Prataprao Jadhav

    Convention Souvenir, 8 Books, E-Portals of CCRH Library & Homoeopathy Archives, and a Documentary Film on Drug Proving Released

    Posted On: 10 APR 2025 6:49PM by PIB Delhi

    The Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, celebrated World Homoeopathy Day 2025 with great fervour at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The two-day event was organised by the Ministry through its apex research and academic institutions—Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH), and National Institute of Homoeopathy (NIH)—bringing together leading global voices in Homoeopathy to commemorate the 270th birth anniversary of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of Homoeopathy.

    The grand celebration underscored the theme ‘Education, Practice and Research in Homoeopathy’, and witnessed participation of over 8,000 delegates from across India and abroad, including academicians, clinicians, researchers, students, and industry professionals. The event featured panel discussions, exhibitions, scientific paper presentations, and deliberations on advancing Homoeopathy as an integral component of global and national healthcare systems.

    The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendra Patel, inaugurated the event in the presence of Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Ayush and Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav. The event was also graced by Shri Rushikesh Patel, Health Minister, Government of Gujarat; Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush; and other senior officials.

    Shri Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Ayush, highlighted India’s leadership in global traditional medicine systems. He said, “Homoeopathy is not merely an alternative—it is a science rooted in compassion and evidence. On this World Homoeopathy Day, we reaffirm our commitment to expanding its scope through research, education and public outreach.” He also emphasized CCRH’s vital role in standardizing homoeopathic medicines and preserving botanical knowledge, noting the Council’s work in pharmacognosy, physicochemical studies, and the digitization of 17,000 herbarium sheets.

    In his inaugural address, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendra Patel applauded the Ministry of Ayush for selecting Gujarat as the host state for this historic event. He emphasized Homoeopathy’s growing relevance in modern healthcare and lauded the Ministry’s efforts to integrate Homoeopathy into public health services and national health programmes. He remarked that “This scientific and evidence-based therapy has the potential to transform public health outcomes. Gujarat is proud to contribute to this movement, especially as it is home to WHO’s Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar.”

    Delivering the keynote address, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, stated that “This occasion is a tribute to Dr. Hahnemann’s visionary system of healing. With the global demand for evidence-based, integrative, and patient-centric healthcare on the rise, Homoeopathy stands well-positioned to serve future generations. The Ministry of Ayush remains committed to furthering its impact through robust research, education, and policy.”

    During the inaugural ceremony, the dignitaries released a Convention Souvenir, eight new publications, e-portals of the CCRH Library and Homoeopathy Archives, and a documentary film on drug proving, showcasing the remarkable research and documentation work undertaken in the field.

    The symposium also featured the largest-ever exhibition of the Homoeopathy industry, bridging academia and enterprise, and hosted a first-of-its-kind national-level competition to foster innovation among students and practitioners.

    ****

    MV/AKS

    (Release ID: 2120741) Visitor Counter : 74

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Locals From Three Locations Open Contract Talks With United Launch Alliance

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    This week, the negotiation committee representing over 600 IAM Union members working at three separate United Launch Alliance (ULA) sites opened negotiations in Huntsville, Ala.

    United Launch Alliance engineers, manufactures, launches, and supports various space exploration vehicles, including the current Atlas and Delta rockets. Since 2006, IAM Union members have helped successfully launch over 150 missions.

    “This negotiation team has been preparing for this negotiation since last year, and the entire IAM is behind our members at ULA,” said IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Craig Martin. “From all the departments at Headquarters to the resources at the William W. Winpisinger Education Center for bargaining preparation class, the mission is clear – bring home a fair and equitable contract.”

    Since 2008, Local 44 (District 75) in Decatur, Ala., Local 610 (District 166) in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and Local 2786 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., have operated under a single agreement as a strategic benefit between the three facilities.

    A single agreement provides the IAM membership the advantage of strengthened bargaining power at the table.

    “Our members are the foundation of the aerospace and defense industries, and there’s no question they are the best in the business,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Robert “Bobby” Martinez. “Their skill, dedication, and commitment to excellence drive innovation and ensure the safety and security of our nation. We will fight for a respectable agreement that aligns with the caliber of their craft.”

    This week also saw the completion of critical certifications for ULA to remain competitive, further solidifying the commitment by IAM Members to ensure that ULA remains a substantial, formidable space and defense company in the future.

    “Our members at ULA are not looking for takeaways; they have committed to securing the company’s future success and only ask for an agreement commensurate to that success,” said IAM Aerospace Coordinator Bobby Barnwell. “This committee will ensure that all three locations have an agreement we can take back to the membership to vote on.”

    Today’s IAM membership is looking for much of the same as in 2022 when the negotiating team secured wage increases, health care plan improvements, 401(k) gains, strengthened progression rates, and more.

    This time around, however, more focus will be on these top priorities:

    • Wage improvements that remain in line with inflation and the cost of living.
    • Improve the progression rates or the time it takes to achieve top-of-pay.
    • Maintain current benefits without increases.
    • Work-life balance improvements in terms of vacation, earned time off, etc.

    “The IAM stands firm in its commitment to securing fair wages, benefits, and job security for our members,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant. “Together, we will work to ensure that the hard work and dedication of the employees who contribute to the success of the ULA are recognized and rewarded.”

    The current agreement will expire at midnight on May 1, 2025. The committee will determine the timing for bringing any tentative agreement to the membership for a vote at a later date.

    Image Gallery

    Share and Follow:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Teacher Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MINNEAPOLIS – Former high school teacher Daniel Janke of Mankato, Minnesota, has been sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. Janke was also ordered to pay $18,000 in special assessments that benefit minors directly impacted by these types of offenses.

    According to court documents, Daniel John Janke, 54, knowingly obtained and distributed images and videos depicting the graphic sexual exploitation of children. During an investigation of a specific chatroom on Kik, a social media application, an undercover (UC) law enforcement agent encountered the defendant using the pseudonym “Jack Frost.” Between October 23, 2023, and November 1, 2023, they exchanged multiple messages and Janke sent multiple CSAM images and a video to the UC agent. A subsequent forensic examination Janke’s electronic devices and Kik account confirmed that he collected and distributed sexually explicit images of pubescent and pre-pubescent minor victims.

    “It’s hard to imagine someone working with children and then making the choice to exploit them on the internet,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “Teachers, coaches, daycare workers—it doesn’t matter who you are—my office will continue to prosecute predators in positions of trust to the fullest extent of the law.”

    “This case is a stark reminder that child predators continue to operate in digital spaces, using technology to exploit children and share that abuse with others,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “The FBI is committed to protecting our most vulnerable and will continue to work with our partners to bring predators to justice.”  

    On October 29, 2024, Janke pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material. Janke was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge John R. Tunheim. When pronouncing the sentence, Judge Tunheim specifically noted an aggravating aspect of the Janke matter was “the haunting reality that the distribution of CSAM material on the Internet means it lives on forever.”

    This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan L. Sing prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Unlocking AI’s global potential: New report shows progress and challenges

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Unlocking AI’s global potential: New report shows progress and challenges

    Stanford HAI Index highlights transformative developments in artificial intelligence that carry profound implications for societies worldwide—especially in regions across the Global South [1]. As we explore these insights, we recognize that AI is transforming industries, creating new opportunities, and driving economic growth. There are extraordinary opportunities that AI presents and a shared responsibility to ensure its benefits are accessible.

    A Steep Drop in Costs and Barriers

    One of the most remarkable shifts has been the dramatic reduction in the cost of AI model usage. The cost of querying an AI model that scores the equivalent of GPT-3.5 fell from $20 per million tokens in late 2022 to just $0.07 by late 2024. This more than 99% decrease is not merely a technical milestone—it’s a gateway to access. Innovators and entrepreneurs in low-resource regions can now harness powerful tools once restricted to the world’s largest companies, applying them to local challenges in healthcare, agriculture, education, and public service.

    Closing the Performance Gap

    The gap between open-weight and proprietary closed-weight models has also narrowed significantly. By 2024, open-weight models rival their commercial counterparts, fueling competition and innovation across the ecosystem. In parallel, the performance gap between the top frontier models has also compressed. Smaller models are achieving results once thought exclusive to massive-scale systems—Microsoft’s Phi-3-mini, for instance, delivers performance comparable to models 142 times larger, bringing powerful AI within reach of environments with constrained resources.

    Persistent Challenges: Reasoning and Data

    Yet challenges remain. Despite advances, AI systems still struggle with higher-order reasoning, such as arithmetic and strategic planning—capabilities that are essential in domains where reliability is critical. Continued research and responsible application are essential to overcome these limitations.

    Another emerging concern is the rapid reduction of publicly available data used to train AI models. As websites increasingly restrict data scraping, model performance and generalizability may suffer—especially in contexts where labeled datasets are already limited. This trend may necessitate new learning approaches tailored to data-constrained environments.

    Real-World Impact on Productivity and Workforce

    Perhaps the most exciting development is AI’s tangible impact on human productivity. Last year’s AI Index was among the first to highlight research showing that AI meaningfully improves productivity. This year, follow-up studies confirmed and expanded those findings—especially in real-world workplace environments.

    One such study tracked over 5,000 customer support agents using a generative AI assistant [2]. The tool increased productivity by 15%, with the most significant improvements seen among less experienced workers and skilled trade workers, who also boosted the quality of their work. Additionally, AI assistance helped employees learn on the job, improving English fluency among international agents, and even enhanced the work environment—customers were more polite and less likely to escalate issues when AI was involved.

    Complementing these findings, Microsoft’s internal research initiative on AI and productivity compiled results from over a dozen workplace studies, including the largest known randomized controlled trial of generative AI integration[3]. Tools like Microsoft Copilot are already enabling workers to complete tasks more efficiently across roles and industries. The research underscores that the impact of AI is greatest when tools are adopted and integrated strategically—and that the potential will only grow as organizations recalibrate workflows to take full advantage of these new capabilities.

    Expanding Access to Computer Science Education

    As AI becomes more integrated into daily life, computer science education is more essential than ever. Encouragingly, two-thirds of countries now offer or plan to offer K–12 CS education, a figure that has doubled since 2019. African and Latin American countries have made some of the most significant strides in expanding access. However, the benefits of this progress are not yet universal—many students across Africa still lack access to computer science education due to basic infrastructure gaps, including lack of electricity in schools. Closing this digital divide is essential to preparing the next generation to not only use AI, but to shape it.

    Our Shared Responsibility

    At Microsoft, we view this moment as a significant inflection point—one that calls for thoughtful action as much as innovation. The rapid progress in AI brings enormous potential to improve productivity, solve real-world challenges, and drive economic growth. But realizing that potential requires continued investment in robust infrastructure, high-quality education, and responsible deployment of AI technologies.

    To make the most of this moment, we need to support workers with learning new skills and tools to apply AI effectively in their jobs. Nations and businesses that invest in AI skilling will foster innovation and open doors to more people to build meaningful careers that contribute to a stronger economy. The goal is clear: to turn technical breakthroughs into practical impact at scale.

    [1] “AI Index | Stanford HAI.” Accessed: Apr. 05, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index

    [2] E. Brynjolfsson, D. Li, and L. Raymond, “Generative AI at Work*,” The Quarterly Journal of Economics, p. qjae044, Feb. 2025, doi: 10.1093/qje/qjae044.

    [3] S. Jaffe et al, “Generative AI in Real-World Workplaces,” Jul. 2024, Accessed: Apr. 05, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/generative-ai-in-real-world-workplaces/ 

    Tags: AI, AI economy, AI for Good

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Kehoe Announces Four Appointments to Various Boards and Commissions, Fills One County Vacancy

    Source: US State of Missouri

    APRIL 10, 2025

    Jefferson City — Today, Governor Mike Kehoe announced four appointments to various boards and commissions and filled one county vacancy.

    Joseph Barbaglia, of St. Louis, was reappointed to the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners.

    Mr. Barbaglia is the owner of Columbia Auto Parts and currently serves as secretary for the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners. He has been a member of the board since 2017. He is a dedicated member and volunteer with several community associations and civic organizations, including the Second District Police Business Association, St. Ambrose Athletic Association, Toys for Tots, and the Soap Box Derby.

    Cary Corley, of Lee’s Summit, was appointed to the Committee of Professional Counselors.

    Dr. Corley is the clinical director and owner of Corley Counseling, LLC. Licensed in both Missouri and Kansas, he has earned the National Certified Counselor credential, awarded by the National Board for Certified Counselors. In addition to his professional work, Corley is a member of the Election Committee for the Lakewood Homeowners Association and a ministry leader at Abundant Life Church in Lee’s Summit. Dr. Corley earned his Doctor of Counseling from Midwestern College, a Master of Arts in Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Alabama.

    Kelly Marriott, of Calhoun, was appointed as the Henry County Clerk.

    Ms. Marriott currently serves as the deputy county clerk and elections coordinator for Henry County, a position she has held for almost two decades. She is an active member of her community and has been a member of the Calhoun Colt Show Committee since 2015. Ms. Marriott is a graduate of Calhoun R-8 High School.

    Dudley McCarter, of St. Louis, was reappointed to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education.

    Mr. McCarter is a principal of Behr, McCarter, Neely & Gabris, P.C., specializing in civil and construction litigation. McCarter was first appointed to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education in 2019. A former president of both The Missouri Bar and the St. Louis County Bar Association, he has received several prestigious awards for his quality of work, leadership, and integrity, including the Spurgeon Smithson Award, the Purcell Professionalism Award, and Missouri Lawyers Media’s prestigious ICON award. McCarter served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1972 to 1980, earning the rank of captain before being honorably discharged. Mr. McCarter received his bachelor’s degree from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri School of Law.

    Andrew Schwartz, of St. Louis, was reappointed to the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners.

    Mr. Schwartz is the president of AJ Adhesives, Inc, and Mid-America Packaging. Schwartz first served on the St. Louis City Board of Elections from 2011 to 2016 and again in 2024. He is an active member of his community, serving as a voting member of the Forest Park Advisory Board, a local soccer, basketball and baseball coach, and an officer for the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Mr. Schwartz earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Southeast Missouri State University.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Leads Legislation to Support Cutting-Edge Research into Corn Genetics and Yields

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) introduced the Genome to Phenome Initiative Reauthorization Act, which would support continued agricultural research to expand knowledge of crop and animal genetics and phenomics. This includes critical research taking place at Iowa State University to increase crop yields while keeping costs low for Iowa farmers and producers.

    More specifically, this legislation reauthorizes the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Genome to Phenome Initiative (AG2PI) – which was included in the 2018 Farm Bill as a competitive grant program – at $40 million to fund research concerning genomes and phenomes of both crops and animals critical to American agriculture. Investing in this research will ensure that our producers can reach their full potential through more efficient and secure agricultural production. 

    “Last year, I invited House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson to Iowa to meet with our farmers, producers, and agricultural community. In addition to attending the Farm Progress Show in Boone to see the newest advancements in farm technology, we had the opportunity to learn more about research taking place at Iowa State University through the Genome to Phenome Initiative. In part, this initiative studies plant genetics – particularly corn – to determine how to increase yields and make crops more resilient,” said Rep. Feenstra. “Investments in agricultural research are critical to our farm economy and the long-term strength of Iowa agriculture. It’s why I introduced legislation to reauthorize the Genome to Phenome Initiative and ensure that this program receives funding to continue this cutting-edge research. Representing the second largest agricultural-producing congressional district in the nation, increasing yields, lowering input costs, and supporting our farmers are important priorities for agriculture and our rural communities.”

    “In Iowa, we continue to grow more with less and this progress is largely due to our ongoing efforts to enhance corn’s resilience against various environmental challenges through Genomes to Phenomes research,” said Stu Swanson, Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) President and farmer from Galt, Iowa. “Genomes to Phenomes funding plays an important role as we continue advancing corn research and production, ensuring it meets the needs of both farmers and consumers in an ever-changing world. ICGA appreciates Congressman Feenstra’s continued leadership on this important issue.”

    Sitting on the House Agriculture Subcommittee for Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology, promoting critical investment in agricultural research has been a priority for Feenstra. Recently, Feenstra helped introduce the Future Funding for Agricultural Research, Mentorship, and Education Reauthorization (Future FARMER) Act, which includes funding for the Food and Agricultural Sciences Education account in the Farm Bill, helping to promote several agricultural research and education priorities.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300-1350 at the National Gallery is a remarkable achievement

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Louise Bourdua, Professor of Art History, University of Warwick

    The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew by Duccio (1308-1311). National Gallery of Art, Washington

    I had been looking forward to the National Gallery’s exhibition Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300-1350 for several reasons.

    First, it was many years in the making. Its curator, Professor Emerita Joanna Cannon of the Courtauld Institute of Art, had been working on it for a decade or so. Duccio, one of the exhibition’s featured artists and one of the greatest Italian painters of the middle ages, had a major show in Siena in 2003. Another featured artist, Ambrogio Lorenzetti, had a smaller exhibition in the same city in 2017.

    Second, the National Gallery’s late medieval Italian paintings had not been seen for two years because of the refurbishment of the Sainsbury Wing. That is, except for a select few displayed in an excellent exhibition on Saint Francis of Assisi in 2023.

    Last, there was the publicity generated by the Metropolitan Museum’s iteration of this show – complete with a tantalising video tour by two of its curators.

    The National Gallery’s take on the most exciting 50 years of Siena’s artistic production makes the most of its ground floor gallery rooms, enabling conversations between objects and medium.

    The exhibition is a remarkable achievement: a pleasure for the eye and commendable for its ability to make medieval religious art accessible.

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

    Britain’s love affair with Sienese painting is well documented from the late 19th century at least. But this exhibition focuses on much more than the celebrated four painters – Duccio, Simone Martini and Ambrogio Lorenzetti and his brother Pietro.

    The wealth of Siena’s visual culture is represented with illuminated manuscripts; sculptures in marble, ivory, terracotta and walnut; reliquaries (containers for holy relics) and croziers (hooked staves) made from gold and enamel; and rugs and silks.

    Panels with protagonists painted in bright reds, blues, pinks and greens with tiny brushstrokes using pigments mixed with egg on gilded backgrounds abound. But there are also frescoes, detached from their original mural setting, yet able to tell the story of their making and meaning.

    Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Annunciation (1344) is defined only by lines brushed on wet plaster using a red pigment (sinoper). This was a common initial step to set the composition, over which another layer of plaster would be applied again with contours painted but now filled with colour.

    In another room, a beautifully modelled painted head of Jesus split into two, carved by Lando di Pietro (1338), is all that remains of a larger crucifix after bombing by allies in the second world war. It is the only known work of the sculptor. He was identified by the personal handwritten prayers concealed within the sculpture, which are displayed next to it.

    The showstoppers

    The curators have managed to do what could not be achieved in Siena in 2003: bring Duccio’s three triptychs into a single venue. The first two are shown just a few metres apart, to enable comparison and close viewing of all sides. Their painted backs and the geometric motifs behind their folding wings enable us to understand them as three-dimensional, portable objects.

    The Crucifixion triptych, bought by Prince Albert in 1845 and lent to the exhibition by King Charles, is not too far from the pair, inviting comparison.

    Duccio’s Healing of the Man Born Blind finds itself reunited with seven of its companions for the first time since 1777. This is the closest reconstruction we’ll ever get of the back predella (a box-like shelf with images that supported the main panels) of Siena cathedral’s enormous double-sided high altarpiece (known as the Maestà), which was carried in procession through the city streets in 1311.

    Originally painted on a massive horizontal poplar plank, the individual episodes depicting Jesus’s ministry were sold on the art market in the 19th century and dispersed across two continents. A ninth panel which probably started the narrative has never been found, although you wouldn’t know it from this display.

    Nothing can distract from close viewing – you’ll want to enjoy it for as long as you can stand. This privileged view is unusual in an exhibition and possibly comes close to that enjoyed by the clergy during processions or pilgrimages in Siena cathedral. A photo montage of the reconstructed altarpiece is tiny and displayed on the wall opposite the reconstructed predella, alongside the panels originally on the front predella.

    The other showstopper is Pietro Lorenzetti’s altarpiece. It’s usually on the high altar of the church of Santa Maria della Pieve in Arezzo, but has been lent by the diocese and placed on a low plinth. This allows us to imagine just how immense Duccio’s Maestà must have been.

    This altarpiece represents the most popular formula created in early 14th-century Siena. These were large polyptychs of five (or seven) vertical panels usually displaying the virgin and child in the centre, surrounded by saints relevant to the locality and patrons.

    Virgin and Child with Saints and the Annunciation (circa 1345 to 1350).
    The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, CC BY-SA

    The Arezzo polyptych is approximately three metres in height and width, with three registers but has lost its predella, having been dismantled and relocated several times. The type was so popular that it, and the Sienese painters who created it, were in demand throughout Tuscany and beyond.

    Each of the objects displayed in this exhibition merits a long look. Since there are over 100, my last reflection will be on another extraordinary reunion: a small gilded glass icon depicting once again the virgin, child and saints above the Annunciation (1347). Its double-sided reliquary frame still contains 17 relics.

    It’s conceived as a miniature altarpiece, imitating the basic shape of the larger Sienese altarpieces on display. It also uses the same materials in addition to glass that has been gilded, incised and painted in red, blue and green.

    Such precious materials and meticulous craft testify to the richness of Sienese art during the first half of the 14th century.

    Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300-1350 is at the National Gallery until June 22.

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

    – ref. Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300-1350 at the National Gallery is a remarkable achievement – https://theconversation.com/siena-the-rise-of-painting-1300-1350-at-the-national-gallery-is-a-remarkable-achievement-253981

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –