NewzIntel.com

Category: Farming

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Johnson Reintroduces Legislation to Delist Gray Wolf as Endangered Species

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), along with two of his Republican colleagues, reintroduced legislation to return management of gray wolf populations to the states and delist the gray wolf as endangered and threatened wildlife under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
    “Control of the gray wolf population must be returned to state wildlife agencies, who can best handle the recovered population. This legislation would do just that and provide relief for the farmers, loggers, sportsmen, and others that are most impacted by the gray wolf,” said Sen. Johnson.
    The legislation comes after a previous federal court ruling in 2022 that restored endangered species protection for the gray wolf in the lower 48 states, rolling back policies supported by the current and previous administrations. Since 2015, Sen. Johnson has advocated a narrow approach to delist the gray wolf and allow wolf management plans that are based on state wildlife expertise.
    Sen. Johnson is joined by Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).
    Full text of the bill can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: U.S. tariff threats could fuel maple syrup fraud, but AI could help navigate this sticky situation

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Maleeka Singh, PhD Candidate, Food Science, University of Guelph

    Maple syrup, often called Canada’s “liquid gold,” has long been a target for fraudulent activities, such as the dilution or substitution with other syrups, due to its high demand.

    Amid threats from the United States of increased tariffs and the imposition of a baseline tariff of 10 per cent on all imports that aren’t compliant with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, increased maple syrup fraud is a possibility.

    Food fraud, or economically motivated adulteration, is the deliberate misrepresentation of food for economic gain. This can include the substitution, dilution, addition and/or the removal of ingredients. Mislabelling of products is another form of food fraud that can happen at any point in the supply chain, from farm to fork.



    Read more:
    Sweet little lies: Maple syrup fraud undermines the authenticity of Canada’s ‘liquid gold’

    Food fraud is a multi-billion-dollar industry and poses serious risks. It can harm consumer health, tarnish brand reputations and value, jeopardize the livelihood of legitimate producers and even hamper biodiversity and conservational efforts.

    The threats of tariffs on Canadian goods by the U.S., which includes maple syrup and equipment used to make it, has raised concerns on both sides of the border about price increases and supply shortages.

    Canada produces more than 70 per cent of the world’s maple syrup and Québec is the capital of this production. In 2024, the province exported around $450 million worth of maple syrup to the U.S.

    Historic increases in food fraud

    Historically, food fraud has increased during harsh economic times, growing financial pressures, pandemics, climate incidents, wars, supply chain disruptions or any other event that destabilizes the balance between food supply and demand. These circumstances often increase food prices, creating an incentive for fraudsters to exploit the system.

    From 2020 to 2024, the world faced significant supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, regional wars and significant climate events. Unsurprisingly, food fraud cases have increased tenfold, according to recent estimations.

    Threats of higher tariffs could further contribute to this problem by increasing the likelihood that fraudsters will substitute high-value foods for lower-value products.

    Given what we have learned from past cases of food fraud, threats of increased tariffs causes uncertainty in the supply chain, increasing the risk of fraudulent maple syrups from entering the market.

    To combat this threat, there is a need for rapid, real-time and cost-effective methods to test maple syrup for authenticity.

    A 25 per cent tariff on import goods could increase the risk of fraudulent maple syrups from entering the supply chain.
    (Shutterstock)

    Methods for testing maple syrup

    Since the 1980s, various methods and tools have been developed or used to detect maple syrup adulteration. However, food fraudsters continuously adapt to evade detection, making it progressively more difficult to test for maple syrup adulteration. The more complex the testing methods, the more difficult they are to circumvent.

    Traditionally, maple syrup quality testing involves measuring the dissolved sugar content in syrup through a unit of measurement known as degrees Brix. One degree Brix is equivalent to one per cent sugar. However, applications may be limited if unknown or non-conventional adulterants are used.

    As fraud techniques become more sophisticated, new approaches are needed to ensure the authenticity of maple syrup. Non-targeted food analytical methods, such as fluorescence spectroscopy, allow for the screening of a wide range of samples, creating a fingerprint of a sample. The fingerprints can be compared to a reference library of profiles, or multiple attributes specific to maple syrups, rather than just one.

    Testing maple syrup for glowing compounds

    A recent study by our research team at the University of Guelph’s Corradini Lab explored how fluorescence fingerprints can be used to detect maple syrup adulteration.

    Fluorescence fingerprinting works by examining how internal molecules in maple syrup glow when exposed to UV and visible light. These unique, glowing fingerprints allow for the detection of markers or features that may be indicative of maple syrup fraud.

    Analyzing the distinctive features in maple syrup fluorescence fingerprints (glow), using AI, to differentiate pure from adulterated maple syrup.
    (Singh et al.), CC BY-NC-ND

    Our study explored the adulteration of amber and dark maple syrups, with common maple syrup adulterants — namely beet, corn and rice syrups — at values ranging from one to 50 per cent.

    We mapped unique and distinctive features in the fluorescence fingerprints, which were then used for differentiating pure from adulterated syrups. When exposed to UV and visible light, maple syrup features changed depending on the type — beet, corn or rice syrups — and amount of adulterant.

    AI and machine learning for improved detection

    Using the markers of maple syrup identity, we were able to apply AI to analyze multiple fluorescent features simultaneously. This allowed for the identification of pure maple syrups from adulterants, with accuracy ranging from 75 to 99 per cent.

    In fact, analyzing the fluorescence fingerprints of pure and adulterated syrups with the assistance of AI and machine learning techniques improved detection by up to 30 per cent, and identified adulterants at levels less than two per cent.

    However, expanding the fluorescence fingerprint reference library can improve the accuracy and reliability of results. AI models often require very large and extensive databases. This will be crucial for understanding and accounting for how factors like the environment, geographic location and processing conditions may affect the maple syrup glow.

    The use of AI to analyze fluorescent markers in maple syrup could allow for rapid and effective identification of suspicious fraudulent samples.

    With the increased risk of food fraud due to threats of increased U.S. import tariffs on Canadian products, combining AI and maple syrup fingerprinting can detect maple syrup fraud. This will ensure that consumers receive safe, high-quality foods while protecting the identity of one of Canada’s most iconic products.

    Maleeka Singh receives funding from the Arrell Food Institute and the SMART Scholarship Program. Maleeka Singh is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), International Association of Food Protection (IAFP) and the American Chemical Society (ACS).

    Maria G. Corradini receives funding from NSERC and the Arrell Food Institute.

    Maria G. Corradini is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the American Chemical Society (ACS), and the Society of Food Engineers (SOFE)

    Robert Hanner 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. U.S. tariff threats could fuel maple syrup fraud, but AI could help navigate this sticky situation – https://theconversation.com/u-s-tariff-threats-could-fuel-maple-syrup-fraud-but-ai-could-help-navigate-this-sticky-situation-253396

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two More Sentenced in Federal Pandemic Fraud Unemployment Benefit Scheme

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

    ABINGDON, Va. – Two more of the 17 defendants charged with conspiring to defraud the United States, commit program fraud, and commit mail fraud in connection to a scheme involving  filing  fraudulent claims for pandemic unemployment benefits, were sentenced last week in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.

    Last week, Clinton Michael Altizer and Jeramy Blake Farmer were each sentenced to 12 months and 1 day for their roles in the conspiracy.

    Previously sentenced as part of the conspiracy were:  Christopher Webb, 20 months; Russell Stiltner, 24 months; Jessica  Lester, 19 months; Cara Camille Bailey, 19 months; Justin Meadows, 18 months; Terrence Vilacha, 18 months; Joseph Hass, 27 months; Brian Addair, 24 months; and Stephanie Amber Barton and Hayleigh McKenzie Wolfe were each sentenced to 12 months and 1 day.

    Jonathan Webb, the individual charged with recruiting others to file fraudulent claims, mostly inmates at local jails, was sentenced to 48 months was ordered to pay $150,218 in restitution.

    All defendants were also ordered to pay restitution to the Virginia Employment Commission for the amount of their individual fraudulent claims.

    According to court documents, between March 2020 and September 2021, Josef Brown, Jonathan Webb, and Crystal Shaw developed a scheme to file fraudulent claims and recertifications for pandemic unemployment befits via the Virginia Employment Commission website. The scheme involved the collection of personal identification information (PII) of inmates housed at SWVRJA-Haysi and Abingdon, as well as personal friends and acquaintances of Brown, Webb, and Shaw. The conspirators used that information to file fraudulent claims and recertifications for pandemic unemployment benefits for incarcerated individuals and others who were ineligible for the benefits.

    In all, the defendants stole $341,205 in pandemic relief to which they were not entitled.

    As part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Task Force, this investigation was conducted by the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General were charged with identifying major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending. According to the United States Department of Labor, Virginia paid approximately $1.1 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021.

    Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee, Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced the sentences.

    Agencies that assisted with this investigation included the Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office, the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority, the FBI, U.S. Department of Labor, and the Virginia Employment Commission.

    Special Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Danielle Stone are prosecuting the case for the United States.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Everyday Americans Support President Trump’s Trade Action

    Source: The White House

    President Donald J. Trump is finally doing what politicians have refused to do for decades — fighting back against the one-sided war waged on American workers. As he puts into action his bold plan to reverse the decades of globalization that has decimated our industrial base, President Trump is putting the Forgotten Men and Women of America first.

    There’s a reason groups like the United Auto Workers, the Steel Manufacturers Association, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Southern Shrimp Alliance, and the National Council of Textile Organizations have all praised President Trump’s policy.

    Across the country, everyday Americans, small business owners, and industry leaders are supporting President Trump’s plan:

    Illinois cattle farmer Alan Adams: “We’ve struggled with tariffs my whole adult life in the cattle business, so we were happy last week to hear the president last week mentioned that beef was one of the things he wanted to have tariffs lowered. And so some of the European countries and Australia have been difficult for us to sell beef in — and so they get to sell beef into our country, and we’re happy to have them compete against us, but we’d like the same chance to sell the great taste of American beef to them.”

    Fourth-generation Louisiana shrimp producer Acy Cooper: “We’ve been suffering for over 20 years … this country can’t feed itself, this country can’t sustain its own way of life. If we get into a war with China, one of our big importers … how are we going to feed the people of this country? … It has to come [from] within this country.”

    Retired auto worker Brian Pannebecker: “To see those plants close, one after another, and just sit idle and then fall into disrepair and collapse, they become abandoned buildings… I’m glad to see Donald Trump finally standing up saying he’s going to do something about it.”

    Guardian Bikes CEO Brian Riley: “[President Trump’s trade agenda] is a welcome departure from a trade and economic policy that prioritized offshoring production and cheap consumption.”

    Paddock Chevrolet, Inc., CEO Duane Paddock: “Whether President Trump was a Democrat or Republican, I have to have faith in my president and that’s what I choose to do … It’s a great opportunity for people to get back with manufacturing and have an opportunity to have a great middle-class life and increase their compensation over the course of time.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Recognizing 100 Years of PA Agriculture, Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum Opens Centennial Celebration with Ribbon Cutting

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    April 04, 2025 – Lancaster, PA

    Recognizing 100 Years of PA Agriculture, Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum Opens Centennial Celebration with Ribbon Cutting

    The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) and Northern Lancaster Chamber of Commerce today launched the 100th anniversary celebration of Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, recognizing the critical role agriculture plays in Pennsylvania’s past, present, and future. PHMC Executive Director Andrea Lowery joined Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Lisa Graybeal, Site Administrator Shawn Gladden, and Northern Lancaster Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Liz Ackerman to commemorate this milestone.

    “PHMC is honored to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum,” said Andrea Lowery, Executive Director of PHMC. “This museum, born from the Landis brothers’ vision, has grown into a national treasure, offering invaluable insights into Pennsylvania’s agricultural heritage. We are dedicated to supporting its continued growth and ensuring that its vital educational mission thrives for the next century.”

    Speaker list:
    Liz Ackerman, Executive Director, Northern Lancaster Chamber of Commerce
    Shawn Gladden, Site Administrator, Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum
    Melissa Mann, Director, Bureau of Historic Sites & Museums
    Deputy Secretary Lisa Graybeal, Department of Agriculture
    Andrea Lowery, Executive Director, PHMC
    Stephen Ranck, Outreach Coordinator, Congressman Lloyd Smucker’s Office

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Opening Remarks of Commissioner Kristin N. Johnson at GAIM Ops AI Summit: Using AI To Combat Cybersecurity and Fraud Risks

    Source: US Commodity Futures Trading Commission

    Good afternoon. Thank you to the event organizers for the generous invitation to join you to kick off the AI Summit. The Summit will explore critical topics—data quality and security, good governance for AI, critical third-party service providers, and the integration of generative AI in operating infrastructure, trade execution, clearing, and settlement, and trade surveillance, among others.
    I’d like to highlight two risks implicated by the integration of AI in our markets—cybersecurity and fraud risks. 
    Cyber and fraud risks are ever-present in our markets. Sophisticated AI models have the potential to facilitate high-quality, near-flawless, synthetic content, enabling stunning heists. AI models train, test, and refine their functionality by aggregating and analyzing vast amounts of data, creating enticing targets for cyber intrusion campaigns.
    While the threats are well-documented, we have not yet fully explored the potential for AI to address cyberthreats and AI-driven fraud. In the least, carefully studying coordinated efforts to develop cyber resilience may teach us some important lessons regarding how to use AI to mitigate cyber and fraud threats in our markets. 
    We are witnessing an increasing number of cyber and fraud threats executed using AI technologies. In some instances, the technology that drives these cyber and fraud threats may be an important offensive and defensive tool. 
    Your agenda rightly aims to identify pathways to good AI governance and best practices for individual firms and the broader financial ecosystem.[1]  
    AI and Financial Markets 
    Over the last few years, markets have witnessed the increasing potential for AI to engender efficiencies, reduce costs, harness and analyze vast amounts of data, and enable personalized access to markets. Many firms quickly discovered the potential for AI to streamline trade reporting, anti-money laundering (AML), and other regulatory compliance obligations. Financial services firms have used AI tools for many years, but “maturity in utilization and deployment of AI systems varies by institution and continues to evolve.”[2] 
    In addition, financial services firms use AI tools in both cyber and fraud threat assessments. Integrating innovative AI into legacy systems may, however, create vulnerabilities. 
    In recent years, firms have discovered that AI may become a tool for addressing these vulnerabilities. Machine learning or generative AI may replace or enhance legacy tools for fraud and cyber detection and risk management strategies. AI is enabling firms to educate employees and customers and to identify gaps in their cybersecurity and fraud detection and prevention measures.[3]
    These issues are at the heart of the work of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and its mission[4] and resonate with my experiences as a lawyer in private practice, in-house, and my service as a Commissioner.[5] At the CFTC, I sponsor the Market Risk Advisory Committee (MRAC), a multi-stakeholder group of market participants that examines risk management issues and makes recommendations on how to improve market structure, mitigate risks, and enhance market integrity and stability for global derivatives markets.[6] MRAC has spent a significant amount of time considering cybersecurity and recommendations to enhance cyber resilience.[7] Fraud-related risks and applications are part of these conversations.
    We know that algorithmic models that may be accurately described as AI have long been employed in financial services markets[8] and that these applications include regulatory surveillance and compliance monitoring.[9] In recent years, however, the use and integration of predictive technologies has increased. 
    In January of 2024, the CFTC issued a request for comment seeking to learn more about the uses of AI in CFTC-regulated markets.[10] I applaud the Commission for issuing the RFC as a pathway to increase visibility and better understand the implications of AI use in our markets. This dialogue between the Commission and market participants aims to enable markets and the Commission to leverage the benefits of evolving AI models while mitigating risks.
    AI fraud and cyber threat prevention, detection, and mitigation represent common ground areas where the Commission and market participants are focused on the potential for AI to enhance market integrity.[11] 
    AI Fueled Cyber and Fraud Threats
    About a year ago, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) released a report on Managing Artificial Intelligence-Specific Risks in the Financial Services Sector.[12] Several of the observations in the Treasury Report are unlikely to surprise this audience—cyber and fraud-related incidents continue to increase and, in parallel, the losses that firms experience as a result of these threats increase.[13]
    Surveyed market participants indicate that cyberthreat actors benefit from lower barriers to entry, increasingly sophisticated automation, and decreasing time-to-exploit.[14] Firms face cyberthreats from actors including opportunistic fraudsters with access to advanced AI tools to sophisticated nation-state hackers who deploy targeted attacks.
    AI-Driven Fraud
    Evidence suggests that hackers are repurposing AI-based tools previously used in cyber defense tactics to identify weaknesses in networks and cybersecurity applications.[15] These weaknesses open back doors for cyber attacks. Generative AI may enable sophisticated actors to execute more convincing phishing campaigns. Deep fakes and similar campaigns may be more difficult to identify. Generative AI may accelerate the creation of new malware variants, lowering the barrier to entry and empowering a greater number of less sophisticated threat actors.[16] As a result, time-to-exploit is shrinking and the overall risk level to financial organizations is climbing. Notwithstanding many AI developers’ efforts to prevent the adaptation of their models to facilitate fraud, there is a rising tide of misuse of AI technologies.
    Vulnerabilities of Technology
    In addition to cyber threats, the vulnerability of AI systems is equally concerning. Through data poisoning, model evasion, and model extractions, those seeking to adapt models may introduce false data, model weights, and similar tactics to corrupt the AI models to manipulate outputs to benefit their outcome and distort or steal from AI-driven processes.[17] These adaptations potentially undermine the reliability of the models as well as features designed to enable cybersecurity and fraud detection. Data privacy also presents a notable concern. 
    Synthetic Identities and Impersonation
    Identity impersonation and synthetic identity fraud are becoming ever more sophisticated. “Fraudsters can use AI to mimic voice, video, and other behavioral identity factors that financial institutions use to verify a customer’s identity.”[18] The ability to generate near-flawless fake credentials and believable digital appearances raises the stakes for banks, insurers, payment processors, and other financial entities that have traditionally relied on physical or behavioral markers for identification. Fraudsters posing as CEOs and CFOs have caused millions in losses by using AI to execute elaborate schemes to develop synthetic identities to convince company employees to make unauthorized transfers.[19] In response to these concerns, the Commission has issued customer education and outreach announcements to enhance market participants and customers’ awareness of these threats.[20]
    Third Party Risks
    Addressing these threats requires a comprehensive and collaborative approach to third-party risk management and data security. 
    According to the Treasury Report, “financial institutions should appropriately consider how to assess and manage the risks of an extended supply chain, including potentially heightened risks with data and data processing of a wide array of vendors, data brokers, and infrastructure providers.”[21] 
    In some instances, there may be high barriers to entry for providing third-party services. For example, few firms have the capability to offer globally accessible cloud-based services that demonstrate the requisite security protocols to enable financial services market participants to comply with substantial data security, integrity, and transfer standards. 
    As a result, only a few service providers may have the capability to deliver the quality of services needed or to respond to the vast amounts of data or information stored or processed by financial services firms. The limited competition for services may lead to a significant percentage of market participants relying on a handful of service providers.
    We may describe these concerns as concentration risks.[22] While CFTC-regulated entities must “assess the risks of using AI and update policies, procedures, controls, and systems, as appropriate, under applicable CFTC statutory and regulatory requirements,”[23] the Commission, as a regulator, should also take an active role in understanding these risks.
    Each of these links in the supply chain introduces potential vulnerabilities, especially with the increasing volume of data and the complexity of AI models. I have repeatedly raised these concerns.[24] It is important that all partners adhere to robust data protection, privacy guidelines, and contingency planning. These protocols are not only essential for safeguarding financial services firms, but also crucial for the resilience of the entire financial system.
    Next Steps 
    The Treasury Report suggested next steps that identify both challenges and opportunities. I’d like to highlight a few of them that resonate with me and some proposals that I have advocated for during my service at the CFTC.
    As I have intimated, as we study market participants’ use of AI, we are increasingly thoughtful about the Commission’s use of AI. As I’ve noted previously:
    The CFTC has on staff surveillance analysts, forensic economists, and futures trading investigators, each of whom identify and investigate potential violations. These groups use supervisory technology (SupTech) in support of their work. Over the past few years, the CFTC has transitioned much of its data intake and data analysis to a cloud-based architecture. This increases the flexibility and reliability of our data systems and allows us to scale them as necessary. This transition will allow the Commission to store, analyze, and ingest this data more cost-effectively and efficiently.[25]
    Coordination
    I have consistently encouraged both inter-agency and international coordination on issues related to AI.[26] 
    I have advocated for “the creation of an inter-agency task force composed of financial regulators…. [to develop] guidelines, tools, benchmarks, and best practices for the use and regulation of AI in the financial services industry.”[27]  As I have noted, “this approach promises efficiencies and a needed clarity for market participants trying to navigate diverse and sometimes divergent regulatory and compliance frameworks.”[28] 
    Financial services firms have indicated a desire to clarify regulatory approaches to innovative technologies. As reported to Treasury, “[s]ome financial institutions, however, expressed concern about the possibility of regulatory fragmentation as different financial sector regulators at both the state and federal level consider regulations around AI. This concern also extends to firms operating under different international jurisdictions.”[29] 
    Collaboration can help address significant issues and problems of scale, as well as some smaller changes that can help along the way. For example, the Treasury Report notes that “[a]s Generative AI increases in usage, there appears to be a significant gap in data available to financial institutions for training their models to prevent fraud….Ramifications of this data divide are especially apparent for anti-fraud use cases where larger institutions generally have much more internal data.”[30] This is not something that can be solved overnight, and will require thoughtful consideration and coordinated efforts.
    The Treasury Report also encourages clarifying how we understand AI by advocating for a common lexicon specific to AI. Developing an agreed upon definition  which would benefit financial institutions, regulators, and consumers alike, to “not only facilitate appropriate discussion with third parties and regulators but could help improve understanding of the capabilities AI systems may have to improve risk management or to amplify new risks,” and “may help address the current lack of clarity around measuring and identifying risks, especially with the rapid adoption of Generative AI. As noted in the introduction, terminology can have implications for the common understanding of AI technology and its associated risks as well.”[31]
    Conclusion
    I usually offer a standard disclaimer at the start of my remarks—something like, my thoughts are my own and do not reflect the perspectives of others. Today, however, I feel compelled to disclose that I used ChatGPT to draft this speech. Just kidding. 
    The research and development of this speech reflects weeks of effort by my staff and their patience with my not-so-gentle editing. However, as someone who spends significant amounts of time reading, studying, and processing data, I am tempted, at times, to defer to an increasingly capable generative AI model to serve as my speechwriter-in-chief. Assuming others will find tempting uses for AI as well, let’s figure out the best, responsible path for bringing this technology into our markets. 

    [1] The thoughts and perspectives that I share with you today are my own; they are not the views and perspectives of my fellow Commissioners, the Commission, or the staff of the CFTC.

    [3] Treasury Report at 12-15.

    [4] See, e.g., 7 U.S.C. § 5.

    [5] See, e.g., Keynote Remarks of Commissioner Johnson for Governing Data at Iowa Innovation and Business Law Center and Yale Law Journal of Law & Technology at Yale Law School: Twin Peaks – Emerging Technologies (AI) and Critical Third Parties (Apr. 4, 2025), https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/SpeechesTestimony/opajohnson16.

    [8] U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Request for Comment on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in CFTC-Regulated Markets (Jan. 25, 2024), https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8853-24 (citing Commissioner Kristin Johnson, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Financial Markets, Manuel F. Cohen Lecture, George Washington University Law School (Oct. 17, 2023) (describing the historic development and integration of increasingly complex algorithms including supervised and unsupervised machine learning algorithms in financial markets)).

    [11] For example, a joint letter from trade associations and exchanges referred to the use of AI for compliance processes and controls and the World Federation of Exchanges identified compliance as a use case, stating “AI can be used to reduce manual inputs for trade documentation and regulatory reporting, as well as reducing market manipulation….” See Letter from World Federation of Exchanges to CFTC, Regarding Response to Request for Comment on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in CFTC-Regulated Markets (Apr. 24, 2024), https://comments.cftc.gov/PublicComments/ViewComment.aspx?id=73447; Letter from Futures Industry Association, FIA Principal Traders Group, CME Group, Inc., and Intercontinental Exchange Inc. to CFTC, Regarding Release No. 8853-24 (Jan. 25, 2024) Request for Comment on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in CFTC-Regulated Markets (Apr. 24, 2024), https://comments.cftc.gov/PublicComments/ViewComment.aspx?id=73444. The Bank Policy Institute stated that “… AI models, including generative AI tools, are being evaluated or piloted [by banking organizations] to enhance operational efficiencies and risk mitigation in the cybersecurity and fraud prevention contexts.” See Letter from Bank Policy Institute to CFTC, Regarding Request for Comment on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in CFTC-Regulated Markets (CFTC Release No. 8553-24) (Apr. 17, 2024), https://comments.cftc.gov/PublicComments/ViewComment.aspx?id=73424.

    [12] See Treasury Report. 

    [13] Treasury Report at 10-11. Responses to the CFTC’s RFC also highlighted AI-driven fraud risk. For example, Letter from Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy to CFTC, Regarding Request for Comment on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in CFTC Regulated Markets (Apr. 24, 2024), https://comments.cftc.gov/PublicComments/ViewComment.aspx?id=73457.

    [14] Treasury Report at 16.

    [15] See, e.g., id. at 17.

    [21] Treasury Report at 19.

    [29] Treasury Report at 35.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Banco Santander Chile: First Quarter 2025 Analyst and Investor Webcast / Conference Call

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SANTIAGO, Chile, April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — You are cordially invited to participate in Banco Santander Chile’s (NYSE: BSAC) conference call-webcast on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 10.00 AM (EST time) where we will discuss 1Q 2025 financial results. The Bank’s Officers participating in the conference call are: Patricia Pérez, CFO, Cristian Vicuña, Chief Strategy Officer & Head of IR and Andrés Sansone, Chief Economist. A question and answer session will follow the presentation.

    The Management Commentary report will be published on April 30, 2025, before the market opens. The quiet period begins on April 15.

    To participate, the webcast presentation can be viewed at: https://mm.closir.com/slides?id=720987

    Or please dial in using any of the below numbers:
    United Kingdom+44 203 984 9844
    USA +1 718 866 4614
    Austria +43 720 022981
    Brazil +556120171549
    Canada +1 587 855 1318
    Chile +56228401484
    Czech Republic +420 910 880101
    Estonia +372 609 4102
    Finland +35 8753 26 4477
    France +33 1758 50 878
    Germany +49 30 25 555 323
    Hong Kong +852 3001 6551
    Mexico +52 55 1168 9973
    Peru +51 1 7060950
    Poland +48 22 124 49 59
    Russia +7 495 283 98 58
    Singapore +65 3138 6816
    South Africa +27872500455
    South Korea +82 70 4732 5006
    Sweden +46 10 551 30 20
    Turkey +90 850 390 7512
    Ukraine +380 89 324 0624

    Participant Passcode: 720987
    Please dial in approximately 10 minutes prior to the starting time of the conference.

    If you have any questions, please contact Cristian Vicuña at Banco Santander Chile at Cristian.vicuna@santander.cl, Rowena Lambert at Rowena.lambert@santander.cl or Claudia Villalon at Claudia.villalon@santander.cl

    CONTACT INFORMATION

    Cristian Vicuña
    Investor Relations
    Banco Santander Chile
    Bandera 140, Floor 20
    Santiago, Chile
    Email: irelations@santander.cl
    Website: www.santander.cl

    Banco Santander Chile is one of the companies with the highest risk classifications in Latin America with an A2 rating from Moody’s, A- from Standard and Poor’s, A+ from Japan Credit Rating Agency, AA- from HR Ratings and A from KBRA. All our ratings as of the date of this report have a Stable Outlook.

    As of December 31, 2024, the Bank has total assets of $68,458,933 million (US$68,865 million), total gross loans (including loans to banks) at amortized cost of $41,323,844 million (US$41,569 million), total deposits of $31,359,234 million (US$31,545 million) and shareholders’ equity of $4,292,440 million (US$4,318 million). The BIS capital ratio was 17.1%, with a core capital ratio of 10.5%. As of December 31, 2024, Santander Chile employs 8,757 people and has 236 branches throughout Chile.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Carbajal, Brownley, Panetta Demand the Trump Administration Halt its Illegal Plans to Close Facilities Vital to the Central Coast

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)

    Reps. Carbajal, Brownley, Panetta Demand the Trump Administration Halt its Illegal Plans to Close Facilities Vital to the Central Coast

    Washington, April 7, 2025

    Representatives Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24), Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) sent a letter to Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian of the General Services Administration over the planned illegal closures of crucial facilities across the Central Coast. The planned closures will impact U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and United States Forest Service (USFS) facilities in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties.

    “These are critical agencies that help support our local economies’ vitality and the American way of life,” wrote the lawmakers. “Efforts to justify these closures as a measure to help better serve the American people is, at best, disingenuous.”

    The full text of the letter is available
    As Representatives of the Central Coast, we write to demand that you halt planned facility closures at the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) that would impact our constituents in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. These are critical agencies that help support our local economies’ vitality and the American people. These indiscriminate closures, done in an arbitrary and capricious manner, are antithetical to our Constitution and values as Americans.
    Trying to shutter the physical locations for these vital agencies is reflective of the illegal actions undertaken by DOGE to undermine the effectiveness of our government rather than working to improve it to better serve our constituents and the American people.
    DOI was created by an act of Congress in 1849 and is critical in managing our nation’s cultural heritage— including our public lands, which have been a boon to our local recreational economies. In fact, California is home to the nation’s largest active outdoor industry economy, contributing $73.8 billion in economic spending annually. This is not by coincidence. California is also home to nine national parks—more than any other state. The Central Coast of California alone is home to the Channel Islands National Park and Pinnacles National Park. The positive contribution to our economies is reflected by the fact that in 2023, 36.2 million visitors to California’s national parks spent $3.2 billion, supporting 39,678 jobs.
    Likewise, NOAA is essential to America’s innovation and economic vitality. Under the Department of Commerce, NOAA is tasked with the critical mission to provide daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, and support marine commerce. NOAA’s mission is carried out by some of our nation’s top scientists. The products and cutting-edge research generated by NOAA helps support more than one-third of America’s gross domestic product. Everyday Americans rely on NOAA’s science for basic day-to-day needs like determining the weather. This information is critical for commercial and public safety needs. It is NOAA’s data that helps provide the public with free and lifesaving alerts when Americans are facing natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires.
    Furthermore, with more than $59 billion in agricultural sales, California leads the nation as the top producer of agricultural products in the United States. Throughout the world, California was the world’s largest agriculture producer in 2022. Closing USDA offices only serves to harm American families and our farmers who rely on USDA to ensure food safety, manage our natural resources, and support our food supply chains and economic well-being.
    Finally, the U.S. Forest Service manages 193 million acres of public lands and provides potentially life-saving expertise in fire management. Our constituents are no strangers to wildfires. Fires in the Western United States have only become larger, more destructive and deadly. We cannot pretend that this is not a reality that many Americans are experiencing.
    Efforts to justify these closures as a measure to help better serve the American people is, at best, disingenuous. As outlined above, these agencies are critical to our nations and region’s wellbeing and help maintain our economic vitality to support our way of life. Again, we demand that you cease these office closures. Further we ask that you let us know under what authority are you acting to close these offices without, at the very least, consultation with Congress—a co-equal branch of government.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Community Wellness Bus Project Launching in Saskatoon

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on April 7, 2025

    The province’s third mobile wellness bus will open its doors April 9 in Saskatoon, offering residents a new way to access primary health care services.

    Saskatoon is the most recent community to benefit from a mobile Community Wellness Bus. The launch is part of the Government of Saskatchewan’s $2.4 million investment for the purchase and retrofitting of three wellness buses, located in Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert.

    “It is wonderful to see the progress being made with primary care in our province,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said. “Wellness buses provide another avenue for residents to receive the care they need closer to home.”

    Community Wellness Buses will provide basic primary care and mental health and addictions services. Services will vary based on population and the needs of the community; not all locations will have the same services, as supports will be customized based on patient needs.

    “It’s encouraging to see the positive impact of community health initiatives in our province,” Mental Health and Addictions Minister Lori Carr said. “Mobile clinics are making health care more accessible to vulnerable individuals by bringing essential services directly to residents and contributing to better health care outcomes.”

    The Saskatoon bus will be located primarily at 2023 Morse Road (near the old Farmer’s Market) from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. Clients are encouraged to call 306-380-1000 for up-to-date location and schedule information.

    A wellness bus was announced in Prince Albert on March 21 and residents can call 306-940-9943 for location and hours of operation.

    The Regina wellness bus has been operational since February 12 and is currently operating Monday to Friday 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the rear parking lot of the Lawson Aquatic Centre located at 1717 Elphinstone Street.

    Services offered by wellness buses may include:

    • basic health assessments (physicals);
    • health education;
    • chronic disease monitoring;
    • ·vaccinations;
    • take home naloxone (THN) kits and training;
    • sexually transmitted and blood borne infection (STBBI) point of care testing;
    • ·opioid agonist therapy/withdrawal management;
    • reproductive health services/supplies;
    • mental health and addiction assessments and counselling/referrals;
    • wound care, stitches, routine health care;
    • referral to housing, social services;
    • referral to addictions and mental health treatment and services;
    • connection to culturally relevant Indigenous services (traditional medicine, connection to spiritual services and Elders); and
    • ·other primary health care services.

    “Through the Community Wellness Buses, we are fostering respect and compassion by meeting individuals where they are,” Saskatchewan Health Authority Physician Executive for Integrated Saskatoon Health Dr. Mark Fenton said. “By eliminating barriers to care, we ensure that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, has access to compassionate, culturally responsive, and stigma-free support.” 

    Health care staff on the bus will include a nurse practitioner, a licensed practical nurse, and assessor coordinators who offer referrals to community supports.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Canberra’s first food strategy gets green light in ACT Budget

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The new plan will help support and grow the territory’s local food production sector.

    The ACT Government is investing $455,000 towards the implementation of the Canberra Region Local Food Strategy.

    Part of the 2024–25 ACT Budget, this funding will help grow Canberra’s local food production sector.

    The ACT is the first Australian state or territory to launch a plan to support and grow its local food system.

    Funding for the first year of the Strategy’s implementation will deliver a Local Food Chain Infrastructure Study.

    The study will explore opportunities to support small-medium sized local food producers in Canberra and the surrounding region who struggle to compete with larger commercial providers.

    The study will focus on areas of food packaging, distribution, storage and networking. It will build on data from the Agriculture and Food in the ACT Study, currently underway.

    It will also aim to reduce barriers for getting local food produce into local marketplaces and grocery stores.

    Shaped by community feedback, the strategy will ultimately strengthen Canberrans’ access to healthy, affordable food.

    Funding has also been provided to examine opportunities for using suitable ACT Government land to support local food production, and to help educate the community on how to grow food in the ACT.

    The Canberra Region Local Food Strategy is available on the ACT Environment website.

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Texas Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by Spring Storms

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Texas of the May 7, deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding occurring from April 26‑June 5, 2024.

    The disaster declaration covers the counties of Bosque, Coke, Delta, Grimes, Madison and Rockwall.

    Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs impacted by financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.

    EIDLs are for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the small business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. They may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    “SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”

    The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    Submit completed loan applications to the SBA no later than May 7.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Valadao Reintroduces Legislation to Help Curb Wildfire Risk

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David G Valadao (CA-21)

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) joined Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24) to re-introduce the Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act. This bipartisan legislation would allow the U.S. Forest Service to approve the removal of hazardous trees near power lines on federal forest lands without requiring a timber sale, easing a serious threat that has in the past been a major cause of destructive wildfires.

    “Far too often bureaucratic red tape gets in the way of proper forest management, contributing to the destructive wildfires we see throughout our state,” said Congressman Valadao. “When dead trees aren’t cleared, wildfires burn more intensely, causing widespread devastation and directly impacting air quality across the Central Valley. This bill is a common sense, bipartisan step towards reducing wildfire risk, and I’m proud to join Congressman Carbajal in support.”

    “As California continues to recover from catastrophic wildfires that ravaged the region earlier this year, we are reminded of the importance of responsible forest management to reduce future wildfire risk,” said Rep. Carbajal. “Our bipartisan bill will expedite the removal of hazardous trees near power lines and is a common sense solution to protect our communities.”

    Background:

    Currently, the Forest Service requires utility companies to keep trees and branches away from power lines on federal land. But fallen or dead trees cannot be cleared currently without a timber sale, creating an administrative step that can slow the clearing of hazardous fuel and potential triggers for wildfire on federal land.

    This bill passed out of the House Committee on Natural Resources and was included in the House version of the Farm Bill in the 118th Congress. It was added to the Fix Our Forests Act in the 119th Congress.

    The Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act would:

    • Allow the U.S. Forest Service to provide standing permission for electrical utilities to cut and remove hazardous trees near power lines on federal land without requiring a timber sale.
    • Require any utility that sells marketable forest products from hazardous trees removed near power lines to return any proceeds to the Forest Service.

    Read the full bill here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Welsh food and drink delicacies earn protected status

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Welsh food and drink delicacies earn protected status

    Welsh gin, oysters and honey granted protected status under UK Geographical Indication schemes

    Welsh gin, oysters and honey are to join the list of food and drink products granted protected geographical indication (PGI) status under the UK’s Geographical Indication schemes. 

    Dovey Native Botanical Gin, Pembrokeshire Native Oysters, Pembrokeshire Rock Oysters and Welsh Heather Honey have been formally recognised for their distinctive qualities and regional heritage, ensuring only authentic items meeting strict production standards and geographical requirements can be marketed under these protected names. 

    Welsh culinary tradition dates back centuries, with its food and drink deeply rooted in the nation’s landscape, culture, and history. From nutrient-rich waters producing exceptional seafood to vibrant heather moorlands ideal for honey production, Welsh producers have long crafted distinctive products shaped by local environments and passed-down expertise.  

    This recognition gives producers a valuable market advantage while preserving traditional production methods, protecting and championing local products while creating economic opportunity across all parts of the UK under the Government’s Plan for Change. 

    UK Government Minister for Food Security, Farming and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner said:  

    The UK is home to a feast of flavours from every corner of the British Isles, and these new protections help celebrate the outstanding craftsmanship and heritage behind Welsh food and drink.  

    By giving these products unique status, we’re helping local businesses grow while ensuring consumers can enjoy authentic regional specialities for generations to come. 

    These additions join other popular Welsh products already recognised under the GI scheme, including Anglesey Sea Salt, Welsh Leeks, Traditional Welsh Cider and Single-malt Welsh Whisky, showcasing the rich culinary heritage of Wales. 

    Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:

    Dovey gin, Pembrokeshire oysters and Welsh honey are fantastic products and it’s right that they are being recognised as the high-quality, specialist items they are.

    The GI scheme guarantees quality and excellence while celebrating our outstanding local Welsh produce and driving growth in this vital sector.

    Wales’ Deputy First Minister,  Huw Irranca-Davies, who has responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, said:

    This recognition strengthens Wales’ growing family of protected foods, showcases the extraordinary quality of our produce, and reflects our commitment to high-quality, sustainable food production.

     From the mountains to the coast, Wales produces some of the UK’s most iconic foods, cultivated with care and tradition. Each GI product tells the story of our landscape, our producers’ expertise and our proud culinary heritage.

    With these new registrations, the total number of UK GIs now reaches 97, representing premium produce from across all four nations of the United Kingdom. 

    The GI schemes support UK food and drink businesses by protecting the reputation of regional products, promoting traditional and agricultural activity while boosting growth in local economies. 

    Danny Cameron of Dovey Native Botanical Gin said:

    Having GI Status is a good thing and helps to raise awareness of Botanical gin being provenance-based and produced to such a strict and high quality.

    Gruffydd Rees of Gwenyn Gruffydd Ltd in Carmarthenshire said:

    I am delighted that Welsh Heather Honey’s precise origin and characteristics have been recognised. The UK GI application process is long, and it is wonderful that Wales is the first UK nation to have a honey receive PGI status.

    Jake Davies, Atlantic Edge Oysters, said:

    Having a PGI Status will attract a broader audience and market who are more aware of GI products and will allow us to join the GI family which has a number of fantastic products.

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Community Garden Grants open for applications

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The new shelter at Charnwood Community Gardens will help to protect gardeners in extreme weather events.

    Applications are now open for the 2024–25 Community Garden Grants program.

    This year’s Community Garden Grants program provides up to $100,000 in funding for projects that:

    • build healthier communities
    • demonstrate best-practice sustainability
    • have strong community support.

    Over the past nine years, the program has helped establish 87 community gardens across Canberra.

    One of these is in Charnwood. There, local gardeners have shown how a community garden can offer refuge in a changing climate.

    The group used their funding to build a shelter to protect gardeners in extreme weather events.

    “In recent years, we’ve had a lot of hailstorms,” Charnwood Community Garden Convenor Teresa Rose said.

    “One time, two gardeners got caught in a hailstorm and there wasn’t anywhere to shelter. They really got pelted. They were quite upset and very afraid. That’s when we decided to apply for a Community Garden Grant to construct a shelter.

    “We were pleased to receive about $4,500 in Community Garden Grant funding. We got matched funding from the Canberra Organic Growers Society. We also matched the funding with nearly $5,000 raised by our gardeners at Bunnings barbecues,” she said.

    Once they had finished, it was time for celebration. However, Teresa doesn’t think the shelter would be complete, without the grant.

    “We wouldn’t have made that extra effort to go ‘okay, we’ve got the money from the government, now we’ve got to do it,’” she said.

    Under the shelter, it is several degrees cooler than outside.

    “People come down after a stressful day at work and come and dig in the garden. Even on a hot day you can come here and it’s so much cooler with all the grass and the gardens,” Teresa said.

    The shelter now serves as a central meeting spot for Charnwood Community Garden committee meetings and community-building events. It also protects fresh produce from wilting in the sun and offers respite for gardeners during working bees.

    Grant applications

    This year, there is $100,000 of Community Garden Grant funding available, split across two streams.

    • Stream One includes $40,000 (up to $8,000 per project) to fund minor improvements or expansion of existing gardens and establishing new, small low-impact gardens.
    • Stream Two includes $60,000 (up to $30,000 per project) to establish new large-scale food production community gardens, and significant garden infrastructure to increase food production in existing gardens.

    Not-for-profit community organisations, schools, churches and owners’ corporations are eligible to apply.

    Community gardens have many benefits, including:

    • creating opportunities for people to grow and consume local food
    • offering a place for people to meet with others and connect with nature
    • providing opportunities for movement and recreation
    • helping people to develop skills and knowledge, and much more.

    For more information, please visit the Community Garden Grants webpage.

    Applications close 5:00pm on Thursday 11 July 2024.

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI: Altus Group Releases its 2024 Sustainability Report

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Altus Group Limited (“Altus” or “the Company”) (TSX: AIF), a leading provider of asset and fund intelligence for commercial real estate (“CRE”), today released its annual Sustainability Report, which highlights the Company’s sustainability initiatives and progress in 2024.

    “As we celebrate our 20th anniversary this year, sustainability continues to guide who we are and how we operate,” said Camilla Bartosiewicz, Chief Communications Officer at Altus Group. “This report brings our values to life – highlighting the tangible progress we made in 2024 in reducing emissions, investing in our people, and upholding strong corporate governance. These efforts are not only core to our identity as a responsible corporate citizen and employer of choice, but are critical to managing enterprise risk and creating long-term value for all stakeholders.”

    Key 2024 highlights:

    • Climate action: reduced Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 5% in 2024, benefitting from strategic right-sizing of office space, which resulted in a 12% reduction in office footprint.
    • Talent management: expanded people programs to foster career advancement and employee success, earning external recognition for an inclusive, high-trust and high-performance culture.
    • Cybersecurity and data responsibility: continued enhancement of cybersecurity and data standards to uphold data responsibility and maintain stakeholder trust.
    • Governance: welcomed new board members, adding diverse perspectives and skills that enhance board effectiveness.

    To download Altus Group’s 2024 Sustainability Report please visit https://www.altusgroup.com/about-us/sustainability/. More information on Altus Group’s corporate governance program is also detailed in the Company’s 2024 Management Information Circular dated March 26, 2025 which has been filed to SEDAR+ and is posted on Altus Group’s website under the Investors section.

    About Altus Group

    Altus Group is a leading provider of asset and fund intelligence for commercial real estate. We deliver intelligence as a service to our global client base through a connected platform of industry-leading technology, advanced analytics, and advisory services. Trusted by the largest CRE leaders, our capabilities help commercial real estate investors, developers, lenders, and advisors manage risks and improve performance returns throughout the asset and fund lifecycle. Altus Group is a global company headquartered in Toronto with approximately 1,900 employees across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific. For more information about Altus (TSX: AIF) please visit altusgroup.com.

    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

    Elizabeth Lambe
    Director, Global Communications, Altus Group
    1 (416) 641-9787
    elizabeth.lambe@altusgroup.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How the struggles of the UK hospitality sector could hit the rest of the economy

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Zoe Adjey, Senior Lecturer in Hospitality and Events, University of East London

    Across the UK, Mother’s Day represented a vital revenue opportunity for the hospitality sector. Bars, restaurants, cafés and pubs would have anticipated a boost courtesy of family groups – and some spring-like weather. Sadly though, due to some harsh financial realities including higher tax and wage bills coming into force now, many of these establishments may not survive to serve customers next Mother’s Day.

    The budget has introduced measures that are projected to directly increase the average hospitality wage bill by up to 8.5% thanks to increases in the minimum wage and employer national insurance contributions.

    The UK’s most recent GDP figures showed the country’s economy shrank by 0.1% in January. But behind this small decline there was a more concerning trend. Trade in the hospitality industry fell by 2.4% – the biggest economic contraction among the figures – after it had shown promising growth of 0.9% in December.

    It’s likely that customers saw so-called “awful April” on the horizon – bringing rises in a range of utility and consumer costs – and were beginning to curb their spending. But costs are rising for venues too. Many of those bars, cafés, restaurants and hotels that remain open will have to increase prices and cut opening hours to make the numbers add up.

    Behind each closed pub or empty restaurant lies a story that goes far beyond its four walls. I’ve worked in the sector since my teenage years – from family-run establishments on the Northern Irish coast to venues in London and overseas – and I’ve seen firsthand how business closures affect people. Now, as a lecturer in hospitality, I can see what support this unique sector needs to weather the storm.

    I have seen small seaside cafes where owners knew every customer by name, providing essential social connections for elderly visitors who may not have had another social interaction that day. When these cafes closed, the community bonds were severed overnight.

    Every shuttered hotel or bar means people losing their livelihoods, perhaps mothers working part-time to balance employment and childcare or students funding their education. The impact of these closures is immediate and profound, and extends throughout the supply chain.

    They affect the dairy farmer who supplied the milk, the baker who made fresh pastries each morning, and the technician who serviced the coffee machines. This interconnected web generated £121 billion in economic activity in 2022 across the UK.

    Weddings and wakes

    Pubs and cafes are more than just businesses. Often, they’re the beating hearts of communities. These are the spaces where neighbours stop to chat, where chance encounters bloom into lifelong friendships and romances, and where people come together for weddings and wakes. When the shutters come down, it represents a tear in the community fabric and threatens the cohesion of neighbourhoods.

    As the gathering places where communities come together, pubs and cafes simultaneously create livelihoods that support those same communities. Hospitality in the UK employs an extraordinary 3.5 million people directly (and another three million indirectly through supply chains and support industries). This makes it the UK’s third largest employer, behind only retail and healthcare.

    This dual role, as both social hub and major employer, makes these establishments uniquely valuable.

    The stark GDP figures for hospitality at the start of 2025 expose a concerning shift in consumer habits, with fewer people choosing to book a table in a restaurant, instead making do with buying in groceries for a meal at home. This harks back to the times of COVID lockdowns. Even people who still visit hospitality venues are spending less per visit, compounding the revenue challenges.

    When a family chooses to eat at home rather than visit their local restaurant, the impact extends far beyond that empty table. Farmers, delivery drivers, kitchen manufacturers and cleaning services (to name just some) all feel the pinch.

    For the small businesses in the hospitality supply chain – many of which derive more than 80% of their income from the sector – this spending shift is an existential threat. Historically, such changes in consumer behaviour have been early indicators of broader economic downturns, making this pattern particularly worrying.

    A VAT reduction offers a compelling solution for UK hospitality business. European countries like Italy and France charge 10% on “food for immediate consumption”, while in Greece it’s 13%. These are far below the UK’s 20%. A change along these lines could protect customers against price rises, improve business cash flow, and offset the wage and NI contribution increases.

    And there is precedent for this. During the 2008 recession, Chancellor Alistair Darling cut VAT from 17.5% to 15% for 13 months as part of a stimulus. The following year’s budget reported “positive early signs” of lower prices supporting consumer spending.

    But right now, this combination of rising costs and reduced consumer spending creates a perfect storm for an industry that has traditionally underpinned economic recoveries. With millions of people relying on hospitality for their livelihoods, this trajectory of decline must be corrected – or there will be profound implications for the wider pattern of economic growth across the UK.

    Zoe Adjey 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. How the struggles of the UK hospitality sector could hit the rest of the economy – https://theconversation.com/how-the-struggles-of-the-uk-hospitality-sector-could-hit-the-rest-of-the-economy-253507

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Donald Trump’s decision to slash USAID is hurting American soft power and making the world less safe

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Chase Johnson, PhD Candidate, University of Warwick

    The Trump administration’s foreign policy has raised alarms. It seems to have shifted America away from it traditional Nato allies, favouring instead a closer relationship with Russia. There has also been talk of plans to control Greenland, the Panama Canal – possibly even Canada. This has caused sleepless nights for political leaders, especially in Europe.

    However, in the developing world, the biggest concern is the US government’s suspension of development aid. For people in these regions, access to clean water, seeds for crops and vaccines is a matter of life or death.

    The suspension is presently the subject of a battle in the US Supreme Court, but at the end of February, the administration said it planned to cut 90% of all overseas aid contracts. With a single stroke of President Trump’s Sharpie pen, this has struck out US$60 billion (£39 billion) of US aid assistance, globally. Internal projections by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), published by the New York Times at the beginning of March, forecast dire consequences, including a massive increase in diseases such as malaria and polio as well as a rise in cases of malnutrition of up to a million children.

    USAID was founded in 1961 under John F. Kennedy’s administration. It operated with an annual budget of about US$58 billion – orders of magnitude larger than any other country’s development portfolio. It maintains a staff of diplomats, subject experts, and also employs local nationals around the world. It is a critical component of US soft power and works in close proximity to the country’s national security interests.

    USAID’s absence will be felt around the world. Perhaps the most consequential effect lies with the freezing of American food aid. Experts have already predicted that without this lifeline, Sudan could face a famine to compound the effects of the civil war that has raged there. The consequences of this will be very public, producing heartbreaking headlines and images.

    But there is another side to this that the Trump administration seems to be overlooking. USAID is one of the largest single customers of American farm products that constitute the country’s food aid packages – 1 million metric tonnes in 2024 alone.

    One of the most misunderstood concepts of foreign aid is the fact that large portions of its budget are spent domestically. A report may say that billions of dollars of food aid were given by the US to Sudan – but much of that represents payments to American farmers who are growing the food that is then donated to starving people – not just in Sudan, either.

    America’s farmers already exist on very tight margins, so an unexpected loss in revenue such as this, is likely to be a serious blow to them as well. It’s just one example of the effect this decision will have both at home and abroad.

    Pulling away the safety net

    Without USAID the world is less safe. There is a large body of research on how development assistance is a critical component of an effective national security strategy. In 2018, the then secretary of defense, Jim Mattis, who was appointed by Trump, said in an interview that his message to the world is: “Work with our diplomats because you do not want to fight the Department of Defense.”

    To illustrate Mattis’s point, consider the academic work done on the emergence of climate-driven conflicts driven by water and food shortages. One crisis simulation I use in my classrooms puts students in the role of solving a kinetic (shooting) war over water rights in the Horn of Africa. This particular crisis, while used as a game to teach national security, could very easily become a reality. It’s the sort of thing USAID helps to prevent.

    I have had the fortune to serve my country in several capacities. Before I started my doctorate in intelligence and national security, I spent four years working for the US government, both as a development worker and in the diplomatic and defence sectors. While diplomacy, defence and development work might look very different on the surface, I can attest that they are quite similar – and very closely linked.

    They operate in very different spheres – but the goal is ultimately the same: to help partner nations enhance their own safety and prosperity. Without this help they may turn to adversaries such as Russia and China to provide assistance and security. These adversaries then have an opportunity to expand their influence around the world, which can include supporting dictatorships and predatory lending, such as seen in the Chinese belt and road initiative.

    Peacekeeping through soft power

    As a US peace corps volunteer, I called on USAID funding to help the community I was assigned to. In Akhaltsikhe, Georgia I taught English and coordinated youth development programmes.

    The Akhaltsikhe region is one of the poorest in the country – and the school was in a sorry state of affairs. With a USAID grant, we were able to renovate part of the school and create an English language learning centre, which still thrives today, 12 years later. I can say first-hand that this project had a big impact on the image of the US among the Georgian people in my community.

    It should go without saying that the US has a chequered past when it comes to some of its foreign policy interventions. But the country’s wealth and resources offer it the unique position to help grow and enhance western values in parts of the world that deserve the same freedom that developed countries in the west take for granted. In my opinion, that is money well spent.

    Whatever value one might place on the US global footprint does not erase the truth of its existence. America is called upon to uphold democracy, to lift people out of poverty, and to respond to crises no matter where they are. Donald Trump, Elon Musk and his Doge staffers should have paid greater heed to USAID’s motto: “For the American people.”

    Chase Johnson 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. Why Donald Trump’s decision to slash USAID is hurting American soft power and making the world less safe – https://theconversation.com/why-donald-trumps-decision-to-slash-usaid-is-hurting-american-soft-power-and-making-the-world-less-safe-251062

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: American liberators of Nazi camps got ‘a lifelong vaccine against extremism’ − their wartime experiences are a warning for today

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Sara J. Brenneis, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Spanish, Amherst College

    A staged recreation of Mauthausen’s liberation, May 6, 1945. Spanish prisoners documented the camp’s actual liberation the day prior using Nazi cameras. National Archives and Records, Cpl. Donald R. Ornitz, US Signal Corps/Administration, III-SC-206395

    When American soldiers liberated the Mauthausen Nazi concentration camp in Austria 80 years ago this May, Spanish prisoners welcomed them with a message of antifascist solidarity.

    The Spaniards hung a banner made from stolen bed sheets over one of Mauthausen’s gates. In English, Spanish and Russian, it read: “The Spanish Antifascists Greet the Liberating Forces.”

    Both American servicemen and Spanish survivors remember the camp’s liberation as a win in their shared fight against extremism, my research on the Spanish prisoners in Mauthausen finds. They all understood the authoritarian governments of Nazi Germany, Italy and Spain as fascist regimes that used extremist views rooted in intolerance and nationalism to persecute millions of people and imperil democracy across Europe.

    World War II, the Holocaust and the horrors of Nazi violence have no modern equivalent. Nevertheless, extremism is now threatening democracy in the United States in recognizable ways.

    As the Trump administration executes summary deportations, works to suppress dissent, fundamentally restructures the federal government and defies judges, experts warn that the country is turning toward authoritarianism.

    As a scholar of the Mauthausen camp, I believe that understanding how American soldiers and Spanish prisoners experienced its liberation offers a valuable lesson on the real and present dangers of extremism.

    ‘We knew then why we had to stop Hitler’

    In 1938, the Nazis established Mauthausen, a forced labor camp in Austria, with an international prisoner population. My research shows that the Nazis murdered 16,000 Jews and 66,000 non-Jewish prisoners at Mauthausen between 1938 and 1945, including 60% of the roughly 7,200 Spaniards imprisoned there.

    The Spanish prisoners were committed antifascist resistors sent there in 1940 and 1941. Known as Republicans or Loyalists, they had fought against Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War and Adolf Hitler in World War II.

    The young men with the 11th Armored Division of the U.S. Army who liberated Mauthausen would never forget the moment they discovered the camp. It was May 5, 1945, just days before the war ended in Europe. A platoon led by Staff Sgt. Albert J. Kosiek was repairing bridges in this tucked-away corner of Austria when a Swiss Red Cross delegate alerted them to a large Nazi concentration camp nearby.

    Mauthausen’s international survivors were among the Nazis’ last prisoners to be freed.

    George Sherman was a 19-year-old tank gunner from Brooklyn when his patrol found Mauthausen. He was Jewish and had read about the Nazi camps in Europe in the Army’s newspaper.

    American liberators rolling into the Mauthausen concentration camp on May 5, 1945, as photographed by prisoner Francesc Boix. Sgt. Harry Saunders is standing on the left fender.
    Francesc Boix/Courtesy of Collections of the Mauthausen Memorial

    Still, seeing a concentration camp with his own eyes was alarming.

    “The piles of bodies” struck him, he remembered in an oral history recorded for the University of South Florida in 2008. So did “these people walking around like God knows – skeletons and whatnot.”

    Sgt. Harry Saunders, a 23-year-old radio operator from Chicago, also remembered the moment he saw the Mauthausen survivors. They were men and women of all nationalities.

    “The live skeletons, the people that were in the camp, it was indescribable, it was such a shock,” he said in a 2002 interview for the Mauthausen Memorial’s Oral History Collection in Vienna.

    One of the Spanish prisoners at Mauthausen, Francesc Boix, had stolen a camera from the SS in the chaotic moments before the camp’s liberation. Boix photographed Sgt. Saunders rumbling into the concentration camp on an armored car.

    Saunders kept that photograph for the rest of his life. It captured a moment of clarity for him.

    “When we liberated Mauthausen, we really knew then why we had to stop Hitler and why we really went to war,” he said in the interview.

    Frank Hartzell, a technical sergeant with the 11th Armored Division, was 20 when he helped to liberate Mauthausen. He turned 100 this year. We met in mid-March 2025 and discussed his wartime experience.

    “What I saw and experienced appalled me,” Hartzell told me.

    The outrage has stayed with him for 80 years.

    ‘Starved and crippled but alive’

    The American liberators toured the gas chambers and the crematory ovens in Mauthausen.

    Maj. Franklin Lee Clark saw the dead stacked up in “piles like cord wood to the point that they had to bring in bulldozers and make mass graves,” and took photos to document it.

    The Spanish banner hanging on the Mauthausen prison gate, May 1945.
    Franklin Lee Clark/Emory University Archives, Witnesses to the Holocaust Project

    Soldiers from the 11th Armored Division directed locals to bury the men and women murdered by the Nazis. The local Austrians claimed they had not known about their town’s concentration camp. But a farmer who lived nearby had been upset about all the dead bodies visible from her property. She filed a complaint asking the Nazis either to stop “these inhuman deeds” or do them “where one does not see it.”

    The American liberators made sure that the townspeople could no longer look away from the murderous rampage carried out in their backyards.

    While Boix was taking photos of American soldiers during liberation, the soldiers were taking photos of the welcome banner the Spaniards had painted.

    On the back of one snapshot, a Signal Corps soldier typed out his impressions of their message: “I really know what that word (antifascist) means. We liberated these prisoners in the Mauthausen concentration camp near Linz, Austria. They were Poles, Hungarians and Spanish Loyalists (remember the Loyalists?). They had men and women in this camp. Starved and crippled but alive.”

    After Mauthausen was liberated, the freed Loyalists set to work documenting the Nazis’ crimes. Along with his countrymen Joan de Diego, Casimir Climent and others, Spanish survivor Joaquín López Raimundo compiled lists of Mauthausen victims and their Nazi captors. Using the Nazis’ own typewriters, they spent two weeks listing the names and personal details of Spanish victims of Mauthausen and of the SS who had killed them.

    The result was page after page of evidence they handed over to American war crimes investigators and the International Red Cross.

    Boix, meanwhile, gave the Americans hundreds of photo negatives he had rescued from the camp’s photography lab.

    Boix later testified about these images in the war crime trials at Nuremberg and Dachau. He described seeing the Nazis beat, torture and murder their victims in Mauthausen and then photograph the bodies. For 2½ years, Boix stole the photographic evidence of their crimes.

    He “could not keep those negatives because it was so dangerous,” he testified at Dachau, so he “hid them in various places until the liberation.”

    Testimony in the Nuremberg war crime trials. Francesc Boix’s testimony begins at 7:44. (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy National Archives and Records Administration. Producer: US Signal Corps)

    A lifelong vaccine against extremism

    For the American liberators, their up-close view of the horrors of Mauthausen and their interactions with the Spanish antifascist survivors was a lifelong vaccine against extremism.

    They witnessed how a fascist leader tore the world apart. They saw with their own eyes the death and destruction of political extremism.

    When I interviewed Hartzell, he expressed concern that the United States is going down a dangerous path.

    “The USA today is not the USA I fought and came close to dying for,” Hartzell told me.

    As American Mauthausen liberator Maj. George E. King warned an interviewer in 1980:

    “This is the lesson we have to learn: It could happen here.”

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

    – ref. American liberators of Nazi camps got ‘a lifelong vaccine against extremism’ − their wartime experiences are a warning for today – https://theconversation.com/american-liberators-of-nazi-camps-got-a-lifelong-vaccine-against-extremism-their-wartime-experiences-are-a-warning-for-today-248813

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz: Donald Trump Is Ruining The Economy On Purpose, Everyone Will Pay More For Everything

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) spoke out on the Senate floor today after President Donald Trump announced a new tariff plan that will levy the largest tax hike on middle-class families in a generation and force families to pay an average of $5,000 more each year.

    “Donald Trump is ruining the economy on purpose,” said Senator Schatz. “Starting tomorrow, we’ll be paying more for everything – groceries, food, cars, homes, toys, electronics, everything that you buy. This is about the ability for people to pay for college. This is about the ability for people to retire with dignity and comfort. Trillions of dollars of wealth are being demolished. These are everyday people panicked about how much more expensive their next trip to Walmart or Costco will be, or when they’ll lose their job.”

    The full text of Senator Schatz’s remarks can be found below. Video is available here.

    Donald Trump is ruining the economy on purpose. He is ruining the economy on purpose. I’m not sure if there’s ever been an American president, let alone a chief executive of any country that has ruined the economy on purpose. The stock market had its worst day in five years yesterday, and I just checked before I delivered these remarks. Just five minutes ago, 1600 down on the Dow Jones, the S&P down 5 percent, Nasdaq 4 percent, the Russell 5 percent. What does that mean as a practical matter? It means if you spent all your life working and saving and investing, and you are on the edge of retirement, and let’s say you’ve got $312,000 plus your Social Security income, you just lost 30 grand in two days because of Donald Trump. You lost 10 percent of what you earned over a lifetime. Now, for Howard Lutnick and Elon Musk and Donald Trump and everybody that surrounds him at Mar-a-Lago, they can ride this out. They can short it, they can buy crypto. They can do all kinds of wonderful things to make sure that they can ride this out. Regular people cannot ride this out.

    The dollar hit a six-month low. Layoffs have already started. Consumers are cutting back on spending. And by the way, the data is there. But also just talk to anybody. Just talk to anybody about how they feel about spending right now. And the likelihood of a recession went up 20 percent in a day. JPMorgan now says it’s more than 60 percent likely.

    So what is this even for? Why are people so freaked out? Why is the entire world, from friends and partners to adversaries and enemies, scrambling to retaliate against the United States, the indispensable nation? It’s so that Donald Trump can raise trillions of dollars in revenue to pay for the biggest tax cuts for billionaires in the history of the planet.

    Starting tomorrow, we’ll be paying more for everything – groceries, food, cars, homes, toys, electronics, everything that you buy. Estimates have home prices ballooning by almost $20,000 per unit. Cars will cost $6,000 more. An iPhone, 250 bucks more. Clothing prices will go up by roughly 20 percent. Also, what we’re going to be a textile manufacturer? That’s our goal as a country is to make t-shirts and socks?

    Workers will be laid off, but I guess it’ll all be worth it in the end because this is paid for. What does that mean? It means that in their big budget plan, they need to cut taxes for billionaires, but they don’t have enough money to finance that. And so they’re using tariff revenue to balance out the money that they’re going to shovel to a bunch of billionaires.

    Trump is very famous for having few firm, fixed political beliefs. He’s changed his mind about just about everything, but not on tariffs. He’s a self-proclaimed “tariff man.” He’s repeatedly said that the word tariff is the most beautiful word in the English language. And for years, he’s lavished praise on the 20th century tariffs, which, by the way, helped to deepen the Great Depression. So he’s very happy about all of this. Like there should be no mistaking this is what he intends to do. And this is one of the differences between Trump 1.0 and Trump 2.0. He’s doing all the things. He’s actually going through with it. This is not mean tweets and like normal behavior. This is all of the crazy stuff he’s saying is now being effectuated as public policy, as economic policy, as fiscal policy. He’s going through with it. You can no longer be dismissive of these resistance types, these Democrats, these shrill, these partisans, these people who can’t keep their head on straight. These people who just want to punish Donald Trump for saying: “man, that guy is kind of crazy. He’s going to crash the economy.” He’s literally crashing the economy on purpose.

    The idea that other countries will just graciously pay the tariffs is a fantasy. Much like Trump’s claim that Mexico would pay for the wall. In reality, it’s American importers who pay the tariffs, and then they pass it on to consumers, which is exactly what happened the last time Trump tried to do this. Economists who studied the tariffs that Trump imposed during the first term on certain goods from China found that it was consumers. It was you that paid the price. So here’s roughly how it worked this time around. There’s going to be math involved here. If these tariffs are expected to raise $6 trillion, as Trump says, that would mean collecting something like $600 billion every year over the next ten years. Broken out by household people are looking at $5,000 a year in added costs.

    I bet you Donald Trump doesn’t know anyone personally. Maybe he’s met people, but like in terms of the people he hangs out with that he spends time with, that he likes that he works with, he probably doesn’t know anyone for whom $5,000 is an unmanageable, increased cost. But I know a lot of people like that. In fact, a lot of people in my home state are like that.

    They cannot absorb a $5,000 increase in the cost of everything. And that is before you consider the hundreds of thousands of lost jobs and the devastation of small businesses and farmers and others. One small business owner in Iowa put it this way, “Trump’s calling it Liberation Day. Maybe something like Liberation Day liberated from reality.” Farmer in Kansas agreed.

    “These tariffs are just absolutely bad news that caused the prices for everything that we buy to go up and the prices for everything that we sell to go down.” Everything that we buy is more expensive. Everything that we sell is cheaper. Does that sound like a smart economic plan?

    It’s bad news any way you cut it. But even worse, more confusing, more idiotic, more infuriating is when you look at how they arrived at these rates. These are not actually reciprocal tariffs. Reciprocal tariffs being like essentially country X assesses tariffs in the amount of 15 percent so we reciprocate. We do 15 percent back. This is how they did it.

    They used a one size fits all formula to remake the global trading system. They took our trade surplus with any given country. So the way you do it to do reciprocal tariffs is country X says 10 percent, we go back at 10 percent. What they did is say let’s take our trade surplus, which means what we export minus what we import divided by total exports. And then cut it in half. Why they didn’t cut it in a third? Why they didn’t, you know, do some coefficient other than 50 percent?  I don’t know, but it’s purely arbitrary. So we have an $18 billion trade deficit with Indonesia. We import $28 billion worth of goods from them. 17.9 divided by 28 is 64. Divide that by two and you get 34, which is surprise, surprise, exactly the rate that Trump set for Indonesia. Half of the differential between export exports and imports literally makes no sense. Like you’ve got a bunch of economists right, left and center going WTF? I cannot believe this is bad policy. But also it’s like childish, childish math.

    The White House formula is so bonkers at the same economist that pointed that it pointed to as the basis for the rationale immediately were critical: “they pulled two numbers out of thin air that perfectly cancel each other out. This type of reductionist analysis is very troubling and scares me,” said economics professor Anson Soderbery, whose paper the White House cited even their sources are saying, don’t use my name to justify this nonsense.

    Another economist said that the White House had misunderstood his research, which specifically cautioned against excessively high tariff rates like Trump’s. “Making rates higher is a bad idea for the United States. We use supercomputers to find the optimal tariffs. The Trump administration seems to have taken a bit of a shortcut here. Also, our results suggest that the EU should not be tariffs and yet they set high tariffs against them. Finally, our range of optimal tariffs are substantially lower than the ones the administration just announced.” So if you can believe it, we’re in a situation where economists are using supercomputers to find optimal tariff rates. While the president of the United States is using a formula. And I’m not exaggerating that a fifth grader could solve. Now, whether it’s the Signal chat or this formula, this administration’s incompetence is on display every day.

    It’s why we now have tariffs in places like Herd Island and McDonald Island, where there are no living human beings, only penguins. Or, as the New York Times noted, “Trump’s decision to put a 32 percent tariff on Switzerland stunned politicians and business leaders in the alpine country. Switzerland has an open trade policy and recently abolished all industrial tariffs.” It’s not reciprocal. If they’re not tariffing us. For countries like Brazil, where we have a trade surplus, they still slap 10 percent. Israel reduced their tariffs to zero, still got the 10 percent. This is not a case of a bunch of Democrats crying wolf just to warn the Republicans. The markets are speaking. They are terrified. And this isn’t about a bunch of billionaire corporations and their profitability.

    This is about the ability for people to pay for college. This is about the ability for people to retire with dignity and comfort. Trillions of dollars of wealth are being demolished. These are everyday people panicked about how much more expensive their next trip to Walmart or Costco will be, or when they’ll lose their job. People are already stockpiling supplies. Shortly after Trump’s announcement, JPMorgan described the impact of the tariffs over the next few months like this. “On a static basis, today’s announcement would raise just under 400 billion in revenue, or about 1.3 percent of GDP, which would be the largest tax increase since 1968. The resulting hit to purchasing power could take real disposable personal income growth in the second and third quarters into negative territory, and with it, the risk that real consumer spending could also contract in these quarters. This impact alone could take the economy perilously close to slipping into a recession.”

    Now countries are already responding. So it’s not like this is a static situation which can’t get worse because the retaliations are going on. And this idea that all this is just a leverage play, look, there’s 200 countries that we have some sort of trading arrangement with and Donald Trump is very unpopular so asking a leader of a country or a parliament of a country to waive their tariffs at the end, at the end of a economic gun because Trump is bullying them. It’s like not good domestic politics for them. The best domestic politics for them is to stand up to Donald Trump’s bullying. And that’s bad for all of us. We’re not going to wave our way through 194 trading partners.

    China just imposed a 34 percent reciprocal tariff for our 54 percent tariff on Chinese goods. And in a truly bizarre turn of events, we forced our allies and adversaries to try to find ways to work together. Earlier this week, for the first time in years, China, Japan and South Korea discuss possible of working together on free trade as a response to Donald John Trump.

    This is the most shocking image. This red line continuing to go down precipitously, but among the other most shocking images, there’s a picture of high leaders from Korea… first of all, Korea and Japan are in a better place now. But they are, you know, there have been some diplomatic challenges over the decades and the generations, but they’re in a reasonably good place.

    So just to see them shaking hands is a big deal. But to see them shaking hands, literally holding hands with a high official from China to indicate they’re in this together against us. So it is true that Donald Trump is uniting the world. The problem is he’s uniting the world against us.

    Look, there is a. Real objective here that we’ve been working on for the last four, eight years. And whether it’s chips or it’s cars or it’s clean energy, we’ve actually increased the amount of domestic manufacturing in the United States of America with good industrial policy and targeted trade policy. But this is mayhem. This is mayhem. John Kennedy, the current senator from Louisiana, said it exactly right. He said tariffs are like whiskey. A little bit can be refreshing, can be useful too much – I’m paraphrasing – very bad things happen. Very bad things are happening.

    In the time I took to deliver these remarks, probably some number of tens of billions of dollars of additional wealth from working people was just wiped out. And I want to make one final point, and this is the most important point Republicans can and should stop this, with an exception of maybe 3 or 4 members, almost every Republican senator hates tariffs.

    The question is whether they will stand up to Donald Trump, who has taken this decidedly protectionist, anti-market, super harmful direction. But all we need Republicans are in charge of the Senate is for them to exert their constitutionally given authority over the assessing of tariffs. There is bipartisan momentum in that space. But we are not there because what I’m reading and what I’m hearing is they’re willing to give this a couple of months and let me give you a bunch of free advice to my Republican friends.

    If you’re going to stand up to him in two months, do it now.

    Your people are suffering. People are being laid off. People are about, by the way, most of people, most of what is happening in terms of Trump’s plummeting popularity is what they are seeing on their screens. But in the next week or so, it’s not what they’re seeing in their screens. It’s what they’re seeing when they try to buy something.

    It’s what they’re seeing amongst their friends who are being laid off. This is about to get very real, and I advise you against my own political interests, but in the country’s interests, if you’re going to stand up to him in June, my God, do it now. I yield the floor.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SUNDAY SHOWS: President Trump’s Bold Vision for Economic Prosperity

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    This morning, officials from the Trump Administration took to the networks to outline President Donald J. Trump’s reciprocal trade plan as he ends the globalist policies of economic destruction that have shipped American jobs and industries overseas at the expense of American workers.
    Here’s what you missed:
    Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent on Meet the Press
    On tariffs during President Trump’s first term: “A 20% tariff on China led to a 0.7% price level increase over four years. I think that’s pretty good — if we can take in 20% in tariffs and it’s a 0.7% increase … Households saw real net wages go up, so if wages go up faster than prices — which is not what happened over the past four years.”
    On making goods in America: “We saw during COVID that [our] supply chains are not resilient … President Trump has decided that we cannot be at risk like that for our crucial medicines, for our semiconductors, for shipping.”
    Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Face the Nation
    On trade as an issue of national security: “We don’t make medicine in this country anymore. We don’t make ships. We don’t have enough steel and aluminum to fight a battle … We got to stop having all the countries of the world ripping us off.”
    On trade imbalances: “In 1980, we were a net investor, meaning we owned more of the rest of the world than they owned of us — and now, they own $18 trillion of us, net … Eventually, we’re not going to own America and we are going to be owned by the rest of the world.”
    National Economic Director Kevin Hassett on This Week
    On so-called free trade: “China entered the WTO in 2000. In the 15 years that followed, real incomes declined about $1,200 cumulatively over that time … We got the cheap goods at the grocery store, but then we had fewer jobs.”
    Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on State of the Union
    On using tariffs to level the playing field: “This whole concept is about rebuilding an American economy around American goods, around American industry … Mexico won’t take our corn. Australia won’t take our beef … It is time for a change.”
    On the EU’s refusal to take American ag exports: “They are using fake science and unsubstantiated claims to not take our products … We produce the safest, the most secure, the best food in the world.”
    On the agricultural trade deficit: “In the last four years, the cost of inputs for our farmers went up 30%. In the last four years, we had an agricultural export deficit that increased from zero when President Trump left to $49 billion.”
    Attorney General Pam Bondi on Fox News Sunday
    On lawfare: “Just since January 20th, we’ve had over 170 lawsuits filed against us. That should be the constitutional crisis right there — 50 injunctions … trying to control his executive power.”
    Senior Counselor Peter Navarro on Sunday Morning Futures
    On the need for tariffs: “It’s all these things that these foreign countries do that are designed, explicitly, to cheat us, and are sanctioned by the WTO. So, President Trump says, ‘No more’ … We’re headed towards a strong America that makes things again.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Met officers recover £50k of stolen tools in east London

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Around £50,000 worth of stolen tools were recovered during a Metropolitan Police operation at a car boot sale in Rainham, east London.

    In response to concerns from tradespeople about a rise in tool thefts, the Met worked with Essex Police and trading standards officers to carry out a large search of the Willow Farm Car Boot Sale on Sunday, 6 April.

    By using intelligence, and with the help of a dog that can sniff out items marked with forensic water, officers identified and seized around 1,000 suspected stolen tools.

    Four men, aged between 40 and 60, from Hackney and Southend-on-Sea were arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods.

    A number of suspected stolen bikes, as well as cash, illegal vapes and other counterfeit goods were also seized.

    Inspector Mark Connolly, from the Met’s neighbourhood policing team in east London, said:

    “We’ve heard from hard-working Londoners about the financial and personal impact of tool theft and we’re working hard across the Met to tackle it.

    “As well as working with partners to target prolific offenders in proactive and intelligence-led operations such as this, we’re also carrying out tool marking events to make it harder for criminals to sell on stolen goods.”

    Inspector Daniel Selby, from Essex Police’s Grays Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:

    “Trading stolen or counterfeit goods is illegal and inexcusable, so we are working with our partners to disrupt supply lines and arrest those who are profiting from crime.

    “Hard-working tradespeople rely on their tools to make a living and we appreciate how devastating the implications of a theft can be for victims and their families at a time when many people are struggling financially.

    “Purchasing illegitimate goods only serves to line the pockets of the criminals, creates a market that inevitably leads to more offending, and can land the buyer in serious trouble.”

    Officers will work over the coming weeks to identify the tools and trace their original owners.

    Any tradespeople or those in possession of power tools are advised to mark their property, take photographs, and record serial numbers so that, in the event of theft, officers have more chance of returning property.

    Marking tools with SelectaDNA forensic water also helps officers identify stolen goods. Met officers will be hosting a free tool marking event at the Toolstation in Ramac Way in Charlton between 07:30hrs and 14:00hrs on Tuesday, 8 April.

    We also advise reporting any thefts in a timely manner, providing as much detail as possible. Removing tools from your vehicles overnight will also help deter thieves.

    We urge the public not to buy goods you know or suspect to be stolen or counterfeit, as this feeds organised crime. If the price seems too good to be true, it could be the item is either stolen or fake. Buying goods you know or suspect to be stolen is a criminal offence.

    If you suspect anyone of selling stolen or counterfeit goods, you can report this to us online or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Top African Projects Driving the Mining-Energy Nexus

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 7, 2025/APO Group/ —

    Mining represents one of the most energy-intensive industries globally. As African nations ramp up mineral extraction to drive economic growth, mining projects and stakeholders are increasingly investing in energy infrastructure to sustain operations and meet rising production targets. Amid efforts to improve grid stability, the upcoming African Mining Week conference will highlight the continent’s investment opportunities emerging from the mining-energy nexus.

    Northam Bolsters Power Supply for South African Mines

    In February 2025, mining firm Northam signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for 140 MW of wind power to support its platinum group metals operations in Limpopo. This deal follows an earlier PPA signed in October 2024 for an 80 MW solar power facility to supply the company’s Zondereinde mine, aimed at driving South Africa’s expansion of its PGMs sector. These agreements are part of Northam’s broader strategy to enhance energy security and sustainability while reducing its carbon footprint in alignment with national renewable energy goals.

    Richards Bay Minerals Expands PPA Portfolio

    Richards Bay Minerals, a subsidiary of mining multinational Rio Tinto, signed its third PPA with Red Rocket in February 2025, securing 230 MW of electricity from Red Rocket’s 380 MW Overberg Wind Farm. This agreement increases the company’s total contracted renewable energy supply to 500 MW and supports Rio Tinto’s commitment to reducing emissions by 50% by 2030. Richards Bay Minerals also taps into energy from the 130 MW Bolobedu solar PV plant and 140 MW Khangela Emoyeni wind farm.

    Further Investments in Renewables for Mining

    Other mining companies across Africa are driving large-scale energy projects to secure a stable power supply. In South Africa, Ivanhoe Mines completed a 5 MW solar facility in Q1 2025 to support its Platreef PGM mine, while Impala Platinum signed a five-year PPA with Discovery Green to supply wheeled renewable energy to its Impala Refineries operation. Meanwhile, commodities firm Trafigura is developing a 2 GW initiative to power Angolan mines, and First Quantum is set to commission a 430 MW project in Zambia in 2025. Tronox Holdings plans to roll out 400 MW of energy projects in South Africa by 2027 and Chinese mining company CMOC is preparing a 200 MW energy project in the DRC, set for commissioning by 2028.

    As these investments unfold, African Mining Week will showcase key milestones in energy security for the sector, highlighting lucrative opportunities within Africa’s independent power markets. The event will emphasize the growing demand for stable, sustainable energy solutions as miners continue to invest in energy infrastructure.

    African Mining Week serves as a premier platform for exploring the full spectrum of mining opportunities across Africa. The event is held alongside the African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2025 conference from October 1-3 in Cape Town. Sponsors, exhibitors and delegates can learn more by contacting sales@energycapitalpower.com.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Tribal Startups Shine at StartupMahakumbh

    Source: Government of India

    Tribal Startups Shine at StartupMahakumbh

    ST-Led Ventures incubated at IIM Kolkata & IIT Guwahati Receive National Awards from Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal

    Ministry of Tribal Affairs Showcases 45 Startups under “DhartiAabaTribePreuners 2025” under Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh at Bharat Mandapam

    Posted On: 06 APR 2025 9:09AM by PIB Delhi

    New Delhi ,Ministry of Tribal Affairs marked a significant milestone in empowering tribal entrepreneurship by showcasing 45 tribal-led startups from across India at the StartupMahakumbh held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Organized under the flagship initiative “DhartiAabaTribepreuners 2025” as part of Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh, the event witnessed innovation from sectors ranging from deep tech to organic farming and green energy.

    Two tribal-led startups, incubated at premier institutions—IIM Kolkata and IIT Guwahati—received prestigious national recognition from Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Union Minister for Commerce & Industry, affirming the growing role of tribal entrepreneurs in India’s startup ecosystem.

    On this achievement, Shri JualOram, Hon’ble Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, and Shri VibhuNayar, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, congratulated the winning startups for their exemplary innovation and dedication to community-led development. They commended the efforts of all participating entrepreneurs for representing the aspirations and potential of tribal India on a national platform.

    Award-Winning Startups founded by ST entrepreneurs

    OurGuest Travels (Top View Pvt. Ltd.)

    Incubated at IIM Kolkata | Sector: Sustainable Tourism

    Based in Gangtok, Sikkim, OurGuest Travels (www.ourguest.in) was conferred the D2C (Direct-to-Consumer) Award. As the first Online Travel Aggregator (OTA) from Northeast India, it offers a curated collection of homestays, farmstays, resorts, and guided experiences across Sikkim, North Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir.With over 600 homestays and 50+ guides, the platform has served more than 6,000 travelers and supports rural livelihoods and eco-tourism. This recognition is a key milestone under the Ministry’s 100-Day Agenda to build a strong tribal startup ecosystem.

    Ngurie Organic Pvt. Ltd.

    Incubated at IIT Guwahati | Sector: AgriTech& Organic Farming

    Ngurie Organic received the AgriTech Award for its transformative work in sustainable agriculture. The startup harnesses data-driven research, precision agriculture, and blockchain-enabled transparency to empower farmers with solutions that:

    • Reduce water usage
    • Improve soil health
    • Increase crop yields
    • Promote environmental sustainability
    • Strengthen food security
      🔗 Website: https://ngurie.com

    Exclusive Sessions on Tribal Entrepreneurship by VC /Angel Investors

    The event featured a high-impact panel titled “Investing in Bharat: Unlocking Startup Potential Beyond the Metro”, with thought leaders from India’s startup and investment ecosystem

    • T. RoumuanPaite, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Afafirs
    • Vikram Gupta, IvyCap Ventures
    • Sandeep NagbhushanAithal, Infosys Ltd.
    • Vineet Khurana, SACC India
    • Moderator: Amit Pandey, IVCA

    In addition, faculty from IIT Delhi conducted a Design Thinking Workshop, guiding tribal startups to refine and scale their business ideas.

     Empowering the Next Generation of Tribal Entrepreneurs

    The 3-day program concluded with the distribution of participation certificates to:45 tribal startup founders,100 EMRS (Eklavya Model Residential School) students,150 tribal students availing higher education scholarships.

    Participants also took part in a bootcamp at IIT Delhi and attended exposure visits across the startup ecosystem during the StartupMahakumbh.

    Towards a Self-Reliant Tribal India

     Ministry of Tribal Affairs, through initiatives like DhartiAabaTribepreuners 2025, continues to create an enabling environment for tribal innovators—combining mentorship, funding, capacity building, and platform exposure. The presence and recognition of tribal entrepreneurs at India’s largest startup conclave reaffirms the Ministry’s commitment to making tribal India a key stakeholder in the nation’s growth story.

    ****

    RN/PIB

    (Release ID: 2119444) Visitor Counter : 31

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying Showcases Livestock & Dairy Innovations at Startup Mahakumbh 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 06 APR 2025 9:02AM by PIB Delhi

    The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying marked it’s noteworthy presence at the recently concluded Startup Mahakumbh 2025, held from April 3rd to 5th at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Participating as a Silver Supporting Partner, DAHD set up an engaging pavilion, showcasing innovations and initiatives in the livestock and dairy sector.

    As part of its Pavilion, DAHD provided Startup Pods to 15 Startups functional in the Livestock and Dairy sector, who got an opportunity to display their product/services and network with key stakeholders while exploring avenues for scaling their impact in India’s agrarian economy. These Startups showcased innovative products and technologies for example, ensuring temperature compliance in dairy processing, AI monitoring for animal health management, sensor-based smart collar for estrus detection, milk adulteration detection kit to ensure food safety, end-to-end SaaS platform for dairy supply chain, artificial insemination gun, data integration in dairy supply chain via blockchain to improve product traceability etc. Ms. Varsha Joshi, Additional Secretary, DAHD, visited the Pavilion and interacted with several startups, appreciating their contribution and innovations in livestock management and dairy technology.

    DAHD’s Pavilion highlighted key government initiatives including the National Livestock Mission’s Entrepreneurship Development Programme, the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, and the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund. The pavilion also showcased DAHD’s efforts in delivering services directly to farmers doorstep and attracted significant interest and footfall from a wide range of stakeholders from academia, industry, and general public.

     ***

    Aditi Agrawal

    (Release ID: 2119442) Visitor Counter : 62

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh Stresses Tech-Driven Fodder Solutions at ICAR- IGFRI, Jhansi

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 06 APR 2025 11:27AM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, visited the ICAR–Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute (IGFRI), Jhansi on 5th April 2025 to assess the ongoing research efforts and field-level innovations aimed at enhancing fodder availability and sustainable grassland management across the country. Accompanied by Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), Ms. Alka Upadhyaya, and Animal Husbandry Commissioner, Dr. Abhijit Mitra, the Union Minister interacted with scientists and reviewed a comprehensive exhibition showcasing the latest fodder technologies and best practices being promoted by the institute.

    Addressing the gathering, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh expressed concern over the prevailing national green fodder deficit, currently estimated at 11%, and stressed upon the need for technology-led interventions to address this challenge. He noted that while only 8.5 million hectares are presently under cultivated fodder, the country possesses approximately 11.5 million hectares of grasslands and nearly 100 million hectares of wastelands that can be harnessed efficiently. He emphasized, “Efficient utilisation of these underused resources is essential for achieving fodder self-reliance and improving livestock productivity.” 

    The Union Minister praised IGFRI’s research and development work and called for speedy dissemination of its technologies through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) across states. He particularly emphasized the importance of perennial grasses that are tolerant to abiotic stress, highlighting their potential to rejuvenate degraded lands, contribute to ecological balance, and provide sustainable green fodder throughout the year. Reiterating government’s  commitment to building a resilient livestock sector, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh stated that science, innovation, and cooperative governance would be the cornerstones of advancing fodder security and achieving Atmanirbhar Krishi and Pashupalan. He also held discussions with IGFRI researchers, encouraging the institute to position itself as a central knowledge and innovation hub for fodder development and grassland improvement in India.

    Among the key technologies demonstrated during the visit were livestock-based Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) tailored for all categories of farmers; apomictic breeding in perennial grasses to ensure genetic uniformity and sustainability; development of specialized fodder farm machinery aimed at reducing manual labour; seed standards and certification systems for quality assurance in forage crops; and the innovative use of drones for seed pellet-based grassland rejuvenation at scale.

    Ms. Alka Upadhyaya underlined the significance of state-level convergence to support the wider adoption of location-specific fodder technologies. She highlighted the scope for integrating fodder cultivation in fallow spaces within coconut orchards in Kerala as a promising example of such convergence. To further promote this model, she informed that a joint meeting will be held in Kerala on 8th April 2025, bringing together representatives of the State Government, KVKs, and IGFRI scientists.

                                     ***** 

    SC

    (Release ID: 2119477) Visitor Counter : 41

    Read this release in: Hindi

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Fourth Candidate Open House hosted by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs

    Source: Government of India

    Fourth Candidate Open House hosted by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs

     Interns of the Prime Minister Internship Scheme share their holistic development journey

    ONGC Internships helping youth learn core skills, soft skills and contributing towards overall personality development: Skill Development Chief, ONGC India

    Posted On: 05 APR 2025 4:11PM by PIB Delhi

    As part of the fourth online ‘Candidate Open House’ hosted by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on April 3, 2025, interns enrolled under the Prime Minister Internship Scheme shared their myriad experiences during the first few months of their ongoing internship. These Candidate Open Houses serve as a vital touchpoint for aspirants interested in the scheme, candidates navigating the registration and application process, current interns and industry.

    In the previous edition of the Open House (March 27, 2024), interns from the Mahindra group shared their experiences while Mr. Don Lewis, Head of Skill Development & Education at Mahindra’s Farm Division shared his views on how an internship can provide a strong foundation for professional growth. In this Open House, Anil Bahuguna, Chief of Skill Development at ONGC India, elaborated upon how internships in ONGC are helping youth learn core skills, soft skills and contributing towards overall personality development.

    Willkilinton Deori and Aditi Kashyap – both ONGC interns from Jorhat –  spoke about their internship journey so far covering multiple aspects.  For Willkilinton, the internship has already made him a more disciplined person. Since he is expected to go to his internship location daily (weekdays), Deori feels more aware about following a daily schedule and allocating adequate time to different activities. Aditi is involved in data processing in a hydrocarbon exploration project. Before this internship, she had only read about hydrocarbons in theory. Now as part of her internship, she is involved in data processing of hydrocarbons using a specialized software called ‘Geodesk’.

    Jaya Aishwariya, an intern from Karaikal, Puducherry, mentioned that she commutes 30 km to her internship location. On hearing this, Anil Bahuguna, Chief of Skill Development at ONGC India readily offered to provide accommodation near the site to facilitate her internship journey. Jaya spoke candidly, both in English and Tamil, eager to continue her internship and progress in her career. 

    Avi Rana, another intern from Delhi, shared that several classroom trainings were conducted on diverse topics such a human resource and finance by senior managers from ONGC. These sessions covered both technical knowledge and soft skills trainings – functions of HR, understanding and interpreting financial statements, knowledge of relevant digital tools, presentation skills and communication skills. Avi feels that she is now a more confident person because of the personality development trainings she’s been part of in her internship training. Even her ONGC supervisors agreed that the trainings have significantly helped mitigate her stage fright.

    Aditya and Venkat, interns from Andhra Pradesh, said that they feel very comfortable in their internship environment to interact with their supervisors and seek help in case of difficulties. Aditya also shared that interns receive a food reimbursement of up to ₹5,000 per month. Additionally, they are provided with accommodation facilities and travel by bus, just like full-time employees.

    All the interns shared experiences that symbolises the impact of the Prime Minister Internship Scheme in providing exposure to youth across India to professional environments in top companies of India for upskilling and a well-rounded professional experience.

    An integral part of this scheme is the participation form top companies to contribute towards enhancing employability of Indian youth. Mr.  Anil Bahuguna, Chief of Skill Development at ONGC India provided an overview of ONGC’s operations and its active involvement in the scheme, especially focusing on additional benefits provided by the company including additional financial assistance, accidental insurance, food allowance, accommodation, personal protection equipment etc. Like ONGC, over 200 participating companies are offering additional benefits such as subsidized or free meals, travel and accommodation assistance, reimbursements, and other forms of financial support to their interns.

    Mr. Bahuguna also spoke about ONGC’s efforts to ensure a holistic development experience for interns. For instance, Mr. Rajdeep Singh, former Indian hockey player and currently manager at ONGC conducts sessions with the interns to share his sporting career experiences and how they’ve shaped him as an individual.

    Furthermore, Mr. Bahuguna also explained  ONGC’s intern selection process and potential pathways to full time employment in companies engaged in hydrocarbon exploration & development business. ONGC on its part  is planning to encourage its service providers  to utilise services  of suitable ONGC trained interns post their internship . For this, ONGC will soon modify contractual terms with its service providers.

    MCA officials reiterated that the selection process has commenced for some of the internship opportunities and so the candidates should be alert on the portal and regularly check the status of their applications.  The application phase for Round 2 of the pilot phase of the Prime Minister Internship Scheme is currently underway and April 15, 2025, is the last date for eligible youth to apply.

    For more information visit: https://pminternship.mca.gov.in/

    ****

    NB/AD

    (Release ID: 2119249) Visitor Counter : 56

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Agri StartUps fast emerging as lucrative avenue of livelihood by intelligently blending traditional organic farming practices with cutting-edge scientific technologies: Dr Jitendra Singh

    Source: Government of India

    Agri StartUps fast emerging as lucrative avenue of livelihood by intelligently blending traditional organic farming practices with cutting-edge scientific technologies: Dr Jitendra Singh

    Addresses the “Natural and Organic Farmers Summit 2025” at Shankarpalli near Hyderabad:

    Agri Startups Blending Tradition with Tech to Drive Rural Prosperity: Dr. Jitendra Singh

    Organic is the Future: Dr. Jitendra Singh Calls for Tech-Enabled, Chemical-Free Farming at Hyderabad Summit

    Posted On: 05 APR 2025 3:50PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State for PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh has said  “Agri StartUps are fast emerging as lucrative avenue of livelihood by intelligently blending traditional organic farming practices with cutting-edge scientific technologies.”

    Addressing the “Natural and Organic Farmers Summit 2025” at Shankarpalli near here, the Minister lauded the efforts of grassroots innovators and farmer-entrepreneurs who are embracing science to scale up agriculture, enhance productivity, and ensure sustainable incomes.

    “Startups in agriculture are not just about farming anymore,” Dr. Jitendra Singh said. “They are applying science, using innovations developed by institutions like CSIR, and adopting tools like drones and soil health cards to make farming more productive and cost-effective. With this, they are cultivating more in less time while safeguarding health and the environment.”

    Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasized that organic agriculture, once considered difficult and niche, is now poised to become mainstream—driven by increasing health concerns and awareness about the harmful effects of chemical pesticides.

    Highlighting the growing relevance of organic food in the context of rising lifestyle diseases, the Minister said, “Every third person today is either diabetic or has fatty liver. Cancer cases are rising. The possible role of chemically-laden produce cannot be ignored. Organic farming is not just a healthier choice, but a necessary one.”

    Dr. Jitendra Singh also pointed to the broader impact of agri-startups on employment generation and rural development, citing the success of initiatives like the Purple Revolution and the Aroma Mission. Lavender cultivation, once confined to Jammu and Kashmir, has spread across the country thanks to scientific inputs from CSIR’s Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine and IICT Hyderabad.

    “You don’t need a PhD to be part of this movement. Many successful startups have been founded by those who haven’t even completed graduation,” he said, adding that agriculture, long neglected in the startup space, is finally getting its due.

    The Minister shared how innovations like floriculture—especially tulip cultivation in Himachal Pradesh—are creating new sources of income. “The tulips offered at the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya were grown at our Palampur institute,” he said, underlining the symbolic and economic potential of such initiatives.

    Dr. Jitendra Singh also spotlighted emerging technologies like the Pheromone Application Device (PAD) being developed by IIT Hyderabad to reduce pesticide usage through eco-friendly pest control methods.

    The Minister urged the scientific community and agri-preneurs to participate in the upcoming National Startup Expo in Hyderabad on April 22 and 23. “Let this be a platform to showcase your innovations to the nation. The Government is fully supportive, whether it is financial aid, technical help, or marketing support,” he said. He acknowledged the work of the Eklavya Grameen Foundation whose initiatives in organic farming have made it simpler, economical, and more widely adopted in rural India.

    The Minister concluded by reinforcing that India’s march to become a developed nation by 2047 would be incomplete without uplifting the rural economy and tapping into the vast, underexplored potential of agriculture. “The farmer of today is an agri-entrepreneur. And the field is no longer a place of hardship but a hub of opportunity,” he said.

    *****

    NKR/PSM

    (Release ID: 2119235) Visitor Counter : 56

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Government and Poultry Industry Collaborate to Prevent Bird Flu Outbreaks

    Source: Government of India

    Government and Poultry Industry Collaborate to Prevent Bird Flu Outbreaks

    Implements Three-Pronged Strategy of  Biosecurity Measures, Strengthened Surveillance and Mandatory Registration of Poultry Farms

    Posted On: 05 APR 2025 2:44PM by PIB Delhi

    The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying held a high level meeting on 4th April 2025 in New Delhi to discuss the recent outbreaks of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) in the  country. Chaired by Smt. Alka Upadhyaya, Secretary DAHD, the meeting brought together scientific experts, poultry industry representatives and policymakers to review the current situation of avian influenza and explore strategies to contain the disease and prevent its spread.

    A three-pronged strategy to prevent and control Bird Flu has been decided by DAHD in consultation with the stakeholders. It encompasses Stricter

    Biosecurity Measures wherein poultry farms must enhance hygiene practices, control farm access and follow stringent biosecurity protocols to minimize the risk of infection, Strengthened Surveillance and Mandatory Registration of Poultry Farms to enhance disease tracking and control (All poultry farms must register with state animal husbandry departments within a month. The government has urged poultry industry stakeholders to ensure 100% compliance with this directive).

     

    Speaking at the meeting, Smt. Alka Upadhyaya emphasized, “Protecting our poultry sector is critical for food security and rural livelihoods. Strict biosecurity, scientific surveillance, and responsible industry practices are essential in our fight against Bird Flu.” Additionally, Secretary DAHD stated the need for developing a predictive modelling system for early warning and environmental surveillance which would enable proactive disease detection and response, minimizing the risk of outbreaks and protecting the poultry industry. DAHD has permitted the use of the H9N2 (Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza) vaccine, developed by ICAR-NIHSAD, Bhopal, which is now available commercially.  A national study will evaluate the vaccine’s effectiveness of LPAI vaccination. The meeting also extensively discussed the possibility of allowing the use of a vaccine against Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in India.  Representatives from the poultry industry urged the government to explore vaccination as a strategy to prevent further economic losses in the sector. Scientific experts highlighted that currently available HPAI vaccines do not provide sterile immunity but only reduce virus shedding. Given these complexities, it was agreed that further scientific evaluation is needed before making a policy decision. The meeting recommended conducting detailed science-based assessments to determine the feasibility of HPAI vaccination in India. Research efforts have also been initiated to develop an indigenous HPAI vaccine following global best practices.

     

    The meeting saw participation from top animal health experts and leading poultry industry players including poultry vaccine manufacturers, poultry associations and government & research institutions like ICAR-NIHSAD, ICAR-IVRI, ICAR-CARI, ICAR-NIVEDI, and ICAR-Directorate of Poultry Research.

     

    About Avian Influenza and Current Status in India

     

    Avian Influenza is a highly infectious viral disease affecting birds, with occasional transmission to mammals. Since its first detection in India in 2006, outbreaks have been reported annually across multiple states. This year, the virus has shown cross-species transmission, impacting not just poultry but also wild birds and even big cats in some areas. Currently, six active outbreak zones remain in Jharkhand, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh in the country.

     

    Present situation on HPAI (From 1st January-4th April 2025)

     

    Domestic Poultry

     

    Parameter

    Details

    States Affected

    Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Bihar (Total: 8 states)

    Total Number of Epicentres

    34

    Active Epicentres

    6 (3 States – Jharkhand (Bokaro and Pakur), Telangana (Ranga Reddy, Nalagonda  and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri & Chhattisgarh (Baikunthpur, Korea)

     

    Non Poultry Species Affected (From 1st January-4th April 2025)

    Name of the State

    Species affected

    Maharashtra

    Tiger, Leopard, Vulture, Crow, Hawk and Egret

    Madhya Pradesh

    Pet Cat

    Rajasthan

    Demoiselle crane, Painted Stork

    Bihar

    Crow

    Goa

    Jungle Cat

    Comprehensive Approach to Controlling Avian Influenza

    The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) has implemented a series of initiatives to control and prevent the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in India. The country follows a strict “detect and culling” policy, which involves culling infected birds, restricting movement, and disinfecting areas within a 1 km radius of outbreaks. States have been instructed to report daily on control measures, with increased surveillance and preparedness, especially during winter when migratory birds pose a higher risk. Surveillance for HPAI has also been expanded to non-poultry species, with negative results from tested cattle, goats, and pigs. In the global effort to combat potential pandemics, India has shared sequencing data of H5N1 isolates and related samples with international networks. Central teams, along with the National Joint Outbreak Response Team, are being deployed to manage outbreaks, and regular coordination meetings are being held with State Animal Husbandry Departments and other relevant authorities, including the Health and Wildlife Departments. India follows a test-and-cull policy to contain Avian Influenza outbreaks. Under the Livestock Health and Disease Control Scheme, the government compensates affected farmers for culled birds, destroyed eggs, and feed, with costs shared 50:50 between the Centre and States.

    ****

    Aditi Agrawal

    (Release ID: 2119198) Visitor Counter : 22

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom appeals abrupt end of USDA farm subsidies used to supply food banks

    Source: US State of California 2

    Apr 5, 2025

    Family farmers share how these cuts will harm their businesses and communities

    What you need to know: Governor Newsom sent a letter of appeal today to the Department of Agriculture asking for a reversal of the termination of $47 million meant to support California’s farmers who grow produce for food banks and community centers.

    SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom sent an appeal to the United States Department of Agriculture today appealing the abrupt and inexplicable termination of funding for California’s Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Program. Since 2022, California has utilized more than $88.5 million in LFPA funding to support local farmers, strengthen the state’s food supply system, and distribute high quality nutritious food to food insecure communities and families. Despite the inevitable harm that will fall upon farmers and communities, California’s $47 million from USDA for LFPA and Local Food for Schools Program that had been awarded for next year have been completely terminated.  

    “California’s agriculture sector – which produces nearly half the country’s fruits and vegetables – relies on the support of the Department of Agriculture to ensure that they can get fresh, healthy foods onto families’ tables. The irrational and malicious slashing of funds will not only hurt our farmers, but also the families who need food banks and school meals to stay healthy and thrive. I implore the USDA to immediately reverse this decision.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    “Farmers, families, and schoolchildren rely on the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program to nourish our communities and strengthen our local food systems. Through California Farm to School, we’ve seen firsthand how these initiatives provide fresh, nutritious meals to families while supporting local growers. Without this funding, families facing food insecurity will have fewer options, children will miss out on the meals they rely on, and farmers who have built their livelihoods around feeding our communities will face devastating losses. We urge the USDA to reconsider this decision and continue working with us to ensure a stronger, more resilient food system for all.”

    First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom

    Read the full letter HERE.

    Impact on California 

    California is the nation’s agricultural leader, producing nearly half of the Country’s fruits and vegetables. The local food production sector faces mounting pressures, including climate change, labor shortages, and market fluctuations, all impacting food availability and affordability. In 2024 alone, California’s LFPA Program allocated the California Association of Food Banks, CDSS’s largest LFPA partner, over $22.3 million to provide local healthy food and 18,647,546 meals to food-insecure Californians.

    The sole basis for the termination of LFPA25 was that “AMS [USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service] has determined that this agreement no longer effectuates agency priorities, and that termination of the award is appropriate,” even though USDA’s mission includes “promot[ing] agriculture production that better nourishes Americans.”  This decision will cause irreparable harm to the farmers and communities that have participated in and benefitted from California’s LFPA Program. 

    Testimonials 

    The testimonies below highlight just a few examples of the devastating impact that the interrupted LFPA and LFPA Plus payments, and termination of the LFPA25 Program, has, and will continue to have, on California farms, including family-operated farms.

    Recent news

    Apr 5, 2025

    News California Just a Nevada-Sized Economy Away from Overtaking Germany and Japan as World’s No. 3 Economy— Bloomberg News SACRAMENTO — As President Trump threatens the U.S. economy with reckless tariffs and rising uncertainty, Governor Gavin Newsom announced new…

    Apr 4, 2025

    News “California is not Washington, D.C.” What you need to know:As President Trump’s tariffs take effect, Governor Gavin Newsom is pursuing new strategic partnerships with international trading partners while calling for California-made products to be excluded from…

    Apr 3, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Trista H. Woessner-Gonzalez, of Granite Bay, has been appointed Director of the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, where she has served in several roles including as…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – EU-Mercosur agreement – E-000324/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    Food produced or imported in the EU, must comply with EU’s sanitary and phytosanitary standards. No food containing residues of pesticides at a level posing a health risk can be placed on the market or imported. This applies regardless of trade agreements with third countries, including Mercosur.

    The Commission conducts regular audits in third countries and works closely with Member States authorities that perform official controls and enforcement activities on imported food to ensure that non-compliant products cannot enter the EU market.

    As presented in the communication A Vision for Agriculture and Food on 19 February 2025[1], the Commission will reinforce its actions in this regard. The Union approach to a fairer global playing field will consist of two-fold action that must go hand in hand.

    Besides strengthening a stricter implementation of internationally agreed commitments, the Commission will present in 2025 its line of action on deepening reciprocity to the Member States for further elaboration.

    At the same time, the Union will ensure domestically that ambitious EU standards do not lead to economic, environmental and social leakages.

    The Commission will pursue, in line with international rules, a stronger alignment of production standards applied to imported products, notably on pesticides and animal welfare.

    • [1] Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — A vision for Agriculture and Food Shaping together an attractive farming and agri-food sector for future generations COM/2025/75 final https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52025DC0075
    Last updated: 7 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –