Category: housing

MIL-OSI Global: The world needs bold, equitable climate action at the 2025 G7 summit
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sharon E. Straus, Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto

As climate change and disrupted weather patterns impact countries around the world, leaders must act to mitigate the negative effects on public health.

Leaders from six western countries and Japan will soon gather in Kananaskis, Alta., for the Group of Seven (G7) meeting from June 15 to 17, 2025. In the lead-up to this meeting, the Royal Society of Canada hosted the Science 7 (S7). This is an engagement meeting of the leading academies of the G7 member countries.

Following discussion and deliberation, three statements aimed at advancing science for society were published, entitled Advanced Technologies and Data Security, Sustainable Migration and Climate Action and Health Resilience.

One of us (Sharon Straus) oversaw the S7 statement on Climate Action and Health Resilience. This statement draws attention to the health impacts of climate change and recommends several mitigation strategies.

Wide-ranging health impacts

Experts on health and climate change have outlined the growing impact of delayed climate action. The data are clear. Extreme weather events such as heat, floods, droughts and wildfires are having wide-ranging health impacts.

In the 10 years between 2014-2023, there was a 167 per cent increase in heat-related deaths in those aged 65 years and older compared with the 10 years between 1990-99. Extreme weather events also directly impact food and water security, as well as infectious diseases and chronic diseases.

The health consequences of climate change are not only the result of environmental factors. Of equal importance are recent decisions eliminating funding for programs that mitigate the risks of climate change.

Consider for example, the multiple threats to recent progress in eliminating malaria. The World Malaria Report published in December 2024 by the World Health Organization estimated that 2.2 billion malaria cases and 12.7 million malaria deaths were averted between 2000 and 2023.

Now, many countries anticipate a malaria resurgence. Antimalarial drug resistance, mosquito resistance to insecticides, changes in temperature and humidity affecting mosquito survival and the emergence of new mosquito species linked to climate change — combined with the recent abrupt funding freeze from the United States — are leading to a perfect storm.

Economic impact of climate change

The economic burden of climate change, which includes more health-care use, lost productivity, adaptation and mitigation expenses — to say nothing of the costs of rebuilding — is massive.

Much of that burden is borne by those who live in low- and middle-income countries (80 per cent of the world’s population) and who are the lowest contributors to carbon dioxide emissions.

To put this in perspective, in 2021, the United Nations Environment Program estimated the costs of annual adaptation for vulnerable countries at US$70 billion and predicted this would increase to US$140-300 billion by 2030.

In addition to the costs of adaptation aimed at reducing vulnerability to climate change, there are the costs associated with losses resulting from climate change. The 2024 Lancet Countdown estimated that the average annual economic losses due to extreme weather-related events reached US$227 billion between 2019-2023. This value exceeds the gross domestic product of approximately 60 per cent of the world’s economies.

What about Canada?

In Canada, warming is happening at twice the global rate with resulting heat, wildfires and floods. There is also evidence of significant impacts on mental health and chronic diseases, leading to an increased need for health care.

Indigenous communities, older adults and those who have experienced homelessness are disproportionately impacted by climate change. Indigenous Peoples, especially those living in remote and northern areas, are particularly vulnerable.

Currently there are 37 long-term and 40 short-term drinking water advisories in First Nations communities across Canada. The lack of safe, clean drinking water can exacerbate climate-related food and water insecurity and lead to infectious disease transmission.

The number of people experiencing homelessness is growing and many of these individuals are over 50 years old. These older adults are physiologically 15-20 years older than their housed counterparts and are at higher risk of chronic diseases, including those exacerbated by climate change.

Similarly, frail older adults are at higher risk of health effects of climate change. It is worth remembering the impact of poor air quality and lack of air conditioning during the COVID-19 pandemic on those living in long-term care homes.

Climate change costs health-care systems more each year. The Canadian Institute for Climate Choices recently estimated that health-related hospitalizations will increase by 21 per cent by mid-century. Our health systems are not prepared for this.

In addition, the costs of death and reduced quality of life from heat-related climate change is estimated to rise between $3 billion and $3.9 billion by the middle of this century. Factoring in other impacts such as those from air pollution, flooding and wildfires, the total estimated costs are in the tens to hundreds of billions.

S7’s recommendations

The S7 statement on Climate Action and Health Resilience includes seven recommendations. Addressing the disproportionate impact of climate change on populations who are particularly vulnerable and investing in innovative solutions are among them. Particularly critical are societal and political innovations that involve affected communities, including Indigenous communities.

The S7’s climate and health resilience recommendations include:
- Developing and optimizing climate change mitigation strategies to transform health and social services (such as early warning infectious disease systems and biomonitoring).
- Developing new regulations nationally and internationally to transform health, public health and social services, increasing their readiness and safeguarding health from climate change impact.
- Providing economic and regulatory incentives to foster adaptation and resiliency of health systems.
- Investing in innovative solutions (including vaccine development for emerging diseases, wastewater surveillance) to mitigate climate change and its health risks.
The G7 summit is an opportunity to centre climate change discussions and act on the S7 recommendations. Bold investment in innovations that address the health challenges resulting from climate change will benefit us all and drive new economic activity and resilience.

Climate change is a health issue, a social justice issue and an economic issue, and the time to act is now. Scientists, policymakers, clinicians and the public must work together.

Sharon E. Straus receives research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Public Health Agency of Canada. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Françoise Baylis is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

– ref. The world needs bold, equitable climate action at the 2025 G7 summit – https://theconversation.com/the-world-needs-bold-equitable-climate-action-at-the-2025-g7-summit-256876
MIL OSI – Global Reports –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Teens say they can access firearms at home, even when parents lock them up, new research shows

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Katherine G. Hastings, PhD Candidate in Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia

Most households that own firearms have more than one − and owners often don’t secure all of them. StockPlanets/E+ via Getty Images

More than half of U.S. teens living in households with firearms believe they can access and load a firearm at home. Even when their parents report storing all firearms locked and unloaded, more than one-third of teens still believe they could access and load one. These are the main findings of our new study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

We are behavioral scientists investigating youth injury prevention and youth safety. In this study, we analyzed national survey data from nearly 500 parents who owned firearms and their teens. One survey asked the parents to report how many firearms they had in the home and how they stored each one. Another asked their teens to estimate how quickly they could access and load a firearm at home.

While the presence of unlocked and loaded firearms in the home was weakly linked to perceived access among teens, we found that parents’ storage practices alone were a poor predictor of whether teens believed they could access a firearm. What’s more, in households with more than one firearm, locking up more firearms was not at all linked to perceived access among teens if at least one remained unsecured.

In short, just one unlocked firearm can undo the protective benefit of securing all other firearms in the home, our results showed.

Why it matters

In the U.S., firearms are now the leading cause of death among children and teens. In most of these cases, the firearm used belonged to a parent, relative or friend.

Our study focused on teens’ beliefs about firearm access, not their actual access. However, these perceptions may provide important clues around firearm access and use. Prior research shows that teens who believe they can access a firearm are more likely to access and carry one. This is particularly concerning for teens who already have a higher risk for dying by suicide.

One of the most widely supported ways to reduce teen injuries and deaths by firearms is to encourage owners to keep firearms locked and unloaded. However, most firearm-owning households in the U.S. have multiple firearms, and owners often store some firearms securely but not all.

Firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens.
Kypros/Stock Photos Gun Safe via Getty Images

Despite evidence that securely storing firearms saves lives, efforts to promote that messaging may be less effective when it is not universally applied to all firearms in the home or when teens still know how to access them.

Our study also points to the need for messaging and safety strategies that consider teen behavior amid household firearm dynamics. For example, teens may observe where firearms are stored or know where keys or combinations are kept and unlock firearms in moments of impulsivity or emotional distress. Beyond securely storing firearms, encouraging parents to treat every firearm in the household as a potential source of risk and talking with teens about how to address conflicts and promote mental and emotional well-being may also be protective.

Additionally, our study adds support for universal laws that require securely storing all firearms in homes in which children live and mandating routine assessments of teen firearm access by pediatricians.

What still isn’t known

It is still unclear how teens’ beliefs about their access to firearms affects whether they actually seek them out – or how the variability of parents’ practices on storing firearms affects teen access.

Another important question is how teens’ perceptions of their access to firearms at home may vary depending on cultural backgrounds, geography and different households’ attitudes and beliefs around firearm use.

Additionally, our study looked only at teens ages 14 to 18. Further research is needed to explore these associations among younger children in firearm-owning households.

The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

Rebeccah Sokol receives funding from the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Katherine G. Hastings 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. Teens say they can access firearms at home, even when parents lock them up, new research shows – https://theconversation.com/teens-say-they-can-access-firearms-at-home-even-when-parents-lock-them-up-new-research-shows-256550

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Presidential Permit Authorizing Green Corridors, LLC, to Construct, Maintain, and Operate a Commercial Elevated Guideway Border Crossing Near Laredo, Texas, at the International Boundary Between the United States and Mexico

US Senate News:

Source: US Whitehouse
By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States of America (the “President”), I hereby grant permission, subject to the conditions set forth herein, to Green Corridors, LLC (the “Permittee”), to construct, maintain, and operate a commercial elevated guideway crossing located on the United States border with Mexico in Laredo, Texas, as described in the “Presidential Permit Application: Green Corridors Intelligent Freight Transportation System” dated October 3, 2024, by the Permittee to the Secretary of State and made complete with additional information provided by the Permittee on February 14, 2025 (collectively, the “Application”), in accordance with 33 U.S.C. 535d and associated procedures.
     The term “Border facilities” as used in this permit consists of the elevated guideway and bridge over the Rio Grande which connects inland terminals near Monterrey, Mexico, in the state of Nuevo Leon and near Interstate 35, north of Laredo, Texas, its approaches, and any land, structures, installations, or equipment appurtenant thereto located on the United States side of the international boundary between the United States and Mexico, located just downstream from the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity International Bridge at the connection between Texas State Highway 255 and the Nuevo Leon State Highway Spur 1.
     This permit is subject to the following conditions:
     Article 1. The Border facilities herein described and all aspects of their operation are subject to all the conditions, provisions, and requirements of this permit and any subsequent Presidential amendment to it. The construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities shall be in all material respects as described in the Application.
     Article 2. The standards for and the manner of construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities are subject to inspection by the representatives of appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies. The Permittee shall grant officers and employees of such agencies that are duly authorized and performing their official duties free and unrestricted access to said Border facilities.
     Article 3. The Permittee shall comply with all applicable Federal laws and regulations regarding the construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities.
     Article 4. (1) The Permittee shall take or cause to be taken all appropriate measures to mitigate adverse impacts on or disruption of the human environment in connection with the construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities. Mitigation measures are those that avoid, minimize, or compensate for adverse impacts.
     (2) The Permittee shall hold harmless and indemnify the United States for any claimed or adjudged liability arising out of construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities, including environmental contamination from the release, threatened release, or discharge of hazardous substances or hazardous waste.
     (3) The Permittee is responsible for obtaining any required Federal, State, and local permits, approvals, and authorizations prior to commencing construction activities. The Permittee shall implement the mitigation identified in any environmental decision documents prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and Federal permits, including stormwater permits and permits issued in accordance with section 402 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1342). The Permittee shall comply with applicable Federal, State, and local environmental laws.
     Article 5. The Permittee shall immediately notify the President or his designee of any decision to transfer custody and control of the Border facilities or any part thereof to any executive department or agency (agency) of the United States Government. Said notice shall identify the transferee agency and seek the approval of the President for the transfer of the permit. In the event of approval by the President of such transfer, this permit shall remain in force and effect, and the Border facilities shall be subject to all the conditions, permissions, and requirements of this permit and any amendments thereof. The Permittee may transfer ownership or control of the Border facilities to a non-Federal entity or individual only upon the prior express approval of such transfer by the President, which approval may include such conditions, permissions, and requirements that the President, in the President’s discretion, determines are appropriate and necessary for inclusion in the permit, to be effective on the date of transfer.
     Article 6. The Permittee is responsible for acquiring and maintaining any right-of-way grants or easements, permits, and other authorizations as may become necessary or appropriate. To ensure the safe operation of the Border facilities, the Permittee shall maintain them and every part of them in a condition of good repair and in compliance with applicable law and use of best management practices.
     Article 7. To the extent authorized by law, and consistent with any Donation Acceptance Agreements (DAAs) already executed with the Permittee under the Donation Acceptance Authority found in 6 U.S.C. 301a and section 559 of title V of division F of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (Public Law 113-76), as amended, as continued by 6 U.S.C. 301b, the Permittee shall provide to the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Commissioner) of the Department of Homeland Security and the heads of any other relevant agencies, at no cost to the United States, suitable inspection facilities, infrastructure improvements, equipment, and maintenance, as set forth in the DAAs. Nothing in this permit obligates such agencies to provide a particular level of services or staffing for such inspection facilities or for any other aspect of the port of entry associated with the Border facilities.
     Article 8. Before beginning design activities, the Permittee shall fulfill requirements associated with the following conditions, as refined by the relevant agencies below and as consistent with applicable law:
     (1) Provide a plan for the approval of the Commissioner detailing how the Permittee will fund and deliver the border facilities, staffing, vehicles, out year refresh cost and data sharing necessary for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to implement a design-appropriate inspections procedure and sustain it thereafter;
     (2) Provide a plan for the approval of the Administrator of General Services (Administrator) and the Commissioner detailing how the Permittee will fund the necessary operations and maintenance costs for the Border facilities upon commencement of operations and thereafter;
     (3) Provide a plan for the approval of the Administrator and the Commissioner detailing how the Permittee will fund construction, outfitting (furniture, fixtures, and equipment to include information technology and necessary inspection technologies), technology integration, and outyear refresh of said program elements for the Border facilities detailed in their Application; and
     (4) Provide a plan for, and to the satisfaction of, the Secretary of Transportation detailing the Permittee’s design, deployment, operation, and related topics to enable the Department of Transportation to determine the regulatory framework that will govern the Permittee’s operations, as well as how the Permittee will ensure the necessary funding for appropriate Department of Transportation inspection facilities and staffing.
Relevant agencies will coordinate with the Permittee to further refine the above conditions, as necessary, within 1 year of permit issuance.
     Article 9. Before initiating construction, the Permittee shall obtain the concurrence of the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commissions, United States and Mexico.
     Article 10. The Permittee shall not initiate construction until the Department of State has provided notification to the Permittee that the Department of State has completed its exchange of diplomatic notes with the Government of Mexico regarding authorization. The Permittee shall provide written notification to the President or his designee at the time that the construction authorized by this permit begins, at the time as such construction is completed, interrupted, or discontinued, and at other times as may be requested by the President.
     Article 11. Upon request, the Permittee shall provide appropriate information to the President or his designee with regard to the Border facilities. Such requests could include requests for information concerning current conditions, environmental compliance, mitigation, or anticipated changes in ownership or control, construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of the Border facilities.
     Article 12. The Permittee shall file any applicable statements and reports required by applicable Federal law in connection with the Border facilities.
     Article 13. The Permittee shall make no substantial change inconsistent with the Application to the Border facilities, in the location of the Border facilities, or in the operation authorized by this permit, unless such changes have been approved by the President. The President may terminate, revoke, or amend this permit at any time at his sole discretion. The Permittee’s obligation to implement any amendment to this permit is subject to the availability of funds. If the Permittee permanently closes the Green Corridors Intelligent Freight Transportation System and it is no longer used as an international crossing, then this permit shall terminate, and the Permittee may manage, utilize, or dispose of the Border facilities in accordance with applicable authorities. This permit shall continue in full force and effect for only so long as the Permittee continues the operations hereby authorized.
     Article 14. This permit shall expire 5 years from the date of its issuance if the Permittee has not commenced construction of the Border facilities by that date.
     Article 15. This permit is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.
DONALD J. TRUMP

MIL OSI USA News –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Successfully Defends Army Corps of Engineers Permit for South Carolina Mixed Use Development

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Development projects may require a Clean Water Act (CWA) permit when wetlands need to be filled. Thus, developers of the Cainhoy Project — a more than 9,000-acre mixed use development in the Charleston, South Carolina — turned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2018 for a CWA permit.

The Cainhoy Project will provide much needed housing (at least 9,000 residential units) in addition to commercial development, schools, city services, jobs, a medical center, and more. After a four-year environmental assessment — and a modified proposal by the developers to reduce by 90% how much wetlands would be filled — the Corps issued a permit. A lawsuit over the permit’s issuance brought the case before the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

The Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) defended the Corps’ decision to issue a permit. Plaintiffs asked for a preliminary injunction based on speculative harm to a species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The injunction was denied, however, and the ESA claim was abandoned after the Fourth Circuit affirmed the District Court’s order denying preliminary relief.

The District Court then granted summary judgment to the federal defendants regarding the CWA and National Environmental Policy Act claims. The court concluded that the Corps had reasonably determined the least damaging and practicable alternative for the proposed development. And in light of the Corps’ extensive consideration of the project, the District Court deferred to the Corps’ determination that the project would not lead to significant deterioration of waters of the United States, as ENRD had argued.

Attorneys from ENRD’s Environmental Defense Section, Natural Resources Section, and Wildlife and Marine Resources Section handled the case.

MIL Security OSI –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Presidential Youth Initiative continues to empower SA’s most excluded youth

Source: South Africa News Agency

The Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) is not only curbing youth unemployment but reshaping labour market access for South Africa’s most excluded youth, with government now working to elevate the programme to new heights.

President Cyril Ramaphosa witnessed the impact of the programme on Tuesday when he visited the Sefako Makgatho Primary School in Saulsville, Tshwane, to interact directly with beneficiaries, educators and learners.

“I’m glad to be here and to see you all. When I made the announcement a little while ago that we will be having up to 200 000 of you in all our schools, I did expect that you would all be coming through, and now I can see that you are real people, that you exist.

“We are so delighted to have you as our teacher assistants, you are assisting in our schools [and] a very important area of our nation’s lives, education. You are the ones who are going to be preparing these young people for the future of our country that we all desire,” the President told the young teacher assistants.

The President acknowledged the difficult socio-economic challenges young people face and highlighted government’s efforts to expand opportunities.

“I’m delighted that it is through you, young people, that we are doing this. Yes, I know that your own situation is not the most ideal. We are working very hard to create more permanent positions for you in many, many ways in the economy.

“When government is dealing with these problems, it also initiates programmes like this one. We have up to now brought in almost two million of you as young people into this type of programme.

“I am proud to be working with Ministers and Deputy Ministers in departments, who have taken this whole process of creating job opportunities very seriously,” the President said.

He told the teacher assistants that what they are doing is very important to the country and government continues to invest money in youth initiatives meant to benefit young South Africans.

“We devote a lot of money and effort to education, and you are the products of that. We now need to take you to the next level, and we will work very hard to take you to the next level, where you will get more permanent jobs and better livelihoods, so you can support your own families,” the President said.

He lauded the BEEI as a phenomenal programme, which has been able to employ more than two million young people since its inception. It is an overarching programme that covers over 25 000 schools across the country.

According to President Ramaphosa, the initiative also develops discipline, management, and interpersonal skills among participants. These skills are essential for success in future employment.

“That, to me, is hugely empowering for these young people, and we’ve had more than two million of them, and of course, we would want it to be much longer than what it is now. It’s a question of not having sufficient resources to be able to extend it beyond [that].

“But those who participate are then empowered and beyond this, they are then able to get other jobs, get other opportunities. They are now job ready, as it were, and that is a great benefit of what we are doing here.

The President added that the programme is becoming a world-renowned programme.

“Many other countries are looking at what we are doing here and some of them are going to copycat what we are doing… So, we are trailblazers in many ways,” he said.

President Ramaphosa praised the integrity of the programme, saying it has been “flawlessly executed” with the dedicated leadership within the Presidency and Departments of Basic Education and Employment and Labour.

Two young teacher assistants, who are currently benefiting from the programme, shared the same sentiments with the President, confirming that the initiative has made a huge difference in their lives.

Joshua Given Machete told SAnews that he was grateful for the opportunity to become part of the labour market through the Basic Education Employment Initiative.

“I have benefited by getting employed as a curriculum assistant and I really appreciate the opportunity by our President, as well and the Department of Basic Education for initiating this.

“I work in the classroom, doing basic classroom management while the teachers focus on teaching.

“This programme contributes to human dignity in a sense that you are now able to look after yourself and buy the things you need. Economically, it has made a difference in my life and I’m going to use some of the stipend to further my studies.

“I encourage unemployed young people not to lose hope and keep on applying for programmes such as these. The President has promised that there will be more opportunities,” he said.

Valria Ndleve told SAnews that she is employed as an education assistant at WF Nkomo, helping teachers and learners.

“My job is to assist the teachers and learners in the classroom. This initiative is going to assist me personally and professionally. I am now financially stable and gaining experience at the same time,” she said.

The BEEI is a flagship programme of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES), designed to address the dual challenges of youth unemployment and support, for the basic education system by placing young people in roles within public schools as education and general school assistant.

The programme is implemented by the Department of Basic Education and administrated by the Industrial Development Corporation.

This visit is part of President Ramaphosa’s programme to engage with youth beneficiaries of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) and Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) flagship programmes in Pretoria.

He began the visit at the Sefako Makgatho Primary School in Saulsville. He then proceeded to South African Creative Industries Incubator (SACCI) in Eersterust and ended at the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) in Pretoria East. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Simpler and clearer – by 2026 the Ministry of Digital Development will change the procedure for processing tax deductions

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Mainfin Bank –

What will change in the procedure for receiving a tax deduction by 2026?

The registration of a deduction for personal income tax allows Russians to return part of the tax paid when buying a home, paying for medical, sports and educational services, and also to reduce the tax base when selling real estate and transport. You can take advantage of the benefit through State Services – by 2026, the Ministry of Digital Development promises to change the procedure:

The Federal Tax Service will independently calculate the amount of tax to be deducted; taxpayers will not have to fill out a declaration when selling apartments and cars; an automatic notification service will appear – citizens will receive a mailing about the status of 3-NDFL inspections, which will allow them to track what stage the declaration is at.

“The innovations are intended to simplify and make the process of processing deductions more transparent – the procedure will become more convenient for taxpayers,” the Ministry of Digital Development stated.

Let us recall that persons paying personal income tax (most often, hired workers) can return 13% of certain types of expenses in Russia. Individual entrepreneurs and persons operating on the basis of a civil-law contract are also entitled to certain benefits.

What other changes in the area of tax deductions await Russians?

Simplifying the procedure for processing tax deductions is not the only change planned for the near future. The authorities are also discussing other innovations:

introduction of a tax deduction for individuals who pass the GTO and undergo regular medical examinations – Vladimir Putin made the proposal; the limit for the personal income tax deduction for the purchase of housing may be increased to 6 million rubles – the Ministry of Construction supported the initiative; work on the launch of a multifunctional service that will allow for the automation of deductions will be completed by the end of the year.

At the same time, the indicated changes regarding the introduction of new types of benefits and increasing limits have not yet been adopted at the legislative level – currently, discussions are underway on amendments that may be adjusted during the review process.

15:00 10.06.2025

Source:

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

HTTPS: //Mainfin.ru/novosti/ Obrase- and-in-Knight-K-2026-Minzifry-Menit-Procedure-Registration-Nailural-Provisions

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Statement from Minister Lightbound in response to the Auditor General’s report on her performance audit of real property management

Source: Government of Canada News

June 10, 2025 – Gatineau, Quebec

Today, the Auditor General of Canada presented her report on the performance audit of real property management, which examined the management of the government’s office space portfolio, as well as the management of the Federal Lands Initiative.

I welcome the findings of the Auditor General’s report and thank her for her important work on this file. Our government remains fully committed to fairness, openness and transparency in the management of federal real property.

In general, the report found that the government has encountered delays in achieving the target of reducing its office space portfolio by 50%, and that a lack of information from some federal tenants is impeding this work.

The report also found that the Federal Lands Initiative, under the leadership of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), is on target to meet its housing affordability, energy efficiency and accessibility targets.

The Auditor General makes recommendations for Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) and Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC). Our government accepts all of the recommendations.

In particular, I welcome the recommendation that PSPC improve its public reporting on progress toward achieving the 50% reduction of its office portfolio by 2034. The department recently shared an update on its website and will provide updates on results annually going forward.

My department also remains committed to working with federal departments and agencies to improve data collection so that we can better achieve our office space portfolio targets.

The report recommends that TBS assess its capacity to resume the work of the former Centre of Expertise for Real Property. While the funding for this centre has concluded, TBS will continue to support departments in the management of real property and, based on available capacity, will seek opportunities to address outstanding priorities from the Horizontal Fixed Asset Review.

Finally, the report recommends that HICC improve its reporting mechanisms and review its current tools and measures to ensure alignment with the goals of the Federal Lands Initiative. HICC will continue to work in collaboration with CMHC to report results on a quarterly basis through the National Housing Strategy Progress Report. HICC and CMHC will also work together to explore measures to ensure projects support housing that is affordable in communities that need it.

I am committed to working closely with TBS and HICC to implement the Auditor General’s recommendations in an open and transparent way and will provide updates on our government’s progress toward reducing the federal office footprint.

MIL OSI Canada News –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom on measures targeting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich

Source: Government of Canada News

June 10, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

Today, the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom have announced sanctions and other measures targeting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Settler violence is incited by extremist rhetoric which calls for Palestinians to be driven from their homes, encourages violence and human rights abuses and fundamentally rejects the two-state solution. Settler violence has led to the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of whole communities.

We are steadfastly committed to the two-state solution which is the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long term stability in the region, but it is imperilled by extremist settler violence and settlement expansion.

Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous. These actions are not acceptable. We have engaged the Israeli Government on this issue extensively, yet violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity. This is why we have taken this action now – to hold those responsible to account. The Israeli Government must uphold its obligations under international law and we call on it to take meaningful action to end extremist, violent and expansionist rhetoric.

The measures announced today do not deviate from our unwavering support for Israel’s security and we continue to condemn the horrific terror attacks of 7 October by Hamas. Today’s measures are targeted towards individuals who in our view undermine Israel’s own security and its standing in the world. We continue to want a strong friendship with the people of Israel based on our shared ties, values and commitment to their security and future.

Today’s measures focus on the West Bank, but of course this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza. We continue to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid. There must be no unlawful transfer of Palestinians from Gaza or within the West Bank, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. We will continue to work with the Israeli Government and a range of partners. We will strive to ensure an immediate ceasefire, the release now of the remaining hostages and for the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid including food. We want to see a reconstructed Gaza no longer run by Hamas and a political pathway to a two-state solution.

MIL OSI Canada News –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: New sheriffs begin service to uphold safety in B.C. courthouses

Source: Government of Canada regional news

A graduating class of 33 sheriffs is preparing to start their careers, helping keep people safe as they access court services throughout B.C.

Niki Sharma, Attorney General, welcomed the graduates from the Justice Institute of British Columbia’s spring class at a ceremony on Monday, June 9, 2025. They will be assigned to work in provincial courthouses, including Fort St. John, Nelson, Terrace and the Lower Mainland.

“Sheriffs play a critical role in our justice system, ensuring access to justice is preserved and keeping the people who use our courts safe and protected,” said Niki Sharma, Attorney General. “We recognize and appreciate the dedication shown by each graduate. The sheriff-recruit training program is challenging and rigorous, and we celebrate their achievements and commitment to serving and protecting our communities.”

Sheriffs maintain a safe environment for everyone, delivering justice services in 90 Provincial Court locations. They are highly trained peace officers who provide protective services for the judiciary, the Crown, defence, court staff, the public and all participants in the justice system. Sheriffs also protect court users, transport accused and convicted people to and from correctional institutions, and perform other duties. Without sheriffs, court matters cannot proceed.

The spring class will continue training until July 8, 2025. Their first day on duty will be July 9, 2025. The next sheriff-recruit training class will start training on July 14, 2025.

“We are proud to welcome 33 new deputy sheriffs to the BC Sheriff Service,” said Roger Phillips, acting chief sheriff, and executive director, BC Sheriff Service. “I know they will contribute to the safety of B.C.’s justice system by applying the skills and knowledge gained during the rigorous recruit training.”

The BC Sheriff Service (BCSS) is recognized as an international leader in providing protective and enforcement services for the justice system. The BCSS is the oldest law-enforcement agency in B.C.

The Province is collaborating with BCSS to enhance recruitment, retention and training. BCSS is focusing on deployment and growth opportunities, and implementing a more competitive pay and benefits framework for sheriffs.

The Province is highlighting key investments this week that strengthen B.C.’s court system and improve access to timely justice. From appointing new judges to training and graduating more sheriffs and opening new court services, these efforts ensure B.C.’s courts are safer, more efficient and better equipped to serve people in the province.

Learn More:

To watch a video about working as a B.C. sheriff, visit: https://youtu.be/rdhf8trOoSM

To explore career opportunities with the B.C. Sheriff Service, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/careers-myhr/job-seekers/featured-careers/deputy-sheriff

MIL OSI Canada News –

June 11, 2025

MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2025 Article IV Consultation with Peru

Source: IMF – News in Russian

June 10, 2025

After a strong recovery in 2024, growth is expected to moderate in 2025, amid global and election-related uncertainty, and thereafter to remain close to potential. Inflation is expected to remain close to the midpoint of the target band. The financial system is sound. Risks are tilted to the downside given elevated external uncertainty, but Peru has ample buffers to cope with shocks.
Meeting the 2025 fiscal deficit target would require additional efforts in a pre-election year. In the medium term, further fiscal consolidation measures should be identified to comply with the fiscal rule deficit targets and debt ceiling. Introducing both spending and revenue measures would make the consolidation more balanced and credible.
Structural reforms are urgently required to lift potential growth, including updating the fiscal decentralization framework to help boost investments in the critical mineral sector. Enhanced efforts are needed to curb the low but rising level of insecurity, reform labor and tax regulations that impose excessive costs for formalizing or growing a business, enhance the independence and integrity of judicial bodies and tools to combat corruption impunity, build resilience to natural disasters, and embrace the opportunities of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.

Washington, DC: On June 5, 2025, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the 2025 Article IV consultation[1] with Peru and endorsed the staff appraisal without a meeting on a lapse-of-time basis.[2]

The economy has recovered from consecutive natural disaster shocks and social turmoil. Inflation is firmly within the target band, owing to the central bank’s early and decisive monetary tightening followed by cautious easing. The financial sector remained sound and profitable. The current account surplus further improved, underpinned by strong terms of trade. However, the fiscal position weakened. A relative political stability persists but pre-election tensions are rising. Lingering political uncertainty weighs on economic prospects and dents the appetite for structural reforms to boost potential growth.

Growth is expected to moderate to 2.8 percent in 2025. A favorable momentum in private consumption and elevated public investment would support continued growth, but pre-election tensions would weigh on the private investment recovery while the impact of the first-round effects of the tariffs and global growth slowdown would be negative, although relatively moderate. Inflation is expected to remain within the target band of 1-3 percent. The current account balance is envisaged to remain in a surplus of 1.7 percent of GDP in 2025, with low external financing and debt rollover risks.

Evolving risks are dominated by the potential for larger adverse impacts on global growth and commodity prices, due to prolonged trade policy uncertainty and financial market volatility, but Peru has ample buffers to cope with shocks. In the short term, key domestic risks include an intensification of political uncertainty, social unrest over security concerns, and weather-related shocks. Key external risks include trade policy uncertainty, tighter financial conditions, and commodity price volatility. Recent government initiatives to accelerate private sector involvement in public investment projects and streamline burdensome regulations could help revive private investment. Peru’s macroeconomic resilience is reinforced by very strong buffers including low public debt, abundant international reserves, and access to international capital markets on favorable terms.

Executive Board Assessment

After a strong recovery, growth is expected to moderate, amid global policy uncertainty and pre-election tensions, and thereafter to remain close to potential. With a closed output gap and firmly anchored inflation expectations, headline inflation would remain within the target band. The current account balance is envisaged to remain in a surplus, only gradually returning to a deficit in the medium term—stabilizing at its norm, of about 1.5 percent of GDP—as private investment recovers and terms of trade normalize. The external position in 2024 was stronger than the level implied by medium-term fundamentals and desirable policies, due to strong terms of trade and a recovery in traditional exports. Risks are tilted to the downside given elevated external uncertainty, but Peru has ample buffers to cope with shocks. Very strong macroeconomic policies and institutional policy frameworks remain in place.

A broadly neutral monetary policy stance is appropriate. Inflation expectations are approaching 2 percent, and the output gap is closed. However, given heightened external uncertainty, monetary policy should remain data dependent. Continued exchange rate flexibility should be allowed to help cushion the impact of external shocks.

Meeting the 2025 fiscal deficit target will require additional efforts in a pre-election year. The 2025 budget envisages a deficit of 2.2 percent of GDP, consistent with the revised fiscal rule target. A tax revenue rebound from the economic recovery and one-off factors will help reduce the deficit in 2025, but additional efforts of about 0.4 percent of GDP will be needed to secure fiscal rule compliance. Additional spending control measures would make this year’s consolidation plans more credible and balanced. In May 2025, the authorities announced initiatives to improve spending efficiency, but further efforts will be needed to comply with this year’s target.

A combination of spending restraint and revenue-raising measures would be needed to comply with the medium-term fiscal targets. To comply with the fiscal rule deficit target of 1 percent of GDP by 2028 and the debt ceiling of 30 percent of GDP by 2035, the authorities’ medium-term consolidation plan envisages a reduction of current spending by about 0.4 percent of GDP per year between 2026 and 2028. Identifying both revenue and spending measures—including efforts to streamline tax expenditures; strengthen tax administration; and control wages, discretionary transfers, and inefficient public investment—would secure a balanced and gradual consolidation. In the absence of measures, public debt would gradually rise over the medium term, while remaining relatively low compared to peers. Legislative initiatives bearing fiscal costs, proposals that erode the tax base, and excessive reliance on private participation schemes would complicate the attainment of fiscal targets. Reforms to significantly reduce Petroperú’s costs and enhance its transparency and governance are also needed to safeguard fiscal credibility.

Systemic risks are limited, but authorities should continue to proactively contain financial vulnerabilities. Banks are profitable, with ample liquidity and capital buffers. While elevated for small- and medium-sized firms, NPLs are expected to continue improving and would support the growth of credit. The authorities should continue to be vigilant of pockets of vulnerability, particularly in corporate loans.

Focused macroprudential policies could reduce financial vulnerabilities from remaining dollarized credit. While the aggregate value of unhedged dollar credit is low, unhedged dollar credit tends to be riskier and concentrated in large- and medium-sized companies in the construction, commerce, and manufacturing sectors. The authorities’ regulation to introduce higher risk weighting in 2026 will help alleviate vulnerabilities from unhedged dollar credit. To ensure the stability of dollar funding for financial institutions, the authorities could consider introducing currency-specific NSFR requirements to complement the existing currency-specific LCR limits.

Policy efforts are needed to revive the domestic capital market. It is critical to maintain the prohibition of future pension withdrawals, as approved in the recent pension reform, to protect the functioning of the domestic capital market, decrease financing costs, and lower the risks of old-age poverty. Measures to broaden the investor base through retail investment products could play a significant role in attracting funds back into the securities market.

Financial resilience would be strengthened by addressing remaining regulatory gaps. The revised Basel III risk-weight framework and improving the activation criteria for the countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) will help enhance the effectiveness of the entire regulatory framework. Completing the evaluation of recovery plans for domestic systemically important banks and expanding to the financial group level and their resolution planning will eliminate uncertainty under potential systemic events by facilitating orderly crisis management.

Updating the fiscal decentralization framework, along other needed structural reforms, could help boost investments in the critical mineral sector and increase potential growth. A US$64 billion pipeline of mining investment projects has been mostly stalled for many years due to bureaucratic complexity and social conflicts. Unlocking these projects and channeling the additional fiscal revenues could permanently boost potential growth. Updating the fiscal decentralization framework, including redesigning natural resource revenue-sharing formulas, to improve public spending efficiency and generate high-impact public investments could help ensure that mining dividends translate into greater development. Enhanced efforts are also needed to curb the low but rising level of insecurity, reform labor and tax regulations that impose excessive costs for formalizing or growing a business, enhance the independence and integrity of judicial bodies and tools to combat corruption impunity, build resilience to natural disasters, and embrace the opportunities of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. The OECD accession process provides a clear roadmap for other critical reforms to boost the business climate, reduce informality, and reform the civil service.

Peru: Selected Economic Indicators

	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	Proj.
	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030
Social Indicators
Poverty rate (total) 1/	30.1	25.9	27.5	29	27.6	…	…	…	…	…	…
Unemployment rate for Metropolitan Lima (average)	13	10.7	7.8	6.8	6.4	…	…	…	…	…	…
	(Annual percentage change; unless otherwise indicated)
Production and Prices
Real GDP	-10.9	13.4	2.8	-0.4	3.3	2.8	2.6	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5
Output gap (percent of potential GDP)	-5.5	0.8	0.7	-1.3	-0.4	0	0	0	0	0	0
Consumer prices (end of period)	2	6.4	8.5	3.2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Consumer prices (period average)	1.8	4	7.9	6.3	2.4	1.7	1.9	2	2	2	2
Money and Credit 2/ 3/
Broad money	29.2	2.7	-0.7	2.2	11.6	1.7	5.6	5.6	5.6	5.6	5.6
Net credit to the private sector	14	6.5	3.3	0.7	0.9	4.7	5.7	6	6	6	6
Credit-to-private-sector/GDP ratio (%)	52.4	45.9	44.4	41.8	38.9	38.9	39.3	39.8	40.4	40.9	41.5
External Sector
Exports	-10.7	47.4	4.8	2	12.4	5.8	3.1	1.9	3.2	3.2	2.7
Imports	-15.5	38.2	16.7	-11	4.5	4.1	3.1	4.1	4.4	4.6	4.6
External current account balance (percent of GDP)	0.9	-2.1	-4.1	0.7	2.2	1.7	1.3	0.4	-0.1	-0.8	-1.5
Gross reserves In billions of U.S. dollars	74.9	78.5	72.2	71.3	79.2	84.2	88.7	92.7	96.4	100.4	104.9
Percent of short-term external debt 4/	491	578	509	404	435	477	505	517	606	641	635
Percent of foreign currency deposits at banks	222	229	209	204	213	220	219	217	213	210	208
	(In percent of GDP; unless otherwise indicated)
Public Sector
NFPS revenue	21.8	25.5	27	23.9	22.7	23.6	23.1	23.1	23.2	23.3	23.4
NFPS primary expenditure	29.1	26.5	27.1	25.1	24.5	24.4	23.9	23.5	23.3	23.2	23.2
NFPS primary balance	-7.3	-1	-0.1	-1.2	-1.8	-0.7	-0.8	-0.4	-0.1	0.1	0.2
NFPS overall balance	-8.9	-2.5	-1.7	-2.8	-3.5	-2.6	-2.5	-2.2	-2	-1.8	-1.7
NFPS structural balance 5/	-7	-3.9	-2.2	-2.6	-3.7	-2.9	-2.9	-2.5	-2.2	-1.9	-1.8
NFPS structural primary balance 5/	-5.4	-2.4	-0.6	-0.9	-1.9	-1.1	-1.1	-0.6	-0.3	0	0.1
Debt
Total external debt 6/	43.7	46.3	42.7	40.3	38.5	35.7	33.8	31.6	30.1	28.8	27.4
Gross non-financial public sector debt 7/	34.9	36.1	34	33	32.8	33.7	34.7	35.5	35.9	35.9	36
External	14.8	19.4	17.6	15.8	15.5	15.1	14.8	13.7	13	12.3	11.3
Domestic	20	16.7	16.4	17.1	17.3	18.5	19.9	21.8	23	23.6	24.6
Savings and Investment
Gross domestic investment	18.3	20.8	21	17.7	18.1	17.9	18.1	18.7	19.1	19.5	19.8
Public sector (incl. repayment certificates)	4.3	4.7	5	5	5.3	5.2	4.9	4.9	4.9	4.9	4.9
Private sector	16.7	20.4	20.2	17.9	17.2	17.1	16.9	16.7	16.6	16.5	16.4
National savings	19.2	18.8	16.9	18.4	20.3	19.6	19.4	19.1	19	18.7	18.3
Public sector	-3.9	2.8	4.3	3	2.4	3.6	3.2	3.5	3.7	3.9	4
Private sector	23.2	15.9	12.6	15.4	17.9	16	16.2	15.6	15.3	14.8	14.3
Memorandum Items
Nominal GDP (S/. billion)	722	878	937	1,001	1,085	1,136	1,188	1,242	1,299	1,360	1,423
GDP per capita (in US$)	6,328	6,849	7,319	7,930	8,485	8,814	9,182	9,505	9,825	10,168	10,529
Sources: National authorities; UNDP Human Development Indicators; and IMF staff estimates/projections.
1/ Defined as the percentage of households with total spending below the cost of a basic consumption basket.
2/ Corresponds to depository corporations.
3/ Foreign currency stocks are valued at end-of-period exchange rates.
4/ Short-term debt is defined on a residual maturity basis and includes amortization of medium and long-term debt.
5/ Adjusted by the economic cycle and commodity prices, and for non-structural commodity revenue. The latter uses as equilibrium commodity prices, a moving average estimate that takes 5 years of historical prices and 3 years of forward prices according to the IMF’s World Economic Outlook.
6/ Includes local currency debt held by non-residents and excludes global bonds held by residents.
7/ Includes repayment certificates and government guaranteed debt.

[1] Under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members, usually every year. A staff team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, and discusses with officials the country’s economic developments and policies. On return to headquarters, the staff prepares a report, which forms the basis of discussion by the Executive Board.

[2] The Executive Board takes decisions under its lapse-of-time procedure when the Board agrees that a proposal can be considered without convening formal discussions.

IMF Communications Department

MEDIA RELATIONS

PRESS OFFICER: Jose De Haro

Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/06/09/pr-25186-peru-imf-concludes-2025-art-iv-consultation

MIL OSI

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 11, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: Governor Lamont Celebrates Historic Legislative Session Expanding Access to Early Childhood Education
Source: US State of Connecticut

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today joined with educators, parents, and advocates at a news conference to celebrate the accomplishments achieved during the recently adjourned legislative session in passing legislation that will implement the largest expansion of access to early childhood education in Connecticut history.

At the urging of Governor Lamont, the Connecticut General Assembly approved a suite of bills (Senate Bill 1, House Bill 5003, and House Bill 7288) that will enable thousands of additional children to enroll in high-quality, early childhood education services, which have been unattainable for families.

“This legislative session was a victory for the many parents, families, and early childhood educators who have been advocating for Connecticut to make early childhood education affordable and accessible for all of our kids,” Governor Lamont said. “Access to early childhood education is massively important to any state’s success, not only because these programs provide valuable tools for children that will lead them to professional achievements in the future, but also because being able to enroll your child in care right now means that parents can join the workforce and earn an income that supports their family. The bills that the General Assembly approved this session represent the largest expansion of early childhood education access in Connecticut history, and I thank them for making this a priority and recognizing that this issue is a major part of what will create a stronger, safer, and resilient state.”

A significant amount of the legislation that was approved came from the recommendations of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Care, which brought together voices from across child care providers, businesses, government, and parents to provide a roadmap on the future of early childhood education in Connecticut.

“With this legislation, Connecticut provides an early childhood education model for the nation,” Connecticut Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye said. “It will make child care free or affordable for tens of thousands of families, and provide a portal where parents can find affordable child care in their community. And as the endowment grows, it will reach more communities and more families. Connecticut’s model is different from other states with its focus on affordability for families, equitable wages for early childhood educators, and local community planning for expansion. The passage of this bill is an achievement shared by many here today who worked for this change this year and for decades – from families, to advocates, to businesses, to providers – all share in this success.”

“Connecticut is now a national leader in creating a child care system that truly supports working families and boosts our state’s economy,” Eva Bermúdez Zimmerman, director of Child Care for CT, said. “We applaud Governor Lamont and his fellow leaders in government for hearing the voices of parents, providers, and business leaders who advocated fiercely to make child care a top priority in the halls of the capitol. This is transformative legislation for Connecticut, and we are so proud to help make it a reality.”

“The Endowment bill is the most significant piece of early childhood legislation to pass the General Assembly in my lifetime,” Merrill Gay, executive director of the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance, said. “Thank you, Governor Lamont, for proposing this approach to fix the problem that has plagued early care and education from its inception. Most parents can’t afford what it costs to provide high quality care, and early educators shouldn’t have to subsidize the system by working for poverty wages.”

Establishment of the Early Childhood Education Endowment

Senate Bill 1 establishes a state-managed Early Childhood Education Endowment fund starting on July 1, 2025, that will initially be funded with up to $300 million in unappropriated surplus funding from the fiscal year 2025 budget. This fund will be used to:
- Support the expansion of early childhood education providers by adding tens of thousands of slots in Connecticut’s state-funded system available to enroll additional children;
- Expand opportunities that make early childhood education available at no cost to families enrolled in Early Start CT who earn up to $100,000 per year, and a sliding scale of no more than 7% for families earning more than $100,000 per year.
In future years, the fund will continue to grow with annual funding from budget surpluses and investments.

Finally, in fiscal year 2027 the legislation requires that the state launch a health insurance subsidy pilot program for early childhood educators in partnership with Access Health CT. There will be $10 million available for this subsidy.

Simplifying the ability of families to access early childhood education

To address concerns from families that Connecticut’s current system of early childhood education services is fragmented and challenging to navigate, House Bill 5003 creates the Early Care and Education Program Portal to provide families with a means of accessing real-time information about slot availability. Available for all Connecticut providers and families, the portal will:
- Allow families to submit information for resource and referral and enrollment purposes in early childhood programs;
- Provide the ability for the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood to manage payments to early childhood programs;
- House information on the availability of free or subsidized slots in each town and on a regional and statewide basis;
- Allow early childhood providers to enter slot availability and enrollment information into the portal;
- Be access through a mobile app or internet website; and
- Allow families to apply for child care subsidies or other assistance, including Care 4 Kids.
Supporting construction and renovation of child care facilities

House Bill 7288 – the annual state bond bill – enables the State Bond Commission to authorize up to $80 million in bonds that will be used to support the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood in establishment of the Child Care Facilities Grant Program for Construction and Renovation. This grant program will offer financial assistance for facility improvements for licensed child care centers, group child care homes, and family child care homes.

All three bills are currently undergoing engrossing and final printing in the legislature’s nonpartisan offices. Once that process has been completed, the bills will be transmitted to the Office of the Governor for the governor’s signature. The governor will sign the bills shortly after they have been transmitted to his office.

MIL OSI USA News –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Cohen, Duckworth, Kustoff and Blackburn Introduce Legislation to Improve Roadways Around Airports

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

The Don’t Miss Your Flight Act would use existing funding to improve ground transportation into and out of busy airports

WASHINGTON – Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-9) and David Kustoff TN-8) and Senators Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee today introduced legislation to help improve ground transportation into and out of our nation’s busy airports. The Don’t Miss Your Flight Act would use existing federal funding to create an incentive for surface transportation projects at and within five miles of a public airport that improve access, reduce congestion or rehabilitate roads, rail or transit, making catching a flight or coming home from the airport easier and faster for Americans across the country.

“Improving access and reducing congestion to our nation’s airports through our next surface transportation reauthorization bill makes good economic sense,” Congressman Cohen said. “Our Memphis International Airport, the nation’s busiest cargo airport, is at the confluence of river, rail and highway circuits we call ‘America’s Distribution Center.’ Updates to the ground infrastructure in Memphis and around the country through grants authorized under the Don’t Miss Your Flight Act will modernize and improve the air traveler’s experience.”

“We’ve all been there—you’re rushing to the airport but then get stuck in traffic outside while worrying that your flight is going to take off without you,” Duckworth said. “Airports like Chicago O’Hare and so many others are building to keep up with the growing passenger demand, but our surface transportation leading into and out of our airports needs to keep pace. That’s one reason why I’m proud to introduce the Don’t Miss Your Flight Act to help make it easier, faster and more reliable for traveling Americans to get into and out of our airports.”

“Our nation’s airports are working overtime to meet growing passenger demand, and our airports in Tennessee are no exception,” Blackburn said. “The Don’t Miss Your Flight Act would use existing federal funding to boost infrastructure projects at and near airports to reduce congestion and make it easier for Americans to catch their flights.”

“Memphis International Airport is the second busiest cargo airport in the world. It is imperative that shipments can get in and out of Memphis quickly and effectively,” said Kustoff. “The Don’t Miss Your Flight Act is critical legislation that will ensure federal funding is used to modify surface transportation around our nation’s busiest airports and help carry us further into the 21st century.”

Our nation’s already-busy airports continue to grow—enplanements at U.S. airports are projected to grow from nearly 945 million in 2023 to 1.4 billion in 2040 and to 1.7 billion in 2050. An estimated $19.3 billion is needed to improve access to and from facilities across the country over the next five years.

The Don’t Miss Your Flight Act would create a discretionary grant program using existing Highway Trust funds for road, bridge, tunnel, passenger rail or transit projects that make improvements at and within 5 miles of a public airport that reduce congestion, expand capacity, expand access or rehabilitate surface transportation infrastructure. The Highway Trust Fund is an existing federal account under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration.

This legislation is endorsed by Air Line Pilots Association, Airports Council International, American Association of Airport Executives, Allied Pilots Association, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Association of Professional Flight Attendants and Southwest Airlines Pilots Association.

# # #

MIL OSI USA News –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Energy Minister asks NDA to explore clean energy at Moorside
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

Press release

Energy Minister asks NDA to explore clean energy at Moorside

Energy Minister Michael Shanks asks the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to explore clean energy at Moorside.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Cumberland Council to explore clean energy development in Cumbria – protecting billpayers and supporting new jobs as part of government’s Plan for Change

Moorside land could be used for range of clean energy projects, from nuclear to solar to wind

Builds on Cumbria’s strong nuclear history and decommissioning work at Sellafield – making the region a clean energy powerhouse

People in Cumbria could benefit from a new jobs and economic growth in Moorside, after Energy Minister Michael Shanks asked the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Cumberland Council to explore the potential for clean energy development on the land.

The government’s nuclear decommissioning arm, which owns the site adjacent to Sellafield, will work with the local council to explore using the land for clean energy projects – opening up market discussions on privately-backed new nuclear, solar or wind as part of government’s Plan for Change.

Cumbria has a strong nuclear history and the decommissioning work at Sellafield is a national priority. Any plans for development will consider the requirements of existing major programmes at Sellafield, including plutonium disposition, which will support thousands of skilled jobs and inject billions into Cumbria over the coming decades.

A new clean energy project could lead to new jobs in the region, while protecting billpayers and boosting the UK’s energy security.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:

Unlocking the potential of Moorside for clean energy is a significant step forward in our Plan for Change, supporting skilled jobs, economic growth and energy security in Cumbria and across the UK.

By working closely with local partners, we can ensure that this historic region continues to lead the way in clean energy innovation, delivering real benefits for communities and protecting billpayers for years to come.

Energy Minister Michael Shanks said:

Cumbria has a fantastic nuclear legacy, and opening up this land for development will build on the region’s energy expertise.

This could lead to new jobs and economic growth in Cumbria, while boosting the nation’s energy security and protecting family finances.

NDA Group CEO, David Peattie, said:

Our priority will always be the delivery of our nationally important mission, to safely and securely decommission the UK’s earliest nuclear sites.

We have unique expertise, resources and assets and we are committed to exploring how we can best utilise these to support wider energy security ambitions and low carbon energy generation.

That includes looking to identify land not required for our mission, which could be freed up for other uses to deliver benefits to the local community and wider economy.

Councillor Mark Fryer, Leader of Cumberland Council, said:

This is great news for West Cumbria, a clean energy development will help grow and diversify our future economy.

The council are fully committed to working with the NDA together to understand how we can deliver maximum value and benefit from the land at Moorside for the local community.

Josh MacAlister, MP for Whitehaven and Workington, said:

Unlocking this land gives us our best chance at new nuclear since the collapse of NuGen. Now we have the government behind us and an agreement on use of the land we can motor ahead to deliver Pioneer Park at pace.

I will do everything in my power, working with national government and local partners, to secure West Cumbria’s nuclear future.

Notes to editors

There are no plans for waste disposal at Moorside, some land is required for Sellafield’s mission delivery including to enable plutonium disposition.

Moorside is one of several sites that has the potential to host future civil nuclear projects, though no decisions have yet been made.

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)

Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

Updates to this page

Published 10 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA News: The Largest Tax Cut in History for Working and Middle-Class Americans
Source: US Whitehouse
Even Democrats admit the tax policies in the One Big Beautiful Bill are needed and popular — but they still oppose the bill.

To be clear, that means they’re opposing:
- The largest tax cut in history for working and middle-class Americans.
- A 15% tax cut for Americans making between $30,000 and $80,000 per year.
- NO TAX ON TIPS and NO TAX ON OVERTIME.
- Boosting the Child Tax Credit to $2,500 for 40 million families.
- Historic tax cuts for seniors.
- No tax on car loan interest for American-made cars.
- Preserving the doubled standard deduction for 91% of taxpayers.
- Expanding Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to give Americans greater choice and flexibility in how they spend their money on their health.
- Investment savings accounts to set all newborn American kids on the path to financial security from the very beginning.
- Increasing the Death Tax exemption for two million family farms.
Failing to extend the Trump Tax Cuts alone would stick Americans with the largest tax hike in history.
MIL OSI USA News –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Province Strikes Engagement Table to Address Gender-Based Violence
Source: Government of Canada regional news

The government is taking further action to prevent gender-based violence across Nova Scotia and better support those affected with the establishment of an engagement table led by Attorney General and Justice Minister Becky Druhan.

The table, which will have up to 25 members, will include representatives of front-line service providers and community organizations, survivors, family members and academic experts.

“Nova Scotians have told us that gender-based violence supports and services need to be more connected, more responsive and easier to access,” said Minister Druhan. “We need to work together with the people providing support and the survivors who access those services. It’s about understanding needs as they evolve, getting help to people faster and working together to stop violence before it starts.”

A call for applications to join the table, which will also include people from equity-deserving communities, will be issued in the coming weeks. The group will meet at least every three months.

Taking a whole-of-government approach, the engagement table will be supported by the Minister responsible for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women as well as the ministers of Opportunities and Social Development, Health and Wellness, Addictions and Mental Health, Education and Early Childhood Development, L’nu Affairs and African Nova Scotian Affairs.

Quotes:

“We are incredibly fortunate to have a strong sector working on the front lines to support those impacted by violence. They are passionate, committed and have a deep understanding of what is needed in the communities they serve. Gender-based violence is a complex issue, but it’s one I know we can solve if we listen to the experts and find solutions, together.”
— Leah Martin, Minister responsible for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women

Quick Facts:
- in September 2024, the government declared intimate partner violence an epidemic in Nova Scotia
- the 2025–26 provincial budget allocates more than $100 million across various departments to address gender-based and intimate partner violence, including $17.8 million in core funding for transition houses and women’s centres, the largest increase in two decades
- the Province has introduced domestic violence court programs in Halifax and Sydney, and legal changes that allow victims of domestic violence to take leave from work without fear of losing their jobs
Additional Resources:

News release – Funding to Support Gender-Based Violence Initiatives: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/04/03/funding-support-gender-based-violence-initiatives

Domestic violence resources: https://women.novascotia.ca/domestic-violence-resource-centre

MIL OSI Canada News –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorneys for Southwestern Border Districts Charge More than 1150 Illegal Aliens with Immigration-Related Crimes During the Second Week in June as part of Operation Take Back America

Source: United States Attorneys General

Since the inauguration of President Trump, the Department of Justice is playing a critical role in Operation Take back America, a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

Last week, the U.S. Attorneys for Arizona, Southern California, New Mexico, Southern Texas, and Western Texas charged more than 1150 defendants with Criminal violations of U.S. immigration laws.

The Southern District of Texas filed a total of 202 cases in immigration and border security-related matters. The filed cases include seven involving human smuggling. A total of 129 people are charged with illegally entering the country, while another 63 face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes and more. Other relevant cases charged this week relate to other immigration crimes. One such person charged this week is Luis Humberto Gonzalez-Sanchez who was arrested for allegedly harboring 16 illegal aliens in his home in Mercedes. The criminal complaint alleges he harbored over 100 aliens in the last six months for whom he was paid $150 each. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

The Western District of Texas filed 410 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases. Among the new cases, Mexican national Albert Sanchez-Jaimes was charged with one count of illegal re-entry in Austin. Sanchez-Jaimes was encountered at the Burnet County Jail, where he was booked for alleged charges of boating while intoxicated and marijuana possession. Sanchez-Jaimes has lengthy immigration and criminal records that include four prior removals, a deadly conduct conviction in 2020, multiple convictions for assault on a family member, and two prior convictions for illegal re-entry. In Waco, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Fugitive Operations Team arrested Mexican national Daniel Edgar Perez-Cortez on June 5 as the result of an investigation stemming from a Waco Crime Stoppers referral. Perez-Cortez has a prior conviction for illegal re-entry in 2024, as well as convictions for Driving While Intoxicated and possession of prohibited weapons, and a conviction for deadly conduct discharging a firearm. He’s now federally charged with illegal re-entry and, if convicted, faces up to 20 years in prison.

The District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 199 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 74 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 104 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 18 cases against 20 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and federal prosecutors also charged one individual for assaulting a Border Patrol Agent.

The Southern District of California filed 131 border-related cases this week, including charges of assault on a federal officer, bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances. A sample of border-related arrests this week: On May 31, 2025, Brenda Esmeralda Sanchez and Marlen Yamille Salmoran, United States citizens, were arrested and charged with False Personation of Immigration Matters and Aggravated Identity Theft. According to a complaint, Sanchez and her adult daughter, Salmoran, attempted to cross the border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry with an unaccompanied undocumented child from Mexico by presenting Customs and Border Protection officers with a genuine U.S. birth certificate belonging to Sanchez’s son. Sanchez has two prior arrests for alien smuggling. On May 31, Ricardo Cuevas Diaz and Luis Armando Bojorquez Cazarez, Mexican citizens with border-crossing cards, were arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, when the two men attempted to cross the border at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, Customs and Border Protection Officers found 128 packages containing 133 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in the air filter, firewall, roof, quarter panels and rear bed of the vehicle.

The District of New Mexico filed 211 criminal charges related to immigration and border security-related matters. the following criminal charges: 67 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326), 5 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324). 50 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325), and 88 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325), violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) and Entering Military, Naval, or Coast Guard Property (18 U.S.C. 1382), arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.

We are grateful for the hard work of our border prosecutors in bringing these cases and helping to make our border safe again.

MIL Security OSI –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Sentencing of man for the manslaughter of Gordon Ogunmuyiwa

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

A man has been jailed for 21 years with a five-year extended license after beating a man to death and then leaving him to die in an address south east London.

Paul Campbell, 43 (03.04.79) of Dunheved Road West, Thornton Heath, was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of the manslaughter of 62-year-old former doctor Gordon Ogunmuyiwa. The sentence followed a three-week trial that concluded on Thursday, 8 May.

The court heard that on Saturday, 24 December 2022, Campbell had brutally assaulted Gordon who had visited him at his property. Before fleeing, Campbell had called the paramedics, however, by the time they had arrived Gordon was already dead.

Detective Chief Inspector Samantha Townsend, who led the Met’s investigation said: “My thoughts and that of my team remain with Gordon’s family, a much loved brother, friend and neighbour.

“Gordon was a gentle man with no history of violence. Ill-health, however, had seen him become increasingly vulnerable – something Campbell – a selfish and self-serving man – took advantage of.

“It is hard to make sense of Campbell’s actions however, I can only hope that today’s sentence can go some way in providing a sense of justice to Gordon’s family.”

On the day of Gordon’s death, police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 11:00hrs to a report of a man who had died in a house of multiple occupancy in Dunheved Road West, Thornton Heath.

Officers attended and were informed by paramedics that Campbell – the registered tenant of the address – was not present.

Detectives attempted to contact him but were unsuccessful. This led officers to make enquiries into Campbell, which resulted in a murder investigation being launched.

Police interviewed fellow residents at hostel and quickly established a pattern of behaviour that saw Gordon suffer brutal beatings by Campbell.

A financial search also uncovered that Campbell had been using Gordon’s credit cards. He had bought an iPhone from a second-hand shop, using those cards, a week after Gordon died.

On Wednesday, 11 January 2023 Campbell was arrested on suspicion of murder and charged the next day.

A post-mortem examination was conducted and it was clear that Gordon had multiple injuries borne over time.

However, the assault, heard by neighbours on Saturday, 23 December 2022, was declared to have been particularly vicious and ultimately led to his death.

MIL Security OSI –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI: AssureSoft Partners with Databricks to Enhance Real-Time Data & AI Solutions
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
- The partnership reinforces AssureSoft‘s commitment to ensuring high-quality software solutions that create real value for its clients.
- The company has maintained a 35% year-over-year growth rate over the last five years.
MIAMI, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AssureSoft, a nearshore software outsourcing company with operations in Latin America and the United States, announced its partnership with Databricks. This enhances the firm’s ability to deliver advanced data analytics, AI, and cloud-native solutions to clients.

Since 2006, AssureSoft specializes in time zone-aligned staff augmentation and software outsourcing services for US companies across industries such as Technology (SaaS), Healthtech, Fintech, E-commerce, Telecommunications, and Cybersecurity. Over the past five years, AssureSoft has maintained an annual growth rate of 35%.

As AssureSoft continues to expand, partnering with leading tech organizations like Databricks, which represent the highest industry standards, remains a core pillar of its growth strategy.

“Joining the Databricks Partner Network means delivering the best real-time data and AI solutions to our clients, so they can rely on fast, intelligent decision-making to stay competitive,” said Daniel Gumucio, CEO of AssureSoft. “Our certified teams bring the expertise and skills needed not only to help companies leverage data as a strategic asset, but also to build the AI-driven capabilities that define the next generation of business.”

Databricks is built to unify real-time data processing with advanced AI, enabling businesses to act on up-to-the-minute insights. Furthermore, Databricks’ scalable AI and machine learning tools allow companies to develop and deploy models that adapt to evolving data patterns, enhancing predictive accuracy and operational efficiency.

The Databricks Data Intelligence Platform democratizes access to analytics and intelligent applications by marrying customers’ data with powerful AI models tuned to their business’s unique characteristics. The platform is built on a lakehouse foundation of open data formats and open governance to ensure that all data is completely within the customers’ control.

AssureSoft leverages these capabilities to deliver real-time insights that help clients stay agile in a fast-changing market.

How Databricks is Driving Real Business Impact

Organizations across sectors are using Databricks to improve customer experiences, streamline operations, and make faster, smarter decisions.
- Healthcare: Early ICU risk detection and optimized patient flows improve care and efficiency.
- Fintech: Real-time fraud alerts and dynamic credit assessments reduce risk.
- E-commerce: Personalized promotions and intelligent inventory management boost sales.
- Telecom: Anomaly detection and usage-based retention strategies enhance service.
- Cybersecurity: Live threat intelligence and behavioral analytics improve protection.
This partnership with Databricks reflects AssureSoft’s ongoing evolution as a strategic technology partner. By aligning with one of the most advanced data and AI platforms on the market, the company is positioned to help clients unlock the full potential of their data, delivering smarter insights, faster decisions, and stronger outcomes.

About AssureSoft

AssureSoft is a nearshore software outsourcing company with 19 years of experience. With a team of 500+ developers distributed across Latin America, the company provides tailored solutions to U.S. and Canada-based clients through staff augmentation, dedicated software development teams, and end-to-end software outsourcing services. AssureSoft’s headquarters are located in Miami; it operates offices in California and has development centers in four cities across Bolivia and Paraguay. Additionally, the company has development teams in Brazil, Colombia and Peru.

AssureSoft adheres to global standards in information security compliance and talent development. The company is ISO 27001-certified and has been recognized as a Great Place to Work® for five consecutive years. Discover more at www.assuresoft.com

For Media Inquiries:
Catalina Soto Pizano
Corporate Communications Manager
AssureSoft
catalina.soto@assuresoft.com

The MIL Network –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI: Industry Veteran John A. Norris Joins LoCorr to Support Distribution Efforts

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MINNEAPOLIS, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LoCorr Funds, a leader in low-correlating alternative investments, is pleased to announce the hiring of industry veteran John A. Norris to accelerate the distribution of LoCorr investment strategies and solutions through financial intermediaries. With over two decades of experience in private wealth management, Norris brings deep knowledge along with a proven track record of driving growth and fostering strong relationships with partner firms.

In this role, Norris will be responsible for enhancing existing relationships with LoCorr’s broker-dealer partners, as well as expanding distribution through new selling agreements, and placement in models and on recommended lists.

“We are thrilled to welcome John to LoCorr,” said Kevin Kinzie, CEO of LoCorr Funds. “John’s depth of experience distributing alternative investments will be instrumental as we continue to expand our distribution platform and product placements.”

Previously, Norris served as Director of Investor Relations for Crowd Street Capital, where he focused on investor fundraising and relationship management. Before that, he spent 18 years with Black Creek Capital Markets (now Ares Management Corporation) as Director of National Sales, leading equity capital raising and focusing on key broker-dealer distribution partners to expand and strengthen home office relationships.

In addition, LoCorr has welcomed two new internal wholesalers, Drew Dean and Brody Munger, to further strengthen the firm’s distribution efforts with financial advisors. Both support the broader sales team.

About LoCorr Funds
LoCorr Funds is a leading provider of low-correlating investment strategies, founded on the belief that non-traditional investment strategies with low correlation to stocks and bonds can reduce risk and help increase portfolio returns. LoCorr offers investment solutions that not only provide the potential for positive returns in rising or falling markets but also help to achieve diversification in investment portfolios. LoCorr Funds is headquartered in Excelsior, MN. For more information, please visit www.LoCorrFunds.com or call 1.888.628.2887.

For additional information, contact:
Jenny Brookfield, 952-767-6906

Past performance does not guarantee future results. There can be no guarantee that any strategy (risk management or otherwise) will be successful. All investing involves risk, including potential loss of principal. Correlation measures how much the returns of two investments move together over time. Diversification does not assure a profit nor protect against loss in a declining market.

The Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses must be considered carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other important information about the investment company, and it may be obtained by calling 1.855.LCFUNDS, or visiting www.LoCorrFunds.com. Read it carefully before investing.

The LoCorr Funds are distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC.

The MIL Network –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI: Onfolio Holdings Inc. Launches Referral Partner Program to Accelerate Adoption of AI Visibility Services

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

WILMINGTON, Del., June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Onfolio Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: ONFO, ONFOW) (OTCQB: ONFOP) (“Onfolio” or the “Company”) today announced the official launch of its Referral Partner Program to support the rapid growth of its Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) business. The program offers recurring income and long-term upside to professionals who refer clients to Pace Generative LLC, Onfolio’s GEO subsidiary, which helps businesses gain visibility in AI-generated answers from tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok, and Perplexity. For Onfolio, the program should help to capture the demand and scale revenues significantly faster.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is a fast-emerging discipline that positions businesses inside AI-generated responses, rather than simply helping them rank in traditional search engines. When prospective clients ask tools like ChatGPT, “Who’s the best cosmetic surgeon in Miami?” or “Which estate planning firm in NYC is most reputable?”, GEO helps to determine whether a business is mentioned in that real-time answer.

“With the way people now search for trusted services, the brands that show up in AI answers will win the next decade,” said Dominic Wells, CEO of Onfolio. “Our mission is to ensure that great companies don’t get left behind – and our referral partners will be essential to helping us scale that impact.”

“AI is now the first stop for answers,” Wells continued. “If a company isn’t cited, it’s not just ranked lower, it’s invisible. GEO addresses that. And our referral program allows trusted professionals to help their clients while building a new revenue stream for themselves.”

For more information about Pace Generative LLC, visit www.pacegenerative.com. For more information about our referral program, visit www.pacegenerative.com/partner or contact Michael Carwile at partners@pacegenerative.com

About Onfolio Holdings Inc.

Onfolio acquires, operates, and scales a diversified portfolio of digital companies. The Company focuses on businesses with strong cash flows, long-term growth potential, and experienced leadership—or those that can be effectively managed by Onfolio’s in-house team. By targeting under-optimized businesses with untapped potential, Onfolio adds value through operational expertise, strategic guidance, and advanced technologies. For more information, visit www.onfolio.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “plans,” “explores,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “continues,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” and similar expressions. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding expected operating results, such as revenue growth and earnings, and strategy for growth and financial results. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, delays in completing new customer offerings, changes in customer order patterns, changes in customer offering mix, continued success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations, delays due to issues with outsourced service providers, those events and factors described by us in Item 1.A “Risk Factors” in our most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, other risks to which our Company is subject, and various other factors beyond the Company’s control. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Company Contact:
Investor Communications
Onfolio Holdings Inc.
Investors@Onfolio.com

The MIL Network –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI: AutoScheduler Named to Supply Chain Visibility Award Shortlist for the Supply Chain Excellence Awards USA
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

AUSTIN, Texas, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AutoScheduler.AI, a leader in Agentic AI Warehouse Orchestration, announces the company has been shortlisted for a Supply Chain Visibility Award for the Supply Chain Excellence Awards USA. AutoScheduler was chosen for increasing pick rates, reducing dock congestion, improving productivity, and optimizing operations for a global consumer packaged goods (CPG) company with an extensive portfolio of beloved food and beverage brands.

“The global CPG company has hundreds of distribution centers, manufacturing plants, and thousands of vehicles in its distribution network. As the company continued to grow, it faced increasing operational challenges, especially around warehouse visibility, cost control, and overall efficiency,” says Keith Moore, CEO, AutoScheduler.AI. “The AutoScheduler warehouse orchestration platform orchestrates all critical activities inside and around facilities, leading to greater efficiencies and improved operations. We are proud to be shortlisted for this prestigious award.”

As its scale and complexity grew, the global CPG faced increasing operational challenges, particularly in areas such as warehouse visibility, cost control, and overall efficiency. Complex data systems hindered decision-making and daily operations. Rising costs and a lack of unified optimization tools made controlling expenses difficult. AutoScheduler.AI deployed its warehouse orchestration platform which utilizes advanced algorithms to optimize labor, tasks, and resource allocation, thereby reducing costs and improving efficiencies.

AutoScheduler integrated seamlessly with the client’s existing systems, consolidating data, automating workflows, and optimizing operations for maximum efficiency. Other benefits included:
- Eliminating data silos and providing leadership with a single, real-time view of operations.
- Predicting future bottlenecks and disruptions, allowing leadership to address potential issues before they impact operations proactively.
- Balancing activities across the warehouse environment based on what happens inside the warehouse every few minutes.
- Identifies inventory, capacity, and shipping constraints that will cause future challenges and then dynamically schedules shipments to ensure that when an inbound or outbound shipment arrives, the dock staff can act on it.
- Full-scale orchestration enables AutoScheduler to create opportunities, such as shipping directly from the production line or scheduling additional cross-docks.
- Proactively creates lower-touch opportunities, such as cross-docking, to help streamline operations.
- Streamlines planning processes, reducing the time required to plan operations and freeing up leadership to focus on strategic decisions while day-to-day operations are automatically optimized.
AutoScheduler’s client experienced a 30% increase in pick rates, faster load readiness to reduce dock congestion, increased product flow, increased productivity, decreased detention and dwell times, and reduced costs. AutoScheduler aggregates multi-site data and, using predictive analytics, enables supply chain top officers to rank the sites, quickly identify areas across the network that are out of tolerance or at risk, and take corrective action to mitigate risk before chaos occurs.

The Supply Chain Excellence Awards, judged by a panel of top supply chain professionals, recognize innovation, supply chain excellence, outstanding business performance, and overall achievements for both supply chain service providers and users. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, in Miami at a glamorous black-tie event hosted by The Supply Chain Excellence Awards USA.

About AutoScheduler.AI
AutoScheduler.AI empowers your supply chain with its Agentic AI-based warehouse orchestration platform that integrates with your existing WMS/LMS/YMS or any other solution to drive value across the supply chain by improving throughput, cutting labor costs, and ensuring customer service goals are met. AutoScheduler automates critical tasks for the warehouse like labor scheduling, task sequencing, and dock management, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Our Agentic AI-based platform makes better decisions to create an adaptive, living supply chain. For more information, visit: http://www.AutoScheduler.AI.

Contact:
Becky Boyd
MediaFirst PR
Becky@MediaFirst.Net
Cell: (404) 421-8497

The MIL Network –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI: Personal Loans for Bad Credit Guaranteed Approval Direct Lenders | No Credit Check Payday Loans Online – Loans At Last
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

New York City, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bad credit should not stand between a borrower and the funds they need when they are in a financial crisis. If a borrower has a less-than-perfect credit score a traditional bank may not lend the necessary money, but, fortunately, the lending landscape has evolved significantly.

>>>Visit Official Site To Get Instant Tribal Loans>>>

If you are looking for the best personal loans for bad credit you can rely on legitimate lenders who specialize in helping Americans with low credit scores. There are lenders who do not judge a person’s credibility with just their credit score.

This piece will guide you with the knowledge a borrower with a bad credit score needs to possess while looking to get a personal loan or any alternatives.

>>>Visit Official Site To Get Instant Tribal Loans>>>

How Is It Possible to Get the Best Personal Loans With a Bad Credit?

Now, a low credit score does not automatically mean one will be rejected for a personal loan. Many lenders have started to focus more heavily on the borrower’s current income and financial stability rather than considering only the credit mistakes of the past.

The new approach has opened doors for borrowers who have faced rejections by traditional financial institutions just a few years ago. The key difference lies in how modern lenders assess risk.

>>>Visit Official Site To Get Instant Tribal Loans>>>

Instead of relying solely on credit scores, they are considering factors like:
- Current monthly income and employment stability
- Debt-to-income ratio
- Banking history and account management
- Overall financial picture and repayment capacity
How Bad Credit Personal Loans Work?

The key difference between typical personal loans and bad credit personal loans are the APRs and fees. When the borrower has bad credit, the APRs and fees are much higher. Otherwise, traditional personal loans and personal loans for bad credit work similarly.

You, as a borrower, get the necessary amount at once, and after a fixed tenure, you repay the debt. You also have to pay a fixed interest rate (on a monthly basis) over the course of your tenure.

What’s the Difference Between Personal Loans and Payday Loans?

Both personal loans and payday loans can help borrowers with bad credit. However, there are significant differences between these financial products.

Borrowers should understand the following before making a decision:

Payday Loans:
- It is designed for small amounts (typically around $500) with very short repayment periods
- These loans require minimal documentation and no credit checks which makes them easily accessible
- They come with extremely high interest rates, often averaging 400% APR or even higher (780%)
- These loans must be repaid by your next paycheck, usually within a couple of weeks
- It often includes hidden fees and late payment penalties that can push you toward a debt cycle
- These loans generally don’t help build credit history since most lenders don’t report to credit bureaus
Personal Loans:
- These loans are available for larger amounts with flexible repayment terms ranging from months to years
- It requires a formal application process including credit checks and income verification
- It offers significantly lower interest rates compared to payday loans
- It allows borrowers more time to repay which reduces financial stress
- These loans may be secured (requiring collateral) or unsecured depending on creditworthiness
- Payments of these loans are reported to credit bureaus which helps borrowers build or improve credit scores
If your credit score is low enough to make availing traditional personal loans an impossibility, you can consider payday loans as an alternative. If you avail it from credible lenders, it can be one of the best personal loans for bad credit.

Loans At Last Connects Bad Credit Borrowers with Lenders

Loans At Last operates as a loan matching service. It connects borrowers with a network of reputable lenders who specialize in serving customers with varied credit profiles.

Platforms like Loans At Last are not direct lenders. They act as a bridge between borrowers seeking funds and lenders willing to work with bad credit applicants.

Their approach offers several advantages for borrowers:
- Access to multiple lenders through a single application
- Increased chances of approval by matching with appropriate lenders
- Competitive comparison of loan terms and rates
- A streamlined process that saves time and effort
These platforms have built relationships with lenders who understand the needs of bad credit borrowers. They are willing to look beyond credit scores to assess loan applications.

They offer personal loans ranging from $100 to $5,000. This range allows enough flexibility for various financial needs.

For example, with this money borrowers can:
- Address Small Emergencies: Lower amounts ($100-$500) can cover unexpected bills or short-term cash flow gaps.
- Handle Moderate Expenses: Mid-range amounts ($500-$2,000) work well for medical bills, larger car repairs, or small home improvements.
- Manage Significant Financial Needs: Higher amounts ($2,000-$5,000) can address substantial unexpected expenses or major emergencies, and debt consolidation.
What Types of Payday Loans Are There?

If you go for platforms like Loans At Last, you can expect a variety of loans. Here are some of the primary loan types one can avail:
1. Payday Loans
Payday loans provide small, short-term funds to bridge gaps until the next paycheck. While some lenders offer up to $5,000, most borrowers typically request $100 to $2,000. These loans are often for urgent needs like bills or minor repairs.

Key features include:
- Quick Access: Funds often arrive within hours of approval.
- Short Repayment: Loans align with the borrower’s next payday.
- Automatic Debit: Lenders set up auto payments for convenience.
- High Acceptance: Even unemployed borrowers may qualify with alternative income.
Although high interest rates are applicable, the fast and easy process makes these loans ideal for emergencies.
1. Installment Loans
With installment loans borrowers can repay the loan over time through fixed monthly payments. Depending on affordability, these loans range from $100 to $5,000. If you need larger amounts or require more time to repay it, this loan is ideal.

Key features include:
- Flexible Terms: Repayment spans 3 to 24 months.
- Predictable Payments: Fixed installments simplify budgeting.
- Larger Amounts: Borrowers access more funds than typical payday loans.
- Credit Flexibility: Lenders often approve despite poor credit.
Installment loans make repayment easy for people who manage bigger expenses or prefer extended repayment.
1. Bad Credit Loans
Bad credit loans are most suitable for borrowers with less-than-perfect credit scores. In this case, lenders focus on income and affordability, not credit history. Loan amounts range from $100 to $5,000, with terms up to 24 months.

Key features include:
- No Hard Credit Checks: Lenders use soft inquiries or alternative data.
- Accessible Approval: Borrowers with low credit scores often qualify.
- Flexible Use: Funds cover emergencies, repairs, or personal needs.
- Quick Processing: Approvals happen within minutes.
These loans help borrowers access funds without worrying about credit scores.
1. Same-Day Loans
Same-day loans deliver funds within hours for urgent financial needs. Borrowers can apply online and often receive approval in minutes. Loan amounts range from $100 to $5,000, which can be repaid within weeks to months.

Key features include:
- Fast Funding: Money reaches bank accounts on the same business day.
- Simple Application: Online forms take minutes to complete.
- Broad Eligibility: Lenders accept various income sources, including benefits.
- Flexible Terms: Borrowers choose repayment periods that suit their budget.
Same-day loans ensure quick relief for unexpected expenses incurred during medical or similar emergencies.
1. Loans for Unemployed
There are solutions for unemployed borrowers who have alternative income sources. These loans range from $100 to $5,000. Its repayment terms are up to 24 months. Here, lenders assess affordability and not employment status.

Key features include:
- Alternative Income: Benefits, freelance earnings, or other income qualify.
- Quick Approval: Loan decisions arrive in as little as two minutes.
- Flexible Repayment: Terms adjust to the borrower’s financial situation.
- No Job Required: Eligibility focuses on income, not traditional employment.
These loans empower borrowers to access emergency funds without having traditional jobs.

What are the Basic Eligibility Criteria for Personal Loans for Bad Credit?

The best personal loans for bad credit come with minimum eligibility requirements. It means that they are more flexible than traditional bank loans but they will still ensure that a borrower has the capacity to repay the loan.

Standard eligibility criteria include:
- Age Requirement: Must be at least 18 years old (21 in some states)
- Citizenship/Residency: Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident with a permanent address
- Income Verification: Demonstration of regular income (more than $1,000) from employment or other sources
- Banking Relationship: Active checking account for direct fund deposit and payment processing
Note: To be eligible for Loans At Last you have to demonstrate an income of at least $1,000 per month.

A Step-By-Step Guide for Applying for a Personal Loan with a Bad Credit Score

Generally, the application process for a guaranteed approval personal loan with bad credit is not that complicated. It consists of three to four simple steps. Go through the following steps if you are going to apply for a loan soon.

Step 1: Choose Your Loan Amount and Term.
- The first step is to determine how much money you need and how long it will take you to repay it. Your application approval, total interest cost, and monthly payment amount depend on this decision.
- Before you determine the amount and the term you should carefully consider your need for the money, the total cost of the loan, and your repayment ability.
Step 2: Complete The Online Application.
- Most online application processes are simple and take a couple of minutes to complete. It generally requires basic information about yourself, your income, and your banking details.
- An online application section for personal loans or payday loans for bad credit would include personal information including names and social security numbers, employment details, and banking details.
Step 3: Get Matched With Lenders.
- Once you submit your application, the matching service starts working. It finds the lenders that are most likely to approve loans for your specific situation. This process can happen within minutes and may result in multiple loan offers.
- The system considers your credit profile and score, your employment status and income level, your requested loan amount and term, geographic location and applicable state laws, and lender specialization and preferences.
Step 4: Receive Funds Within 24 Hours
- After accepting a loan offer and completing any final verification requirements, approved borrowers typically receive funds within 24 hours through direct deposit to their bank account.
- The funding timeline depends on application time, verification requirements, and banking processing time. A borrower can also monitor funding status with the tracking information that the lender provides.
Final Thoughts on Best Personal Loans for Bad Credit

The modern lending landscape offers legitimate alternatives through specialized lenders. They do not focus on past credit mistakes but approve a loan by evaluating your current financial capacity.

The best personal loans for bad credit, however, come with higher interest rates. They are there to provide relief when traditional banks are not an option. Platforms like Loans At Last streamline the process by connecting you with appropriate lenders, offering amounts from $100 to $5,000 with flexible repayment terms.

You should carefully assess your repayment ability, compare loan offers, and choose reputable lenders who report payments to credit bureaus before borrowing. You should also remember that these loans are for temporary financial problems and not for solving long-term debts.

Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I get a personal loan with a credit score under 600?
Yes, it is possible to get a personal loan with a credit score under 600, but it is going to be difficult. Because only some lenders may consider this credit score “fair”. If your credit score is below 600, you can consider alternative options to traditional banking.
1. How quickly can I get approved and funded?
Most bad credit personal loan lenders approve loans quickly, often within minutes of submitting an application. Once they approve the application, the funding can occur within 24 hours.
1. What income do I need to qualify?
Most lenders require borrowers to demonstrate a regular monthly income of at least $1,000 or more. This income can come from various sources, but it has to be verifiable and sufficient to cover both loan payments and daily living expenses.

Attachment
- Loans At Last
The MIL Network –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Introducing the Apple Games app: A personalized home for games

Source: Apple

Headline: Introducing the Apple Games app: A personalized home for games

June 10, 2025

UPDATE

Introducing the Apple Games app: A personalized home for games and playing with friends

At Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple unveiled Apple Games, an all-new destination designed to help players jump back into the games they love, find their next favorite, and have more fun with friends, turning even single-player games into shared experiences. The Games app makes it easier than ever for players to enjoy all their games in one convenient place and see what’s happening across their games, including major events and updates, so they never miss a moment.

Here’s what developers are saying:

“As my friends have grown up and moved away, I miss hearing about what they’re playing on their phones, and the Games app is a great way I can get a window back into their gaming worlds. The app also helps us seamlessly integrate and extend all of the social community features we’ve built into Puzzmo directly into the center of our player’s existing daily play routine.” — Zach Gage, indie developer and cofounder of Puzzmo

“The introduction of challenges and a new social layer marks a major leap forward for both developers and players. While creators stay focused on gameplay, these features bring people together in just a few taps, effortlessly deepening player engagement — especially important for games like Thronefall.” — Glib Platonov, cofounder of Doghowl Games

“The Games app is going to be a game changer for playing on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The app makes it easy for us to create moments just for groups of friends. The new challenges feature works great and feels natural for our games on Apple Arcade, including our latest release, WHAT THE CLASH?, and we’ve been having a lot of fun with it!” — Tim Garbos, creative director and cofounder of Triband

The Games app is also the best way to experience Apple Arcade, Apple’s subscription service with more than 200 award-winning and highly rated games for the whole family, including Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Sneaky Sasquatch, and Mini Motorways.

Launch Favorite Games, Discover New Ones

The Games app allows players to see all the games they have ever downloaded from the App Store for their iPhone and iPad, and brings together all the games they have on Mac.

They can connect any compatible game controller for easy navigation around the app and to launch right into their games. Players can explore personalized recommendations based on games they’ve played, games their friends are playing, and games supporting Game Center features, that can be played together.

Editorial collections also appear in the app to help players find new games, including some of the most exciting games on the App Store, such as Balatro, Crashlands 2, and DREDGE. If they are an Apple Arcade subscriber, players will see curated collections of the best games included in the catalog that help them get the most out of their subscription.

Play Together

Players now have all their Game Center friends and groups they’ve played with in one place, so they can easily enjoy their games together. They can see their shared gaming history, compare achievements, and send friends invite links and party codes using any messaging app, bringing them right into a competition or multiplayer match.

The Games app introduces challenges, a new way to compete with friends in score-based showdowns. Developers that have Game Center leaderboards for their games can add these unique challenges that are catered to a smaller group of friends. Challenges can turn single-player games into shared experiences with friends, giving them even more ways to rally a group, crown a winner, and have a rematch.

Players can invite friends to challenges by selecting their friends or contacts. Whether competing to see who can survive the most waves of enemies in Thronefall, or who can rack up the highest score in each week’s featured course in Skate City: New York, challenges unlock a whole new level of friendly competition.

Stay Up to Date with In-Game Events

The Games app introduces new features to help developers keep their players in the know about the latest game updates and can’t-miss events. Game pages in the app come to life, highlighting the latest activity for that specific game. Players can see what’s most relevant to them and the games they’re actively playing, front and center, like updates, live events, and timely activity from their friends.

Availability

The Games app is available for testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com. The Games app will be released with the launch of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26 this fall as a free software update. Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all languages or regions, and availability may vary due to local laws and regulations. For more information about availability, visit apple.com.

Press Contacts

Peter Nguyen

Apple

pete_nguyen@apple.com

Apple Media Helpline

media.help@apple.com

MIL OSI Economics –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Violence against women in Ghana is deeply rooted in culture and family ties – study

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Eric Y Tenkorang, Professor of Sociology,, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Intimate partner violence is controlling behaviour that results in harm to victims. This can be physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, economic or spiritual harm. Women are overwhelmingly the victims and survivors of intimate partner violence.

Globally, about one third of women have experienced some type of intimate partner violence. In Ghana too, one third of women have experienced physical and sexual abuse.

Research has linked women’s experiences of intimate partner violence to their socio-economic marginalisation, although it can happen to wealthy women too. Beyond the socio-economic reasons, some also make cultural arguments.

One such factor is lineage: lines of ancestry. Lineage is a major source of wealth, privileges and responsibilities in Ghana and more broadly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Some people trace their ancestry through maternal kin members. Women in these matrilineal societies wield socio-economic and cultural power because inheritance goes through the female line. As carriers of the lineage, women have some cultural value.

In a patrilineage, people trace their ancestry through men. Inheritance goes through the male line. Women cannot source wealth from the lineage. There is noticeable gender ordering and hierarchies in patrilineal societies. Male children are considered the carriers of the lineage.

Despite these two predominant lineage systems, there is also bilateral descent. In bilateral systems, kinship is traced to both maternal and paternal sides of the family.

Recent studies have suggested a link exists between lineage and intimate partner violence. But there is limited evidence as to why this might be the case.

One of my research interests is violence against women in African cultures and I have published extensively on this subject. For a recent study, my team collected survey data, including in-depth interviews, from the three ecological areas of Ghana – coastal, middle and northern. These reflect differences in ecology, culture and modernity.

About 1,700 women responded to our survey questions on lineage and intimate partner violence. Of these, about 30 women were followed up for an in-depth interview.

We found differences in experiences of violence between women depending on the lineage system they were part of. Awareness of this pattern could inform efforts to prevent violence and empower women.

What we found

A major finding was that women in matrilineal communities experienced lower levels of intimate partner violence than women in patrilineal communities or bilateral ones. Part of the reason is women’s access to resources.

We also found that bride price payments elevated patrilineal women’s risks of experiencing intimate partner violence. Bride price payment is an exchange of resources from the groom to the family of the bride. This is in acknowledgement that marriage has taken place. Women in patrilineal systems were more likely to experience physical, sexual and emotional violence when bride price was fully paid than when it was partially paid.

Unlike patrilineal women, matrilineal and bilateral women only experienced emotional and physical violence when bride price was fully paid.

The backdrop

Ghana passed its landmark Domestic Violence Act in 2007. It criminalises acts that are likely to result in intimate partner violence. This opened the door to the establishment of a Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit to prosecute perpetrators. Structures are also in place to provide support for victims of abuse.

But criminalising intimate partner violence offers only a partial remedy to the problem. This is particularly true when behaviours that lead to such acts of violence are deeply rooted in inequality, culture and patriarchy.

Despite recent efforts to bridge gender inequality, Ghana continues to lag behind other societies in this area. Ghanaian women are discriminated against socially and culturally. They are excluded from participating in major decisions related to their households and communities. They are also marginalised economically, creating less opportunity for upward mobility.

The patriarchal nature of Ghanaian society has not helped. It has worked in tandem with existing social arrangements to deepen inequality and further render women powerless.

In my view, part of matrilineal women’s reduced risk of experiencing intimate partner violence may be explained by access to maternal resources, where they benefit more than their patrilineal and bilateral counterparts.

This background also helps explain why bride price arrangements make a difference. Contemporary feminist analysis of the payment of bride price suggests it may be interpreted as “wife ownership and purchase”. This can be a tool for oppressing and controlling women.

These findings support the argument that bride price payment may have negative consequences for Ghanaian women. This is especially so for those in patrilineal cultures where the norms and expectations associated with these payments are stronger.

A path to safety

Establishing cultural reasons why some women are at greater risk than others of experiencing intimate partner violence is important for policy in Ghana and has implications for sub-Saharan Africa.

Our research findings point to the need to empower women by providing them with the resources they need to flourish and fight abuse. It shows lineage can be a conduit for resource exchange and distribution.

Also, public education can help correct narratives of ownership and purchase which are linked to intimate partner violence. Bride price payments should have symbolic, not commercial, significance.

– Violence against women in Ghana is deeply rooted in culture and family ties – study
– https://theconversation.com/violence-against-women-in-ghana-is-deeply-rooted-in-culture-and-family-ties-study-257947

MIL OSI Africa –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: What keeps girls from school in Malawi? We asked them and it’s not just pregnancy

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rachel Silver, Assistant Professor, York University, Canada

Coverage of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns on girls in Malawi emphasised the risks they faced as a result of not attending school. In particular, concerns about pregnancy garnered significant media attention.

The United Nations Children’s Fund, for example, published an article in March 2021 entitled “Schoolgirl shakes off COVID-19 regret: Lucy’s return to school”. Under a glossy photograph of a smiling girl, readers learn about 16-year-old Lucy, one of 13,000 Malawian students who became pregnant during COVID-19 school closures. The story went on to detail the dire consequences of sexual activity to Lucy’s well-being, and the redemptive power of an eventual return to school.

The Unicef piece echoed thousands of similar publications circulated after March 2020 that analysed COVID-19’s unique risk for girls in the global south and lamented lost returns to girls’ education.

In response to COVID-19 surges, Malawian schools closed for over seven months, during which the percentage of pregnancies to young women aged 10-19 did increase from 29% to 35% of total pregnancies.

Yet, our research has demonstrated that international development organisations and media outlets focused mostly on narrow, sexualised framings of risk to African girls and women rather than on the many intersecting and ongoing barriers to their well-being and school retention. These challenges both predate and extend beyond COVID-19.

As scholars of international development education who have conducted research in Malawi for over a decade, we decided to join Malawian educational activist and collaborator Stella Makhuva to research how girls themselves narrated their experiences of the COVID-19 years. What did they consider a risk to their schooling?

Together, we designed a longitudinal study from 2020 to 2023 that included multiple rounds of interviews and participatory journalling methods with 22 upper primary and secondary school girls in southern Malawi.

We found that for girls in our study, COVID-19 was less a rupture – an unusual event that threatened their education in unprecedented ways – than an added variable in the already complex calculations girls and their families made about whether and how to remain in school.

We argue that it was not pregnancy itself, but escalating resource constraints, that kept girls from school. And that interventions must do something about the real problem: inequitable systems.

The stories told by the girls illustrate this. (All the names are pseudonyms.)

Their stories

When Faith joined our study in 2020, she was attending a peri-urban primary school near her home. She lived in a mud and grass-thatched house with her parents, both subsistence farmers who supported Faith’s and her siblings’ education. During school closures, she studied with friends to keep up with academic content when she was not helping with her parents’ farm.

Yet school costs threatened Faith’s return to school upon reopening. Despite primary school being officially “free” by government mandate, students at her school were required to contribute 800 Malawi kwacha (close to US$1 at the time) per term to a school fund for infrastructure projects and upkeep. Not paying into the fund resulted in exclusion from classes.

Read more: Does free schooling give girls a better chance in life? Burundi study shows the poorest benefited most

When Faith eventually passed the Primary School Leaving Certificate Exam and enrolled in secondary school, the costs to schooling rose from 5,000 kwacha (about US$6.50 in early 2021) to 20,000 kwacha (about US$19 in late 2022). Faith worried about whether her parents, whose maize and tomato yields suffered from poor rains, would be able to pay.

On top of this, Faith paid other costs, from exam fees and bicycle rental fees to supplemental lessons in which she learned material never covered during school hours. She said she and her family often sacrificed eating sufficiently to save money.

Still, Faith was repeatedly pushed out of school until her fee balance was met. Before, during, and after COVID-19 school closures, girls like her were pushed out of school for a lack of regular fee payments.

Faith’s school-going was also threatened by warming temperatures and new rain patterns that left her family with diminished food and income. Added to this were volatility in government agricultural subsidies to small farmers, inflated school fees, and the increasing privatisation of public education in Malawi.

Read more: Malawi faces a food crisis: why plans to avert hunger aren’t realistic and what can be done

Like Faith, all of the girls in our study worked to supplement their schooling with part time lessons, holiday classes, or by repeating grades given educational quality concerns. Based in under-resourced schools with low exam pass rates, girls knew that they were provided an incomplete education.

According to Brightness,

We do not learn fully what we are supposed to cover, and some teachers tend to be absent during their lessons. This makes us lag behind … As a result during exams they ask some questions which some of us … did not learn.

Empirical evidence has shown how teacher engagement has long been influenced by the region’s high disease burden, especially due to HIV/Aids. This has left teachers both ill and caring for ill relatives.

While teacher disengagement, therefore, reflected factors such as competing care responsibilities, professional dissatisfaction and stress, girls were deeply frustrated by what felt like abandonment.

Rethinking pregnancy and parenting

Mainstream discourses that missed key barriers to girls’ school retention and performance, such as privatisation and food insecurity, misrepresented student pregnancy as an emergent “crisis”.

Prior to the pandemic, sexuality and school-going already overlapped for many girls in Malawi, where adolescent pregnancy rates were threefold the global average. Still, girls in our study countered the idea that schooling and sex were incompatible. They also challenged the idea that school was inherently safe and that it was pregnancy that kept them from school.

Read more: Education and gender equality: focus on girls isn’t fair and isn’t enough — global study

Many of the girls’ stories emphasised continuity with what came before the pandemic.

We have found this in past research. Schooling and sexuality are not necessarily opposed; but parents and teachers try to protect girls from sexuality; and parenting and non-parenting girls alike face significant resource-related barriers to schooling.

Conclusion

If girls’ choices, particularly around sexuality, do not represent the greatest or only source of risk for girls’ schooling, interventions must respond to this reality. They should support well-being and address the broader conditions in which girls live and learn. The problem is inequity, not pregnant girls.

– What keeps girls from school in Malawi? We asked them and it’s not just pregnancy
– https://theconversation.com/what-keeps-girls-from-school-in-malawi-we-asked-them-and-its-not-just-pregnancy-258401

MIL OSI Africa –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Violence against women in Ghana is deeply rooted in culture and family ties – study

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Eric Y Tenkorang, Professor of Sociology,, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Intimate partner violence is controlling behaviour that results in harm to victims. This can be physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, economic or spiritual harm. Women are overwhelmingly the victims and survivors of intimate partner violence.

Globally, about one third of women have experienced some type of intimate partner violence. In Ghana too, one third of women have experienced physical and sexual abuse.

Research has linked women’s experiences of intimate partner violence to their socio-economic marginalisation, although it can happen to wealthy women too. Beyond the socio-economic reasons, some also make cultural arguments.

One such factor is lineage: lines of ancestry. Lineage is a major source of wealth, privileges and responsibilities in Ghana and more broadly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Some people trace their ancestry through maternal kin members. Women in these matrilineal societies wield socio-economic and cultural power because inheritance goes through the female line. As carriers of the lineage, women have some cultural value.

In a patrilineage, people trace their ancestry through men. Inheritance goes through the male line. Women cannot source wealth from the lineage. There is noticeable gender ordering and hierarchies in patrilineal societies. Male children are considered the carriers of the lineage.

Despite these two predominant lineage systems, there is also bilateral descent. In bilateral systems, kinship is traced to both maternal and paternal sides of the family.

Recent studies have suggested a link exists between lineage and intimate partner violence. But there is limited evidence as to why this might be the case.

One of my research interests is violence against women in African cultures and I have published extensively on this subject. For a recent study, my team collected survey data, including in-depth interviews, from the three ecological areas of Ghana – coastal, middle and northern. These reflect differences in ecology, culture and modernity.

About 1,700 women responded to our survey questions on lineage and intimate partner violence. Of these, about 30 women were followed up for an in-depth interview.

We found differences in experiences of violence between women depending on the lineage system they were part of. Awareness of this pattern could inform efforts to prevent violence and empower women.

What we found

A major finding was that women in matrilineal communities experienced lower levels of intimate partner violence than women in patrilineal communities or bilateral ones. Part of the reason is women’s access to resources.

We also found that bride price payments elevated patrilineal women’s risks of experiencing intimate partner violence. Bride price payment is an exchange of resources from the groom to the family of the bride. This is in acknowledgement that marriage has taken place. Women in patrilineal systems were more likely to experience physical, sexual and emotional violence when bride price was fully paid than when it was partially paid.

Unlike patrilineal women, matrilineal and bilateral women only experienced emotional and physical violence when bride price was fully paid.

The backdrop

Ghana passed its landmark Domestic Violence Act in 2007. It criminalises acts that are likely to result in intimate partner violence. This opened the door to the establishment of a Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit to prosecute perpetrators. Structures are also in place to provide support for victims of abuse.

But criminalising intimate partner violence offers only a partial remedy to the problem. This is particularly true when behaviours that lead to such acts of violence are deeply rooted in inequality, culture and patriarchy.

Despite recent efforts to bridge gender inequality, Ghana continues to lag behind other societies in this area. Ghanaian women are discriminated against socially and culturally. They are excluded from participating in major decisions related to their households and communities. They are also marginalised economically, creating less opportunity for upward mobility.

The patriarchal nature of Ghanaian society has not helped. It has worked in tandem with existing social arrangements to deepen inequality and further render women powerless.

In my view, part of matrilineal women’s reduced risk of experiencing intimate partner violence may be explained by access to maternal resources, where they benefit more than their patrilineal and bilateral counterparts.

This background also helps explain why bride price arrangements make a difference. Contemporary feminist analysis of the payment of bride price suggests it may be interpreted as “wife ownership and purchase”. This can be a tool for oppressing and controlling women.

These findings support the argument that bride price payment may have negative consequences for Ghanaian women. This is especially so for those in patrilineal cultures where the norms and expectations associated with these payments are stronger.

A path to safety

Establishing cultural reasons why some women are at greater risk than others of experiencing intimate partner violence is important for policy in Ghana and has implications for sub-Saharan Africa.

Our research findings point to the need to empower women by providing them with the resources they need to flourish and fight abuse. It shows lineage can be a conduit for resource exchange and distribution.

Also, public education can help correct narratives of ownership and purchase which are linked to intimate partner violence. Bride price payments should have symbolic, not commercial, significance.

Eric Y Tenkorang received funding from the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation.

– ref. Violence against women in Ghana is deeply rooted in culture and family ties – study – https://theconversation.com/violence-against-women-in-ghana-is-deeply-rooted-in-culture-and-family-ties-study-257947

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: What keeps girls from school in Malawi? We asked them and it’s not just pregnancy

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rachel Silver, Assistant Professor, York University, Canada

Coverage of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns on girls in Malawi emphasised the risks they faced as a result of not attending school. In particular, concerns about pregnancy garnered significant media attention.

The United Nations Children’s Fund, for example, published an article in March 2021 entitled “Schoolgirl shakes off COVID-19 regret: Lucy’s return to school”. Under a glossy photograph of a smiling girl, readers learn about 16-year-old Lucy, one of 13,000 Malawian students who became pregnant during COVID-19 school closures. The story went on to detail the dire consequences of sexual activity to Lucy’s well-being, and the redemptive power of an eventual return to school.

The Unicef piece echoed thousands of similar publications circulated after March 2020 that analysed COVID-19’s unique risk for girls in the global south and lamented lost returns to girls’ education.

In response to COVID-19 surges, Malawian schools closed for over seven months, during which the percentage of pregnancies to young women aged 10-19 did increase from 29% to 35% of total pregnancies.

Yet, our research has demonstrated that international development organisations and media outlets focused mostly on narrow, sexualised framings of risk to African girls and women rather than on the many intersecting and ongoing barriers to their well-being and school retention. These challenges both predate and extend beyond COVID-19.

As scholars of international development education who have conducted research in Malawi for over a decade, we decided to join Malawian educational activist and collaborator Stella Makhuva to research how girls themselves narrated their experiences of the COVID-19 years. What did they consider a risk to their schooling?

Together, we designed a longitudinal study from 2020 to 2023 that included multiple rounds of interviews and participatory journalling methods with 22 upper primary and secondary school girls in southern Malawi.

We found that for girls in our study, COVID-19 was less a rupture – an unusual event that threatened their education in unprecedented ways – than an added variable in the already complex calculations girls and their families made about whether and how to remain in school.

We argue that it was not pregnancy itself, but escalating resource constraints, that kept girls from school. And that interventions must do something about the real problem: inequitable systems.

The stories told by the girls illustrate this. (All the names are pseudonyms.)

Their stories

When Faith joined our study in 2020, she was attending a peri-urban
primary school near her home. She lived in a mud and grass-thatched house with her parents, both subsistence farmers who supported Faith’s and her siblings’ education. During school closures, she studied with friends to keep up with academic content when she was not helping with her parents’ farm.

Yet school costs threatened Faith’s return to school upon reopening. Despite primary school being officially “free” by government mandate, students at her school were required to contribute 800 Malawi kwacha (close to US$1 at the time) per term to a school fund for infrastructure projects and upkeep. Not paying into the fund resulted in exclusion from classes.

Read more:
Does free schooling give girls a better chance in life? Burundi study shows the poorest benefited most

When Faith eventually passed the Primary School Leaving Certificate Exam and enrolled in secondary school, the costs to schooling rose from 5,000 kwacha (about US$6.50 in early 2021) to 20,000 kwacha (about US$19 in late 2022). Faith worried about whether her parents, whose maize and tomato yields suffered from poor rains, would be able to pay.

On top of this, Faith paid other costs, from exam fees and bicycle rental fees to supplemental lessons in which she learned material never covered during school hours. She said she and her family often sacrificed eating sufficiently to save money.

Still, Faith was repeatedly pushed out of school until her fee balance was met. Before, during, and after COVID-19 school closures, girls like her were pushed out of school for a lack of regular fee payments.

Faith’s school-going was also threatened by warming temperatures and new rain patterns that left her family with diminished food and income. Added to this were volatility in government agricultural subsidies to small farmers, inflated school fees, and the increasing privatisation of public education in Malawi.

Read more:
Malawi faces a food crisis: why plans to avert hunger aren’t realistic and what can be done

Like Faith, all of the girls in our study worked to supplement their schooling with part time lessons, holiday classes, or by repeating grades given educational quality concerns. Based in under-resourced schools with low exam pass rates, girls knew that they were provided an incomplete education.

According to Brightness,

We do not learn fully what we are supposed to cover, and some teachers tend to be absent during their lessons. This makes us lag behind … As a result during exams they ask some questions which some of us … did not learn.

Empirical evidence has shown how teacher engagement has long been influenced by the region’s high disease burden, especially due to HIV/Aids. This has left teachers both ill and caring for ill relatives.

While teacher disengagement, therefore, reflected factors such as competing care responsibilities, professional dissatisfaction and stress, girls were deeply frustrated by what felt like abandonment.

Rethinking pregnancy and parenting

Mainstream discourses that missed key barriers to girls’ school retention and performance, such as privatisation and food insecurity, misrepresented student pregnancy as an emergent “crisis”.

Prior to the pandemic, sexuality and school-going already overlapped for many girls in Malawi, where adolescent pregnancy rates were threefold the global average. Still, girls in our study countered the idea that schooling and sex were incompatible. They also challenged the idea that school was inherently safe and that it was pregnancy that kept them from school.

Read more:
Education and gender equality: focus on girls isn’t fair and isn’t enough — global study

Many of the girls’ stories emphasised continuity with what came before the pandemic.

We have found this in past research. Schooling and sexuality are not necessarily opposed; but parents and teachers try to protect girls from sexuality; and parenting and non-parenting girls alike face significant resource-related barriers to schooling.

Conclusion

If girls’ choices, particularly around sexuality, do not represent the greatest or only source of risk for girls’ schooling, interventions must respond to this reality. They should support well-being and address the broader conditions in which girls live and learn. The problem is inequity, not pregnant girls.

Rachel Silver has received funding from the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Alyssa Morley 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. What keeps girls from school in Malawi? We asked them and it’s not just pregnancy – https://theconversation.com/what-keeps-girls-from-school-in-malawi-we-asked-them-and-its-not-just-pregnancy-258401

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Is Israel’s interception of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla legal?

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Priya Gupta, Associate Professor of Law, McGill University

Israel’s interception of a ship launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) — a grassroots group that campaigns in solidarity with the Palestinian people — in international waters approximately 185 kilometres from Gaza has raised serious questions about the legality of its actions.

The Madleen — a small, British-flagged civilian vessel named for Gaza’s first fisherwoman — was carrying 11 activists, one journalist and a small cargo of humanitarian aid, including flour, baby formula and children’s prostheses. Israeli forces detained all passengers, including well-known Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and French European Parliamentarian Rima Hassan.

The FFC uses non-violent direct action to attempt to break the blockade Israel has imposed on Gaza since 2007, and to raise awareness about the “ongoing brutality inflicted upon civilians in Gaza.”

At approximately 3 a.m. local time on June 9, Israeli forces rammed and boarded the Madleen. Shortly before that, military drones hovered above it and the activists took video of Israeli forces of spraying a white substance on board that “caused burning eyes and general discomfort.”

Israel says it intercepted the Madleen to enforce “a legal naval blockade.” The FFC, however, has called Israel’s actions an “illegal attack” and “a small extension of their war crimes in Gaza.”

Past attacks on humanitarian flotillas

Israel’s interception of the Madleen is not without precedent. On May 2, the FFC ship Conscience was seriously damaged during a drone attack while carrying humanitarian aid bound for Gaza. The attack ended its journey.

In 2010, a group of six vessels called the Gaza Aid Flotilla sailed to Gaza to breach the Israeli blockade. The largest of the ships, the Mavi Marmara, was carrying more than 500 passengers when it was raided by Israeli forces in international waters, killing 10 people and wounding 56.

Israel’s attack on the Mavi Marmara triggered international legal scrutiny and condemnation. The United Nations secretary-general immediately established an inquiry that determined the Israeli attack had resulted in “unacceptable” death, injury and mistreatment of detainees.

Additionally, the UN Human Rights Council established a fact-finding mission that found that “no case can be made for the legality of the interception.”

The Union of the Comoros, where the vessel was registered, referred the situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC), alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity. A chamber of the court found there was evidence Israeli soldiers committed “systematic abuse” of detained passengers.

In the end, the case did not proceed because the prosecutor decided the incident was of “insufficient gravity,” in part because they could not identify a plan or policy on the part of Israel to carry out war crimes on a large scale.

Israel’s ongoing crimes in Gaza

It would be difficult to make the same conclusion regarding the situation in Gaza today.

Israel is downplaying the severity of its attack on the Madleen, casting it as a sort of rescue mission as the Israeli foreign ministry posted a photo of activists being offered sandwiches. But Israel’s actions must be evaluated within the context of legal findings that have already been made by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the ICC.

In January 2024, the ICJ found there was a “real and imminent risk” that Israel would commit genocide in Gaza. Two months later, it ordered Israel not to impede the provision of humanitarian assistance.

In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant based on reasonable grounds that they “intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival” and that this deprivation “created conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population.”

In separate proceedings in July 2024, the ICJ found that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, including Gaza and its surrounding waters, was unlawful and must come to an end “as rapidly as possible.”

Against this backdrop, the interception of the flotilla could be seen as furthering Israel’s unlawful blockade, occupation and attack against the civilian population of Gaza, in addition to constituting unlawful targeting of the civilians on board. Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, has accused Israel of once again flouting “its legal obligations towards civilians in the occupied Gaza Strip” with the interception of the boat.

Arbitrary detention, degrading treatment

Thunberg, along with four other activists, has already been deported from Israel. Eight passengers who Israel says chose not “to sign deportation documents” remain in detention in an Israeli prison and will soon appear in court.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said they would be forced to watch video footage of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel. He later said they refused to watch the video.

This detention and its circumstances may constitute violations of the protection against arbitrary deprivation of liberty under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Israel is a signatory.

Israel cannot legally block aid

Israel is not permitted to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinians in Gaza. The ICJ has ordered Israel to “ensure the unhindered provision at scale of urgently needed humanitarian assistance” and not do anything that would constitute a violation of the Genocide Convention “including by preventing, through any action, the delivery” of aid.

The Geneva Convention also outlaws collective punishment of civilian populations and requires free passage of aid.

Israel seemingly anticipated these arguments. Israeli officials mocked the Madleen, calling it a “selfie yacht” carrying a “tiny amount of aid” and proclaiming that “the show is over.” These statements could serve to cast the FFC as a disingenuous humanitarian mission.

Israel also claims that the aid on board will be distributed through “real humanitarian channels.” This is likely an attempt by Israel to signal it’s not violating international humanitarian law by blocking assistance.

These arguments, however, fail to acknowledge that the size of a humanitarian mission is irrelevant to the protection accorded to civilians and the requirement to allow delivery of aid.

Disregarding the courts

Israel has disregarded the ICJ’s orders to facilitate the delivery of urgently needed food and supplies to Gaza and has been accused of gunning down starving civilians at aid distribution centres.

The Madleen’s mission was to force the world to acknowledge, in real time, Israel’s disregard for international law. In this aim, it succeeded. Israel’s interception of the Madleen could end up being prosecuted in the domestic courts of the passengers’ home countries, in the United Kingdom — where the boat was registered — or at the ICC.

Humanitarians have vowed to continue to try to breach Israel’s blockade on Gaza. The Madleen’s voyage is a precursor to the March on Gaza scheduled for June 15, where thousands of activists will attempt to reach the Rafah crossing. The world will be watching.

Heidi Matthews receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and is an advisor to the Legal Centre for Palestine.

Priya Gupta 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. Is Israel’s interception of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla legal? – https://theconversation.com/is-israels-interception-of-the-gaza-freedom-flotilla-legal-258511

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Labour’s nuclear plans won’t cut household bills

Source: Scottish Greens

10 Jun 2025 Energy

Scotland’s future lays in renewable energy, we must reject new nuclear plans.

More in Energy

The UK Government’s plans to spend billions of pounds of taxpayers money on new nuclear power stations across the UK will not cut energy bills, and will only line the pockets of profiteers, warns Scottish Greens co-leader and energy spokesperson Patrick Harvie MSP.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and MP Michael Shanks have been touting building so-called ‘small modular reactors’, despite the catastrophic failure of the nuclear power industry running over schedule and over budget in the UK, and a long record of nuclear accidents and near misses; such as fires and radiation leaks.

The first nuclear power plant to be built in the UK for over 30 years, at Hinkley Point, is nearing £28 billion over its original budget and despite the construction phase beginning in 2016, it will likely not generate any electricity until at least 2029 but possibly 2031.

Mr Harvie said:

“The only people set to benefit from new nuclear power are the shareholders and executives of big energy companies, not the families who urgently need support with energy bills.

“Nuclear power takes decades and billions of pounds to construct, as we’ve seen with the shambles of Hinkley Point. Households need help with energy bills now, and we have renewable energy sources in Scotland already generating abundant, cheap-to-produce energy. People can’t afford to wait twenty years for a new power station to come online.

“Without real action to fix the broken energy market, bill payers will continue to come second to energy company profits.

“Scottish Greens are clear that we want to see real investment in cheap, clean renewables such as wind, solar and tidal to bring down household bills and create green jobs without the extreme cost, time or safety risks of nuclear power.

“Scotland already produces a majority of our energy from cheap, clean, renewable sources, and we have so much potential to go even further. What governments need to do is end our reliance on fossil fuels, cut the artificial high price of electricity, and commit to a renewable future, not toxic, dangerous, expensive nuclear power.”

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: President Trump Approves Governor Kehoe’s Requests for Major Disaster Declarations to Assist Missourians Impacted by April 29 and May 16 Severe Storms and Tornadoes
Source: US State of Missouri

JUNE 10, 2025

Jefferson City — Governor Mike Kehoe has announced that President Donald J. Trump has approved two additional requests from the State of Missouri for major disaster declarations in response to the severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding that impacted the state, this time for events that occurred on April 29 and May 16.

“We are grateful for President Trump acting quickly to get vitally needed federal assistance to the thousands of Missourians hit hard by the violent severe weather that struck our state and who are now struggling to rebuild their lives and homes,” Governor Kehoe said. “We urge all eligible residents to apply now. The faster you apply, the faster you will receive assistance.”

Individual Assistance:

The President’s actions, which follow Governor Kehoe’s May 25 request, make Individual Assistance available to eligible residents in the City of St. Louis, and St. Louis and Scott counties impacted by the May 16 storms. Individual Assistance allows eligible residents to seek federal assistance with temporary housing, housing repairs, replacement of damaged belongings, vehicles, and other qualifying expenses.

Individuals who sustained damage or losses due to the May 16 severe weather may now apply for FEMA disaster assistance online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling FEMA’s toll-free registration line at 1-800-621-3362 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. They can also download the FEMA app to apply. Affected individuals are encouraged to document losses, photograph damage, and retain receipts. The faster Missourians register with FEMA, the faster they may be able to receive assistance.

The deadline for most Individual Assistance programs is 60 days following the President’s major disaster declaration. Disaster assistance to eligible individuals generally falls into the following categories:
- Housing Assistance may be available for up to 18 months for displaced persons whose residences were heavily damaged or destroyed. Funding also can be provided for housing repairs and replacement of damaged items to make homes habitable.
- Disaster Grants are available to help meet other serious disaster related needs and necessary expenses not covered by insurance and other aid programs. These may include replacement of personal property, and transportation, medical, dental, and funeral expenses.
- Low-Interest Disaster Loans are available after a disaster for homeowners and renters from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to cover uninsured property losses. Loans may be available for repair or replacement of homes, automobiles, clothing, or other damaged personal property. SBA loans are also available to businesses for property loss and economic injury. Businesses can visit sba.gov or call 1-800-569-2955.
- Other Disaster Aid Programs include crisis counseling, disaster-related unemployment assistance, legal aid and assistance with income tax, Social Security, and veterans’ benefits.
Public Assistance:

The President’s actions also make the FEMA Public Assistance program available to local governments and qualifying nonprofits for the repair of damaged roads, bridges, and other public infrastructure as well as reimbursement of emergency response costs and debris removal.

For the April 29 storms, public assistance is available in the following six counties: Barry, Greene, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, and Washington.

The Governor’s May 19 request for the April 29 storms included more than $16.5 million in Public Assistance qualifying expenses already identified through joint Preliminary Damage Assessments conducted with FEMA. FEMA Individual Assistance was not requested for these storms.

For the May 16 storms, Public Assistance is available in the City of St. Louis, and St. Louis and Scott counties.

The Governor’s May 25 request for the May 16 storms included more than $57.9 million in Public Assistance qualifying expenses already identified and at least $18.7 million in qualifying Individual Assistance needs already identified through joint Preliminary Damage Assessments conducted with FEMA.

For more information on the federal disaster declaration process, visit this link.

For additional resources and information about disaster recovery in Missouri, please visit recovery.mo.gov.

SEMA continues to coordinate with local officials and volunteer and faith-based partners to identify needs and assist impacted families and individuals. Missourians with unmet needs are encouraged to contact United Way by dialing 2-1-1 or www.211helps.org or the American Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767.

The following outlines the current status of Governor Kehoe’s additional federal assistance requests from this spring:

March 14 – 15 Storms

Status: Major Disaster Declaration Approved

March 30 – April 8 Storms

Status: Major Disaster Declaration Approved

April 29 Storms

Status: Major Disaster Declaration Approved

May 16 Storms

Status: Major Disaster Declaration Approved

May 23 – 26 Storms

Status: FEMA currently participating in joint damage assessments

###

MIL OSI USA News –
June 11, 2025

Category: housing

Wide-ranging health impacts

Economic impact of climate change

What about Canada?

S7’s recommendations

Why it matters

What still isn’t known

What will change in the procedure for receiving a tax deduction by 2026?

What other changes in the area of tax deductions await Russians?

IMF Communications Department

MEDIA RELATIONS

The Don’t Miss Your Flight Act would use existing funding to improve ground transportation into and out of busy airports

Energy Minister asks NDA to explore clean energy at Moorside

Notes to editors

Share this page

Updates to this page

Quotes:

Quick Facts:

Additional Resources:

What we found

The backdrop

A path to safety

Their stories

Rethinking pregnancy and parenting

Conclusion

What we found

The backdrop

A path to safety

Their stories

Rethinking pregnancy and parenting

Conclusion

Past attacks on humanitarian flotillas

Israel’s ongoing crimes in Gaza

Arbitrary detention, degrading treatment

Israel cannot legally block aid

Disregarding the courts

More in Energy