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  • MIL-OSI Economics: Can MREL be lower?

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    Introduction1

    Good morning, and many thanks for inviting me to speak to you today. The last time I addressed the EFDI International Conference was two years ago in Budapest. This time you are meeting in my home city, and I hope that you all have an opportunity to enjoy it.

    In 2023, the conference took place shortly after the banking turmoil in March of that year. That episode focused international attention on structural risks posed by high volumes of uninsured deposits and the need to review prevailing assumptions about their “stickiness” in an environment where technology allows rapid movement of funds and social media can vastly amplify rumours and, potentially, misinformation. The 2023 failures set an agenda for international work that is still being pursued. Moreover, weeks before that 2023 conference, the European Commission had released its legislative proposal on reforms to the EU crisis management and deposit insurance framework (CMDI). Two years later, this is still in the legislative process.

    So, in a way, not much has changed in the intervening two years. But, arguably, we are now in a riskier environment. The global landscape is changing. Geopolitical risks are more pronounced than they have been in at least a generation. Technological innovation is moving faster than governments and regulators can keep pace, and the opportunities and risks it will bring remain in flux.

    The theme of this conference is how to lay the solid ground that will allow us to embrace the future – to take advantage of its opportunities and contain its risks. This is a wide, almost daunting question. What’s more, we need to confront it against a backdrop of rising calls to reduce the costs of regulatory compliance. In some cases, the demand is to directly cut regulation. In others, it is framed in terms of simplification. The debate is obviously welcome. It is an obligation for regulators to avoid, to the greatest extent possible, imposing disproportionate costs on the industry. But by the same token, any alleviation of regulatory obligations should be fully compatible with the preservation of key social objectives, including financial stability.

    I am not going to talk about this bigger picture today. Rather, I wish to focus on one dimension that is of particular relevance to this European audience of deposit insurers and financial crisis managers. That is the question of funding for bank failure management. Here, too, there are calls on us to revisit our standards and alleviate disproportionate burdens. It is claimed that the Minimum Requirement for Own Funds and Eligible Liabilities (MREL) framework in the banking union requires banks to hold materially more loss-absorbing capacity (LAC) than comparable US banks. It is argued that this both undermines the competitiveness of European banks and affects their ability to fund the EU economy and function as an engine for growth.

    I will come back to this comparison shortly, but first let’s go back to basics.

    The background

    Following the 2008 financial crisis, the international community put in place a resolution framework designed to provide credible alternatives to bailing out failing firms. Of course, this includes resolution powers and tools, an institutional architecture and cooperative arrangements. But LAC requirements are core to the effectiveness of the framework. LAC allows the costs of resolution to be internalised so that losses are absorbed by shareholders and creditors, as they would be in liquidation, and a failed bank’s critical functions can continue to operate without resort to public funding.

    The Financial Stability Board’s Total Loss-absorbing Capacity(TLAC) Standard therefore supplements the resolution framework and aims to ensure that the world’s most systemically important banks – the G-SIBs – hold sufficient LAC that will be readily available in the event of their resolution and allow authorities to execute their resolution strategy. Expressed as a comprehensive requirement that includes regulatory capital, the FSB standard requires G-SIBs to maintain TLAC of at least 18% risk-weighted assets or 6.75% of total leverage (whichever is higher).

    The decision to limit TLAC requirements to G-SIBs was based on their cross-border nature and the fact that they are sufficiently comparable to support an internationally coordinated, one-size-fits-all approach. However, these are not the only banks that would be systemic in failure. The US regional bank failures of 2023 highlighted that systemic risks can flow from the failure of banks that are significantly smaller and less international than G-SIBs.

    In the case of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank, those risks were considered sufficiently serious to justify invoking the systemic risk exception that allowed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to execute a more costly resolution strategy than would otherwise have been permitted and thereby protect the uninsured deposits. Those cases also illustrated the importance of adequate LAC for banks other than G-SIBs. Under the current US framework, only G-SIBs are required to hold liabilities designed to absorb losses in resolution, beyond prudential capital requirements. In the wake of those failures, it has been observed that the depositor runs and costs of failure management might have been less severe, and the FDIC might have had more options, if SVB and Signature Bank had had additional LAC which could have protected uninsured deposits from loss.2 This is an important lesson.

    The arrangements for LAC in the EU are more stringent than in the United States. This is so for two reasons:

    First, unlike the TLAC requirement, MREL is set for each bank based on its expected resolution strategy and considerations of resolvability, and may be adjusted within parameters set out in the framework. While TLAC is the baseline for EU G-SIBs, they are subject to an MREL add-on to align with the general EU approach to resolvability.

    This approach has resulted in EU banks being subject to higher LAC requirements than similar banks in other jurisdictions. For G-SIBs, the EU requirements result overall in a surcharge of roughly 4% of risk-weighted assets for systemically important EU banks compared with those in the US.3

    Second, the scope of application of MREL requirements is wider than resolution-related LAC requirements in the US. The comparison is stark. Approximately 300 EU banks, including more than 80 large banking groups in the banking union, must meet MREL, calibrated to their expected treatment in the event of failure. It should be stressed that not all those banks are required to hold LAC in excess of own funds. That is the case of banks that are expected to be liquidated in the event of failure. However, in the US only the eight G-SIBs are subject to TLAC requirements. As a result, the EU banking sector is much less at risk of the insufficiencies identified in the US during the banking turmoil.

    I should note at this point, however, that there have been moves in the US to expand that scope with a proposal to require banks with $100 billion or more in assets to issue long-term debt sufficient to recapitalise the bank in resolution.4 The benefits put forward for the proposed measure include improving the resolvability of those large banks, reducing the risk of loss by uninsured depositors, giving greater scope for the FDIC to transfer all deposit liabilities and creating additional resolution options. The rule has not yet been adopted, and it is not clear what will emerge from the consultation process, but the arguments made to support the proposal are, I would argue, irrefutable. LAC is central to the credibility of resolution.

    Is there scope to revise MREL requirements downward?

    However, irrespective of the way in which US requirements may evolve, we want the EU framework to be a ground for stability and economic prosperity. It is therefore valid to ask whether the EU LAC requirements impose burdens on EU banks that could be alleviated by reducing MREL or simplifying how it is set.

    It is hard to argue that the MREL framework is not complex, and since it is impossible to calibrate LAC requirements with scientific precision, is that complexity necessary? Simplification is always desirable provided that the ultimate objective is not compromised.

    To answer this question, we need to look at the broader framework. Resolution is not credible or feasible without funding, but that funding can come from a range of sources. In addition to the LAC on the balance sheet of individual banks, those sources include resolution funds, deposit guarantee schemes (DGS) and governments. LAC pushes the costs of failure management on to the bank’s creditors and shareholders. Industry-sourced funding mutualises those costs across the banking sector, while public backstop funding channels costs to taxpayers, although they may ultimately be recovered from industry through levies or taxes.

    The balance between these possible sources of funding is a policy decision based on a number of political and technical considerations. The latter include the need to minimise moral hazard. In the EU, a clear decision has been taken that LAC should be the first line of defence and that access to mutualised funding sources should be significantly restricted.

    The Single Resolution Fund (SRF) is positioned as the second line of defence, after banks’ LAC. This resource can only be used in a resolution after prior loss-sharing by a bank’s shareholders and creditors. This principle is hard-wired into the framework through a mandatory writedown of at least 8% of the failing bank’s liabilities and own funds, and there is no flexibility to override this requirement.

    Moreover, while in principle feasible, there is little scope for the deposit guarantee funds to be used to support resolution. This is due to a least cost constraint that, as you all know well in this audience, becomes quite restrictive as a consequence of the super-preference of insured deposits within the EU.

    Finally, in resolution there is minimal scope for direct government support. Indeed, the Single Resolution Mechanism Regulation does not provide for the use of a government stabilisation tool, despite this option being included in the EU resolution recovery and resolution directive (BRRD) and therefore being available for EU countries outside the banking union.

    As a result of those tight constraints for the use of external funds to support resolution of banks in the banking union, comparatively more internal resources (ie LAC) may be required to execute their resolution strategy than would otherwise have been the case.

    In other jurisdictions, a different policy decision has been taken about the balance between the possible funding sources for bank failure management. For example, in the US the least cost constraint for the deposit insurer to fund resolution actions is, in practice, more flexible than in the EU because insured deposits rank equally with uninsured deposits under general depositor protection. Moreover, I have already mentioned that in March 2023, it was possible to override the US restrictions on resolution funding by the deposit insurer to address the systemic risk posed by those failures and compensate for the shortfall in the banks’ own LAC. The use of the systemic override is subject to a high procedural hurdle, designed to ensure that it is used only in exceptional circumstances. However, this “safety valve” is available under the US legal framework, backstopped by the US Treasury, and similar mechanisms are present in other jurisdictions.

    We could argue about the merits of introducing a degree of flexibility also in the EU, but the current situation was a deliberate decision by European legislators which is rooted in the institutional context of Europe. While the current EU framework is not necessarily optimal, it is internally consistent.

    This is not to say that change should not be considered. The Commission’s original CMDI package contained, in my view, some moderate and balanced proposals which, if adopted, could expand the resolution options for banks whose preferred resolution strategy is a sale of business.

    The original CMDI proposes to replace the current super-preference for DGS claims with a general depositor preference. Moreover, it suggests allowing the DGS contribution to resolution funding to count towards the 8% bail-in requirement. Those adjustments would directly alleviate the current constraints on the availability of external funding. Consistently with that, although this is not directly recognised in the CMDI text, there could be grounds to lower calibration of MREL with respect to current levels for a large portion of the banks that are subject to LAC in excess of own funds.

    I hope that the final agreement on the CMDI package will achieve the original purpose of facilitating funding for resolution. Yet the ongoing difficult debates that surround this legislation clearly illustrate the policy considerations that underlie the way in which funding sources are balanced in any jurisdiction’s legal framework.

    Conclusion

    This brings me back to the comparisons that are made with the US framework and the calls for MREL levels to be aligned. As a matter of principle, any material reduction in MREL would need to be compensated by other sources of funding, and in the EU those are comparatively limited at present.

    It could imply, for example, greater reliance on the SRF, by relaxing the conditions of access. To spell this out, reducing the amount of prior loss absorption increases the amount of external funding needed to execute the resolution strategy. This would mean that more costs are mutualised across the national banking sectors. Alternatively, lower MREL could be balanced by greater flexibility in public funding, including through the use of government stabilisation tools.

    Naturally, any of those measures would entail a significant modification of the political agreement that supported the current resolution regime. Therefore, MREL calibration may appear to be a technical exercise, but any material adjustment would require sensitive political choices.

    Many thanks.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • Northeast India poised for economic surge with robust infrastructure and investment

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Northeast India is rapidly emerging as a powerhouse of economic growth and connectivity, driven by transformative infrastructure projects and strategic investments, according to a recent Press Information Bureau release. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) and guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Act East” policy and “Transformation by Transportation” vision, the region is shedding its historical isolation to become a beacon of inclusive development.

    Significant budgetary allocations have fueled infrastructure advancements, addressing long-standing gaps in connectivity. The North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS), restructured in 2022-23 and extended until 2026, has supported projects in roads, power, water supply, and other critical sectors. The Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE), launched in 2022 with a Rs 6,600 crore outlay, is driving sustainable development aligned with PM GatiShakti, focusing on infrastructure, social development, and livelihood opportunities for youth and women.

    Iconic projects like the Bogibeel Bridge, inaugurated in 2018, and the development of 10 greenfield airports over the past 11 years have revolutionized connectivity, boosting tourism in the region. The introduction of Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro) waterway services on the Brahmaputra River, connecting Dhubri, Hathsingimari, and Guwahati, has enhanced logistics efficiency. A Rs 4,136 crore scheme approved in August 2024 for hydroelectric projects will support 15,000 MW of capacity by 2031-32, funded through the Ministry of Power’s Gross Budgetary Support.

    Economic development has been a key focus, with 974 industrial units registered under NESIDS and Rs 1,010.99 crore disbursed for developmental packages by March 31, 2025, including Rs 400 crore in 2024-25. The Rising North East Investors Summit, held on May 23-24, 2025, drew Rs 4.3 lakh crore in investment interest from over 80 countries, positioning the region as India’s next economic hub. The summit highlighted a decade-long investment of Rs 21,000 crore in the Northeast’s education sector. Additionally, 126 Externally Aided Projects worth Rs 1,35,487.85 crore have been supported since 2017, further catalyzing growth.

    The agricultural sector is thriving, with the region poised to lead India’s edible oil production and organic farming. The North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC) has expanded its product range from 38 to 78, introducing innovative items like Organic Tea Box and Sumac Berry Powder. The Van Dhan Vikas Yojana has empowered 3.3 lakh tribal gatherers through 19,155 self-help groups, while 434 Farmer Producer Companies have benefited 2.19 lakh farmers across 1.73 lakh hectares. The agarwood sector has seen a six-fold increase in export quotas, with simplified processes enhancing value chain development in Assam and Tripura.

  • MIL-OSI Russia: SCO Youth Representatives Visit Yucun Village in Zhejiang Province

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    HANGZHOU, June 6 (Xinhua) — Young representatives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries visited Yucun Village in Anji County, east China’s Zhejiang Province, on Wednesday.

    This small mountain village, widely known for its concept of “emerald waters and green mountains are priceless treasures”, is now becoming an important window for the exchange of eco-civilization construction experiences between China and foreign countries.

    Young representatives of political, academic and media circles from Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and other countries gathered together to participate in the event organized by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAF) and entitled “Exploring the Path of Common Prosperity”.

    At the entrance to Yucun Village, they stopped to capture the clean, quiet streets and picturesquely located rural houses.

    Yucun used to live off stone mining, which led to the exposure of the mountain slopes and soil erosion. Guided by the concept of “emerald waters and green mountains are priceless treasures,” the villagers voluntarily abandoned the old way of “digging mountains and selling stone” and embarked on a new path that prioritizes ecology and green development.

    Since 2005, Yucun has been actively developing new forms of economy such as rural tourism and creative agriculture.

    In 2024, the total operating income of the village reached 11.316 million yuan. Anji County also established a county-level platform for purchasing and trading bamboo forest carbon credits, which increased the annual trading volume of carbon credits to 350 thousand tons, bringing long-term benefits to farmers.

    The guide, using an old photograph and a new panorama of the village as a basis, told the young guests in detail about the path of transformation of the village. At the foot of the green mountains, surrounded by greenery, the youth listened, asked questions, trying to catch the pulse of green development.

    “This path has similarities with the development of some mountainous areas in our country,” said the young man from Uzbekistan. In recent years, Uzbekistan has also been exploring new models for integrating ecotourism and traditional agriculture, and Yucun’s experience here could not have come at a better time.

    Entering the Anji County Exhibition Center of “Replacing Plastic with Bamboo”, young people looked closely at the exquisite bamboo products: disposable straws, biodegradable chopsticks, bamboo fiber clothing… Everywhere, greenery and ingenious design made people linger, tradition intertwined with modernity, and the green concept organically intertwined with daily life.

    The delegation also visited green industry projects such as local guest houses, residential complexes for young highly qualified personnel, and a tourist center.

    In recent years, China’s cooperation with SCO countries in areas such as ecological agriculture, clean energy and environmental management has been expanding. From green industry to green finance, from environmental training to policy dialogue, “green” has become an important link in the exchange of experience and mutual learning between China and other countries. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Thousands to take part in European youth event

    Source: European Union 2

    On 13 and 14 June in Strasbourg, around 8,500 16 to 30-year-olds from all over the world will take part in a series of activities centred on the future of Europe.

    EYE2025 (European Youth Event) will be opened by Parliament Vice-president Sabine Verheyen (EPP, DE) on Friday 13 June at 10:00 in the EYE village. Vice-president Nicolae Ştefănuță (Greens/EFA, RO) will take part in a session dedicated to the next long-term budget, on Saturday at 15:00. The closing session, with Vice-president Pina Picierno (S&D, IT), will take place on Saturday at 16:45.

    Over the two days, there will be panel discussions with MEPs and other EU decision-makers, as well as with experts, activists and content creators. Debates between MEPs and the young participants will cover climate justice, skills for the future, the EU’s next long-term budget, and freedom of speech and media, among many other topics.

    Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef will lead a Youth Policy Dialogue on Friday at 11:00, and take part in a panel discussion on young people’s mental health that afternoon. Executive Vice-President of the Commission, Henna Virkkunen will join in a conversation on how technology can strengthen democracy, on Friday at 15:00.

    Other guest speakers are democracy activist Daria Navalnya, the Kayapo Amazonian tribal leader Chief Tau Metuktire and the Mayor of Strasbourg Jeanne Barseghian.

    The programme also includes workshops on a wide range of issues that concern young people, from disinformation to housing and migration. Quizzes, tours, artistic performances, storytelling workshops and concerts are other options among more than 450 activities organised for the sixth edition of EYE.

    All sessions in the hemicycle will be streamed live on the EYE2025 Facebook page and via Parliament’s Multimedia Centre. More details about the schedule, speakers and activities are available on the European Youth Event website.

    Press briefing

    On Friday 13 June at 16:30, there will be a press briefing with Vice-president Verheyen on media freedom in the EU, in the Daphne Caruana Galizia press conference room. You can follow it live here.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Poplar woman sentenced to prison for making false statements

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

    GREAT FALLS – A Poplar woman who provided false statements to federal law enforcement was sentenced today to 9 months in prison to be followed by 2 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Annie Lee Kirn, 27, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of making a false statement.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that on the evening of November 21, 2023, Kirn returned with her elderly friend to his residence on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Shortly thereafter, two men broke into the home. Armed with an assault rifle, the men assaulted the homeowner and another man and demanded money and access to a wall safe.

    During an interview with federal law enforcement officers, Kirn said she saw the would-be robbers outside before the robbery and one of them kept trying to grab her, she then saw the gun and freaked out. She also told law enforcement the armed man told her to run, that she ran, and then he fired three or four times.

    Law enforcement recovered and reviewed surveillance video from the home that showed a car with five people following Kirn’s truck into the yard. Two men, one of whom was armed with a rifle, approached the house while Kirn was getting out of the truck. After the homeowner went into the house, Kirn returned to the yard and visited with the two men. During that time, they discussed her relationship with the homeowner, Kirn offered to share a joint with the man armed with the rifle, they whispered about cash, and talked about the location of a safe. At one point, Kirn asked about the rifle, the armed man handed it to her, and she held it at the ready position before handing it back to the man. While they were outside, the man fired seven rounds from the rifle, primarily into the air.

    In an interview in September 2024, law enforcement followed up with Kirn about the night of the robbery. When asked directly if she ever handled the firearm, Kirn said “hell no.” When asked if she had any conversations with the robbers, she said, “No…I didn’t talk with them at all.”

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, ATF, and Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice.

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

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Kissinger would have been a Fortnite champ − and other foreign policy lessons from the gaming world

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Michael A. Allen, Professor of Political Science, Boise State University

    Charlemagne, the medieval King of the Franks, has taken control of modern-day America and is looking to expand his borders by invading your neighboring country.

    Now, I’m not a historian. But the above example makes perfect sense to me as both a gamer and a professor of international relations.

    It is a possible outcome in the recently released video game Civilization VII, or Civ 7, in which different historical figures can govern people far removed – both in time and geography – from their actual historical role. In this case, Charlemagne has become displeased with the little empire you control due to friction along a shared border and is likely to invade soon.

    I have been an avid player of games like Civ 7 my entire life. I tend to play strategic games, be they video, card, board or role-playing games. And I’m not alone. An estimated 190.6 million people in the U.S. regularly play video games in some form.

    While my primary reason for playing may be enjoyment, they also inform the discipline I teach. In fact, I just published a book, “The Gamer’s Guide to International Relations,” that explains how some of the most popular games around include lessons for people seeking to understand how diplomacy works and how different nations interact.

    A visitor walks past the booth of Civilization VII at the Gamescom video games trade fair in Cologne, Germany, on Aug. 21, 2024.
    Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

    While Civ 7 may seek to emulate this world of conflict and cooperation, other games with no apparent connection to geopolitics can also provide lessons. In particular, Fortnite, League of Legends and Minecraft invite gamers to interact with the world in a way that models how leaders, governments and countries behave.

    Here are three ways in which games create worlds that model key concepts from international relations:

    1. Fortnite as realpolitik

    Fortnite, a video game focused on crafting weapons and survival that launched in 2017, can be used as an introduction to the concept of realpolitik.

    The core part of Fortnite is its battle-royale, third-person shooting game. In a battle royale, you are fighting against 99 other players to be the last person standing.

    The “everyone for themselves” ethos can be chaotic and challenging, with death and defeat lurking in every shrub.

    It brings to mind the thinking behind the international relations theory of realism. Realists see the world as anarchic, with no overarching moral or physical authority telling states what to do – in other words, one with no world government.

    It is a self-help system where states survive, thrive or die based on accruing power, finding security and using force to resolve disputes.

    The theory of realism hearkens back to the ancient Greek historian Thucydides, who famously noted that the “strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.”

    That phrase has become a central tenet of foreign policy realists. Henry Kissinger, secretary of state under U.S. President Richard Nixon, saw foreign policy as a strategic enterprise based on power, while largely ignoring other imperatives such as human rights and justice.

    Even in international anarchy, however, cooperation can be attractive to a realist. Kissinger, for example, sought positive relations with China and foresaw that by working with China the U.S. could exploit a growing division between the Soviet Union and China.

    From Kissinger’s perspective, it mattered less that China was communist and more that it was powerful and distrustful of the Soviet Union.

    How does this apply to Fortnite? Well, in the game, you may come across two players fighting. When this happens, a player must quickly decide to either retreat or join the fray. If you enter the fight, you could either team up with the weaker player and eliminate a stronger foe or join the strong and remove the weak.

    In Fortnite, and occasionally in international politics, whomever you choose as your temporary ally will become your rival immediately after – so you have to choose wisely. The enemy of your enemy is not going to stay your friend forever.

    LoL and enduring allies

    League of Legends, known as LoL or League to fans, is a game that offers a deceptively simple idea: A team of five players battles another to destroy their base.

    Mastering the game is far from simple. Along the way, you can pick up valuable international relation lessons on the importance of forging lasting alliances.

    Fans watch the final of an esports competition to determine the winner of South Korea’s largest online game.
    Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Players remain anonymous and can be pretty toxic toward each other – tending to blame a team’s failings on anyone but themselves.

    If you join as a solo player, you will join four other people you do not know and spend the next 30 minutes either winning or losing a game.

    You’ll build a rapport with some teammates and want to keep playing with them. Other times, you find someone who complements your skills, and you can join a ranked competition as a pair and work together toward victory.

    In this, LoL is more akin to the international relations theory of liberalism. Liberalism, which should not be confused with the political identity in U.S. politics, holds realism’s view of the world to be limited. Instead, it teaches that cooperation can endure beyond pure power politics.

    Instead of a temporary alliance that falls apart immediately after you achieve your goal, liberalism suggests that alliances can mutually benefit two countries in the long run.

    Take for example the United States and the United Kingdom. The two countries allied during the crises of two worlds wars. By the end of World War II, they had established a long-term partnership, resulting in the establishment of international institutions that have endured for 80 years.

    Liberalism argues that countries can find solutions where both sides benefit without one side being disadvantaged. This contrasts with realism’s views of the world as zero-sum – where one side benefits at the other’s expense.

    Under both liberalism and League of Legends, interactions can create positive-sum outcomes for both parties.

    Minecraft and constructing the world

    Turning to Minecraft, one of the most popular games in the world, we find valuable lessons on a third international relations concept: constructivism.

    Constructivism argues that the world is socially constructed. That is, the rules of international politics are something that humans and countries have created, chosen to abide by and are willing to enforce.

    And this works well with Minecraft. People of all ages can enjoy it – but it is up to players to choose how to play. You can build houses or castles, or you can choose to find and defeat the Ender Dragon. Or you can turn on creative mode and decide to make art or large engineering projects.

    Constructing a love for all things foreign policy.
    Georg Wendt/picture alliance via Getty Images

    The point is that it’s up to you and your friends to determine joint goals or collectively decide to pursue your own interests – and that concept is at the heart of constructivism. States can decide to create a more liberal world by jointly signing treaties or joining international organizations that alter what nations can and cannot do. Alternatively, states may see such ventures as facades and decide that the most important things are power and security. Both realist and liberal states can exist in the same world.

    Like players in Minecraft, states may view the world as one where everyone is a threat, in line with realism. Or they may view the world as one where institutions and cooperation provide a better experience for everyone.

    In Minecraft as in international politics, the goals, rules and punishments for those who deviate are determined collectively.

    Digging deeper

    Games such as Minecraft, League of Legends and Fortnite may seem to many as a pastime rather than a learning experience. But they can help people connect with concepts that attempt to explain a vast and confusing world. Being able to grasp the arcane and complicated world of international relations can make the world slightly more manageable.

    Michael A. Allen 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. Why Kissinger would have been a Fortnite champ − and other foreign policy lessons from the gaming world – https://theconversation.com/why-kissinger-would-have-been-a-fortnite-champ-and-other-foreign-policy-lessons-from-the-gaming-world-253594

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Awards ceremony celebrates Plymouth’s best care workers

    Source: City of Plymouth

    More than 40 of Plymouth’s best and most dedicated care workers and teams were honoured at an awards ceremony last weekend.

    Winners at the Celebrating Excellence in Care Awards

    The Celebrating Excellence in Care Awards is run by Plymouth City Council’s Commissioning Team and aims to shine a light on the incredible work taking place every day within the adult social care sector.

    A range of award categories recognise people working in all areas of the sector, including those based in care homes, supported living provision, day centres and domiciliary care (supporting people to remain living in their own homes).

    Councillor Mary Aspinall, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said: “I’d like to congratulate every single one of our winners and say a big well done to everyone who was nominated. The work you do is so important and often underappreciated.

    “These awards are a fantastic opportunity for us to shine a light on all the hard work that takes place every single day across the city to make sure adults with care needs are supported, looked after and helped to live fulfilling, healthy lives.”

    Nominations for the awards opened earlier this year and more than 400 were received from employers, colleagues, adult social care clients and their families. The nominations were then reviewed by an independent panel of judges who chose the winners.

    The full list of award winners is:

    • Deputy of the Year (Domiciliary Care): Tendai Madume, Indiana Healthcare Services
      • Highly Commended: Kimberly Tucker, Your Choice Care and support
    • Manager of the Year (Domiciliary Care): Rebecca Pannell, @PlymouthCare
      • Highly Commended: Emma Bonney, Prestige Healthcare
    • Nurse of the Year (Domiciliary Care): Vanessa Schaben, Prestige Nursing and Care
    • Team of the Year (Domiciliary Care): Tamar Care
      • Highly Commended: @PlymouthCare
    • Care Worker of the Year (Domiciliary Care): Rafie Sodiq, Indiana Healthcare Services
      • Highly Commended: Arron Marley, @PlymouthCare
    • Care Worker of the Year (Day Services): Fiona James, Tamar Homecare
      • Highly Commended: Holly Ewings, Alpha Care
    • Care Worker of the Year (Supported Living): Katie Bartlett, Achieve Together
    • Care Worker of the Year (Care Home): Deepak Barnes, Greenacres Care Centre
      • Highly Commended: Aleisha Smith, Chatsworth Home  
    • Deputy of the Year (Care Home): Sarah McCaffrey, Butterfly Lodge Dementia Home
      • Highly Commended: Hayley Cook, Astor Hall Care Home
    • Manager of the Year (Care Home): Jamie Graham, Abbeyfield Tamar House
      • Highly Commended: Marie Claire, Seymour Court Nursing Home  
    • Nurse of the Year (Care Home): Ursula Sheriff, Darbyshire Care – Hamilton House
      • Highly Commended: Jennifer Curtis, Meadowside and St Francis Care Centre  
    • Team of the Year (Care Home): Greenacres Care Home, Mannamead Care
      • Highly Commended: Alpha Care SW
    • Care Home Activity Coordinator: James Gooding, Devonshire House and Lodge
      • Highly Commended: Catherine Britton, Merafield View Nursing Home
    • Culinary Care Team: Phil Jane, Brunel House
      • Highly Commended: Lottie Fisher, Merafield View Nursing Home
    • Ancillary Worker of the Year: Kim Crook, Merafield View Nursing Home
      • Highly Commended: Kristen Bradbury, Butterfly Lodge  
    • Commitment to Workforce Development: Gemma Parnell and Katie Spring, Alpha Care SW
      • Highly Commended: Merafield View Nursing Home
    • Contribution to Care: Kelly Hawkins, Prestige Nursing and Care
      • Highly Commended: Lisa Willis, Merafield View Nursing Home
    • Excellence in Dementia Care: Butterfly Lodge Dementia Home
    • Excellence in Learning Disability Care: Allison Nicholls, Jan Ltd
      • Highly Commended: Mark Peard, IOTA Care
    • Excellence in End-of-life Care: Seymour Court Nursing Home
    • Innovation in Technology: Leon Bulbin, Support’ed
    • Innovative Partnership Working: Gillian Fordham, Seymour Court
    • Promoting Independence Champion: Maggie Overill, Astor Hall
    • Rising Star: Theresa Benjamin, Achieve Together
      • Highly Commended: Lexie Witcher, Tamar House Abbeyfield
    • Service User Involvement: Prestige Nursing & Care
    • Service User Story: Ian Bullen, Prestige Nursing & Care
    • Volunteer of the Year: Nicola Daniels, Jan Ltd
    • People’s Choice Award – Care Home: Teresa Warren at Butterfly Lodge and Sally Hutchings, District Nurse team for care homes
    • People’s Choice Award – Day Services: Plymouth Highbury Trust
    • People’s Choice Award – Domiciliary Care: District Healthcare
    • People’s Choice Award – Supported Living: John Knight, Highbury Trust.

    The awards support the work of Caring Plymouth, a city-wide health and social care partnership, which works to address recruitment and retention challenges in adult social care. The partnership not only wants to encourage more people to work in the sector, but support and celebrate those already doing so.

    If you’re interested in working in adult social care, find out more at www.plymouth.gov.uk/workincare.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Cleaver, Lawler Reintroduce Bipartisan HUD Legislation to Ensure Annual Oversight

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

    (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-05) and Mike Lawler (NY-17) reintroduced the HUD Accountability Act of 2025, a bipartisan measure that would require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to testify before Congress on an annual basis. The bill aims to strengthen transparency and ensure HUD leadership is held accountable amid an ongoing housing affordability crisis. 

    “Whether a Republican or Democratic administration, it is imperative that the people’s representatives have an opportunity to provide oversight of the Executive Branch on behalf of the public, which includes bringing Cabinet officials before Congress to explain their policymaking actions and motivations,” said Congressman Cleaver. “I was proud to support this bipartisan legislation last Congress, and I’m happy to reintroduce it with Congressman Lawler as we seek to lower housing costs and ensure transparency for the American people.”

    “With families in New York and across the country being crushed by skyrocketing housing costs, Congress needs to take this crisis seriously, and that starts with oversight,” said Congressman Lawler. “In the past, there have been long gaps between appearances by the HUD Secretary before the Financial Services Committee. That lack of regular oversight isn’t acceptable. Our bill simply ensures that the Secretary provides annual testimony on the Department’s programs, finances, and priorities. Last Congress, I hosted the first congressional field hearing in Rockland County in years to hear directly from constituents about how high housing costs are affecting their lives. Whether it’s addressing the workforce housing crunch or improving HUD oversight, I’m focused on bringing greater transparency and accountability to programs meant to serve the American people.”

    The HUD Accountability Act, which passed committee last Congress with bipartisan backing, would require the HUD Secretary to testify annually for five years before the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. The legislation outlines key areas for testimony, including:

    • Progress in addressing the affordable housing and homelessness crises
    • The condition and performance of HUD programs, including public housing
    • Oversight efforts to combat waste, fraud, and abuse
    • The financial status of FHA’s mortgage insurance funds
    • The capacity of the Department to deliver on its statutory mission

    Official text of the HUD Accountability Act of 2025 is available here.

     

    Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Cleaver Awarded 2025 Shirley Chisholm Award for Housing by National Urban League

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

    Rep. Cleaver, Ranking Member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, accepted the award after decades of work to expand access to safe, decent, and affordable housing

    (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver has been awarded the 2025 Shirley Chisholm Award for Housing by the National Urban League, given to a lawmaker whose commitment and work has expanded access to fair and affordable housing in the United States. In a ceremony this month, Cleaver accepted the prestigious award from National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial at the organization’s 2025 Empowerment Summit in Washington, DC. The National Urban League is the nation’s largest historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization.  

    “Since my first days on the City Council in Kansas City, my strongest passion and highest priority has been the work to expand housing opportunity for everyday families,” said Congressman Cleaver. “I understand what it means to live in a shack with no electricity or running water, and I know firsthand the challenges that come with America’s underinvestment in housing that is truly accessible and affordable, which is why I’ve spent my career working to protect and strengthen housing programs that serve low- and middle-income families of all backgrounds. To receive this award, named in honor of the great civil rights champion Shirley Chisholm, is extraordinarily meaningful to me. Just as her work helped pave the way for families like mine to rise out of poverty, I hope the work I’ve done in Kansas City and Washington will continue to change the trajectory of families who are every bit as deserving of the American dream.”

    Since coming to Washington, Congressman Cleaver has fought tirelessly to bring housing investments to Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District and passed multiple bipartisan overhauls of America’s federal housing programs. 

    The Global Financial Crisis of 2008 destroyed trillions in home equity and over half the wealth of the African American households in the United States. As a new member on the House Financial Services Committee, Congressman Cleaver was instrumental in national recovery efforts through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, including the creation of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which helped stabilize the housing market in Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, and the Green Impact Zone, which targeted more than $125 million of federal investment into the urban core in Kansas City, MO. 

    Following the crisis, Congressman Cleaver worked on the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which included, but was not limited to, the creation of the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau (CFPB), tasked with protecting consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive financial practices, including predatory mortgage lending.     

    In the 115th Congress, Cleaver was elected by his colleagues to serve as the head Democrat on the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance. As Ranking Member, Cleaver teamed up with then-Chairman Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) to co-author the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA), which introduced a massive set of changes and reforms to federal housing programs. The most sweeping housing bill in 20 years, HOTMA was passed with unanimous support by Congress and was signed into law by President Obama. 

    The following Congress, Rep. Cleaver introduced the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration Act with Congressman Sean Duffy (R-WI) to help low-income families who rely on housing vouchers to move out of poverty and into neighborhoods with better opportunities. The legislation was passed with bipartisan support by Congress and signed into law by President Trump. 

    In the 117th Congress, Cleaver was elected by his colleagues to serve as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance during the COVID-19 eviction and foreclosure crisis. In that capacity, Chairman Cleaver helped lead the effort to pass legislation providing federal funds to address housing and homelessness including the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which represented the largest single-year investment in preventing and ending homelessness in U.S. history. Through ARPA and other appropriations, Cleaver helped secure more than $46.6 billion in emergency rental assistance and more than $10 billion for the Homeowner Assistance Fund to ensure that families could remain safely housed. Cleaver also helped secure more than $5 billion in homelessness funds through ARPA which included, for the first time in the nation’s history, Emergency Housing Vouchers for families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Cleaver’s Stabilizing Rural Homeowners During COVID Act, which provided desperately needed assistance to families living in US Department of Agriculture-supported housing was also signed into law. 

    Cleaver also worked with the Biden Administration on key initiatives of the Administration to expand access to fair and affordable housing. In April 2021, Cleaver introduced the Real Estate Valuation Fairness and Improvement Act to address bias in home valuations. Cleaver’s legislation served as the framework for the Biden Administration’s Interagency Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE Task Force), the first-ever interagency effort to combat discrimination in the home appraisal process. In 2022, the Task Force released the PAVE Action Plan, and the Biden Administration announced the most wide-ranging actions ever taken to advance equity in the home appraisal process. 

    Cleaver also invited several members of the Biden Administration to Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District to discuss housing and other federal investments, including discussions related to Parade Park Homes. Since 2022, Cleaver has worked with US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Fudge, HUD Acting Secretary Todman, HUD officials, and local officials to stabilize the property and chart a path forward to ensure the health of residents and the community. Earlier this year, Congressman Cleaver successfully secured $15.5 million in federal grant funding to support the rehabilitation of Parade Park Home, the oldest Black-owned housing cooperative in the nation, with more than 500 affordable housing units in the heart of the 18th & Vine Jazz District.

    Last Congress, Cleaver invited Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Sandra Thompson to Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District for a convening between the FHFA, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, tenant advocates, and community leaders for in-depth discussions on issues impacting tenants in federally backed properties. Following the convening, the FHFA accepted Cleaver’s call to adopt the first-ever tenant protections for renters in multifamily properties with Enterprise-backed mortgages. Participants also heard reports of unacceptable living conditions at Independence Towers and shortly thereafter, Cleaver secured $1,350,000 from Fannie Mae to address desperately needed repairs at the apartment complex.

    Cleaver has received several awards for his work on housing, including reception of the inaugural Terwilliger Bipartisanship in Housing Award from the Bipartisan Policy Center last year. The award recognized Cleaver’s long-standing leadership and bipartisan work on housing, including on bipartisan legislation such as the Choice in Affordable Housing Act and the Rural Housing Service Reform Act. The 2025 Shirley Chisholm Award for Housing is further recognition of Cleaver’s commitment and longstanding work. 

    “In my view, access to affordable housing has the potential to open doors and unlock opportunities that allow entire families to climb the economic ladder—just like it did for mine,” said Congressman Cleaver. “I’m proud of the work I’ve done on this issue since my first days on the City Council, and I look forward to continuing this work on behalf of Missouri families in the years to come.”

    Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Williams Introduces Resolution to Designate July as ‘American Patriotism Month’

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Roger Williams (25th District of Texas)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Roger Williams (TX-25) introduced a resolution expressing support for the designation of July as ‘American Patriotism Month.’ This resolution seeks to celebrate patriotic pride and supports efforts to teach and display patriotism by highlighting heroic acts made by brave men and women throughout American history. 

    “Throughout American history, patriots have stepped up to protect and defend the American people and uphold the values that make our country the greatest in the history of the world,” said Congressman Williams. “We have created holidays for many groups but fail to adequately celebrate the patriots who made our freedoms possible. American Patriotism Month is an opportunity to reflect on the history of our great country and honor the men and women who carried out the heroic acts that shaped the land we love and call home.”

    Read the bill text here. 

    Original Cosponsors: Reps. Donalds, McCormick, McDowell, McGuire, Bice, Luna, Norman, and Fleischmann.

    ### 

    Congressman Roger Williams is the Chairman of the House Small Business Committee and member of the House Financial Services Committee. He proudly represents the 25th Congressional District of Texas.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ‘Big Ugly’ Reconciliation Bill Will Devastate New York Families

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today issued a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune outlining the potentially disastrous impact that the House’s proposed budget would have on New Yorkers. If enacted, the bill would gut New York’s healthcare system, strip families of crucial nutrition benefits, trigger billions in economic losses through the removal of clean energy tax credits and continue to unfairly tax hard-working New Yorkers by failing to fully repeal the SALT cap.

    The House bill slashes $13.5 billion in funding for our healthcare economy through cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act marketplace, putting nearly 1.5 million New Yorkers at risk of losing their health insurance. Safety net hospitals in rural and low-income areas could be forced to shutter their doors permanently and doctors and health care providers would face financial jeopardy. The bill also significantly shrinks federal support for SNAP nutrition and food benefits, making it more difficult for the nearly three million New Yorkers who rely on SNAP to put food on the table for their families.

    In addition, the House bill would put the safety and reliability of our power grid at risk by repealing tax credits that support major renewable and energy storage projects with an estimated loss of $25 billion in clean energy investments. The bill would also curtail efforts to reduce housing energy costs and improve resilience by eliminating the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, an important resource to retrofit affordable housing stock. Other proposed measures include gutting student loan programs, levying outrageous taxes on nonprofits and universities, eliminating the popular direct-file program to simplify the tax process, and prohibiting state AI regulation.

    The proposed budget would inflict all of these harms while still failing to deliver on a key promise made by New York Republicans in Congress to their constituents: a full repeal of the SALT cap. Congressional Republicans’ decision to impose a new, permanent SALT cap upholds a double-tax on New York taxpayers and unfairly burdens middle-class households.

    The full text of the letter is below:

    Dear Majority Leader Thune and Minority Leader Schumer:

    As Governor of New York, I am writing to you ahead of the Senate’s consideration of the House reconciliation legislative package to underscore the detrimental impact this bill would have on my state. If enacted, the proposed bill would gut New York’s healthcare system, strip families of crucial nutrition benefits, trigger billions in economic losses through the removal of clean energy tax credits, stagnate growth in education and critical technology sectors, and continue to unfairly tax hard-working New Yorkers by failing to fully repeal the SALT cap. Passage of this legislation would worsen the affordability crisis and inject further instability into an already fragile economy.

    Restricting Access to Healthcare: The House bill slashes $13.5 billion in funding for our healthcare economy through cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. Make no mistake: if the Senate passes this legislation and it is signed into law, nearly 1.5 million people in New York will lose their health insurance. Over $3 billion will be lost to our hospitals, with safety net hospitals in rural and low-income areas at significant risk of shuttering their doors permanently. These closures will harm all New Yorkers, regardless of their insurance coverage.

    Reducing Food Security: The bill also significantly shrinks federal support for SNAP nutrition and food benefits, making it more difficult for the nearly three million New Yorkers who rely on SNAP to put food on the table for their families. The bill places significant administrative burdens on our state and counties and will create headaches for eligible families in receiving their benefits. States have always played a key role in SNAP; this bill decimates the longstanding federal-state partnership by penalizing states with recurring annual costs. We expect the House-passed bill to cost New York State alone over $2.1 billion annually.

    Undermining Energy Modernization and Resilience: The House reconciliation package would put the safety and reliability of our power grid at risk by repealing tax credits that support major renewable and energy storage projects. The financial impact to New York from the loss of the investment tax credit alone would be $25 billion to the state’s current portfolio of large-scale clean energy investments and would further make new projects more expensive for businesses and threaten good-paying union jobs. Added fees on electric vehicles, canceled IRA transportation funding, and the rollback of EV and home energy credits would also drive-up costs statewide. The bill would also curtail efforts to reduce housing energy costs and improve resilience by eliminating the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP), an important resource to retrofit our nation’s affordable housing stock.

    Education Undermined, Disparities Widened: The House bill threatens to dismantle essential supports for low-income and nontraditional students by imposing restrictive eligibility changes for working, part-time learners; establishing harsh institutional penalties; and eliminating key federal loan programs. In New York, where nearly half of community college students attend part-time and rely heavily on Pell Grants, these changes could force thousands to drop out or incur deeper debt. Additionally, the bill eliminates some subsidized student loans and forces loan risk onto education institutions. Taken together, these provisions represent a regressive shift that threatens to widen educational disparities, destabilize community colleges and minority-serving institutions and undermine national efforts to promote affordable higher education.

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) Moratorium: The House legislation also includes a highly-problematic and broad prohibition on state AI regulation for a decade. States like New York have passed laws to both invest in the incredible potential of AI and thoughtfully address potential AI harms in the face of federal inaction. Under my leadership, New York has enacted several first-in-the-nation AI safety measures, including the Safe for Kids Act to curb the addictive nature of social media for kids, and safeguards for AI Companion chatbots to reduce harmful interactions. If this federal prohibition remains in reconciliation, the impact is not merely a bureaucratic moratorium; it undermines the states’ fundamental right and responsibility to protect the safety, health, privacy, and economic vitality of its citizens.

    Unfair Tax Burdens: Not only does this bill guarantee higher costs, it also fails to deliver on a key promise made by New Yorkers in your caucus to their constituents: a full repeal of the SALT cap. House Republicans’ decision to impose a new, permanent SALT cap upholds a double-tax on New York taxpayers and unfairly burdens households. The bill also levies outrageous taxes on nonprofits including universities, and eliminates the popular direct-file program that simplifies the tax filing process – all in an effort to cut taxes for the richest Americans.

    These are just some of the more egregious harms this bill would inflict on my constituents. If New York Republicans in the House refuse to advocate for the best interests of their state, I will. As Governor, I must stand up for middle-class New Yorkers who cannot afford the consequences of this budget. I urge you to reject the House proposal and instead work with Leader Schumer on a bipartisan reconciliation package that delivers for working families, invests in the future, and reflects the real needs of the people we serve.

    Sincerely,

    Governor Kathy Hochul

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: VATICAN – Foreign debt, a burden that oppresses the poorest Countries

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – There are 48 States that spend more on interest payments than on education or healthcare. This is according to the report “A World of Debt” by the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Debt service, i.e., the payment of interest on loans received, thus has a major impact on the lives of the poorest countries, as the funds allocated to education, healthcare, and subsidies for the purchase of basic goods and fuel are cut. The protests that took place in Nigeria and Kenya in 2024, primarily among young people, are closely linked to this debt mechanism. In order to pay the interest and reduce their countries’ overall debt, the Kenyan and Nigerian governments had presented financial laws that provided for tax increases and subsidy cuts. During his audience with participants in the conference “Debt Crisis in the Global South” organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on June 5, 2024, Pope Francis said: “In the wake of mismanaged globalization, and in wake of the pandemic and wars, we find ourselves faced with a debt crisis that mainly affects the countries of the global South, causing misery and distress, and depriving millions of people of the possibility of a dignified future.” The Pope expressed hope that the Holy Year 2025 will pave the way for “a bold and creative new international financial architecture.” The UNCTAD report agrees with Pope Francis when he states: “The global financial architecture is no longer able to meet the needs of the world in the 21st century. This is a major challenge for sustainable development.” Therefore, creativity and courage are needed to overcome a financial structure that further widens the gap between rich and poor. According to the UNCTAD report, “Developing countries struggle with an international financial architecture whose deeply entrenched asymmetries exacerbate the impact of successive crises on sustainable development. This system exacerbates their debt burden by limiting their access to finance for sustainable development and forcing them to borrow from more costly external sources.” Recent events have exacerbated this challenge. Rising global interest rates since 2022 have further strained developing countries’ public finances. High interest payments outpace growth in basic public spending such as health, education, and climate change mitigation. In developing countries, home to 3.3 billion people, one in three countries spends more on interest payments than on these key areas of human development. “Debt service for public external debt totaled USD 365 billion in 2022, corresponding to 6.3% of export earnings. By comparison, the 1953 London Agreement on German war debt limited the share of export earnings that could be spent on servicing external debt (public and private) to 5% to avoid undermining the recovery,” states the UNCTAD report, highlighting the different treatment of poorer countries today. It notes, in particular, that 61% of developing countries’ debt is held by private creditors who are subject to little political constraint when demanding interest payments. For this reason, the call Pope Francis made on December 16, 2024, during a meeting with representatives of the banking sector, resonates strongly: “The imminent Jubilee reminds us of the need to forgive debts. It is the condition for fostering hope and future in the life of many people, especially the poor. I encourage you to sow hope. Do not tire of accompanying and keeping the level of social justice high.” (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 6/6/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AMERICA/PERU – State and Church united to respond to the educational emergency in the Apostolic Vicariate of San Ramón

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Oventeni (Agenzia Fides) – Approximately 120 students between the ages of 12 and 18 from the 48 indigenous Ashéninka communities in Gran Pajonal are hosted during the school year at the Oventeni student residence, in the province of Atalaya, within the Apostolic Vicariate of San Ramón. “We have two pavillons for girls and two for boys. The state pays for the cooks, the maintenance staff, and the educational assistants who spend most of their time with the children, as well as two psychologists,” says Father Luis Alfonso Tapia Ibáñez, parish priest and coordinator of the ‘Keshiki’ student residence in the parish of San Pascual Bailón.The teachers are appointed by the Apostolic Vicariate of San Ramón and employed by the state. “We form a big family. This is their second home,” the priest affirms. The residence provides adolescents with the opportunity to continue their studies and overcome extreme poverty, both material and educational. Gran Pajonal, located in the central Peruvian jungle, has approximately 38 primary schools. However, the long distances—between 4 and 10 hours on foot over difficult roads—prevent many students from accessing secondary education. Therefore, at the request of parents, a bilingual secondary school was created to promote the students’ cultural identity. During the week, the adolescents reside there and return to their families at weekends.””A large part of the Vicariate is inhabited by native communities made up mostly of children,” emphasizes Gerardo Antón Zerdin, OFM, Bishop of San Ramón, in the latest bulletin of the Pontifical Society of Missionary Childhood, which supports this initiative. “Childcare is a priority due to the poverty and enormous educational deficiencies faced by these remote communities in the Amazon,” he adds. “The Vicariate directly administers five educational centers (preschool, primary, and secondary), and another fifteen schools are under the responsibility of religious congregations present in the Vicariate area.” These schools are the result of a joint effort between the State and the Church and offer free education. Regular subjects are taught there and the activities of the Pontifical Society of Missionary Childhood are promoted. However, students face serious risks, such as family instability, criminal gangs, drug use, and various forms of abuse, both within and outside the family environment. “The residence is a great opportunity for young people to get to know God, little by little, and become friends with Jesus at their own pace,” explains Father Tapia Ibáñez, “it is a wonderful opportunity to hear about God, to get to know him little by little, and to become friends of Jesus, each in his own time. The first step is friendship and the example of life. As always, we approach the children and their parents to awaken in them an interest in the Church and the Gospel. Last year, 21 students requested baptism and prepared to receive it.” (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 6/6/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI: iPower Launches New Joint Venture, United Package NV LLC

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif., June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — iPower Inc. (Nasdaq: IPW) (“iPower” or the “Company”), a tech and data-driven ecommerce services provider and online retailer, today announced the formation of United Package NV LLC (“United Package”), a new joint venture (“JV”) that marks the first full-scale implementation of its “Made in USA” module within the Company’s proprietary SuperSuite Supply Chain Platform.

    This milestone represents iPower’s commitment to building a resilient, localized manufacturing infrastructure in the United States. United Package will focus on the domestic production of packaging materials to serve the rapidly growing demands of U.S. businesses seeking reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective supply chain solutions without reliance on offshore manufacturing.

    “The launch of United Package is a significant step toward reshoring critical manufacturing capabilities and building a more robust, diversified supply chain infrastructure,” said Lawrence Tan, CEO of iPower. “This JV reinforces our long-term strategy to empower brands with faster lead times, lower logistics risk, and higher operational agility, right here in the U.S. We look forward to continue building out our ‘Made in USA’ module as we add further depth to our domestic production footprint, strengthen supplier partnerships, and expand our value-added service offerings to meet the evolving needs of our partners and customers.”

    By integrating United Package into the SuperSuite ecosystem, iPower aims to provide customers with:

    • Faster turnaround times from production to delivery
    • Reduced exposure to global shipping volatility
    • Enhanced sustainability with lower carbon footprints
    • Transparent vendor collaboration via the SuperSuite digital dashboard
    • Improved inventory responsiveness and demand forecasting

    The “Made in USA” module of SuperSuite is designed to provide end-to-end support to manufacturing initiatives across the country — offering legal and regulatory guidance, facility planning, local workforce development, and immediate access to iPower’s nationwide distribution and e-commerce infrastructure.

    United Package is only the beginning. iPower plans to expand its “Made in USA” initiative by forming additional strategic ventures and supporting a new wave of domestic manufacturers across various categories.

    About iPower Inc. 

    iPower Inc. is a tech and data-driven online retailer, as well as a provider of value-added ecommerce services for third-party products and brands. iPower’s capabilities include a full spectrum of online channels, robust fulfillment capacity, a nationwide network of warehouses, competitive last mile delivery partners and a differentiated business intelligence platform. iPower believes that these capabilities will enable it to efficiently move a diverse catalog of SKUs from its supply chain partners to end consumers every day, providing the best value to customers in the U.S. and other countries. For more information, please visit iPower’s website at www.meetipower.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    All statements other than statements of historical fact in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that iPower believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. iPower undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although iPower believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and iPower cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results and performance in iPower’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on September 20, 2024, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as filed with the SEC on November 14, 2024, February 14, 2025 and May 15, 2025, and in its other SEC filings.

    Media Contact

    Media Team
    Ipw.media@meetipower.com

    Investor Relations Contact

    Sean Mansouri, CFA or Aaron D’Souza
    Elevate IR
    (720) 330-2829
    IPW@elevate-ir.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘The Eternal Queen of Asian Pop’ sings one last encore from beyond the grave

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Xianda Huang, PhD student in Asian Languages and Cultures, University of California, Los Angeles

    Teresa Teng, who died in 1995, still has legions of fans around the world. Nora Tam/South China Morning Post via Getty Images

    Several years ago, an employee at Universal Music came across a cassette tape in a Tokyo warehouse while sorting through archival materials. On it was a recording by the late Taiwanese pop star Teresa Teng that had never been released; the pop ballad, likely recorded in the mid-1980s while Teng was living and performing in Japan, was a collaboration between composer Takashi Miki and lyricist Toyohisa Araki.

    Now, to the delight of her millions of fans, the track titled “Love Songs Are Best in the Foggy Night” will appear on an album set to be released on June 25, 2025.

    Teng died 30 years ago. Most Americans know little about her life and her body of work. Yet the ballads of Teng, who could sing in Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese and Indonesian, continue to echo through karaoke rooms, on Spotify playlists, at tribute concerts and at family gatherings across Asia and beyond.

    I study how pop music has served as a tool of soft power, and I’ve spent the past several years researching Teng’s music and its legacy. I’ve found that Teng’s influence endures not just because of her voice, but also because her music transcends Asia’s political fault lines.

    From local star to Asian icon

    Born in 1953 in Yunlin, Taiwan, Teresa Teng grew up in one of the many villages that were built to house soldiers and their families who had fled mainland China in 1949 after the communists claimed victory in the Chinese civil war. Her early exposure to traditional Chinese music and opera laid the foundation for her singing career. By age 6, she was taking voice lessons. She soon began winning local singing competitions.

    “It wasn’t adults who wanted me to sing,” Teng wrote in her memoir. “I wanted to sing. As long as I could sing, I was happy.”

    At 14, Teng dropped out of high school to focus entirely on music, signing with the local label Yeu Jow Records. Soon thereafter, she released her first album, “Fengyang Flower Drum.” In the 1970s, she toured and recorded across Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Southeast Asia, becoming one of Asia’s first truly transnational pop stars.

    Teng’s career flourished in the late 1970s and 1980s. She released some of her most iconic tracks, such as her covers of Chinese singer Zhou Xuan’s 1937 hit “When Will You Return?” and Taiwanese singer Chen Fen-lan’s “The Moon Represents My Heart,” and toured widely across Asia, sparking what came to be known as “Teresa Teng Fever.”

    In the early 1990s, Teng was forced to stop performing for health reasons. She died suddenly of an asthma attack on May 8, 1995, while on vacation in Chiang Mai, Thailand, at the age of 42.

    China catches Teng Fever

    Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Teng’s story is that Teng Fever peaked in China.

    Teng was ethnically Chinese, with ancestral roots in China’s Shandong province. But the political divide between China and Taiwan following the Chinese civil war had led to decades of hostility, with each side refusing to recognize the legitimacy of the other.

    Teng speaks at a press conference in Hong Kong in 1980.
    P.Y. Tang/South China Morning Post via Getty Images

    During the late 1970s and 1980s, however, China began to relax its political control under Deng Xiaoping’s Reform and Opening Up policy. This sweeping initiative shifted China toward a market-oriented economy, encouraged foreign trade and investment, and cautiously reintroduced global cultural influences after decades of isolation.

    Pop music from other parts of the world began trickling in, including Teng’s tender ballads. Her songs could be heard in coastal provinces such as Guangdong and Shanghai, inland cities such as Beijing and Tianjin, and even remote regions such as Tibet. Shanghai’s propaganda department wrote an internal memo in 1980 noting that her music had spread to the city’s public parks, restaurants, nursing homes and wedding halls.

    Teng’s immense popularity in China was no accident; it reflected a time in the country’s history when its people were particularly eager for emotionally resonant art after decades of cultural propaganda and censorship.

    For a society that had been awash in rote, revolutionary songs like “The East is Red” and “Union is Strength,” Teng’s music offered something entirely different. It was personal, tender and deeply human. Her gentle, approachable style – often described as “angelic” or like that of “a girl next door” – provided solace and a sense of intimacy that had long been absent from public life.

    Teng performs ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ in Taipei in 1984.

    Teng’s music was also admired for her ability to bridge eras. Her 1983 album “Light Exquisite Feeling” fused classical Chinese poetry with contemporary Western pop melodies, showcasing her gift for blending the traditional and the modern. It cemented her reputation not just as a pop star but as a cultural innovator.

    It’s no secret why audiences across China and Asia were so deeply drawn to her and her music. She was fluent in multiple languages; she was elegant but humble, polite and relatable; she was involved in various charities; and she spoke out in support of democratic values.

    A sound of home in distant lands

    Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the Chinese immigrant population in the United States grew to over 1.1 million. Teng’s music has also deeply embedded itself within Chinese diasporic communities across the country. In cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, Chinese immigrants played her music at family gatherings, during holidays and at community events. Walk through any Chinatown during Lunar New Year and you’re bound to hear her voice wafting through the streets.

    Teng visits New York City’s Chinatown during her 1980 concert tour in the U.S.
    Wikimedia Commons

    For younger Chinese Americans and even non-Chinese audiences, Teng’s music has become a window into Chinese culture.

    When I was studying in the U.S., I often met Asian American students who belted out her songs at karaoke nights or during cultural festivals. Many had grown up hearing her music through their parents’ playlists or local community celebrations.

    The release of her recently discovered song is a reminder that some voices do not fade – they evolve, migrate and live on in the hearts of people scattered across the world.

    Teresa Teng’s music is still celebrated in Chinatowns across the U.S.

    In an age when global politics drive different cultures apart, Teng’s enduring appeal reminds us of something quieter yet more lasting: the power of voice to transmit emotion across time and space, the way a melody can build a bridge between continents and generations.

    I recently rewatched the YouTube video for Teng’s iconic 1977 ballad “The Moon Represents My Heart.” As I read the comments section, one perfectly encapsulated what I had discovered about Teresa Teng in my own research: “Teng’s music opened a window to a culture I never knew I needed.”

    Xianda Huang 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. ‘The Eternal Queen of Asian Pop’ sings one last encore from beyond the grave – https://theconversation.com/the-eternal-queen-of-asian-pop-sings-one-last-encore-from-beyond-the-grave-255560

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: AmeriCorps is on the chopping block – despite research showing that the national service agency is making a difference in local communities

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Pamela Paxton, Professor of Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin

    Many AmeriCorps crews, like this one seen at work in Maine in 2011, restore and renovate public parks. John Patriquin/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

    Hundreds of thousands of U.S. nonprofits provide vital services, such as running food banks and youth programs, supporting public health initiatives and helping unemployed people find new jobs. Although this work helps sustain local communities, obtaining the money and staff they require is a constant struggle for many of these groups.

    That’s where AmeriCorps often comes in. The independent federal agency for national service and volunteerism has facilitated the work of approximately 200,000 people a year, placing them through partnerships with thousands of nonprofits that provide tutoring, disaster relief and many other important services.

    But Americorps’ fate is now uncertain. In April 2025, the Trump administration canceled more than 1,000 grants, suddenly ending the stipends that were supporting more than 32,000 AmeriCorps volunteers. On June 5, a judge ordered that these grants be restored in Washington D.C. and 24 states in response to a lawsuit they had filed. The judge also ordered that all volunteers who had been deployed in those places be reinstated “if they are willing and able to return.”

    The Trump administration has also put most of AmeriCorps administrative staff on leave and indicated that it wants to eliminate the independent agency, along with its US$1.2 billion annual budget. AmeriCorps doesn’t appear in a detailed 2026 budget request the administration released on May 30.

    I’m a sociology and public affairs professor who has studied nonprofits and volunteering for decades. My research suggests that dismantling AmeriCorps would harm the organizations that rely on national service members and take a toll on the communities that benefit from their work.

    AmeriCorps explains what the independent national service agency does.

    What AmeriCorps does

    AmeriCorps traces its roots to the mid-1960s, when Volunteers in Service to America, known as VISTA, was founded as a domestic counterpart to the Peace Corps. Several earlier service programs were consolidated when Congress passed the National and Community Service Trust Act in 1993. AmeriCorps was officially launched in 1994 – and VISTA became one of its programs.

    Since then, AmeriCorps members have built housing and infrastructure, delivered disaster relief, tutored in low-income schools, provided health care and helped older adults age with dignity in both urban and rural communities across the nation.

    AmeriCorps includes a variety of programs, each designed to address specific public needs. Some AmeriCorps volunteers provide direct services, such as tutoring, food delivery and in disaster response efforts. Others focus on building the long-term capacity of local nonprofits through volunteer recruitment, fundraising strategy and community outreach.

    AmeriCorps volunteers, whom the agency calls “members,” are placed in thousands of nonprofits, schools and local agencies. Many of them are recent college graduates or early-career professionals. Some programs specifically ask people over 55 to serve. Those “senior” volunteers support children through the Foster Grandparents program, volunteer for organizations or assist other older people through the Senior Companions program.

    Many AmeriCorps volunteers are paid a modest allowance for this work that runs about $500 per week. AmeriCorps senior volunteers receive smaller sums in hourly stipends to offset the costs of volunteering.

    Fox40 News in Sacramento, Calif., covers the Trump administration’s reduction of AmeriCorps’ ranks in April 2025.

    Helping nonprofits gain traction

    AmeriCorps has long funded research that assesses its impact.

    One such study found that every dollar invested in national service generates $11.80 in benefits for society, such as higher earnings, better mental and physical health, and economic growth. Additionally, every federal dollar spent on national service produces $17.30 in savings across other government programs through reductions in public assistance, health and criminal justice spending.

    As part of AmeriCorps’ research grants program, I have received funding to study civic engagement and AmeriCorps programming.

    In one of those studies, which I conducted with two former colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin in 2021, we found that VISTA volunteers were able to help nonprofits gain volunteers. After two years, an organization with that support had 71% more volunteers than those that didn’t participate in the VISTA program.

    We also found that the longer a nonprofit had a staffer supported by the VISTA program, the more its overall pool of volunteers increased.

    Nonprofits with VISTA volunteers also had three times as many donations two years later, compared with nonprofits without VISTA service members. But the total value of donations the nonprofit obtained didn’t always rise. That is, we found that VISTA builds people power, but not necessarily fundraising revenue.

    Findings like these indicate that AmeriCorps hasn’t just helped the people it serves or the people who volunteer through the program. It also strengthens nonprofits and increases engagement within local communities, reinforcing the civic fabric that knits communities together.

    As members of Congress and the White House decide whether to preserve AmeriCorps, I hope they consider the evidence that demonstrates this worthwhile program’s positive impact.

    Pamela Paxton has received funding from the Office of Research and Evaluation at AmeriCorps.

    – ref. AmeriCorps is on the chopping block – despite research showing that the national service agency is making a difference in local communities – https://theconversation.com/americorps-is-on-the-chopping-block-despite-research-showing-that-the-national-service-agency-is-making-a-difference-in-local-communities-257430

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Golden Dome dangers: An arms control expert explains how Trump’s missile defense threatens to make the US less safe

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Matthew Bunn, Professor of the Practice of Energy, National Security, and Foreign Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

    President Donald Trump has grandiose plans for Golden Dome. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

    President Donald Trump’s idea of a “Golden Dome” missile defense system carries a range of potential strategic dangers for the United States.

    Golden Dome is meant to protect the U.S. from ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles, and missiles launched from space. Trump has called for the missile defense to be fully operational before the end of his term in three years.

    Trump’s goals for Golden Dome are likely beyond reach. A wide range of studies makes clear that even defenses far more limited than what Trump envisions would be far more expensive and less effective than Trump expects, especially against enemy missiles equipped with modern countermeasures. Countermeasures include multiple warheads per missile, decoy warheads and warheads that can maneuver or are difficult to track, among others.

    Regardless of Golden Dome’s feasibility, there is a long history of scholarship about strategic missile defenses, and the weight of evidence points to the defenses making their host country less safe from nuclear attack.

    I’m a national security and foreign policy professor at Harvard University, where I lead “Managing the Atom,” the university’s main research group on nuclear weapons and nuclear energy policies. For decades, I’ve been participating in dialogues with Russian and Chinese nuclear experts – and their fears about U.S. missile defenses have been a consistent theme throughout.

    Russian President Vladmir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have already warned that Golden Dome is destabilizing. Along with U.S. offensive capabilities, Golden Dome poses a threat of “directly undermining global strategic stability, spurring an arms race and increasing conflict potential both among nuclear-weapon states and in the international arena as a whole,” a joint statement from China and Russia said. While that is a propaganda statement, it reflects real concerns broadly held in both countries.

    Golden Dome explained.

    History lessons

    Experience going back half a century makes clear that if the administration pursues Golden Dome, it is likely to provoke even larger arms buildups, derail already-dim prospects for any negotiated nuclear arms restraint, and perhaps even increase the chances of nuclear war.

    My first book, 35 years ago, made the case that it would be in the U.S. national security interest to remain within the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which strictly limited U.S. and Soviet – and later Russian – missile defenses. The United States and the Soviet Union negotiated the ABM Treaty as part of SALT I, the first agreements limiting the nuclear arms race. It was approved in the Senate 98-2.

    The ABM Treaty experience is instructive for the implications of Golden Dome today.

    Why did the two countries agree to limit defenses? First and foremost, because they understood that unless each side’s defenses were limited, they would not be able to stop an offensive nuclear arms race. If each side wants to maintain the ability to retaliate if the other attacks – “don’t nuke me, or I’ll nuke you” – then an obvious answer to one side building up more defenses is for the other to build up more nuclear warheads.

    For example, in the 1960s and 1970s, the Soviets installed 100 interceptors to defend Moscow – so the United States targeted still more warheads on Moscow to overwhelm the defense. Had it ever come to a nuclear war, Moscow would have been even more thoroughly obliterated than if there had been no defense at all. Both sides came to realize that unlimited missile defenses would just mean more offense on both sides, leaving both less secure than before.

    In addition, nations viewed an adversary’s shield as going hand in hand with a nuclear sword. A nuclear first strike might destroy a major part of a country’s nuclear forces. Missile defenses would inevitably be more effective against the reduced, disorganized retaliation that they knew would be coming than they would be against a massive, well-planned surprise attack. That potential advantage to whoever struck first could make nuclear crises even more dangerous.

    Post-ABM Treaty world

    Unfortunately, President George W. Bush pulled the United States out of the ABM Treaty in 2002, seeking to free U.S. development of defenses against potential missile attacks from small states such as North Korea. But even now, decades later, the U.S. has fewer missile interceptors deployed (44) than the treaty permitted (100).

    The U.S. pullout did not lead to an immediate arms buildup or the end of nuclear arms control. But Putin has complained bitterly about U.S. missile defenses and the U.S. refusal to accept any limitation at all on them. He views the U.S. stance as an effort to achieve military superiority by negating Russia’s nuclear deterrent.

    Russia is investing heavily in new types of strategic nuclear weapons intended to avoid U.S. missile defenses, from an intercontinental nuclear torpedo to a missile that can go around the world and attack from the south, while U.S. defenses are mainly pointed north toward Russia.

    Russia maintains a large force of nuclear weapons like this mobile intercontinental ballistic missile.
    Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via APPEAR

    Similarly, much of China’s nuclear buildup appears to be driven by wanting a reliable nuclear deterrent in the face of the United States’ capability to strike its nuclear forces and use missile defenses to mop up the remainder. Indeed, China was so angered by South Korea’s deployment of U.S.-provided regional defenses – which they saw as aiding the U.S. ability to intercept their missiles – that they imposed stiff sanctions on South Korea.

    Fuel to the fire

    Now, Trump wants to go much further, with a defense “forever ending the missile threat to the American homeland,” with a success rate “very close to 100%.” I believe that this effort is highly likely to lead to still larger nuclear buildups in Russia and China. The Putin-Xi joint statement pledges to “counter” defenses “aimed at achieving military superiority.”

    Given the ease of developing countermeasures that are extraordinarily difficult for defenses to overcome, odds are the resulting offense-defense competition will leave the United States worse off than before – and a good bit poorer.

    Putin and Xi made clear that they are particularly concerned about the thousands of space-based interceptors Trump envisions. These interceptors are designed to hit missiles while their rockets are still burning during launch.

    Most countries are likely to oppose the idea of deploying huge numbers of weapons in space – and these interceptors would be both expensive and vulnerable. China and Russia could focus on further developing anti-satellite weapons to blow a hole in the defense, increasing the risk of space war.

    Already, there is a real danger that the whole effort of negotiated limits to temper nuclear arms racing may be coming to an end. The last remaining treaty limiting U.S. and Russian nuclear forces, the New START Treaty, expires in February 2026. China’s rapid nuclear buildup is making many defense officials and experts in Washington call for a U.S. buildup in response.

    Intense hostility all around means that for now, neither Russia nor China is even willing to sit down to discuss nuclear restraints, in treaty form or otherwise.

    A way forward

    In my view, adding Golden Dome to this combustible mix would likely end any prospect of avoiding a future of unrestrained and unpredictable nuclear arms competition. But paths away from these dangers are available.

    It would be quite plausible to design defenses that would provide some protection against attacks from a handful of missiles from North Korea or others that would not seriously threaten Russian or Chinese deterrent forces – and design restraints that would allow all parties to plan their offensive forces knowing what missile defenses they would be facing in the years to come.

    I believe that Trump should temper his Golden Dome ambitions to achieve his other dream – of negotiating a deal to reduce nuclear dangers.

    Matthew Bunn is a member of the National Academies Committee on International Security and Arms Control and a board member of the Arms Control Association. He is a member of the Academic Alliance of the United States Strategic Command and a consultant to Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

    – ref. Golden Dome dangers: An arms control expert explains how Trump’s missile defense threatens to make the US less safe – https://theconversation.com/golden-dome-dangers-an-arms-control-expert-explains-how-trumps-missile-defense-threatens-to-make-the-us-less-safe-258048

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Energy Sector – Equinor’s Energy Perspectives 2025

    Source: Equinor

    06 JUNE 2025 – Energy Perspectives 2025 presents four scenarios for the future world economy, international energy markets and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions.

    Long-term forecasts of the development in global energy markets are normally very difficult. As this year’s Energy Perspectives report is published, the task is even more complex, as global markets and geopolitics are undergoing massive shifts with unpredictable consequences in both the shorter and longer term. Political priorities affecting global energy markets are shifting further away from decarbonisation towards energy affordability and security of energy supply. On top of this, it is nearly impossible to gauge the short-term impact of trade conflicts and new rules in the geopolitics game.

    “The geopolitical landscape and trade conflicts clearly illustrate that the global cooperation needed for a Paris-aligned energy transition is not present”, says SVP and Chief economist Eirik Wærness.

    A global energy transition roughly in line with the ambitions of the Paris Agreement has become severely delayed and more fragmented, and global greenhouse emissions continued to increase last year. Despite numerous positive developments, the macroeconomic, political and geopolitical realities are characterised by lack of trust, cooperation and burden-sharing, that are slowing down the pace of change foreseen in the Paris Agreement. A reversal of this development will take time, and its success is by no means guaranteed. With short-termism and local and regional priorities dominating policy making, the necessary global changes in the direction of truly sustainable development, balancing the different concerns in the energy trilemma, will be further delayed.

    Energy Perspectives 2025 presents four scenarios for the future world economy, international energy markets and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. The scenarios are built to show how divergent drivers in the energy trilemma (energy security, affordability and decarbonisation) affect long-term developments. The scenarios are not predictions, but possible contrasting pathways, providing a platform for debate, strategic planning and decision making.

    “The insights and analysis provided by Energy Perspectives help us navigate short-term uncertainties without losing sight of long-term tr

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Grigorenko: Agreement on the Elimination of Violations – a New Instrument in Control Activities

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Document

    Resolution of May 31, 2025 No. 829

    Commercial and government organizations may enter into agreements with regulatory authorities on the proper elimination of identified violations. From the moment the agreement is concluded, the order to eliminate the identified violation is suspended. The corresponding resolution was signed by the Government. This instrument is aimed at reducing the administrative burden on business as part of improving control and supervisory activities under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister – Head of the Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko.

    The organizations that may apply for the conclusion of an agreement include government agencies, local government bodies, state and municipal institutions, as well as city-forming and strategic enterprises, defense industry organizations, enterprises in the housing and utilities sector, energy, communications, transport, agriculture, and pharmaceutical production.

    Applications from organizations will be considered only for those types of supervision where the controlled entities are primarily organizations of strategic or high socio-economic importance. The effect of the resolution extends to eight types of control:

    — federal state supervision in the field of industrial safety,

    — Federal State Energy Supervision,

    — federal state supervision in the field of safety of hydraulic structures,

    — Federal State Mining Supervision,

    — federal state environmental control (supervision),

    — federal state geological control (supervision),

    — federal state land control (supervision);

    — federal state licensing control of activities related to the production of medicines.

    “The mechanism of agreements will prevent situations when administrative liability for a detected violation may lead to a halt in production, staff reductions, or a reduction in the output of socially significant products. Control authorities must accommodate organizations and build partnerships with them. Especially if eliminating violations requires significant financial and time costs, or the allocation of additional budget funds,” commented Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko.

    To conclude an agreement, organizations develop a draft program for eliminating the identified violations and provide documents confirming that significant time, material costs and capital investments are needed to eliminate the violations. This must be done within 10 working days from the date of receipt of the order.

    The signed agreement is being coordinated with the prosecutor’s office.

    If an agreement is concluded and comes into force, the order regarding the identified violations of mandatory requirements is suspended; after their elimination, the controlled person is not subject to administrative liability.

    Applications can be submitted for violations identified since June 1, 2025. Applications will be denied for those that pose a direct threat to human life and health. For example, if we are talking about corrosion or partial destruction of power line supports, which can lead to collapse, line breakage and, as a result, mass power outages.

    This resolution was developed by the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia and adopted in pursuance of the amendments to the Federal Law “On State Control (Supervision) and Municipal Control in the Russian Federation” that came into force in 2025.

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UEFA must ban Belarus from competitions

    Source: Scottish Greens

    06 Jun 2025 External Affairs Sport

    UEFA must use their platform to condemn human rights violators.

    More in External Affairs

    Belarus should not be allowed to compete in UEFA competitions while enabling war and violating human rights, say the Scottish Greens.

    Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie MSP has written to UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin urging the football body to ban Belarus from all competitions. His call comes ahead of upcoming World Cup qualifiers, including two fixtures between Scotland’s Men’s National Team and Belarus.

    In his letter, Mr Harvie highlights serious concerns over Belarus’ support for Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. He describes Belarus as a key enabler of the war, pointing to its role in allowing Russian forces to use Belarusian territory to launch attacks on Ukraine.

    The Green MSP also draws attention to the human rights crisis within Belarus itself. Since leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed to win 80% of the vote in the widely disputed 2020 presidential elections, the country has seen a steep decline in civil liberties, with reports of political prisoners, torture, and violent crackdowns on peaceful protests.

    Mr Harvie said:

    “Belarus is not just failing to uphold basic human rights at home – it is actively participating in a senseless war abroad. Lukashenko is a brutal authoritarian leader, he must be held to account, not given the platform to sports-wash his horrific humanitarian crimes.

    “UEFA rightly banned Russia for their criminal domestic and international record. As a close ally helping to wage the same wars at home and abroad, why should Belarus be treated any differently?

    “The continued participation of Belarusian sports teams in UEFA competitions flies in the face of the organisation’s own supposed values, particularly its RESPECT campaign, which promotes fairness, dignity and human rights in football.

    “Football doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It sends a message to the world. Now is the time for UEFA to show leadership and ensure that the message is one of peace, an end to complicity and an adherence to human rights.

    “Now is the time to take a stand, Belarus must follow Russia, as well as other nations committing unspeakable crimes, and be made a sporting pariah state until international law is restored.”

    Text of Letter from Patrick Harvie to UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin

    Dear Mr. Čeferin,
     
    I hope this letter finds you well.
     
    I write today as a concerned citizen and Member of the Scottish Parliament with significant concerns relating to continued Belarusian involvement in UEFA football competitions and the subsequent threat that their inclusion poses to UEFA’s values of unity, fair play and respect within football.
     
    In light of Scotland’s Men’s team drawing Belarus in the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers, I believe it is imperative for Scotland’s political representatives to speak out about the hugely problematic inclusion of Belarus given its complicity in Russian aggression and its troubling human rights record.
     
    I urge UEFA to reconsider Belarus’s participation in its competitions, in light of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and Belarus’s complicity in Russia’s unlawful war of aggression.
     
    As I am sure you are aware, Belarus has become a key enabler of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. The Belarusian regime, under President Alexander Lukashenko, has allowed its territory to be used as a launchpad for Russian forces, contributing directly to the suffering and destruction in Ukraine. This ongoing support for Russia’s aggression is a clear and unacceptable violation of international law and the fundamental principles of peace and human rights.
     
    Furthermore, Belarus’s domestic human rights record continues to be appalling. Since the contested presidential elections of 2020, the Belarusian government has consistently violated the rights of its citizens, including the suppression of peaceful protest, arbitrary detention, and the torture of political opponents and dissidents. Numerous international organisations, including the United Nations and the European Union, have condemned the actions of the Belarusian government in the strongest terms.
     
    The ongoing abuse of human rights in Belarus must force a re-evaluation of the country’s eligibility to participate in international sporting events, where respect for human dignity should be paramount. 

    Indeed, a month after Russia resumed its invasion of Ukraine, in March 2022, UEFA announced it was imposing specific restrictions on Belarus with immediate effect. UEFA banned the nation from hosting any international matches, either at club or national team level, as well as barring any spectators from attending games. It does not seem logical that UEFA are willing to take decisive action to remove Russia entirely from its competitions yet invite a key Russian ally which is complicit in the ongoing murder of innocent Ukrainians to continue as a UEFA member nation. It is morally incomprehensible that UEFA continues to promote its very laudable RESPECT campaign whilst allowing a nation that is stationing Putin’s ballistic missiles to compete.
     
    In this context, I urge UEFA to take a strong and decisive stance by excluding Belarus from its competitions until such time as the country ceases its support for Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine and takes substantial steps to address its widespread human rights violations. Belarus’s continued participation not only tarnishes the credibility of UEFA but also undermines the organisation’s commitment to promoting peace and respect in the footballing community.
     
    We have already seen the importance of sports sending a message about human rights and justice. UEFA’s previous decision to suspend Russian teams and clubs from its competitions in response to the war in Ukraine was a positive and necessary step in aligning sports with ethical values. It is crucial that Belarus, which shares complicity in these actions, is held to the same standards.
     
    UEFA must, as an organisation committed to the values of peace, respect and fairness, take this opportunity to demonstrate leadership in the face of global crises and ensure that its competitions strive to be a platform for moral integrity.
     
    Thank you for your time and consideration of this important matter. I look forward to your response and hope that UEFA will take meaningful action in this regard.
     
    Yours sincerely,
    Patrick Harvie
    Member of the Scottish Parliament
    Co-Leader of the Scottish Green Party

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Belarusbank approved as a full member of the SCO Interbank Association

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Beijing, June 6 (Xinhua) — Belarusbank was approved as a full member of the Interbank Association of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (IBA) following the 21st meeting of the Council.

    Speaking at the meeting held at the China Development Bank headquarters in Beijing on Thursday, participants expressed their willingness to provide high-quality financial services to jointly build a more beautiful SCO common home.

    As an important platform for regional financial cooperation, the SCO IBC should further intensify cooperation between its member banks in the areas of infrastructure connectivity, scientific and technological innovation, industrial modernization, green and low-carbon development, and digital economy, continuously deepen humanitarian exchanges, and strengthen mutual trust and understanding, the meeting participants said.

    The SCO Interbank Association was established in October 2005. Its activities are aimed at supporting economic cooperation in the SCO region. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Press release – EYE2025 (European Youth Event): thousands to celebrate the power of democracy

    Source: European Parliament 3

    On 13 and 14 June in Strasbourg, around 8,500 16 to 30-year-olds from all over the world will take part in a series of activities centred on the future of Europe.

    EYE2025 (European Youth Event) will be opened by Parliament Vice-president Sabine Verheyen (EPP, DE) on Friday 13 June at 10:00 in the EYE village. Vice-president Nicolae Ştefănuță (Greens/EFA, RO) will take part in a session dedicated to the next long-term budget, on Saturday at 15:00. The closing session, with Vice-president Pina Picierno (S&D, IT), will take place on Saturday at 16:45.

    Over the two days, there will be panel discussions with MEPs and other EU decision-makers, as well as with experts, activists and content creators. Debates between MEPs and the young participants will cover climate justice, skills for the future, the EU’s next long-term budget, and freedom of speech and media, among many other topics.

    Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef will lead a Youth Policy Dialogue on Friday at 11:00, and take part in a panel discussion on young people’s mental health that afternoon. Executive Vice-President of the Commission, Henna Virkkunen will join in a conversation on how technology can strengthen democracy, on Friday at 15:00.

    Other guest speakers are democracy activist Daria Navalnya, the Kayapo Amazonian tribal leader Chief Tau Metuktire and the Mayor of Strasbourg Jeanne Barseghian.

    The programme also includes workshops on a wide range of issues that concern young people, from disinformation to housing and migration. Quizzes, tours, artistic performances, storytelling workshops and concerts are other options among more than 450 activities organised for the sixth edition of EYE.

    All sessions in the hemicycle will be streamed live on the EYE2025 Facebook page and via Parliament’s Multimedia Centre. More details about the schedule, speakers and activities are available on the European Youth Event website.

    Press briefing

    On Friday 13 June at 16:30, there will be a press briefing with Vice-president Verheyen on media freedom in the EU, in the Daphne Caruana Galizia press conference room. You can follow it live here.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Artificial Intelligence in Construction. ISI Students Developed the IMPULSE Complex

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The team of the Civil Engineering Institute has developed a unique software package “IMPULSE” for automated classification of elements of digital information models (DIM) based on artificial intelligence technologies. The use of a PC allows to significantly reduce labor costs at the stages of classification and coding of data in DIM, as well as to speed up and simplify the process of assigning codes and attributes to elements of the information model.

    The project is interdisciplinary. The development was carried out by the Civil Engineering and Physics and Mechanical Institutes of SPbPU, whose specialists combined engineering competencies in the field of construction modeling and computational methods. Technical manager – Pavel Nedviga.

    Students from two institutes took part in the project. This collaboration provided a unique opportunity not only to develop the technical aspects of the product, but also to develop skills in working with modern digital technologies in young specialists. The PhysMech team was led by Vyacheslav Chukanov, a senior lecturer at the Higher School of Applied Mathematics and Computational Physics.

    The work lasted for two and a half years. The final stage was the inclusion of the PC “IMPULSE” in the Unified Register of Russian programs for electronic computers and databases with a special mark indicating that the software belongs to the field of artificial intelligence. The registration of the program confirms its compliance with the requirements for domestic software and its importance for the construction industry.

    The project partners were GC Pioneer, a development company implementing large-scale housing and infrastructure projects, and the State Expertise Center, an organization that carries out an independent assessment of the quality of project documentation.

    The IMPULSE PC is actively used in the educational process within the Digital Departments project. ISI students master the software package as part of their practical training and apply artificial intelligence mechanisms. The total number of such students has exceeded 350 people.

    Currently, “IMPULSE” is successfully used by design organizations that turn to BIM modeling technologies. The program has proven highly effective in the educational process and project practice.

    The use of artificial intelligence technologies allows to significantly reduce labor costs of certain types of work and operations in the process of developing design documentation and to increase the efficiency of design work. Thanks to the use of the software package “IMPULSE”, design engineers will be more focused on expert work, eliminating the need to perform routine tasks, such as manual classification of elements of the information model and assigning codes and classes to them. At the moment, the product is unique and has no analogues in the world, – noted the director of the Civil Engineering Institute Marina Petrochenko.

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Jeremy Rose: Mister Netanyahu have you no sense of decency?

    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

    COMMENTARY: By Jeremy Rose

    The word antisemitism has become so debased that depending on who is using it I might well take it as a sign that the accused is worth listening to.

    When the World Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrest, he responded by saying the court was being antisemitic. One of the court’s legal advisers was Theodor Meron, a former Israeli ambassador and legal adviser who spent a chunk of his childhood in a Nazi concentration camp.

    Last month, Netanyahu declared the leaders of France, the UK and Canada of fuelling antisemitism.

    Their “crime”? Threatening “concrete action” against Israel if it continues its “egregious” blockade of aid entering Gaza.

    Egregious not genocidal. And the concrete action referred to wasn’t sanctions or a full arms embargo but stalling free trade talks.

    The bitter irony is that with none of those countries having yet imposed a complete ban on arms exports to Israel they are all in a sense fuelling a genocide.

    The Army-McCarthy hearings
    We’re coming up to the 71st anniversary of the Army-McCarthy hearings where an army lawyer, Joseph Welch, rebuked Senator Joseph McCarthy with the famous line: “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?”

    We’ll be waiting a long time for the wanted war criminal Netanyahu to show any decency, but could we be approaching a tipping point where the establishment finally calls off a witch hunt after realising no one is safe from false accusations.

    The McCarthyite red scare, which began in the late 1940s, saw more than 2000 federal workers sacked, thousands of academics, teachers, and union members pressured or forced to resign due to anti-communist policies, and up to 500 Hollywood directors and actors blacklisted for being leftwing or refusing to name names.

    Welch’s rebuke was triggered by none of that. It was McCarthy turning his metaphorical guns onto the military implying he would expose high ranking army personnel that saw the army lawyer return fire.

    The conflating of criticism of Israel with antisemitism has been spectacularly successful in making any criticism of Israel a potentially career ending move. Three Ivy League presidents have been pushed out of their jobs for failing to crack down hard enough on students protesting the brutality of Israel’s ongoing genocide.

    UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose popularity had seen the party become the biggest political movement in Europe, was toppled in 2016 after bogus accusations of antisemitism.

    In the purge of the Labour Party that followed Jews were five times more likely to be investigated for antisemitism than goys.

    It’s the same story in Germany where Jews feature prominently among those cancelled for alleged antisemitism. Renowned professor of Jewish studies Peter Schäfe was forced to resign as the director of Berlin’s Jewish Museum after it retweeted a post critical of Germany’s anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) resolutions.

    Greece’s former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis — not a Jew — has been banned from Germany or even appearing via Zoom for this response, on 8 October 2023, to being asked if he condemned Hamas:

    “I condemn every single atrocity, whomever is the perpetrator or the victim. What I do not condemn is armed resistance to an apartheid system designed as part of a slow-burning, but inexorable, ethnic cleansing programme.
    As a European, it is important to refrain from condemning either the Israelis or the Palestinians when it is us, Europeans, who have caused this never-ending tragedy: after practising rabid anti-Semitism for centuries, leading up to the uniquely vile Holocaust, we have been complicit for decades with the slow genocide of Palestinians, as if two wrongs make one right.”

    That nuanced response, with its acknowledgement of the dreadful legacy of real antisemitism, has not only seen him banned from speaking — in person or virtually — but dropped by his German publisher.

    Antisemitism is often referred to as the oldest hatred — with good reason — but the word itself is relatively recent.

    A ‘scientific’ word for an old hatred
    Nineteenth century German journalist, Wilhelm Marr, popularised the term in a pamphlet the title of which translates as: The way to victory of Germanism over Judaism.

    What distinguished antisemitism from the commonly used Judenhass — or Jewish hate — was the idea that it was a Jew’s race not their religion that was deserving of hate.

    Antisemitism was a prejudice proud to speak its name. It was respectable in a way that religious intolerance wasn’t. Prominent professors and politicians happily declared themselves antisemites and adherents of “scientific racism”.

    It was an old idea dressed up in new clothing. Fifteenth century Spain passed Limpieza de Sangre (cleanliness of blood) statutes to allow discrimination against Jewish and Muslim converts to Christianity.

    The Judeo-Christian civilisational conflict with Islam, often referred to by right-wing supporters of Israel, is a relatively new construct. When the Jews were expelled from Spain, the Ottomans sent ships to take them to new homes in Istanbul, Thessaloniki and Izmer.

    Times change and while it was once possible — even common — to be a respectable antisemite and scientific racist but frowned upon to discriminate based on religious belief, now the reverse is true.

    So-called new atheists like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins declare all religions bad but Islam worse.

    “Listening to the lovely bells of Winchester, one of our great mediaeval cathedrals. So much nicer than the aggressive sounding “Allahu Akhbar.” Or is that just my cultural upbringing?” Dawkins once tweeted.

    The cultures of Europe have indeed cultivated racist ideas for centuries. And just as half a millennia ago conversion offered you no protection from the racism of the Spanish court, embracing Buddhism didn’t protect Columbia University student Moshen Mahdawi from being snatched from a naturalisation interview by balaclava-clad ICE agents.

    His crime? Being Palestinian and telling his story.

    It’s a topsy-turvy world where life-long anti-fascists like Jeremy Corbyn and Yanis Varoufakis are sanctioned on bogus claims of antisemitism while the likes of Elon Musk and Hungarian PM Victor Orban — both peddlers of old-style antisemitic conspiracies — are welcomed to Israel as friends and allies in a contrived battle of civilisations.

    One thing that differentiates antisemitism from the Judeophobia, which has been a European disease since the early days of Christianity, is that it places Jews among the victims of the continent’s white supremacist legacy.

    It’s perhaps no coincidence the Christopher Columbus set sail for the Americas in the same year, 1492, that Spain expelled its Jews and Muslims.

    The settler colonisation of the Americas has been estimated by historian David Stannard to have resulted in the death of 100 million indigenous people — many from introduced diseases but tens of millions also died in genocides only recently making their way into history books.

    Last month, when Netanyahu declared Israel’s attacks on Gaza “a war against human beasts” he was echoing the words of settler colonialists from Alaska to Aotearoa and the dehumanising language of the Nazis against the Jews.

    So, back to that question about whether we’ve reached a tipping point where unfair accusations of antisemitism will be seen in a similar light to McCarthy’s red scare.

    With Netanyahu accusing the leader of the Democrats party, Yair Golan, an IDF reserve major-general, of promoting a blood libel for speaking out against the starving of babies in Gaza, it’s hard not to draw parallels with the Army-McCarthy hearings.

    It’s worth quoting the words that saw Israel’s PM accuse Golan of a blood libel — a reference to the lie that Jews used the blood of non-Jewish children in the baking of matzos, and a trigger for centuries of pogroms.

    “A sane country does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not set goals for itself like the expulsion of a population.”

    The idea that an IDF general speaking out against the killing of babies is propagating racist hatred of Jews is surely a leap too far even for many fervent Zionists.

    Another sign that the tide might be turning is Kenneth Stern, the lead drafter of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, saying the US administration’s weaponisation of the IHRA definition is making academics and students (including Jews) less safe.

    The self-described Zionist said the definition was being distorted and used to silence anti-Israel critics.

    The IHRA working definition has been widely adopted internationally — including by institutions in New Zealand and Australia.

    Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have both criticised the definition claiming it has seen those documenting Israel’s human rights abuses being falsely accused of antisemitism.

    It’s a tragedy that weaponised accusations of antisemitism aimed at protecting Israel from criticism are obscuring a rise in Judeophobic conspiracy theories and attacks on Jewish community centres and synagogues around the world.

    And even more tragically that those accusations are blunting criticisms of Israel that could help bring the ongoing genocide in Gaza to an end.

    Jeremy Rose is a Wellington-based journalist. He has a Substack: Towards democracy

    This article was first published on Café Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI: OTC Markets Group Welcomes Neo Performance Materials Inc to OTCQX

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of regulated markets for trading 12,000 U.S. and international securities, today announced Neo Performance Materials Inc (TSX: NEO; OTCQX: NOPMF), a manufacturer of the building blocks of many modern technologies that enhance efficiency and sustainability, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX® Best Market. Neo Performance Materials Inc upgraded to OTCQX from the Pink® market.

    Neo Performance Materials Inc begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol “NOPMF.” U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

    Upgrading to the OTCQX Market is an important step for companies seeking to provide transparent trading for their U.S. investors. For companies listed on a qualified international exchange, streamlined market standards enable them to utilize their home market reporting to make their information available in the U.S. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws.

    Neo’s CEO, Rahim Suleman, said: “We are pleased to begin trading on OTCQX, which enhances Neo’s visibility and accessibility for U.S. investors. As a global leader in advanced rare earth materials, with a strong balance sheet and a growing magnetics business in Europe, we are well-positioned to support the accelerating demand for critical materials in electrification and other modern technologies. Trading on OTCQX provides an additional platform to broaden our shareholder base as we continue to execute on our strategic priorities and drive long-term value.”

    About Neo Performance Materials Inc
    Neo manufactures the building blocks of many modern technologies that enhance efficiency and sustainability. Neo’s advanced industrial materials – magnetic powders, rare earth magnets, magnetic assemblies, specialty chemicals, metals, and alloys – are critical to the performance of many everyday products and emerging technologies. Neo’s products fast-forward technologies for the net-zero transition. The business of Neo is organized along three segments: Magnequench, Chemicals & Oxides and Rare Metals. Neo is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; with corporate offices in Greenwood Village, Colorado, United States; Singapore; and Beijing, China. Neo has a global platform that includes manufacturing facilities located in China, Germany, Canada, Estonia, Thailand and the United Kingdom, as well as one dedicated research and development centre in Singapore.

    About OTC Markets Group Inc.

    OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates regulated markets for trading 12,000 U.S. and international securities. Our data-driven disclosure standards form the foundation of our three public markets: OTCQX® Best Market, OTCQB® Venture Market, and Pink® Open Market.

    Our OTC Link® Alternative Trading Systems (ATSs) provide critical market infrastructure that broker-dealers rely on to facilitate trading. Our innovative model offers companies more efficient access to the U.S. financial markets.

    OTC Link ATS, OTC Link ECN, OTC Link NQB, and MOON ATS™ are each an SEC regulated ATS, operated by OTC Link LLC, a FINRA and SEC registered broker-dealer, member SIPC.

    To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com.

    Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed

    Media Contact:
    OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, media@otcmarkets.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: GPDRR 2025 highlights: Thursday 5 June 2025

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    This report is provided by Earth Negotiations Bulletin/International Institute for Sustainable Development. View the original report here.

    Finance is critical to implementation of the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), but investments have not kept pace with rising demands, and aid budgets are shrinking worldwide. In many sessions through the day, delegates focused attention on financing a wide range of needs, including school safety, measures to deal with extreme heat, and nature-based solutions (NbS).

    High-level dialogue

    What will it take to scale DRR financing solutions at the national and local level?

    Journalist Mayowa Adegoke moderated the session.

    Stine Renate Håheim, State Secretary to Minister of International Development, Norway, emphasized DRR financing as a high priority, saying, “it is better to prevent than repair afterwards.” She noted that one in three people globally-most in cities or highly vulnerable areas-are not covered by Early Warning Systems (EWS).

    Hans Sy, CEO, SM Prime Holdings, explained his company’s investment in resilient building construction, such as building on concrete pillars to allow free flow of floodwaters. He stressed that risk-informed decisions based on science and technology “makes good business sense.”

    Fatima Yasmin, Asian Development Bank (ADB), said the Bank regards DRR as a critical priority investment, particularly through supporting policy making, planning, advising on innovative investments, and incentivizing preparedness. On scaling DRR investments, she said financing should be fast, flexible and forward-looking.

    Rob Wesseling, CEO, Co-operators Group, said no path to net zero emissions is possible without investment in both prevention and recovery. He encouraged governments to utilize the risk information gathered by insurance companies over decades to assist with decision making.

    On mobilizing private sector investment, Velenkosini Fiki Hlabisa, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, South Africa, stressed that every cent invested in resilience and preparedness saves lives and livelihoods.

    View of the panel during the Multi-Stakeholder Plenary. Source: IISD/ENB | Anastasia Rodopoulou.

    Ministerial roundtable

    Inclusive comprehensive school safety-strengthening resilience for children and youth in all hazards

    The event, which convened 36 ministries, was co-chaired by Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head, UNDRR, and Paul Steffen, Deputy Director, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland.

    In opening remarks, Kishore encouraged delegates to endorse the Comprehensive School Safety Framework 2017 (CSSF), noting only 80 countries have done so, and for countries to make schools heat-resilient.

    On school safety policies, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Saint Lucia recognized the CSSF. Portugal highlighted its DRR working group on children and youth. Brunei Darussalam, Kenya, and Portugal recognized the fundamental rights of children to safe school environments. Colombia highlighted its Law on Teaching for Sustainability, Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management. Republic of Korea described its 2020 Child Safety Management Act.

    Many countries identified education programming as fundamental to reducing risk and developing children as agents of change in their homes and communities. Malaysia, Uganda, Russia, Algeria and others described homegrown examples of such programmes, for example, student leadership groups and First Aid skills training.

    Leaders from around the globe express their shared commitment to making schools safer and more resilient to disasters. Source: IISD/ENB | Anastasia Rodopoulou.

    Several countries, including Greece, Kenya and Cuba, recognized the importance of social support to children experiencing disaster and loss, and the ensuing mental and emotional health impacts. The Holy See flagged the need for spiritual care of those “who have seen whole lives swept away.”

    Most countries discussed sustainable and resilient school infrastructure, including standards for new or retrofitted buildings. Belgium, Republic of Moldova, and Singapore highlighted energy efficiency and climate resilience. On heat stress in schools, Singapore flagged cooling strategies and energy-efficient fans. Tunisia described its sustainable school network that integrates climate change, disaster risk, and biodiversity objectives. Spain said new schools need to be “climate shelters.” Bangladesh noted the construction of more than 5,000 cyclone-resistant schools.

    Multistakeholder plenary

    Investments in reducing risk and building resilience to accelerate investments in sustainable development

    Kishore introduced the session, which was co-chaired by Paul Steffen, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland, and Paola Albrito, UNDRR. Kishore noted less than 1% of national budgets is allocated to DRR.

    Countries presented their national commitments, such as Australia’s Disaster-Ready Fund, which is providing up to AUD 1 billion (USD 648 million) over five years for locally-identified needs, and Switzerland’s DRR commitment of more than CHF 2 billion (USD 2.5 billion) annually. Many expressed appreciation for international support, including for Moldova’s local adaptation plans in 38 communities, and Samoa’s community-based disaster risk management activities. Peru highlighted its introduction of budget flexibility for regional and local authorities, enabling rapid response to imminent hazards.

    The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) reported that only 3% of all development assistance is allocated to agricultural DRR measures, even while these deliver significant returns in ensuring food security. Swiss Re highlighted the role of insurance in informing risk and mitigation measures, noting the availaility of parametric insurance, for example, against extreme heat events and flooding. The Resilience Action Fund showcased the work of the International Finance Corporation in developing the Building Resilience Index as a world-first metric for assessing the safety and risk of buildings for insurers and construction developers. The Latin America and the Caribbean Development Bank (CAF), India, and the UK welcomed innovative initiatives, such as a new center on extreme events, establishment of risk pools, and the use of AI to identify flood threats.

    Delegates affirmed regional solidarity, demonstrated in Tunisia’s hosting of the Africa-Arab Platform for DRR in 2023, and Iran’s hosting of three regional organizations, including a Regional Center for Urban Water Management. Albania welcomed its responsibilities under the EU Civil Protection Code for cooperation among EU countries and other partners, which, he noted, enables access to advanced DRR solutions.

    The International Organization for Migration highlighted its 2024 launch of Climate Mobility Innovation Labs for the Africa and Asia regions to develop solutions to climate-related mobility.

    Steffen urged all present to accelerate investment in DRR, and to engage the private sector as key partners.

    Ministerial Roundtable. Source: IISD/ENB | Anastasia Rodopoulou.

    Special event on extreme heat

    Moderator, Juli Trtanj, Co-Chair, Gobal Heat Health Information Network, opened the session. Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), called heat a “silent killer” because it is the least managed of all climate hazards. She said 50% of countries have heat warning systems in place but only 26 have dedicated Heat Health EWS. She identified three priorities: integrating heat risk into climate and DRR governance, heat EWS, and implementation using risk information and data.

    In his keynote, Pramod Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, India, said heat threatened public health, economic stability, and the ecological resilience of cities and communities. He underscored UNDRR’s Common Framework on Extreme Heat Risk Governance and drew attention to India’s national guidelines on heat wave management, which decentralized more than 250 heat action plans in 23 states. He called for scaling hospital and primary health care preparedness and resilience and noted India is adopting a long-term heat wave mitigation strategy, including roof-cooling technologies, passive cooling centers, revival of traditional water bodies, and improved thermal comfort and livability of informal settlements.

    In a panel discussion, Benoît Faraco, Ambassador, Climate Negotiations for Decarbonized Energies and for the Prevention of Climate Risks, France, urged being modest since we are still discovering impacts and avoiding maladaptation. Ousmane Ndiaye, Director General, African Center for Meteorological Application for Development, stressed the links between heat waves, energy crises, and health care demand. Rosa Galvez, Senator, Canada, spoke about lived experience saying, “We cannot adapt forever – we must work on the causes.” Jagan Chapagain, Secretary-General, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said extreme heat is a humanitarian crisis. On involving the financial sector, Mia Seppo, Assistant Director General, International Labour Organization, discussed climate risk insurance, just transition principles, and access to essential services. Mishra advised that industry protect labor from heat risk.

    Source: IISD/ENB | Anastasia Rodopoulou.

    Special session

    Comprehensive approaches to reduce loss and damage-bridging climate action and DRR

    Fatou Jeng, Former Climate Advisor to the UN Secretary-General and Member of the Early Warnings for All Advisory Panel, moderated the session.

    Ralph Regenvanu, Minister for Climate Change, Adaptation, Meteorology and Geo Hazards, Energy, Environment and Disaster Management, Vanuatu, appreciated the support from the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) and the Santiago Network, which combined forces to launch the inaugural integrated loss and damage and DRR initiative in Vanuatu.

    Kishore noted that, while many DRR practices are now in place, these need to be updated to deal with climate system changes and the associated risks, uncertainty, and volatility.

    Benoît Faraco, argued that the distinction between loss and damage, and DRR, is theoretical, and remains irrelevant to people on the ground who want response, prevention, action, and solidarity to alleviate their situation.

    Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, Executive Director, FRLD, emphasized the need to look at how interventions can be most impactful, stressing that solutions must be country-led, and recognize Indigenous groups and civil society participants. He expressed awareness that the FRLD must be “nimble, accessible, flexible and built on partnerships, always ensuring no one is left behind.”

    Carolina Fuentes Castellanos, Director, Santiago Network Secretariat, elaborated on how the network is supporting countries to accelerate loss and damage, using Vanuatu’s experience to demonstrate how the Network can accelerate fund distribution and support with bold and transformative support.

    Jagan Chapagain, Secretary-General, IFRC, cautioned that the terms loss and damage represent different meanings to communities, but the bottom line is to ensure the funds really reach the local level.

    Thematic Sessions

    Catalyzing governance solutions for disaster and climate-related displacement

    Irwin Loy, The New Humanitarian, moderated this session.

    John Mussington, activist and displaced person, Antigua & Barbuda, described his work of founding the community network, Stronger Caribbean Together, with others displaced by “disaster capitalism”, as storm-damaged sites are cleared for tourism development.

    Sakiasi Ditoka, Minister of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management, Fiji, highlighted the 2023 Pacific Regional Mobility Framework and Fiji’s own planned relocation guidelines.

    Zahra Abdi Mohamed, Director-General, National Center for Rural Development and Durable Solutions, Somalia, described Somalia’s National Transformation Plan that prioritizes anticipatory action and climate-smart livelihoods, responding to the needs of long-term displaced communities.

    Fatimah Zannah Mustapha, community representative, Nigeria, called for centering the voices of local women in decision making by removing barriers, “whether digital, linguistic, or cultural.” Claudinne Ogaldes Cruz, Executive Secretary, National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED), Guatemala, noted that many Guatemalan households are women-led and have the knowledge to inform decision making.

    Robert Piper, former UN Secretary-General’s Advisor on Solutions to Internal Displacement, said line ministries responsible for decisions on land use and building codes-“those who are responsible for dealing with the failure to prevent”-must become deeply involved in the governance of disaster displacement.

    Leveraging Values of Nature for Resilience: Moderated by Cecilia Aipira, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the session addressed the role of nature-based solutions (NbS) in DRR.

    In his keynote, Mohammed-Yahya Lafdal, General Director, National Environment and Coastline Observatory, Mauritania, highlighted the increase in tree cover through reforestation and restoration, taking into account Indigenous knowledge and solutions, and the development of barrier systems for water distribution and management in desert areas. He emphasized how addressing land degradation and rehabilitation has been Mauritania’s best solution for increasing resilience.

    Rodrigo Hernández Escobar, Representative of the Latin American and Caribbean Indigenous Knowledge & DRR Network, highlighted political will and respect for Indigenous cosmovision and territories as key elements for leveraging traditional knowledge into programmes supporting NbS. Isaac Luwaga Mugumbule, Head of Landscaping, Kampala Capital City Authority, Uganda, stated that NbS are context-specific and require community involvement to be sustained.

    Professor Satoru Nishikawa, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), stressed the need for scientific numerical quantification, analysis, and testing on the strengths and durability of NbS. Swenja Surminski, London School of Economics, noting that NbS “are not silver bullets,” stressed the need to work with nature, drawing attention to NbS co-benefits. Oliver Schelske, Swiss Re Institute, noting the absence of standardized values for nature, emphasized that even if “not everything is insurable,” investing in nature makes sense from an insurance perspective, as it reduces risks to the asset being insured.

    On the prerequisites for NbS to be viable, speakers mentioned common sense, co-benefit considerations, identifying the number of protected lives, and conducting independent auditing.

    Thematic Sessions as visual summaries capturing key messages and insights. Source: IISD/ENB | Anastasia Rodopoulou.

    Side event

    Inclusive comprehensive school safety—Strengthening resilience for children and youth in all hazards

    This side event, organized and facilitated by the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sector (GADRRRES), showcased school safety and resilience programmes from Central Asia, the Pacific region and the Caribbean.

    Anja Nielsen, Co-Chair, GADRRRES, gave an overview of CSSF, noting the all-hazards, all-risks approach that includes environmental, climate change, and biological health risks, technical threats, and other everyday risks. She elaborated on the global school safety survey, representing 350 million school-aged children, and highlighted, among other concerns, that significant infrastructure investment is needed to better protect children and teachers from natural hazards, with most suffering from funding constraints.

    Education administrators from Saint Lucia, Tonga, and Kyrgyzstan described CSSF activities and outcomes from their regions, and emphasized: involving the children actively in school safety is a game changer; collaboration is the essence of resilience, requiring whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches; and building capacity at all levels, particularly teachers, for comprehensive school safety is key.

    IISD’s summary

    The summary report of the meeting will be available on Monday, 9 June 2025, here.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Bonamici, Goldman Lead Bill to Protect Student Access to Summer Meals

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Suzanne Bonamici (1st District Oregon)

    WASHINGTON, DC [6/5/25] –Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Congressman Dan Goldman (D-NY) introduced legislation to protect access to nutritious meals for children during the summer months.

    Families of students eligible for free or reduced-price school meals can receive a $40 per month per child grocery benefit during the summer through the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (S-EBT) Program. This program has successfully reduced hunger during the summer months, but some EBT cardholders have had their benefits stolen by skimming devices illegally installed on point-of-sale terminals. 

    The Mitigating Electronic Access Losses for Students (MEALS) Act will allow for the replacement of S-EBT benefits that have been targeted by scammers. Currently, EBT cardholders have limited protection and may lose all of their benefits if criminals skim their information and then cash out their benefits. 

    “Students should not have to go hungry if their families fall prey to scammers who install illegal skimming devices at the places where they buy groceries,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “The MEALS Act is commonsense legislation that will prevent the theft of S-EBT benefits and restore those that are stolen. This legislation will help keep hungry kids fed when school is out during the summer.”

    “It is unconscionable that any child should go hungry in the wealthiest nation on earth,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “As lawmakers, we have a moral and legislative duty to ensure that every child has access to nutritious food year-round, especially during the summer months, when free or reduced-price school meals are unavailable. The Summer EBT program is a proven tool for combating food insecurity, yet far too often, these essential benefits are stolen through no fault of the families who rely on them. This is unacceptable. We must create a clear and efficient process to replace skimmed Summer EBT benefits quickly and in their entirety so that no child suffers due to theft or bureaucratic failure.” 

    This is the second year of Oregon’s Summer EBT program. On May 22, 2025, around 336,000 children received the grocery benefit to purchase nutritious meals during the summer break. 

    The MEALS Act will:

    1. Require the Secretary of Agriculture to
      1. Issue guidance to State agencies and covered Indian Tribal organizations (ITOs) in detecting and preventing theft of summer EBT benefits, and issue a rule for participating State agencies and ITOs to take appropriate security measures and implement procedures for the replacement of summer EBT benefits;
      2. Coordinate with the Office of Family Assistance at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to determine how summer EBT benefits are being stolen and establish measures to prevent summer EBT benefits from being stolen and establish standard reporting methods;
      3. Submit a report to Congress that includes the prevalence of summer EBT theft and measures establishes by the Secretary and AG;
      4. Replace stolen summer EBT benefits, and State agencies and covered ITOs to submit claims for replacement benefits that include a signed statement by the affected household, data reports on benefit theft, and planned use of benefit theft prevention measures;
    2. Require GAO to submit a report to Congress that examines the risks related to summer EBT benefit payment system security and policy recommendations to improving the summer EBT payment system. 

    A summary of the Meals Act can be found here, and the full text can be found here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Center Opening June 4 in Phelps County

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Disaster Recovery Center Opening June 4 in Phelps County

    Disaster Recovery Center Opening June 4 in Phelps County

    Cape Girardeau – A Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) will open tomorrow, June 4 in Phelps County to assist Missourians who sustained damage to their primary residence, personal property, or have emergency needs due to the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and wildfires on March 14-15, 2025

     Those with disaster-related damage in Bollinger, Butler, Camden, Carter, Franklin, Howell, Iron, Jefferson, Oregon, Ozark, Perry, Phelps, Reynolds, Ripley, St

    Louis, Wayne, Webster, and Wright counties may be eligible for assistance by registering with FEMA

     At the center, affected individuals can get help applying for disaster assistance, speak to state or federal representatives, receive updates on their FEMA application, and more

     The center will open Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 8:00 a

    m

    CDT

    See locations and hours below:Phelps County Courthouse Community Room200 N

    Main StreetRolla, MO 65401Hours of operation – Mon – Sat: 8 a

    m

    to 7 p

    m

    (Closed Sundays)FEMA financial assistance may include money for basic home repairs, personal property losses or other underinsured/uninsured, disaster-related needs such as childcare, transportation, medical needs, funeral, or dental expenses

      It is not necessary to go to a DRC to apply for FEMA assistance

     The fastest way to apply is online at DisasterAssistance

    gov or via the FEMA app

     You may also call 1-800-621-3362

    If you use a relay service, such as video relay, captioned telephone, or other service, notify FEMA by calling 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) or 1-800- 621-3362 (VRS)

    Affected individuals who register for FEMA assistance will receive a decision letter by mail or on their DisasterAssistance

    gov account

     If the letter says you are “not approved” for some categories of assistance, it does not mean you have been denied assistance

     It is important to read the letter carefully as it will explain your application status and advise what you need to do to continue the process

     Missourians who need disaster information, shelter information or referrals, or would like to volunteer are urged to call 211 or 1-800-427-4626

    Multilingual services are available, and the 211 service is available throughout Missouri

    For out-of-state access: 314-421-0700

     The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and FEMA advise individuals and businesses impacted by the disaster to report damage to their local emergency management officials

    Local officials can connect survivors to resources being provided by state departments and non-governmental organizations assisting with unmet needs

    If you have questions about your FEMA letter, visit a Disaster Recovery Center or call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362

      
    amy

    ashbridge
    Thu, 06/05/2025 – 21:13

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fires Near Alberta’s Oil Sands

    Source: NASA

    Canada has vast boreal forests that span from the Yukon in the west to Newfoundland and Labrador in the east. Each year, thousands of wildland fires char millions of hectares of these forests, particularly in the northern areas, where few people live and development is scarce. Indeed, some amount of fire is beneficial to boreal forest health and biodiversity.
    Challenges arise when human activity and fires collide, as they did in May and June 2025, when several large fires raged in northern Alberta’s oil sands region. The fast-developing region is home to the world’s fourth-largest proven oil reserves. The oil sands accounted for 58 percent of oil production in Canada in 2023, according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
    On May 30, 2025, the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 captured this false-color image of charred lands around oil infrastructure near Conklin. This band combination (6-5-3) helps to distinguish between unburned vegetated areas (green) and recently burned landscapes (brown). Thicker parts of the smoke plume appear light blue. Well pads and other gas and oil infrastructure appear as rectangular clearings connected by roads.
    In June, news reports indicated that fires in Alberta forced some companies to evacuate workers and temporarily pushed a portion of the province’s oil production offline. Subsequent reports indicated that production resumed after conditions improved. Alberta still had 51 out-of-control wildfires burning on June 4, 2025, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center.
    NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CPSC Highlights the Safety of Older Americans During National Safety Month

    Source: US Consumer Product Safety Commission

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Consumer products present significant injury risks to older Americans, sending more than three million seniors to the hospital each year. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is hard at work addressing these hazards and helping them to live safer, more independent lives.
    According to CPSC’s most recent report, Senior Injuries and Deaths Associated with Consumer Products: 2024 Report, consumer products are associated with 41,000 senior deaths each year. CPSC is emphasizing the importance of keeping older adults safe during June—National Safety Month. 
    This report comes as the CPSC sets yet another recall record for products violating the Safety Standard for Adult Portable Bed Rails. Last week CPSC announced the results of a recent enforcement sweep targeting these products, which can pose deadly entrapment and strangulation hazards when they do not comply with federal safety standards. In doing so, CPSC secured remedies for consumers in multiple recalls, totaling more than 95,000 units.
    “CPSC continues to carry out its vital mission and is outpacing key safety and performance metrics from recent years, including with respect to senior safety,” said Acting Chairman Peter Feldman. “I want to recognize the leadership of my colleague Commissioner Dziak, who has done more than others to advance this cause.”
    “My family has seen firsthand how a senior injury can change lives forever,” said Commissioner Douglas Dziak. “Several years ago, my mother-in-law suffered a serious head injury after an in-home fall. She has never fully recovered and requires significant ongoing treatment and care. Unfortunately, as the Commission’s report describes, our story is not unique, and I will continue to prioritize senior safety by seeking to reduce consumer hazards for seniors and increase awareness regarding senior injury risk.”
    Older adults and their caregivers can work to prevent these tragic injuries and deaths by following these safety steps:

    Check if the portable adult bed rails in your home have been recalled. If they have, do not use them. If purchasing new ones, look for bed rails that meet the ASTM voluntary standard ASTM F3186 – 17, Standard Specification for Adult Portable Bed Rails and Related Products.
    Install handrails on both sides of any stairs in your home and grab bars in bathrooms. Keep stairs well-lit and free of clutter.
    Install smoke alarms on every level of the home, outside sleeping areas and inside each bedroom. Install carbon monoxide alarms on each floor outside sleeping areas.
    Do not wear loose clothing while cooking on the stove. The clothing can catch fire. Keep an eye on food cooking on the stovetop and in the oven. Stand by your pan.
    Do not swim alone. Take swimming lessons. Use a U.S. Coast Guard-approved flotation device if you are unsure of your swimming ability.
    Never operate a portable generator inside the home. Generators should be used outside at least 20 feet away from the house, and never near windows or vents.
    Watch for traffic and wear the appropriate gear when riding four-wheelers, bicycles and e-scooters, including bicycle helmets.

    For more tips go to Older Adult Safety | CPSC.gov. 

    About the U.S. CPSCThe U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. Since the CPSC was established more than 50 years ago, it has worked to ensure the safety of consumer products, which has contributed to a decline in injuries associated with these products. 
    Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC.
    For lifesaving information:

    MIL OSI USA News –