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  • MIL-OSI Security: Moser RIver — RCMP arrests two women in Moser River following an altercation

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment has arrested two women in Moser River following a report of an altercation.

    This morning, at approximately 1:10 a.m., RCMP officers responded to a report of an altercation at a home on Moser River North Rd. When officers arrived, six adults were located inside the residence; five of whom displayed signs of impairment.

    While gathering information, one RCMP officer was assaulted by a 20-year-old woman from Halifax. During her arrest she assaulted a second officer.

    Through the investigation, it was learned that a 19-year-old woman present in the home, who is also from Halifax, had lied about her identity and was currently wanted on a province-wide arrest warrant. She was safely arrested.

    The 20-year-old woman was later released on conditions. She is scheduled to appear in Dartmouth Provincial Court on July 23, at 9:30 a.m., to face two counts of Assaulting a Peace Officer, Resisting Arrest and Mischief.

    The 19-year-old woman was later released. She is scheduled to appear in court at a later date to face a charge of Obstructing a Peace Officer.

    The investigation into an assault that occurred at the home between the persons present is ongoing.

    File #: 25-78392

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: New MLPerf Training v5.0 Benchmark Results Reflect Rapid Growth and Evolution of the Field of AI

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN FRANCISCO, June 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, MLCommons® announced new results for the MLPerf® Training v5.0 benchmark suite, highlighting the rapid growth and evolution of the field of AI. This round of benchmark results includes a record number of total submissions, as well as increased submissions for most benchmarks in the suite compared to the v4.1 benchmark.

    MLPerf Training v5.0 introduces new Llama 3.1 405B benchmark

    The MLPerf Training benchmark suite comprises full system tests that stress models, software, and hardware for a range of machine learning (ML) applications. The open-source and peer-reviewed benchmark suite provides a level playing field for competition that drives innovation, performance, and energy efficiency for the entire industry.

    Version 5.0 introduces a new large language model pretraining benchmark based on the Llama 3.1 405B generative AI system, which is the largest model to be introduced in the training benchmark suite. It replaces the gpt3-based benchmark included in previous versions of the MLPerf Training benchmark suite. An MLPerf Training task force selected the new benchmark because it is a competitive model representative of the current state-of-the-art LLMs, including recent algorithmic updates and training on more tokens. More information on the new benchmark can be found here. Despite just being introduced, the Llama 3.1 405B benchmark is already receiving more submissions than the gpt3-based predecessor saw in previous rounds – demonstrating the popularity and importance of large-scale training.

    Rapid performance improvements for key training scenarios

    The MLPerf Training working group regularly adds emerging training workloads to the benchmark suite to ensure that it reflects industry trends. The Training 5.0 benchmark results show notable performance improvements for newer benchmarks, indicating that the industry is prioritizing emerging training workloads over older ones. The Stable Diffusion benchmark saw a 2.28x speed increase for 8-processor systems compared to the 4.1 version six months ago, and the Llama 2.0 70B LoRA benchmark increased its speed 2.10x versus version 4.1; both outpacing historical expectations for computing performance improvements over time as per Moore’s Law. Older benchmarks in the suite saw more modest performance improvements.

    On multi-node, 64-processor systems, the RetinaNet benchmark saw a 1.43x speedup compared to the prior v3.1 benchmark round (the most recent to include comparable scale systems), while the Stable Diffusion benchmark had a dramatic 3.68x increase.

    “This is the sign of a robust technology innovation cycle and co-design: AI takes advantage of new systems, but the systems are also evolving to support high-priority scenarios,” said Shriya Rishab, MLPerf Training working group co-chair.

    Increasing diversity of processors, increasing scale of systems, broadening ecosystem

    Submissions to MLPerf Training 5.0 utilized 12 unique processors, all in the available (production) category. Five of the processors have become publicly available since the last version of the benchmark suite.

    • AMD Instinct MI300X 192GB HBM3
    • AMD Instinct MI325X 256GB HBM3e
    • NVIDIA Blackwell GPU (GB200)
    • NVIDIA Blackwell GPU (B200-SXM-180GB)
    • TPU-trillium

    Submissions also included three new processor families:

    • 5th Generation AMD Epyc Processor (“Turin”)
    • Intel Xeon 6 Processor (“Granite Rapids”)
    • Neoverse V2 as part of NVIDIA GB200

    In addition, the number of multi-node systems submitted increased more than 1.8x when compared to version 4.1.

    “The picture is clear: AI workloads are scaling up, systems are scaling up to run them, and hardware innovation continues to boost performance for key scenarios,” said Hiwot Kassa, MLPerf Training working group co-chair. “In-house large scale systems were built by few companies, but the increased proliferation – and competition – in AI-optimized systems is enabling the broader community to scale up their own infrastructure. Most notably, we see an increasing cadre of cloud service providers offering access to large-scale systems, democratizing access to training large models.

    “The industry is not standing still, and neither can we. MLCommons is committed to continuing to evolve our benchmark suite so that we can capture and report on the innovation that is happening in the field of AI.”

    Record industry participation

    The MLPerf Training v5.0 round includes 201 performance results from 20 submitting organizations: AMD, ASUSTeK, Cisco Systems Inc., CoreWeave, Dell Technologies, GigaComputing, Google Cloud, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM, Krai, Lambda, Lenovo, MangoBoost, Nebius, NVIDIA, Oracle, Quanta Cloud Technology, SCITIX, Supermicro, and TinyCorp.

    “We would especially like to welcome first-time MLPerf Training submitters AMD, IBM, MangoBoost, Nebius, and SCITIX,” said David Kanter, Head of MLPerf at MLCommons. ”I would also like to highlight Lenovo’s first set of power benchmark submissions in this round – energy efficiency in AI training systems is an increasingly critical issue in need of accurate measurement.”

    MLPerf Training v5.0 set a new high-water mark for the >200 submissions. The vast majority of the individual benchmark tests that carried over from the previous round saw an increase in submissions.

    Robust participation by a broad set of industry stakeholders strengthens the AI/ML ecosystem as a whole and helps to ensure that the benchmark is serving the community’s needs. We invite submitters and other stakeholders to join the MLPerf Training working group and help us continue to evolve the benchmark.

    View the results

    To view the full results for MLPerf Training v5.0 and find additional information about the benchmarks, please visit the Training benchmark page.

    About ML Commons

    MLCommons is the world’s leader in AI benchmarking. An open engineering consortium supported by over 125 members and affiliates, MLCommons has a proven record of bringing together academia, industry, and civil society to measure and improve AI. The foundation for MLCommons began with the MLPerf benchmarks in 2018, which rapidly scaled as a set of industry metrics to measure machine learning performance and promote transparency of machine learning techniques. Since then, MLCommons has continued using collective engineering to build the benchmarks and metrics required for better AI – ultimately helping to evaluate and improve AI technologies’ accuracy, safety, speed, and efficiency.

    For additional information on MLCommons and details on becoming a member, please visit MLCommons.org or email participation@mlcommons.org.

    Press Inquiries: contact press@mlcommons.org

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/25f6643c-9978-4344-8c45-75336a9497dd

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7781c2e5-02ce-4b69-b92b-c12c7e3a48fd

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: IOM Leads Relief Efforts as Monsoon Rains Damage Nearly 2,000 Shelters in Rohingya Camps

    Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

    Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, 4 June 2025 – Days of intense monsoon rains and high winds have triggered landslides, floods, and widespread damage across the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, impacting nearly 16,000 people across 17 IOM-managed camps, injuring at least 14 and leaving many families in urgent need of assistance. 

    Over 1,900 shelters have been reported damaged, many of them beyond repair, while critical access routes have been blocked and drainage systems overwhelmed. Although the rains have eased off somewhat, intermittent downpours continue to complicate recovery efforts and risk further destruction. 

    “The scale of devastation caused by these early monsoon rains is alarming, especially in such a precarious setting where people are already extremely vulnerable,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope. “Our teams are working tirelessly alongside community volunteers and partners to ensure that families are safe, with adequate shelter and other vital support. We need to act now to make sure the situation doesn’t go from bad to worse.” 

    The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in coordination with Bangladesh authorities and partners under the Inter-Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), has launched an emergency response. Over 1,400 community disaster management volunteers and 300 additional community responders have been deployed across the camps to support emergency relocations, rescue operations, and initial damage assessments. 

    Nearly 5,000 Rohingya refugees have been mobilized through cash-for-work activities to help clear fallen trees, unblock drainage channels, and restore access to essential facilities. Teams are also working to prevent further landslides by covering vulnerable slopes with tarpaulin. In total, over 13,500 square meters of slopes have been secured, dozens of fallen trees have been removed, and nearly 10,000 meters of drainage have been cleaned to reduce the risk of flooding. 

    Emergency shelter distributions are underway for affected families, including technical assistance for the repair and reconstruction of damaged homes, especially for those identified as extremely vulnerable. Shelter, water and sanitation facilities are also being assessed and repaired, while hot meals are being provided to displaced families sheltering in communal spaces. 

    IOM continues to coordinate closely with authorities and humanitarian actors to protect lives and restore safe access to services. As the monsoon season advances, slope stabilization, drainage clearance, and promoting awareness of disaster risk reduction will be key to achieving these aims. 

    For more information, please contact IOM Media Centre. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Endangered North Carolina Frog Gets a Head Start 

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Endangered North Carolina Frog Gets a Head Start 

    Endangered North Carolina Frog Gets a Head Start 
    jejohnson6

    KURE BEACH

    Carolina gopher frog populations declining in the wild are getting a leg up through the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (NCAFF) head starting initiative. Led by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), head starting is one focus of their Gopher Frog Conservation Plan with NCAFF and other partners. NCAFF is one of three Aquariums and a pier operated by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR).
     

    The Aquarium implemented the initiative in 2011 to augment  wild populations of these state endangered amphibians. The NCWRC team collects small portions of each egg mass and delivers them to the Aquarium team for care until frogs emerge. This year’s crop, now in tadpole stage, is from Southport near the Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point. Staff divided 444 tadpoles among 12 mesocosms, controlled small-scale ecosystems designed to mimic natural environments. The next step is to release the frogs to this same location.

    HEADSTARTING

    NCAFF aquarists suggested the plan after monitoring egg masses in Holly Shelter Game Land alongside NCWRC staff for several years. The number of frogs appeared low—as few as six to eight egg masses deposited in some years. Because of drought conditions, the pond had just enough water to stimulate the frogs to breed, but would not hold water long enough for the tadpoles to fully develop. Head starting gives them the right environment to go from tadpole to frog in their journey back into the wild.

    “We have continued to receive great support for our head starting work through the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission for the Carolina Gopher Frog and we look forward to a successful release in the coming weeks,” said Ryan McAlarney, husbandry curator, NCAFF. “The conservation of this species is important to the mission of the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.” 

    HISTORY AND HABITAT

    The gopher frog, Rana capito, requires both appropriate breeding ponds and upland terrestrial habitat. Breeding ponds must be large enough to retain water throughout the tadpole stage, but shallow enough to dry periodically, because the gopher frog does not tolerate fish. Additionally, these ponds must be relatively open canopy with plenty of grasses where gopher frogs deposit their egg masses and developing tadpoles feed.

    POPULATION DECLINE

    The gopher frog was once found in many ponds across the southeastern Coastal Plain, ranging from North Carolina through South Carolina and Georgia, across Florida and into Alabama. However, many of these wetlands, or the uplands they are associated with, are gone. Historically found in at least 23 populations in North Carolina among 53 ephemeral ponds, the species is now only found in seven populations, with only 14 of those historical ponds still being used by gopher frogs. Most of these ponds have been destroyed or altered significantly; for example, deepened and stocked with fish.
    CALL TO ACTION

    • Service vehicles regularly to avoid leaking toxic fluid into waterways or wetlands.
    • Put bug spray on before you go into a wildlife habitat so that you don’t introduce it into the animal’s home.
    • Don’t touch frogs or toads. Their skin is very thin, and they can absorb anything from your skin, and it may be toxic to them.
    • Choose environmentally friendly pesticides and herbicides.
    • Drive extra carefully during and after spring rains, when amphibians are most likely to be crossing roads as they travel to breeding ponds.

    ###

    About the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher  
    The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is just south of Kure Beach, a short drive from Wilmington on U.S. 421 and less than a mile from the Fort Fisher ferry terminal. The Aquarium is one of three Aquariums and a pier that make up the North Carolina Aquariums, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The mission of the Aquarium is to inspire appreciation and conservation of our aquatic environments. The Aquarium features a 235-000-gallon sand tiger shark habitat, an albino alligator, a bald eagle, a loggerhead sea turtle habitat and two families of mischievous Asian small-clawed otters.

    Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission: $12.95 ages 13-61; $10.95 children ages 3-12; $11.95 seniors (62 and older) and military with valid identification; NC EBT card holders*: $3. Free admission for children 2 and younger and N.C. Aquarium Society members and N.C. Zoo members. *EBT rate is applicable to a maximum of four tickets.

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

    The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
    May 30, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Juneteenth Observances Set Across the State

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Juneteenth Observances Set Across the State

    Juneteenth Observances Set Across the State
    jejohnson6

    To commemorate Juneteenth, numerous N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources sites across the state will feature events and tours throughout June.

    Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that the Civil War had ended and ensure that all enslaved people were freed. It signifies the official end of slavery in the United States.

    The North Carolina African American Heritage Commission is excited to share the 2025 Juneteenth Celebration Toolkit. The toolkit is an interactive slide deck that invites readers to learn about North Carolina’s unique liberation stories of African Americans.

    The NCAAHC has partnered with two N.C. State Historic Sites — the N.C. State Capitol and Bennett Place — to share their sites’ Liberation Stories. To access and learn more about the toolkit, visit https://aahc.nc.gov/2025-juneteenth-toolkit.

    The commission will host two events at the N.C. Freedom Park site in June.

    The NCAAHC and the North Carolina State Capitol will host walking tours of the Capitol grounds and Freedom Park Saturday, June 14 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

    On Saturday, June 21, the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission invites visitors to N.C. Freedom Park in downtown Raleigh to celebrate the inspiration and reflections of North Carolina’s African American history. Led by the dynamic vocalist and historian Mary D. Williams, the event will feature tables inviting attendees to explore Freedom Park and the valuable resources offered by the African American Heritage Commission, the State Library of North Carolina, and the State Archives of North Carolina.

    For information about the commission’s June events, visit https://aahc.nc.gov/events.

    For more information about Juneteenth, including how the holiday is being marked at sites across the state, visit the 2025 Juneteenth Event Calendar | NCAAHC.

    DNCR Juneteenth Observances

    North Carolina African American Heritage Commission
    1 E. Edenton St, Raleigh, NC 27601
    Voices of Freedom Walking Tour
    June 14, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
    On Saturday, June 14, in commemoration and honor of Juneteenth, the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission and the North Carolina State Capitol invite visitors to downtown Raleigh for walking tours of the Capitol grounds and Freedom Park. Tours will take place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. This new guided walking tour will connect the history of the Capitol to individuals highlighted in Freedom Park. Tour topics include the enslaved men whose skill and labor constructed the Capitol, the stories of the Civil Rights movement in downtown Raleigh, and the African Americans who fought for freedom across our state’s history. Participants have a chance to win a NCAAHC tote bag at the end of each tour. Register by visiting https://www.eventbrite.com/e/voices-of-freedom-walking-tour-tickets-1355351806739. Contact: ncaahc@ncdcr.gov

    Songs of Liberation at NC Freedom Park
    218 N. Wilmington St., Raleigh, NC 27601
    June 21, 2-4 p.m.
    NC Freedom Park celebrates the inspiration and reflections of North Carolina’s African American history. Led by the dynamic vocalist and historian Mary D. Williams, this incredible performance honors the ideals of NC Freedom Park. The event will also feature tables inviting attendees to explore NC Freedom Park and the valuable resources offered by the African American Heritage Commission, the State Library of North Carolina, and the State Archives of North Carolina. Contact: ncaahc@ncdcr.gov

    North Carolina Museum of Art
    2110 Blue Ridge Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607
    Open Stu: Proofs of Black Life
    Friday, June 20, 6-11 p.m.
    This Juneteenth weekend, join artists Derrick Beasley and Marcella Zigbuo Camara for Proofs of Black Life, a special edition of their ongoing community series, Open Stu.

    Open Stu: Proofs of Black Life is an invitation to the North Carolina creative community to create archival memory that centers Blackness. With the NCMA’s current exhibition, The Time Is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure as a backdrop, attendees are invited to contribute to the expansive canon of Black cultural memory through portraiture and archiving. Childcare is available. Cash bar and refreshments. Contact: (919) 715-5923 or help@ncartmuseum.org

    Historic Stagville
    5828 Old Oxford Rd, Durham, NC 27712
    Emancipation Tours at Stagville
    Thursday, June 19, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.Each June, Historic Stagville offers special tours focused on Emancipation as part of the site’s commemoration of Juneteenth. This guided tour will highlight how enslaved people claimed their freedom at Stagville in 1865. Please call ahead for groups of 10 or more. Space may be limited in Juneteenth tours depending on guide availability. The event is free. Contact: (919) 620-0120, or stagville@dncr.nc.gov

    Juneteenth at Stagville
    5828 Old Oxford Rd, Durham, NC 27712
    Thursday, June 21, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
    Visit Stagville for the site’s Juneteenth program to remember and celebrate freedom at one of the state’s largest plantations. Explore local history about slavery and emancipation in Piedmont, North Carolina. Visit the original slave quarters at Horton Grove to reflect and remember those who survived slavery. Discover real stories of African American families who witnessed emancipation. Stories of love, loss, family, and resistance illuminate the complex history of freedom in 1865. This year will be the 19th annual Juneteenth program at Historic Stagville. Free. Contact: (919) 620-0120, or stagville@dncr.nc.gov

    Museum of the Albemarle
    501 S. Water St., Elizabeth City, NC, 27909
    Take It, Make It: Celebrate Freedom on Juneteenth
    Saturday, June 14, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
    Stop by and pick up a free Take It, Make It Packet to celebrate Juneteenth! You’ll find at-home activities, learning resources, and information about regional sites that explore the history of slavery and emancipation in northeastern North Carolina. Packets are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Contact: Noah Janis, (252) 331-4032, or noah.janis@dncr.nc.gov

    Lake Norman State Park
    759 State Park Rd. Troutman, NC, 28166
    StoryWalk©: Juneteenth for Mazie and Make your own Juneteenth Flag
    June 1-30, All Day
    The story walk is all month-long during park hours.Take a break from the heat and walk around inside the visitor center at Lake Norman State Park to read Floyd Cooper’s “Juneteenth for Mazie.” Visitors can also enjoy a make-your-own Juneteenth Flag craft station. Juneteenth-themed books will feature on a table display, to help celebrate our newest federal holiday. “Juneteenth for Mazie” was written and illustrated by Floyd Cooper and was published by Picture Window Books in 2015. The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont. Contact: (704) 528-6350, or lake.norman@ncparks.gov

    Jones Lake State Park
    4117 N.C. 242 N., Elizabethtown, NC 28337
    StoryWalk©: Juneteenth for Mazie and Make your own Juneteenth Bracelet
    Thursday, June 19, 10-11 a.m.
    Join park staff in celebrating Juneteenth with a StoryWalk reading of Floyd Cooper’s “Juneteenth for Mazie” and bracelet making. The StoryWalk will be up throughout the week for all to enjoy. There will be Juneteenth bracelet making starting at 10 a.m. Participants should meet at the Jones Lake State Park Visitor Center at 10 a.m.Juneteenth-themed books will be featured on a table display. “Juneteenth for Mazie” was written and illustrated by Floyd Cooper and was published by Picture Window Books in 2015.The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont. Contact: Monique Mckoy, monique.mckoy@ncparks.gov

    Vance Birthplace
    911 Reems Creek Rd, Weaverville, NC 28787
    Summer Storytime
    Saturday, June 21,10 a.m.-2 p.m.
    Families with young children can enjoy stories themed around Juneteenth and the Fourth of July in the Vance house at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m. Try out fun crafts in the visitor center as well! This event is free and does not require registration in advance, but donations are accepted. Our storytimes will be held seasonally/quarterly. Children who attend multiple storytimes are eligible for fun, bookish prizes at our Christmas Storytime in December. Contact: vance@dncr.nc.gov, or (828) 645-6706.

    About the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission
    Created in 2008, the African American Heritage Commission is a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The commission works across the department to preserve, protect, and promote the state’s African American history, art, and culture for all people. Its endeavors include identifying heritage sites, compiling resources for educators, extending the work of national programs such as the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom Underground Railroad, and independent initiatives, including Oasis Spaces: Green Book Project African to Carolina, and much more. For additional information, please visit aahc.nc.gov

    About the North Carolina State Capitol
    The State Capitol’s mission is to preserve and interpret the history and function of the 1840 building and Union Square. It is within the Division of State Historic Sites within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and is located at One Edenton Street, Raleigh. For additional information, please call or visit historicsites.nc.gov/.

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

    The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
    May 30, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Aquatic WILD Workshop Gets Educators Outside at NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Aquatic WILD Workshop Gets Educators Outside at NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores

    Aquatic WILD Workshop Gets Educators Outside at NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
    jejohnson6

    PINE KNOLL SHORES

    Formal and informal educators get ready for a bit of fun this summer during an interactive, hands-on, STEM workshop called Aquatic WILD on June 9 at the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. The Aquarium is part of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

    Any interested teachers, informal educators, and homeschool parents can sign up for Aquatic WILD workshop from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. June 9 at the Aquarium.

    During the Aquatic WILD workshop, an interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program emphasizing wildlife, teachers will learn how to use the Aquatic WILD curriculum and activity guide, engage with other educators, and participate in WILD field investigations, STEM activities, outdoor activities, and connections to wildlife careers.

    “We hope that teachers will be able to use the WILD guides to incorporate environmental and conservation education into their daily teaching and be able to connect their students with the wildlife around them,” said Michelle Van-Hove, NCAPKS educator.

    All activities are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and North Carolina’s science, ELA, social studies, and math curriculums. Incorporating the curriculum in teachings will also help in WILD’s main goal of assisting students in developing awareness, responsible behavior, and constructive actions concerning wildlife and the environment.

    To register, visit the website www.ncaquariums.com/pks-teachers.

    About the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
    The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is five miles west of Atlantic Beach at 1 Roosevelt Blvd., Pine Knoll Shores, N.C. 28512. The Aquarium is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily. Its mission is to inspire the appreciation and conservation of North Carolina’s aquatic environments and animals. The Aquarium is under the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. For more information, please visit www.ncaquariums.com/pine-knoll-shores or call 252-247-4003.

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

    The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
    Jun 3, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Bentonville Battlefield’s ‘Heavy Thunder’ Event to Feature Cannon and Musket Demonstrations

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Bentonville Battlefield’s ‘Heavy Thunder’ Event to Feature Cannon and Musket Demonstrations

    Bentonville Battlefield’s ‘Heavy Thunder’ Event to Feature Cannon and Musket Demonstrations
    jejohnson6

    A free, family-friendly living-history event at Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site will bring the Civil War era to life.

    On Saturday. June 7, Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site, a part of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, will host its “Heavy Thunder: Summer Artillery and Infantry” program. The event runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Food vendors will be on site.

    Historic weapons demonstrations will occur at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. Costumed interpreters will perform infantry and artillery drills, while living-history displays offer a deeper understanding of 19th-century battlefield medicine and civilian life

    The Harper House, which served as a Union field hospital during the battle, will be open for tours throughout the day. An interpretive talk at noon in the visitor center will provide additional historical context.

    The Battle of Bentonville, fought March 19-21, 1865, was the largest battle fought in North Carolina and one of the last major battles in the Civil War. The sound of cannonfire during the battle, it was said, boomed with a distinct echo.

    “The din of battle roared like one continuous peel of heavy thunder,” wrote one eyewitness to the 1865 battle of Bentonville.

    About Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site
    Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site interprets the battle and the Harper House, a farmhouse used as a field hospital where surgeons treated nearly 600 men wounded in the battle. The site is located at 5466 Harper House Rd., Four Oaks, NC 27524, 3 miles north of Newton Grove on S.R. 1008, about one hour from Raleigh and about 45 minutes from Fayetteville. For more information, visit https://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/bentonville-battlefield or call (910) 594-0789.

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

    The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
    Jun 3, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: From sovereignty to sustainability: a brief history of ocean governance

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Kevin Parthenay, Professeur des Universités en science politique, membre de l’Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Université de Tours

    The United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) will open in Nice, France, on June 9, 2025. It is the third conference of its kind, following events in New York in 2017 and Lisbon in 2022. Co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, the conference will bring together 150 countries and nearly 30,000 individuals to discuss the sustainable management of our planet’s oceans.

    This event is presented as a pivotal moment, but it is actually part of a significant shift in marine governance that has been going on for decades. While ocean governance was once designed to protect the marine interests of states, nowadays it must also address the numerous climate and environmental challenges facing the oceans.

    Media coverage of this “political moment” however should not overshadow the urgent need to reform the international law applicable to the oceans. Failing that, this summit will risk being nothing more than another platform for vacuous rhetoric.

    To understand what is at stake, it is helpful to begin with a brief historical overview of marine governance.

    The meaning of ocean governance

    Ocean governance changed radically over the past few decades. The focus shifted from the interests of states and the corresponding body of international law, solidified in the 1980s, to a multilateral approach initiated at the end of the Cold War, involving a wide range of actors (international organizations, NGOs, businesses, etc.).

    This governance has gradually moved from a system of obligations pertaining to different marine areas and regimes of sovereignty associated to them (territorial seas, exclusive economic zones (EEZs), and the high seas) to a system that takes into consideration the “health of the oceans.” The aim of this new system is to manage the oceans in line with the sustainable development goals.

    Understanding how this shift occurred can help us grasp what is at stake in Nice. The 1990s were marked by declarations, summits and other global initiatives. However, as evidenced below, the success of these numerous initiatives has so far been limited. This explains why we are now seeing a return to an approach more firmly rooted in international law, as evidenced by the negotiations on the international treaty on plastic pollution, for example.

    The “Constitution of the Seas”

    The law of the sea emerged from the Hague Conference in 1930. However, the structure of marine governance gradually came to be defined in the 1980s, with the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982.

    UNOC 3 is a direct offshoot of this convention: discussions on sustainable ocean management stem from the limitations of this founding text, often referred to as the “Constitution of the Seas”.

    UNCLOS was adopted in December 1982 at the Montego Bay Convention in Jamaica and came into force in November 1994, following a lengthy process of international negotiations that resulted in 60 states ratifying the text. At the outset, the discussions focused on the interests of developing countries, especially those located along the coast, in the midst of a crisis in multilateralism. The United States managed to exert its influence in this arena without ever officially adopting the Convention. Since then, the convention has been a pillar of marine governance.

    It established new institutions, including the International Seabed Authority, entrusted with the responsibility of regulating the exploitation of mineral resources on the seabed in areas that fall outside the scope of national jurisdiction. UNCLOS is the source of nearly all international case law on the subject.

    Although the convention did define maritime areas and regulate their exploitation, new challenges quickly emerged: on the one hand, the Convention was essentially rendered meaningless by the eleven-year delay between its adoption and implementation. On the other hand, the text also became obsolete due to new developments in the use of the seas, particularly technological advances in fishing and seabed exploitation.

    The early 1990s marked a turning point in the traditional maritime legal order. The management of the seas and oceans came to be viewed within an environmental perspective, a process that was driven by major international conferences and declarations such as the Rio Declaration (1992), the Millennium Declaration (2005), and the Rio+20 Summit (2012). These resulted in the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN’s 17 goals aimed at protecting the planet (with SDG 14, “Life Below Water”, directly addressing issues related to the oceans) and the world’s population by 2030.


    A weekly e-mail in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter!

    The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, or Earth Summit), held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992, ushered in the era of “sustainable development” and, thanks to scientific discoveries made in the previous decade, helped link environmental and maritime issues.

    From 2008 to 2015, environmental issues became more important as evidenced by the regular adoption of environmental and climate resolutions.

    A shift in UN language

    Biodiversity and the sustainable use of the oceans (SDG 14) are the two core themes that became recurring topics in the international agenda since 2015, with ocean-related issues now including items like acidification, plastic pollution and the decline of marine biodiversity.

    The United Nations General Assembly resolution on oceans and the law of the seas (LOS is a particularly useful tool to acknowledge this evolution: drafted annually since 1984, the resolution has covered all aspects of the United Nations maritime regime while reflecting new issues and concerns.

    Some environmental terms were initially absent from the text but have become more prevalent since the 2000s.

    This evolution is also reflected in the choice of words.

    While LOS resolutions from 1984 to 1995 focused mainly on the implementation of the treaty and the economic exploitation of marine resources, more recent resolutions have used terms related to sustainability, ecosystems, and maritime issues.

    Toward a new law of the oceans?

    As awareness of the issues surrounding the oceans and their link to climate change has grown, the oceans gradually became a global “final frontier” in terms of knowledge.

    The types of stakeholders involved in ocean issues have also changed. The expansion of the ocean agenda has been driven by a more “environmentalist” orientation, with scientific communities and environmental NGOs standing at the forefront of this battle. This approach, which represents a shift away from a monopoly held by international law and legal practitioners, clearly is a positive development.

    However, marine governance has so far relied mainly on non-binding declaratory measures (such as the SDGs) and remains ineffective. A cycle of legal consolidation toward a “new law of the oceans” therefore appears to be underway and the challenge is now to supplement international maritime law with a new set of measures. These include:

    Of these agreements, the BBNJ is arguably the most ambitious: since 2004, negotiators have been working toward filling the gaps of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) by creating an instrument on marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

    The agreement addresses two major concerns for states: sovereignty and the equitable distribution of resources.

    Adopted in 2023, this historic agreement has yet to enter into force. For this to happen, sixty ratifications are required and to date, only 29 states have ratified the treaty (including France in February 2025, editor’s note).

    The BBNJ process is therefore at a crossroads and the priority today is not to make new commitments or waste time on complicated high-level declarations, but to address concrete and urgent issues of ocean management, such as the frantic quest for critical minerals launched in the context of the Sino-American rivalry, and exemplified by Donald Trump’s signing of a presidential decree in April 2025 allowing seabed mining – a decision that violates the International Seabed Authority’s well established rules on the exploitation of these deep-sea resources.

    At a time when U.S. unilateralism is leading to a policy of fait accompli, the UNOC 3 should, more than anything and within the framework of multilateralism, consolidate the existing obligations regarding the protection and sustainability of the oceans.

    Kevin Parthenay is a member of the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF).

    Rafael Mesquita ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

    – ref. From sovereignty to sustainability: a brief history of ocean governance – https://theconversation.com/from-sovereignty-to-sustainability-a-brief-history-of-ocean-governance-258200

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour: The changing landscape and talent development initiatives for Malaysia’s financial sector

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    It is a privilege to stand before you at this conferment ceremony, where we celebrate the achievements of more than 600 individuals who demonstrated dedication and outstanding achievement in banking. We are also honouring the conferment of Honorary Fellowship to Governor Eli, and paying tribute to the lifetime achievement of Tan Sri Azman Hashim, Fellow Chartered Banker (FCB), both outstanding individuals who have made immense contributions and shown commitment to excellence, which we can all strive to emulate.

    About a month ago, we welcomed our regional partners for the ASEAN meetings. We had the opportunity to engage deeply on the region’s most pressing challenges, namely the uncertainty from the US tariff announcements, the acceleration of digital transformation and the urgency of promoting sustainability practices.

    These challenges underscore the critical need for the financial sector to adapt and evolve in response to an ever-changing landscape. To navigate these complexities, continuous investments in talent are not merely an option but a necessity. By equipping our workforce with the necessary skills and knowledge, we empower them to transform challenges into opportunities and drive our economy forward. The knowledge, devotion and tenacity that have brought all conferees together today are the essential foundations that will propel Malaysia to greater heights.

    Global trade uncertainty, digitalisation and sustainability will shape the financial sector landscape in Malaysia

    Ladies and gentlemen,

    Our banking sector has been no stranger to formidable challenges. Yet, in recent years, we have been faced with transformative forces that could redefine the landscape of banking. Allow me to expand on three pivotal areas which I mentioned earlier: economic uncertainty, digital transformation and sustainability, and their implications on the banking sector workforce.

    As I speak, global trade uncertainty continues to persist, arising from a growing push for greater protectionism and a shift away from globalised supply chains. As a small open economy, the escalation in trade tensions and global policy uncertainties will affect Malaysia. However, we are facing this from a position of strength. Our economy will continue to grow, anchored by continued household spending and steady expansion in investment activities. Externally, resilient underlying demand for E&E goods and a sustained momentum of tourism activity can cushion the impact of tariffs on our exports. Malaysia’s diversified product and export markets further underscore our resilience against external shocks.

    These shifts in economic outlook remind us that the global landscape is ever-changing, underscoring the need for resilience and adaptability in the face of these headwinds.

    On this, the banking sector plays a critical role in allocating capital efficiently to support economic growth and transformation. We have demonstrated robust expertise in traditional areas such as retail segments (mortgages and personal finance), as well as other mature corporate industries. However, as the financial landscape evolves, new opportunities are emerging that remain underexplored, offering potential for growth and innovation. Financing of trading activities such as shipping, aviation or aerospace, investments in data centres, and other high-growth industries, represent untapped avenues that could contribute meaningfully to our economic development. By broadening their focus and addressing these gaps, the banking sector can better position businesses to compete effectively on a global stage.

    In the wake of global trade uncertainties, the banking sector’s role in supporting domestic businesses becomes more pronounced. Banks must collaborate with industry players to identify new opportunities, leveraging on both financial expertise and industry insights. A workforce adept at risk management, market analysis and client advisory enables banks to offer innovative financial solutions to help businesses stay ahead.

    The next transformative force is the increasing pace of technological breakthroughs, a trend underpinned by the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI), data and automation. The Malaysian banking sector has increasingly leveraged AI and automation for risk management, fraud detection and complex analysis to enhance operational efficiency and strengthen security. The use of AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants has also allowed customers to benefit from enhanced and personalised customer experiences, often without the need to visit a bank branch.

    While technology has clear benefits for the financial sector, it needs to be adopted responsibly, balancing efficiency with risk management. Senior leaders in the banking sector have themselves expressed increasing concerns about new vulnerabilities introduced from AI adoption, such as cybersecurity, legal uncertainty related to operations, difficulties in controlling outcome accuracy and prejudice from model bias.1 The banking sector’s shift to leverage technology, in particular AI, to remain competitive must be underpinned by strong governance frameworks, stringent data privacy protections and the highest ethical standards across the workforce. To ensure responsible adoption of AI, banks need to develop an understanding of both the opportunities and risks associated with AI, and invest in training programmes to enhance AI awareness, create an organisation-wide culture of responsible AI adoption and help employees recognise potential risks.

    Let’s now turn to the third critical area: sustainable finance and environmental, social and governance considerations. This year’s ASEAN Chairmanship theme on sustainability underscores the region’s commitment to equitable growth and environmental stewardship.

    At our meeting in Milan earlier this month, the ASEAN+3 finance ministers and central bank governors reaffirmed our commitment to collaborate on transition finance, disaster risk financing, and climate resilience. The meeting also recognised the need to channel greater capital flows into green and sustainable projects, including large-scale regional initiatives such as the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) being pursued as part of our chairing of ASEAN this year. A report by AMRO highlighted that Southeast Asia will require over USD200 billion annually in climate-related investments to achieve its net-zero targets.

    As we delve into this important area, it is evident that these are not just environmental imperatives, but instead, a strategic priority area across the region. Therefore, the banking sector must integrate ESG factors into their core operations and decision-making. Banks play a pivotal role in channelling financial solutions and capital towards projects that are not only economically viable, but also environmentally and socially responsible. For example, the increasing importance of blended finance as a key lever in scaling up climate-aligned and impact-driven investment will require bankers to build skills that go beyond standard credit risk assessment. This shift requires a banking sector workforce which is well-equipped with the right knowledge and expertise to be able to not only reduce credit risk for lenders, but also contribute meaningfully to advancing sustainability priorities and meeting ambitious climate goals. 

    Significant efforts have been undertaken by talent affiliates, while more can be done by the industry to collectively upskill the workforce

    Ladies and gentlemen,

    Malaysia has invested significantly in developing talent in our financial sector. Over the years, we have developed a comprehensive ecosystem of talent affiliates providing training, certification and future-looking guidance on the skills needed by the financial sector. On this, I would like to take a moment to applaud the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers (AICB), Islamic Banking and Finance Institute Malaysia (IBFIM) and Asian Institute of Insurance (AII) for their commitment in driving the development and encouraging the implementation of the Financial Sector Future Skills Framework (FSF) since its launch in July 2024. I also wish to highlight the important role played by financial institutions to further complement these efforts through their respective learning and development academies.

    While the financial services industry benefits from a good talent development ecosystem, more collective actions are needed to future-proof the workforce. In an era of rapid transformation, the question remains: Is the industry investing enough in talent to meet evolving business needs and remain competitive?

    With the FSF as a common dictionary on skills critical for the future, I call on the banking sector to accelerate efforts to foster knowledge acquisition in areas that are relevant to address both current industry challenges and needs, as well as emerging trends to prepare professionals for future opportunities. This includes building a deep understanding of the unique financial requirements of sectors that will catapult the growth of the Malaysian economy, and in tandem, enhancing technical skills in credit risk assessment for these sectors to ensure financing decisions are made sustainably. Additionally, training should also focus towards building capacity to address regional financing demands, particularly in infrastructure financing and blended financing, to support the long-term economic growth of the region. By equipping banking professionals with advanced capabilities and specialised expertise, the financial sector can proactively respond to emerging opportunities, ensuring its readiness to meet evolving economic challenges and contribute to Malaysia’s regional competitiveness.

    Equally important is the need to continuously nurture ethical and principled bankers who uphold the highest standards of integrity. In a rapidly changing financial landscape, the foundation of trust and accountability is indispensable for ensuring the sector’s long-term sustainability and resilience. AICB, alongside industry leaders, must emphasise the development of bankers who embody professionalism, ethical conduct, and a commitment to responsible practices.

    In closing, I would like to once again congratulate all conferees today. Your individual commitment to self development and dedication towards embodying the values of integrity, professionalism and expertise will collectively elevate the banking sector. Your achievement today is setting a benchmark for the industry and will hopefully inspire many others to follow in your footsteps.

    To Governor Eli, today’s honorary conferment recognises your exemplary leadership, transformative contribution and excellence within our profession. Through his previous role in the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Governor Eli advanced research and discussions on regional and international finance, and has been recognised as one of the top-performing central bank governors globally in his current role. As a former professor and director at the Asia School of Business (ASB), Governor Eli has also significantly contributed towards strengthening central banking education through the development of the Master’s in Central Banking course.

    To Tan Sri Azman Hashim, the Lifetime Achievement Award is a fitting honour to an industry heavyweight whose visionary contributions have profoundly shaped and advanced the Malaysian banking sector.

    Malaysia’s financial system is renowned for its resilience, innovation and sound governance. But the true strength behind this success is our people. I end with a simple quote from Jack Welch, the CEO of General Electric for more than twenty years, ‘The most important job you have is growing your people’.

    Thank you, and I wish all of you a fruitful journey ahead.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Making Homes from Houses scheme refurbishes 50th property

    Source: City of Preston

    The Making Homes from Houses scheme has recently refurbished its 50th empty property, where Preston City Council along with long-term partner, Community Gateway Association (CGA), bring empty properties back to life.

    The scheme involves properties that have been empty for more than a year and are in need of repair, enabling them to become a much-needed home for the people of Preston.

    With more than a 1000 people on the housing waiting lists, the scheme brings affordable and suitable housing to those on the list, whilst also reducing the impact of new housing development on the environment.

    Each March, Preston City Council celebrates national Empty Homes Week, highlighting how local authorities work tirelessly to bring empty homes into use. Recently the scheme reached its 50th home milestone.

    This has been done through contacting property owners who have run down or empty properties to enquire about their intentions with the houses.

    The council offers advice and information as to how best to bring it back into use, including through the Making Homes from Houses scheme, and supports the owner through the process.

    Councillor Zafar Coupland, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing at Preston City Council said:

    “This is a fantastic milestone for Preston City Council and the scheme has had some great feedback so far. We are working tirelessly to take action on homes negatively impacting neighbourhoods, whilst providing family homes to the people of Preston. This milestone will be the first of many on the way to tackling the need for more suitable and affordable housing in Preston.”

    Louise Mattinson, Executive Director of Customers and Communities at Community Gateway Association, said:

    “We are proud to work alongside Preston City Council to give empty properties a new lease of life. At Community Gateway, we believe everyone deserves a safe, secure and affordable home. Reaching the 50th refurbished property is a real achievement and more importantly, it means 50 more families in Preston now have a place to call home. We look forward to continuing this vital work together with Preston City Council.”

    If there is an empty property near you that you think may be eligible for this scheme, see Empty homes.

    Community Wealth Building

    Preston City Council actively applies and prioritises the principles of Community Wealth Building wherever applicable and appropriate. Community Wealth Building is an approach which aims to ensure the economic system builds wealth and prosperity for everyone.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Architect team appointed for Civic Centre

    Source: City of Plymouth

    Meet the team tasked with the job of shaping the future of Plymouth’s Civic Centre.

    Councillor Mark Lowry, Cabinet Member for Finance, Matthew Mayes and Mark Braund from BDP, Councillor Sally Cresswell, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships, Sheila Nethercott, Strategic Project Manager at the Council.

    Multidisciplinary design consultancy, BDP, has been appointed to lead the project to transform the landmark building into a Blue Green Skills Hub in the basement, ground and first floor as well as create more than 140 homes in the tower above.

    While City College Plymouth has its own architect to oversee the transformation of the lower floors, BDP will be responsible for ensuring the design successfully separates the education establishment from living quarters.

    It will also act as the Building Regulations Principal Designer ensuring the entire project complies with the Building Safety Act.

    Cabinet member for finance and city centre champion Councillor Mark Lowry said: “We were really impressed with their record of tackling difficult buildings and making sure that developments comply with all the latest regulations which are designed to keep people safe.

    “This landmark towers above the city – it is so important to our regeneration story, but it is not an easy building, so we are delighted to have such a high calibre team help us to achieve this vision.”

    BDP has worked on a number of landmark Plymouth projects in the past, including the University of Plymouth’s stunning Roland Levinsky building and the Theatre Royal regeneration project completed in 2013 which saw new facilities created in the basement as well as its public realm improvements.

    Its portfolio includes challenging projects such the redevelopment of the Grade II listed Weir Mill in Stockport and the architectural design of Preston Bus Station – described as one of the most significant Brutalist buildings in the UK.

    Matthew Mayes, architect director at BDP, said: “The Civic Centre’s transformation is a pivotal step in re-energising the city centre. This project presents an exciting opportunity to breathe new life into a historically significant building, reconnecting it with Royal Parade and Armada Way, and creating a vibrant, inclusive destination for learning, enterprise and community use.

    “We believe cities should be good for us and we have a long history of unlocking the potential of complex buildings to bring them back into use, and this is exactly the kind of challenge that drives us. Our goal is to create thriving, future-ready places, and we know this redevelopment will play a defining role in Plymouth’s next chapter.”

    The complexity of the redevelopment means other professionals have already been employed by the council to look at how best to turn the building – which used to be offices – into homes and an education establishment.

    Issues such as power supplies, separate access, lifts, power, ventilation, insulation all have to be addressed as part of the project. A new planning application will also have to be submitted later this year as detail from the original application has changed.

    Gwella Contracting Services continue the strip out works on site. This has been particularly challenging in the Civic Centre because of the building’s age and the fact there are currently no lifts in the 12-storey tower, which means that all waste material must be carried down the stairs.

    The Civic Centre redevelopment is being made possible thanks to the Government’s Future High Streets Fund, Levelling Up Fund and Homes England.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Racist incident helpline making a difference

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    One year after its launch on May 30, 2024, the Province’s racist incident helpline is making a difference for people in B.C. experiencing racism, with approximately 94% of callers reporting their needs were met.

    “Racism has no place in B.C., but we know it exists, and we are determined to continue to fight it in all its forms, through all the tools available at our disposal,” said Niki Sharma, Attorney General. “As part of that work, we are proud to provide this resource that is connecting so many people in need with services that can help them heal and reclaim their sense of safety and belonging. We will continue to strengthen and grow the helpline’s network so that nobody ever has to navigate the impact of a racist incident on their own.”

    The racist incident helpline is a toll-free, multilingual service for people who have been subjected to discrimination based on the colour of their skin, culture, ethnicity or place of origin. Callers receive support, guidance and referrals to local community-support services. One year after its launch, the helpline has received calls from 807 people seeking help dealing with racism, and has made more than 2,329 referrals to support services. This call volume is more than double that reported by the state of California for the first year its hate helpline was operational (2023-24), despite California’s population being seven times the size of B.C.’s.

    “I know this is a long process, but it makes me feel better to talk about everything,” said one caller to the helpline, whose family was experiencing harassment, racism, aggression, micro-aggressions and intimidation from their neighbour on a shared yard. “Thank you for your time and for listening to me. I feel less pressured now. This has been really helpful.”

    This caller accepted referrals to resources for tenant rights, legal assistance and mental-health supports.

    On average, each caller was directed to three support services, indicating people coping with racism require help on multiple fronts, such as legal advice, peer support and mental-health resources. To help strengthen the efficacy of these support networks, the Province invested $2.2 million in 32 community organizations in the 2023-24 fiscal year, for enhanced services and to better meet the urgent and diverse needs of those affected by racism in their communities.

    “The racist incident helpline is a core pillar of government’s efforts to counter racism and discrimination in B.C.,” said Jessie Sunner, parliamentary secretary for anti-racism initiatives. “It bridges a gap between people dealing with the trauma of racism and the essential services they need to heal. We are committed to continuing to empower local advocates, communities and organizations so that we can together create a province where everyone feels safe, supported and valued.”

    The toll-free helpline is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, at 1 833 457-5463 (1 833 HLP-LINE). Service is offered in more than 240 languages, and after-hours callers can request a call back during regular hours. For immediate assistance or in the case of an emergency, people should call 911.

    Quotes:

    Helpline staff member –

    “As a racialized person with lived experience myself, for me this extends beyond just a job – it is an honour to do this work. Getting to support and hold space for members of racialized communities who have experienced or witnessed a racist encounter brings me a sense of fulfilment and purpose. Amidst the daily landscape of race- and hate-motivated harms that can feel all-consuming, divisive, isolating and othering, each person I am able to support and each conversation I have is an act of solidarity.”

    Saša Loggin, executive director, Skeena Diversity Society –

    “This funding has provided us with an invaluable opportunity to dedicate staff not only to respond to incidents of racism but also to develop workshops and resources. Through this, we have deepened our connections to organizations and resources across the northern region, honouring the unique characteristics of different communities while also turning our shared humanity into a source of strength.”

    Boma Brown, executive director, Support Network for Indigenous Women & Women of Colour –

    “Our clients, who are racialized women, often experience racism at any point in their day, making culturally informed counselling an essential resource that we are able to provide thanks to this grant. This support is vital for empowering women and fostering healing in our communities.”

    Penny Bradley, executive director, Alex House, of the Association of Neighbourhood Houses of B.C. –

    “As a neighbourhood house in South Surrey and White Rock, we know that when people feel a strong sense of belonging, they thrive. Our approach is to bring together people from diverse backgrounds to learn from each other, because we believe that when we learn together, we grow together. This grant allows us to widen our reach and deepen our connections with the community. That is how we can create a community of allies that believe strongly in anti-racism.”

    Learn More:

    View the full list of racist incident helpline grant recipients here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/RacistIncidentHelplinegrantrecipients.pdf

    For more about the racist incident helpline, visit: https://racistincidenthelpline.ca/

    For more about the Anti-Racism Act, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/30655

    For more about the Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network, visit: https://www.resiliencebc.ca/

    A backgrounder follows.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Change in Measles Immunization Recommendations for Infants with a High Risk of Exposure

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on June 4, 2025

    Saskatchewan is making the measles vaccine available to younger children in areas with measles cases and high chance of exposure. 

    Infants ages six months to 11 months who live in, are traveling to, or have contact with individuals in areas where there is a high risk of measles exposure can now receive an early dose of measles vaccine.

    “Our government wants to make sure that those who are most vulnerable and at high risk of exposure have the best protection possible,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said. “Providing parents with the option for an additional dose of measles vaccine for infants, helps to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

    Immunization is the single most effective way to protect against measles. 

    Routine measles vaccination is still needed at 12 and 18 months to provide lifelong protection. 

    “Most children in Saskatchewan should follow the regular schedule for measles immunization, however, in outbreak situations infants six to 11 months can be offered an earlier dose,” Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said. “This is similar to what is already being offered to some infants travelling internationally or to other parts of Canada with higher measles case numbers.”

    Measles is highly contagious and spreads easily to others through open air. Symptoms can include fever, cough, red eyes and a blotchy red rash. Severe complications of measles may include pneumonia, swelling of the brain and death.

    Individuals with symptoms of measles should stay home and call HealthLine 811 for instructions. Do not go to a clinic, health care facility or hospital in person without calling ahead.

    The measles vaccine has been safely used for over 50 years and is free in Saskatchewan at public health offices. 

    “As we move into the summer months, measles continues to pose a risk for people in Saskatchewan,” SHA Senior Medical Health Officer Dr. Julie Kryzanowski said. “Please check your measles vaccination records and ensure you are up to date.”

    For a current list of areas with a high risk of exposure and more information on measles, please visit: saskatchewan.ca/measles.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    Media Desk
    Health
    Regina
    Phone: 306-787-4083
    Email: media@health.gov.sk.ca

    Media Relations
    Saskatchewan Health Authority
    Regina
    Phone: 1-833-766-4392
    Email: media@saskhealthauthority.ca

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Speaker Johnson Joins Meet the Press

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

    WASHINGTON — This morning, Speaker Johnson joined Kristen Welker on NBC’s Meet the Press to further dispel myths about the One Big Beautiful Bill.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill is a big first step to provide relief for the American people, to give everybody more take home pay, more money in their pocket, and to change the trajectory of the country,” Speaker Johnson said. “And again, it’s the first of a number of steps. And President Trump is committed to doing this.”

    Watch the full interview here

    On the CBO discounting economic growth:

    The CBO sometimes gets projections correct, but they’re always off every single time when they project economic growth. They always underestimate the growth that will be brought about by tax cuts and reduction in regulations. When we did this in 2017, the first two years of the Trump administration, we literally brought about the greatest economy in the history of the world, not just the US. Because we got the government off the backs of the people who create the jobs. And we’ve allowed hardworking Americans to have more money in their pocket that they could take home. We’re doing that again. Remember in this big beautiful bill, the reason we call it that is because there’s benefits for everybody. It’s geared for hardworking Americans, lower and middle income Americans. No tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on interest on car loans if you buy products made in the USA.

    We’re going to give relief to seniors on social security. There’s so many benefits and features in this bill, and it’s going to allow everybody to do better. And at the same time, projecting and ensuring the largest amount of savings literally in history. There’s no government on planet Earth that’s ever saved over $1.6 trillion in a piece of legislation. This one does. And so when you reduce government spending and you allow people to keep more of their hard-earned money, the economy grows. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen here.

    On Republican efforts to strengthen Medicaid:

    There are no Medicaid cuts in the big beautiful bill. We we’re not cutting Medicaid. What we’re doing is strengthening the program. We’re reducing fraud, waste, and abuse that is rampant in Medicaid to ensure that program, which is essential for so many people, ensure that it’s available for the most vulnerable. It’s intended for young, single pregnant women and the disabled and the elderly. But what’s happening right now is you have a lot of people, for example, young men, able-bodied workers who are on Medicaid. They’re not working when they can; that drains resources from the people that need it most. And so, what we’re doing here is an important and frankly, heroic thing to preserve the program so that it doesn’t become insolvent. This is not going to hurt rural hospitals. There’s a lot of flex flexibility built into this.

    They keep saying that, you know, 7.6 million people is the figure that are supposedly going to be affected by this. But when you look at those numbers and you break them down, this is high on public opinion polling, you’re talking about 1.4 million illegal aliens that are receiving Medicaid right now. They’re not entitled to that. This is for US citizens in those vulnerable populations. There’s about 4.8 million people that they’re referring to that are able-bodied workers. If you are able to work and you’re not, and you are riding on the public wagon, you need to help pull it. And by the way, Kristen, this is no draconian requirement. All we are requiring in the legislation is 20 hours a week. You can volunteer in your community. You can be in a job training program or you can get to work.

    On Democrat lies about “millionaire” tax cuts:

    That’s a Democrat talking point. This is not giving tax cuts to millionaires. It’s the opposite. The people in the tax bracket that you’re referring to, many of them are small business owners. They are the people that provide the jobs in every community in America. They use pass through taxation. And, we don’t want to to get in the weeds, we don’t have time to get into the complications of it, but we are the party that reduces taxes for all Americans. And I’m telling you, the one big beautiful bill is geared for hardworking Americans. The biggest beneficiaries of this will be low and middle income Americans. That’s what we did in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. That’s what we’ll do again, by extending those tax cuts in perpetuity and making them permanent. That was a major promise of the president on the campaign trail. It’s a major promise of ours and we are going to fulfill it. The Republican Party is doing right by the American people and they’re going to feel the effects of that soon.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Data Confirms: Medicaid Beneficiaries Who Can Work but Refuse to, Spend Much of Their Time Playing Video Games & Watching TV

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

    WASHINGTON — In February, Speaker Johnson said that Medicaid coverage should not be going to “29-year-old males sitting on their couches playing video games.”

    He was correct — about Medicaid priorities and how Medicaid recipients who can work but refuse to are spending their time. 

    According to a new analysis by the American Enterprise Institute: “For Medicaid recipients who do not report working, the most common activity after sleeping is watching television and playing video games.”

    Here’s more from the report on Medicaid recipients who do not work:

    “….They spend 4.2 hours per day watching television and playing video games, or 125 hours during a 30-day month. That is more than 50 percent higher than the 80 hours they would be required to work or otherwise engage with the community during at least some months under the reconciliation bill.”

    Source: American Enterprise Institute

    These able-bodied individuals who CHOOSE not to work are receiving the same coverage as America’s most vulnerable, like single mothers, disabled individuals, and low-income seniors. 

    That’s why Republicans are protecting and strengthening Medicaid for American citizens who need and deserve it by rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse, and implementing common sense work requirements, which 78% of Americans support.

    The next time a Democrat makes false claims about “Medicaid cuts,” just remember that what they’re really saying is they want illegal aliens and able-bodied adults playing video games at home to continue stealing resources from those who need it.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Republicans Introduce Partisan Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Funding Bill that Fails Our Veterans

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)

    When lowering costs for Americans should drive every decision we make, this bill needlessly fixates on keeping guns in the hands of those who are potentially a danger to themselves or others and restricts reproductive rights and other cruel and pointless policy restrictions.

    Funding Proposal Raises the Costs of Veterans Health Care, Hurts Military Readiness, and Worsens Quality of Life for Servicemembers and Their Families

    WASHINGTON — House Appropriations Committee Republicans released the 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which will be considered in the subcommittee tomorrow. The legislation fails to fully meet veterans’ needs and falls short of adequately funding military construction projects.

    This bill:

    • Worsens the quality of life for servicemembers and their families and hurts military readiness by funding military construction $904 million below what is needed.
    • Enacts the Project 2025 goal to privatize medical care for veterans by transferring billions to private hospitals and clinics which will only lead to higher costs, longer wait times, poor communication and coordination, and diminished quality of care.
    • Further limits women’s access to abortion, harming women veterans’ health.
    • Leaves military installations, servicemembers, and their families vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and worsening natural disasters by failing to include dedicated funding to strength military installations against these threats.
    • Does not fulfill the United States’ commitments to our allies by providing $188 million less than what is needed on NATO infrastructure.
    • Undermines the ability to keep guns out of the hands of those prohibited under Federal law from purchasing or possessing firearms.
    • Repeats the same extreme House Republican tactics attempted last year by including partisan changes to existing law, known as “riders,” that hurt Americans and create chaos. Once again, Republicans are disenfranchising veterans rather than making VA a welcoming and inclusive place for all those who volunteer to serve our country.

    “This Republican bill would push our Veterans who sacrificed so much, towards Project 2025 privatized health care schemes and critically break with past PACT Act guaranteed funding commitments in the Toxic Exposures Fund (TEF) funding levels. When lowering costs for Americans should drive every decision we make, this bill needlessly fixates on keeping guns in the hands of those who are potentially a danger to themselves or others and restricts reproductive rights and other cruel and pointless policy restrictions. I cannot tell those currently serving and those who defended our nation that this is the best we can do, and therefore, I cannot support this bill,” Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25) said. “While it avoids deep, across the board cuts, it steers far too many resources into the privatized medical care account and away from vital, VA-based care and it leaves out guaranteed PACT Act funding for the TEF in FY2027, unlike past precedent. We can do far better, and Democrats are ready to do that. But this bill falls short of what our Veterans deserve.”


    “While President Trump fires veterans and dismantles the services and programs across the federal government that they depend on, House Republicans have decided to proceed—business as usual—with 2026 funding bills. They have introduced a funding bill that does nothing to remedy the chaos and pain this administration has caused thousands of veterans and instead pushes extreme, partisan Project 2025 goals of privatizing veterans health services, only raising the costs of critical care. Once again, instead of being laser focused on the cost-of-living crisis, President Trump and House Republicans are actually making it worse,”     Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. “This bill falls short of honoring our commitment to veterans, servicemembers, and their families by underfunding military construction and leaving our military installations vulnerable to the impact of worsening natural disasters. Just like last year, this bill is built on a framework that harms veterans. Veterans rely on programs across the entire federal government. House Republicans’ proposal to slash critical domestic investments in other funding bills will strip away education, job opportunities, housing, and food assistance that veterans and their families depend on. House Republicans cannot claim to support veterans while making it harder for them to find jobs, feed their families, and keep roofs over their heads.”


     A summary of House Republicans’ 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill is here. A fact sheet of the bill is here. The full text of the bill is here. The subcommittee markup will be webcast live and linked on the House Committee on Appropriations website.

     

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: ICYMI: “Most Essential Piece of Legislation” in the Western World

    Source: US Whitehouse

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Senators Demand Explanation After Trump Admin Greenlights Giant Rocket-Redfin Merger, Warn of Potential Price Hikes for American Homebuyers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    June 04, 2025
    Rocket has a history of anticompetitive behavior in the housing industry
    “At a time when families already face a housing affordability crisis, these deals…may reduce choice and raise prices for American families in the housing market.” 
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) wrote to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division and to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) seeking an explanation for the agencies’ failure to challenge Rocket Companies’ (Rocket) recent acquisition of Redfin, which creates a massive housing company that threatens to reduce choice and raise prices for American families in the housing market. 
    This merger allows Rocket, an online mortgage lending and real estate platform, to exert even greater control over each step of the homebuying process by taking over Redfin, a popular real estate search platform, and Mr. Cooper, the nation’s largest mortgage servicing firm. On May 8, 2025, the Trump Administration allowed the merger waiting period to expire without taking action to block or review the transaction. 
    After the Rocket-Redfin merger is completed, Rocket will have the power to steer Redfin users to Rocket’s real estate agents, limiting business for local, independent agents and brokerages. Rocket could also discourage Redfin users from comparison shopping for better mortgage offers by steering homebuyers to Rocket’s mortgages. Comparison shopping has been shown to save homebuyers an average of $76,410 over a 30-year mortgage.
    In addition, Rocket’s acquisition of Mr. Cooper will create a mortgage finance behemoth. By acquiring seven million mortgage servicing clients, Rocket would have a reduced need to compete for new customers. Altogether, with these acquisitions, Rocket would triple its current client base and control one in six mortgages in the United States. Rocket’s efforts to consolidate and control the homebuying market onto a single online platform sets a dangerous precedent for consumers, the industry, and the U.S. housing market as a whole at a time when house prices and mortgage rates continue to rise.
    Rocket has a history of anticompetitive efforts to steer homebuyers to its products. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) sued Rocket in 2024 for allegedly steering homebuyers into purchasing Rocket mortgages and charging higher rates and fees. The CFPB dropped the lawsuit just three weeks after President Trump installed new leadership at the agency. 
    Under the DOJ and FTC’s merger enforcement guidelines, the acquisitions raise multiple concerns, including: 
    Under Guideline 6, which warns that “mergers can violate the law when they entrench or extend a dominant position”; 
    Under Guideline 7, which directs the DOJ and FTC to “examine whether a trend toward consolidation in an industry would heighten … competition concerns”; 
    Under Guideline 8, which clarifies that “when a merger is part of a series of multiple acquisitions, the agencies may examine the whole series”; and 
    Under Guideline 9, which warns that “mergers involving platforms can threaten competition.” 
    “Rocket’s proposed acquisitions…create the potential for Rocket to steer homebuyers to its own products, hike prices based on private data, and block competition. We ask that you provide an explanation for your agencies’ failure to challenge the Rocket-Redfin merger during the premerger review period,” wrote the senators. 
    The lawmakers asked the two agencies to provide clarity on why they declined to challenge the merger by June 17, 2025. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: At Hearing, Trump Treasury Nominee Refuses to Say Whether Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” Should Strip Away Health Care from American Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    June 04, 2025
    Trump Treasury Department created a $50 billion loophole for giant banks after 2017 tax bill passed, while Morrissey was deputy general counsel
    Paying for another $50 billion loophole would mean taking away Medicaid from approximately 700,000 Americans 
    Video of Exchange (YouTube)
    Washington, D.C. — At a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questioned Brian Morrissey, nominee for general counsel of the Department of the Treasury, about the cost of tax giveaways to major corporations for American families. 
    After the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, lobbyists for foreign banks like Credit Suisse and Barclays lobbied to minimize the effects of new taxes on their profits, eventually securing $50 billion in additional giveaways to foreign banks and their subsidiaries. At the time, Mr. Morrissey was deputy general counsel at the Treasury Department.
    Senator Warren pressed Mr. Morrissey on what further tax giveaways, including ones in Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” would mean for American families. Mr. Morrissey repeatedly declined to answer how many people would have to lose Medicaid coverage to free up another $50 billion for giveaways to the wealthy. 
    “It’s 700,000 people to make up for a $50 billion loophole. It’s like cutting off every single Medicaid recipient in the state of Nevada just to fund another $50 billion loophole like the ones you all managed to do last time around when you gave foreign banks this special loophole,” said Senator Warren. 
    Mr. Morrissey also declined to answer whether Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” should take away money from working-class Americans. Independent analysts have found that the bottom 40% of households in the U.S. would see their incomes fall next year if this bill is passed, while households in the top .1% will get nearly $400,000 in tax breaks. 
    “That’s what this bill is all about: taking from struggling families to give handouts to billionaires and big corporations…I think it’s obscene,” said Senator Warren. 
    Transcript: Hearing to Consider the Nomination of Brian Morrissey, Jr., of Virginia, to be General Counsel for the Department of the TreasurySenate Finance CommitteeJune 3, 2025 
    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So Donald Trump ran for President on the promise to lower costs – a promise that he abandoned almost as soon as he got elected. He also promised his “rich as hell” donors that he would deliver big tax breaks. So right now, Senate Republicans are working overtime to pass billionaire tax giveaways – partly paid for by kicking 14 million people off their health care and partly paid for by using magic math to pretend that those tax giveaways don’t cost as much as they actually cost. 
    Now, we’ve seen this play before. In 2017, President Trump’s first tax giveaway to the wealthy was supposed to cost just $1.5 trillion, and that was after there were a bunch of budget gimmicks to keep the total down. But even that wasn’t a big enough giveaway. After the bill passed, the Trump Treasury Department drafted regulations to implement the new law, and corporations sent armies of lobbyists in to write even more loopholes into the tax laws. 
    Now, Mr. Morrissey, you were deputy general counsel at Treasury at this time. So you may remember: lobbyists from foreign banks like Credit Suisse and Barclays won a big new international tax loophole for loans they make to U.S. subsidiaries. Do you know how much they pocketed from that extra giveaway engineered in the Treasury Department?
    Mr. Brian Morrisey, nominee for General Counsel of the Treasury Department: Senator, I’m familiar with many of the regulations under TCJA, but not the answer to your specific question. 
    Senator Warren: Not that one? Well, then I will tell you. It was $50 billion, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.
    Now, today, President Trump and Congressional Republicans are working to pass a new set of tax cuts for billionaires, millionaires, and giant corporations. This one, the price tag is around $4 trillion. And this time, they are planning to pay for it – in part – by slashing Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act by nearly $1 trillion and kicking 14 million Americans off their health care. It is handout time for billionaires and austerity for everyone else. 
    Mr. Morrisey, you’re nominated to be general counsel at Treasury, meaning you would help in the drafting and implementation of this bill – if it passed – maybe adding another $50 billion tax loophole here, another $50 billion tax loophole there.
    So, Mr. Morrissey, I just want to make sure that you think through what this means. Do you know how many people will have to lose their Medicaid coverage just to pay for one of those $50 billion tax loopholes out of a $4 trillion Trump tax giveaway?
    Mr. Morrisey: Senator, if I were to be confirmed, I would be committed to making sure that folks working at Treasury on tax issues are clear that the policy judgments in this space belong to the Congress. 
    Senator Warren: That’s not the question I’m asking here, Mr. Morrissey. I know you’d like to duck this one. My question is: when you create a $50 billion tax giveaway, do you know how many Americans lose Medicaid coverage to make up $50 billion? Do you know what those numbers are? These are just numbers.  
    Mr. Morrissey: Senator, again, the policy judgement is with the Congress and Treasury would be — 
    Senator Warren: No, it’s not a policy question I’m asking you. If you are going to be over at the Treasury Department and you’re talking about being in a position where you can actually create a $50 billion loophole—and I know you could do that because you’ve done it in the past—I just want to make sure when you’re doing the pluses and minuses of doing this, that you have some idea how many Americans will lose their Medicaid coverage in order to make up for a $50 billion loophole. Do you have any idea how many people have to lose Medicaid coverage to create $50 billion?
    Mr. Morrissey: Senator, whatever judgements this Congress makes in the statute—
    Senator Warren: Ten? A thousand? A million? Do you have any idea what that number is? 
    Mr. Morrissey: Senator, if I am confirmed, I am committed to making sure we are implementing—
    Senator Warren: Do you not have any idea what that number is, or do you just not want to say it?
    Mr. Morrissey: Senator, my role would be on the legal side. The policy side, the weighing of these important issues—
    Senator Warren: I’ll take that as you just don’t want to have to admit it. It’s 700,000 people to make up for a $50 billion loophole. It’s like cutting off every single Medicaid recipient in the state of Nevada just to fund another $50 billion loophole like the ones you all managed to do last time around when you gave foreign banks this special loophole. 
    And that’s what this bill is all about: taking from struggling families to give handouts to billionaires and big corporations. In fact, according to independent experts, Trump’s big, beautiful bill will take money away from the bottom 40% of families and turn around and shovel nearly $400,000 to everyone who’s in the top one-tenth of one percent. 
    So let me just ask you one last question and we’ll finish this up. At a time when families are struggling with higher costs under President Trump, do you really think that Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” should take away money from working-class Americans, Mr. Morrissey?
    Mr. Morrissey: Senator, I think the tax legislation that this Congress passed in 2017 raised living standards and helped Americans across the spectrum and if Congress decides to take new action I am committed to working with Treasury to make sure we implement that.
    Senator Warren: You know, I’ve just got to say: tax cuts for the wealthiest, a $50 billion loophole here, another one there, and so what if hundreds of thousands of people lose their Medicaid and access to health care? That’s what this bill is all about, and I think it’s obscene.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Expands Holds on EPA Nominees After Republicans Overrule Parliamentarian to Gut California’s Clean Air Authority

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla Expands Holds on EPA Nominees After Republicans Overrule Parliamentarian to Gut California’s Clean Air Authority

    Senator Padilla: “The Trump Administration and the Republican majority plowed ahead with an unprecedented power grab at the expense of the health of millions of children and families in California and many other states”
    Padilla releases memo outlining how Senate Republicans went nuclear on Senate rules, warns of future implications
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — After Republicans shortsightedly revoked California’s clean air waivers, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, announced his intent to place a blanket hold on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nominations, including proceeding with his objections to the four EPA nominations currently pending on the Senate’s Executive Calendar and holding three additional EPA nominations. In his Congressional Record Statement, Padilla stated he will maintain these seven holds until Republicans make appropriate accommodations so that California can protect its own environment and the health of its residents.
    Padilla’s objections come in response to Republicans overruling the nonpartisan Senate Parliamentarian’s decision and going nuclear on the Senate rulebook in order to rescind California’s clean air waivers that allow the state to implement more protective air quality standards. The Senate Parliamentarian determined that any resolutions aimed at overturning California waivers would not be entitled to the Congressional Review Act’s (CRA) expedited procedures and would therefore require 60 votes to secure Senate passage. However, Senate Republicans bypassed the filibuster to rescind these waivers by overruling the Parliamentarian.
    “The Senate’s constitutional role to Advise and Consent regarding executive branch nominations is an important check on agency leadership’s abuse and overreach, and raising these objections regarding EPA nominations is my duty on behalf of the people of the State of California,” wrote Senator Padilla. “I am objecting to expedited consideration of EPA nominees in response to the Trump Administration EPA’s abuse of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) by submitting three waivers issued to the State of California to Congress and claiming they are ‘rules’ under the CRA despite the Government Accountability Office’s clear determination they are not.”
    Padilla stressed that revoking California’s waivers will cause disastrous public health and environmental impacts, highlighting California’s unique air quality challenges and critical efforts to reduce harmful emissions. He also emphasized that EPA’s reckless actions by abusing the CRA fly in the face of longstanding Senate procedures to target California’s waiver authority.
    “The Trump Administration and the Republican majority plowed ahead with an unprecedented power grab at the expense of the health of millions of children and families in California and many other states,” continued Senator Padilla. “They took advantage of EPA’s abuse of the CRA to throw out the rulebook, first by overriding the procedural limits in the text of the CRA itself and then by overturning the Parliamentarian’s decision, all in their quest to take away California’s authority under the Clean Air Act.”
    “This is unacceptable,” added Senator Padilla. “California has done nearly all it can do to reduce emissions from stationary sources of air pollution within its jurisdiction. Given our unique air quality challenges and the worsening impacts of climate change, it is essential for our state to reduce pollution from mobile sources such as cars and trucks if the federal government will not do so itself. That is why Congress has provided this waiver authority to our state for decades and it has been used over 100 times. But now, as a result of the Trump EPA and Senate Republicans’ abuse of the CRA, the people of California will be forced to breathe more toxic air pollution and suffer increasingly devastating impacts of climate change.”
    The seven Senate-confirmable nominations Padilla is holding include four pending on the Senate floor and three working their way through the committee process.
    Senator Padilla also circulated a memo to his Senate colleagues outlining the broad implications of Republicans going nuclear on the Senate rules, detailing that the Senate majority went nuclear by:
    Overriding the text of the CRA, which bars points of order (which they then raised) and
    Overruling the Parliamentarian’s determination by ignoring her and “submitting the question” to the Senate as opposed to overruling the Chair.
    The memo makes clear that by defying their previous commitments and breaking 30 years of CRA precedent with the first successful use of the nuclear option on the legislative filibuster, the CRA is now open to being applied to any agency action that is submitted to Congress going back to 1996, opening up a large new window to force votes in the Senate. In addition, Senate Republicans have now permanently undermined the legislative filibuster that they have claimed to defend on the eve of budget reconciliation, where they are under pressure to overrule the Parliamentarian yet again to avoid a filibuster on legislation that would eliminate health care and nutrition assistance for millions of Americans to cut taxes for the ultra-wealthy.
    Senator Padilla has been a leading voice in pushing back against Republican attacks on California’s Clean Air Act waivers. Over the last month, Padilla has spoken on the Senate floor repeatedly to sound the alarm on Senate Republicans’ revocations of these critical waivers. Padilla, along with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), also led Democratic Ranking Members in strongly warning Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) of the dangerous and irreparable consequences if Senate Republicans overrule the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision on California’s waivers. Many of his Democratic colleagues voiced similar opposition to Republicans’ unprecedented dismissal of the Senate rulebook.
    In April, Padilla, Whitehouse, and Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) welcomed the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision that the waivers are not subject to the CRA. Padilla also joined Whitehouse and Schiff in blasting Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s weaponization of the EPA after the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) similar finding. Padilla and Schiff previously slammed the Trump Administration’s intent to roll back dozens of the EPA’s regulations that protect California’s air and water.
    Full text of Senator Padilla’s hold statement is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms Betters Maternal-Infant Care with Revitalized Multi-Service Ward

    Source: United States Navy

    TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, located at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, recently relocated and revitalized its Multi-Service Ward, which houses the Maternal Infant Nursing Department (MIND). Commanding officer Capt. Daniel Clark marked the official opening of the improved inpatient care space for military families with a ribbon cutting on May 29.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Staff Completes 2025 Article IV Mission to Malawi

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    June 4, 2025

    End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF’s Executive Board for discussion and decision.

    Washington, DC: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Justin Tyson visited Malawi from May 22 to June 3 to hold meetings with the Malawian authorities and other counterparts from the public and private sectors and civil society for the 2025 Article IV consultation. Discussions focused on policies to restore macroeconomic stability, and the structural reforms needed to foster strong, inclusive, and durable growth.

    Context, Macroeconomic Outlook, and Risks

    The Malawian economy has been buffeted by several shocks. Real GDP growth declined slightly to 1.8 percent in 2024 as a drought affected agricultural production, while foreign exchange and fuel shortages dampened economic activity. Over 20 percent of the population is facing high levels of food insecurity, up five percentage points over 2023. Headline inflation began easing in late-2024 and reaccelerated in early-2025 in the context of maize prices rising to historical levels, elevated money growth and an increasing official-parallel exchange rate spread.

    Fiscal and monetary policy has remained too accommodative. The FY2024/25 (April/March) fiscal balance fell short of budget targets and deteriorated relative to the previous year as revenue underperformed and expenditure ceilings were exceeded. Persistent and elevated domestic fiscal financing has fueled money growth and inflation, which in turn exerts pressure on the exchange rate. Monetary policy did not tighten sufficiently in the context of elevated government domestic borrowing. The broader reform momentum has been slowing.

    Consequently, domestic, and external imbalances worsened. The current account deficit expanded further to about 22 percent of GDP and gross reserves are critically low, pointing to an overvalued exchange rate. The official-parallel spread is wide and may reflect other factors beyond fundamentals. Malawi remains in external debt distress and domestic debt is growing.

    The macroeconomic outlook is subdued and dependent on the agricultural sector output and foreign grant support. Under current policies, the mission expects real GDP growth to be 2.4 percent in 2025 and gradually increase to 3.4 percent over the medium term. Inflation is projected to average 29 percent in 2025 and settle at around 14 percent over the medium term. The current account deficit is projected to improve to about 17 percent of GDP in 2025 based on lower fuel prices and a rebound in key exports. General elections, scheduled for September, have reinforced political-economy constraints to macroeconomic adjustment. After the expiry of the ECF arrangement, the Malawian authorities are designing a homegrown reform program.

    Risks are tilted to the downside. Lower-than-anticipated grant inflows and food production, additional global trade tensions, and delayed reforms could deepen macroeconomic instability. Greater-than-expected mining investment and production constitute an upside risk.

    Fiscal Policy

    Returning to a sustainable fiscal adjustment path is a priority. Tackling the rising interest bill will create space for domestically-financed investment and pro-poor spending, while also ameliorating the sovereign-bank nexus.

    Domestic revenue mobilization is urgently needed to achieve fiscal sustainability in an equitable way. This could be achieved through a combination of broadening the tax base and tax policy instruments (e.g., reducing exemptions, and personal and corporate income tax reform). Improving wage bill efficiency and rebalancing expenditures towards human capital and social protection could support these efforts.

    Staff welcomes public financial management improvements, which remain critical for strengthening fiscal governance and building public trust. The authorities have made progress in expanding the coverage of the Integrated Financial Management and Information System (IFMIS), bank reconciliations, and increasing the efficiency of public investment. Reform efforts should continue to, inter alia, enhance budget development, execution, and reporting, improve the procurement system, and strengthen State Owned Enterprises (SOE) oversight.

    Decisive steps are needed to restore debt sustainability. The authorities have achieved some progress with their bilateral creditors and continue to engage with their external commercial creditors to ensure that external debt is sustainable. Tangible progress on external debt restructuring could pave the way for new concessional inflows. This should be supported by steps to reduce the cost of domestic borrowing.

    Price Stability and Exchange Rate Policy

    Tighter fiscal and monetary policies would support disinflationary efforts and ease pressure on the exchange rate. High inflation hurts the economy in general, but especially the poorest and most vulnerable. A combination of more restrictive monetary policy and an urgent fiscal adjustment, including enhanced reporting on budget execution, could reduce broad money growth, support policy credibility and re-anchor inflation expectations. Structural constraints may also be contributing to entrenched inflation expectations.

    A unified and market clearing exchange rate is critical to reducing imbalances and supporting the authorities’ growth objectives. The current regime with a large and volatile spread between the parallel and official rate creates distortions, impedes exports, subsidizes some imports, and encourages informality and tax avoidance. Foreign direct investments and official aid flows are discouraged, and domestic revenues reduced. Eliminating these imbalances requires unifying the official and parallel exchange rates, at a level reflecting fundamentals and discounting speculative factors, and stabilizing the foreign exchange market. Consistency between the de facto exchange rate regime, the monetary policy framework and fiscal policy are needed to ensure sustainable growth.

    Financial Sector Policies

    The banking sector’s credit and foreign exchange risks should be monitored to preserve financial stability. While the sector is well-capitalized, liquid, and profitable, its significant exposure to government borrowing and the net foreign liabilities position within the banking sector require continued careful monitoring.

    Increased banking sector credit to the private sector would support economic growth. Fiscal adjustment would reduce crowding out of private sector due to public borrowing and support export-oriented investment. In addition, a lower inflation and interest rate environment would further support credit to businesses.

    Structural Reforms

    Improving the investment climate would help attract investment, diversify the economy, and move up the value chain. Sustained multi-year prudent fiscal policies and removing price distortions (e.g., re-activating the automatic fuel price mechanism) would bolster policy credibility and strengthen external competitiveness. Addressing key structural impediments to growth would durably support efforts to raise productive capacity, reduce inflation and improve self-sustainability, as envisaged under the authorities’ Agriculture, Tourism, Mining and Manufacturing (ATMM) policy umbrella.

    Further strengthening governance measures will support confidence in public service provision. Despite government reform efforts, including the two National Anti-Corruption Strategies, gaps persist. For example, the public procurement process and SOE operations would benefit from greater transparency and less discretionary decision-making.

    The IMF mission team thanks the Malawian authorities and all other interlocutors for the candid discussions and their hospitality.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Tatiana Mossot

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

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/06/04/pr-25175-malawi-imf-completes-2025-art-iv-mission

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Greenwood — RCMP conducting further inquiries as the investigation into the homicide of Esther Jones continues

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    This week members of the Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit are in Greenwood conducting further inquiries related to the homicide of Esther Jones.

    The Southwest Nova Major Crime Unit continues to investigate the homicide, which occurred in Greenwood on August 31, 2024. In September 2024, Dale Allen Toole was arrested and charged with Esther’s murder, and he remains in custody, Update: Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit charge man with First Degree Murder | Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

    Despite the extensive investigation, Esther’s remains have not yet been located. As the investigation continues, officers will be conducting further inquiries in Greenwood over the next several days; residents can expect to see police in the area.

    These inquiries are a continuation of the investigational efforts. To date, investigators have formally interviewed more than 100 people, obtained video surveillance from more than 50 businesses and homes, and searched multiple locations looking for Esther’s remains.

    The Southwest Nova Major Crime Unit continues to ask anyone who may have information to contact investigators at (902) 365-3120 or Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222- TIPS (8477) or online at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca.

    File #2024-1287809

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: DIMO Partners with Grupo Kaufmann to Power the Future of Connected Cars in Latin America

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK and SANTIAGO, Chile, June 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DIMO, a leading connected vehicle platform, today announced a first-of-its-kind strategic partnership with Grupo Kaufmann, one of Latin America’s largest automotive dealership networks. With headquarters in Chile and operations spanning six countries, the company is renowned for its commitment to innovation in the automotive industry. Through this partnership, DIMO and Kaufmann are working to redefine the connected car experience for auto dealerships throughout Latin America.

    In 2024, an estimated 1.7 million connected cars were projected to be sold across Latin America—a relatively small share of the region’s total annual vehicle sales. This gap reflects limited connectivity adoption, driven by the historically high cost of building top-down infrastructure, which has caused many automakers to deprioritize the region. Kaufmann aims to close this gap by leveraging DIMO’s standardized connectivity infrastructure to develop interoperable apps and services across automakers. This will bring scalable, affordable innovation to the Latin American market.

    Initially, Kaufmann will deploy DIMO LTE devices for data collection and product development. After integration, it will offer customers a unique set of connected services, such as real-time diagnostics, customized maintenance alerts and rewards-based loyalty programs, further raising the standard of expertise and service excellence.

    At the core of this partnership is DIMO’s transformative data model. Built with a privacy-first approach, the DIMO protocol streamlines vehicle data connectivity with user consent, enabling Kaufmann to deliver data-driven services far more cost-effectively than developing these systems in-house. With the driver’s consent, Kaufmann will gain access to real-time vehicle data. This data unlocks performance insights, personalized service recommendations, and timely outreach – laying the foundation for a proactive customer-first dealership experience. The DIMO protocol ensures drivers maintain full control over their data – fostering trust while delivering mutual value to both consumers and dealerships.

    “Grupo Kaufmann recognizes that the future of connected vehicle services will be shaped by a new generation of apps and services designed for a digitally native audience,” said Alex Rawitz, Co-founder of DIMO. “The world’s new car owners want more than utilities — they want games, social experiences, rewards, and more we’ve yet to imagine. With DIMO’s infrastructure, Kaufmann can serve as the conduit for this creative energy, delivering next-generation experiences to drivers across Latin America.”

    As the global automotive industry accelerates toward connected, digital-first experiences, Kaufmann is taking the lead in Latin America. Its partnership with DIMO reflects a long-term strategy to lead through innovation and sustainability, while transforming the dealership into a hub for lifelong mobility services.

    “At Grupo Kaufmann, we believe the future of the automotive industry in Latin America will be defined by the ability to turn data into meaningful experiences for our customers. Our partnership with DIMO accelerates this vision by enabling efficient, secure, and scalable vehicle connectivity. It’s a key step in our digitalization strategy to position Kaufmann as a regional leader in smart mobility solutions,” said Carlos De Martini, Corporate Digital Business Manager, Grupo Kaufmann.

    About DIMO

    DIMO is the next-generation connected vehicle platform. Its privacy-first and AI integrated infrastructure connects drivers, automakers and developers to expedite connected vehicle application development while retaining full data ownership by drivers. Through the DIMO Mobile app, drivers gain real-time insights to improve vehicle performance, maximize savings on maintenance, and access a growing suite of marketplace applications while earning rewards in DIMO tokens. It was founded in 2021 by a team with decades of experience across automotive and fintech— including roles at ConsenSys, Vroom, GM, Volkswagen, and Chainalysis.

    About Kaufmann

    With more than 70 years of history, Kaufmann has established itself as one of the most influential companies in the automotive sector in Latin America. Present in Chile, Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua, it represents leading brands such as Mercedes-Benz, FUSO and Freightliner, and from 2025, it will promote electromobility with the arrival of smart and its 100% electric vehicles. Its commercial network, which in Chile spans from Arica to Punta Arenas, combines a comprehensive offer of cars, buses, trucks and vans with a robust ecosystem of after-sales services, advanced technology and personalized attention.

    Kaufmann’s vision is focused on leading sustainable mobility in the region, maintaining a firm commitment to innovation, operational excellence and customer experience. Its team of more than 2,500 professionals drives a culture focused on the responsible transformation of transportation.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Development finance in a post-aid world: the case for country platforms

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Richard Calland, Emeritus Associate Professor in Public Law, UCT. Visiting Adjunct Professor, WITS School of Governance; Director, Africa Programme, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, University of Cambridge

    With the Trump administration slashing US Agency for International Development budgets and European nations shifting overseas development aid budgets to bolster defence spending, the world has entered a “post-aid era”.

    But there is an opportunity to recast development finance as strategic investment: “country platforms”.

    Country platforms are government-led, nationally owned mechanisms that bring together a country’s climate priorities, investment needs and reform agenda, and align them with the interests of development partners, private investors and implementing agencies. They function as a strategic hub: convening actors, coordinating funding, and curating pipelines of projects for investment.

    Think of them as the opposite of donor-driven fragmentation. Instead of dozens of disconnected projects driven by external priorities, a country platform enables governments to set the agenda and direct finance to where it is needed most. That could be renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, resilient infrastructure, or nature-based solutions.

    Country platforms are a current fad. They were the talk of the town at the 2025 Spring meetings of multilateral development banks in Washington DC. Will they quickly fade as the next big new idea comes into view? Or can they escape the limitations and failings of the finance and development aid ecosystem?

    The Independent High Level Expert Group on Climate Finance, on which I serve, is striving to find new ways to ramp up finance – both public and private – in quality and quantity. I agree with those who argue that country platforms could be the innovation that unlocks the capital urgently needed to tackle climate overshoot and buttress economic development.

    The model is already being tested. More than ten countries have launched their platforms, and more are in the pipeline.

    For African countries, the opportunity could not be more timely. African governments are racing to deliver their Nationally Determined Contributions. These are the commitments they’ve made to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as part of climate change mitigation targets set out in the Paris Agreement. Implementing these plans is often being done under severe fiscal constraints.

    At the same time global capital is looking for investment opportunities. But it needs to be convinced that the rewards will outweigh the risks.

    Where it’s being tested

    In Africa, South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Partnership has demonstrated both the potential and the complexity of a country platform. Egypt and Senegal also have country platforms at different stages of implementation. Kenya and Nigeria are exploring similar mechanisms. The African Union’s Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy calls for country platforms across the continent.

    New entrants can learn from countries that started first.

    But country platforms come in different shapes and sizes according to the context.

    Another promising example is emerging through Mission 300, an initiative of the World Bank and African Development Bank, working with partners like The Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, and Sustainable Energy for All. It aims to connect 300 million people to clean electricity by 2030.

    Central to this initiative are Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units. These are essentially country platforms anchored in electrification. They reflect how a well-structured country platform can make an impact. Twelve African countries are already moving in this direction. All announced their Mission 300 compacts at the Africa Heads of State Summit in Tanzania.

    This growing cohort reflects a continental commitment to putting energy-driven country platforms at the heart of Africa’s development architecture.

    Why now – and why Africa?

    A well-functioning country platform can help in a number of ways.

    Firstly, it can give the political and economic leadership a clear goal. The platform can survive elections and show stability, certainty and transparency to the investment world.

    Secondly, national ownership and strategic alignment can reduce risk and build confidence. That would encourage investment.

    Thirdly, it builds trust among development partners and investors through clear priorities, transparency, and national ownership.

    Fourthly, it moves beyond isolated pilot projects to system-level transformation – meaning structural change. The transition in one sector, energy for example, creates new value chains that create more, better and safer jobs. Country platforms put African governments in charge of their own economic development, not as passive recipients of climate finance.

    The country sets its investment priorities and then the match-making with international climate finance can begin.

    Making it work: what’s needed

    Developing the data on which a country bases its investment and development plans, and blending those with the fiscal, climate and nature data, is complex. For this reason country platforms require investment in institutional capacity, cross-ministerial collaboration, and strong coordination between finance ministries, environment agencies and economic planners. And especially, in leadership capability.

    African countries must take charge of this capacity and capability acceleration.

    Second, development partners can respond by providing money as well as supporting African leadership, aligning with national strategies, and being willing to co-design mechanisms that meet both investor expectations and local realities.

    Capacity is especially crucial given the scale of Africa’s needs. According to the African Development Bank, Africa will require over US$200 billion annually by 2030 to meet its climate goals. Donor aid will provide only a fraction of this. It will require smart, coordinated investment and careful debt management. Country platforms provide the structure to govern the process.

    Seizing the opportunity

    Country platforms represent one of the most promising innovations in climate and development finance architecture. Properly designed and led, they offer African countries the opportunity to take ownership of their climate and development futures – on their own terms.

    Country platforms could be the “buckle” that finally enables the supply and demand sides of climate finance to come together. It will require commitment, strategic and technical capability, and, above all, smart leadership.

    Richard Calland works for the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. He is also an Emeritus Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town and an Adjunct Visiting Professor at the University of Witwatersrand School of Governance. He serves on the Advisory Council of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, Chairs of the Board of Sustainability Education and is a member of the Board of Chapter Zero Southern Africa.

    – ref. Development finance in a post-aid world: the case for country platforms – https://theconversation.com/development-finance-in-a-post-aid-world-the-case-for-country-platforms-257994

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Kean Visits Northeast Carpenters Training Center with Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer

    Source: US Representative Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07)

    Contact: Riley Pingree

    (June 4, 2025) NEW JERSEY — Yesterday, Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07) joined U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer at the Northeast Carpenters Training Center as part of the Secretary’s America at Work listening tour.

    The visit highlighted the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America’s state-of-the-art facility and its hands-on training programs in skilled trades including carpentry, HVAC, and electrical work. Congressman Kean and Secretary Chavez-DeRemer met with New Jersey labor leaders to discuss the critical need for continued federal investment in workforce development, expanded apprenticeship opportunities, and the role of unions in driving economic growth across the state.

    Secretary Chavez-DeRemer’s nationwide America at Work tour is focused on hearing directly from workers, union members, employers, and community leaders to inform and modernize federal labor policy.

    “From construction and manufacturing to transportation infrastructure, everything built in New Jersey is built by the hands of dedicated tradesmen and women,” said Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. “Today’s visit to the Northeast Carpenters Training Center, alongside Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, was an incredible opportunity to see the next generation of skilled laborers in action. The center’s workforce development programs show how strong partnerships between labor, industry, and educators equip students with the skills, leadership, and safety training they need to succeed on the job and return home safely to their families each night. As we invest in infrastructure, innovation, and nationwide projects, New Jersey will continue to lead the way due to its strong and skilled workforce. I want to thank Secretary Chavez-DeRemer for her continued leadership and for visiting the great Garden State.”

    “Today’s visit to the Northeast Carpenters Training Center in Edison showcased the very best of America’s skilled workforce,” said Secretary Chavez-DeRemer. “This state-of-the-art facility equips apprentices and journeymen with the skillset they need to excel in today’s dynamic construction industry. These innovative, hands-on training facilities will help fuel our economic comeback and empower workers to thrive under President Trump’s leadership. I want to thank Congressman Kean for hosting me on this tour and for his commitment to investing in our workforce.” 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Development finance in a post-aid world: the case for country platforms

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Richard Calland, Emeritus Associate Professor in Public Law, UCT. Visiting Adjunct Professor, WITS School of Governance; Director, Africa Programme, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, University of Cambridge

    With the Trump administration slashing US Agency for International Development budgets and European nations shifting overseas development aid budgets to bolster defence spending, the world has entered a “post-aid era”.

    But there is an opportunity to recast development finance as strategic investment: “country platforms”.

    Country platforms are government-led, nationally owned mechanisms that bring together a country’s climate priorities, investment needs and reform agenda, and align them with the interests of development partners, private investors and implementing agencies. They function as a strategic hub: convening actors, coordinating funding, and curating pipelines of projects for investment.

    Think of them as the opposite of donor-driven fragmentation. Instead of dozens of disconnected projects driven by external priorities, a country platform enables governments to set the agenda and direct finance to where it is needed most. That could be renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, resilient infrastructure, or nature-based solutions.

    Country platforms are a current fad. They were the talk of the town at the 2025 Spring meetings of multilateral development banks in Washington DC. Will they quickly fade as the next big new idea comes into view? Or can they escape the limitations and failings of the finance and development aid ecosystem?

    The Independent High Level Expert Group on Climate Finance, on which I serve, is striving to find new ways to ramp up finance – both public and private – in quality and quantity. I agree with those who argue that country platforms could be the innovation that unlocks the capital urgently needed to tackle climate overshoot and buttress economic development.

    The model is already being tested. More than ten countries have launched their platforms, and more are in the pipeline.

    For African countries, the opportunity could not be more timely. African governments are racing to deliver their Nationally Determined Contributions. These are the commitments they’ve made to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as part of climate change mitigation targets set out in the Paris Agreement. Implementing these plans is often being done under severe fiscal constraints.

    At the same time global capital is looking for investment opportunities. But it needs to be convinced that the rewards will outweigh the risks.

    Where it’s being tested

    In Africa, South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Partnership has demonstrated both the potential and the complexity of a country platform. Egypt and Senegal also have country platforms at different stages of implementation. Kenya and Nigeria are exploring similar mechanisms. The African Union’s Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy calls for country platforms across the continent.

    New entrants can learn from countries that started first.

    But country platforms come in different shapes and sizes according to the context.

    Another promising example is emerging through Mission 300, an initiative of the World Bank and African Development Bank, working with partners like The Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, and Sustainable Energy for All. It aims to connect 300 million people to clean electricity by 2030.

    Central to this initiative are Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units. These are essentially country platforms anchored in electrification. They reflect how a well-structured country platform can make an impact. Twelve African countries are already moving in this direction. All announced their Mission 300 compacts at the Africa Heads of State Summit in Tanzania.

    This growing cohort reflects a continental commitment to putting energy-driven country platforms at the heart of Africa’s development architecture.

    Why now – and why Africa?

    A well-functioning country platform can help in a number of ways.

    Firstly, it can give the political and economic leadership a clear goal. The platform can survive elections and show stability, certainty and transparency to the investment world.

    Secondly, national ownership and strategic alignment can reduce risk and build confidence. That would encourage investment.

    Thirdly, it builds trust among development partners and investors through clear priorities, transparency, and national ownership.

    Fourthly, it moves beyond isolated pilot projects to system-level transformation – meaning structural change. The transition in one sector, energy for example, creates new value chains that create more, better and safer jobs. Country platforms put African governments in charge of their own economic development, not as passive recipients of climate finance.

    The country sets its investment priorities and then the match-making with international climate finance can begin.

    Making it work: what’s needed

    Developing the data on which a country bases its investment and development plans, and blending those with the fiscal, climate and nature data, is complex. For this reason country platforms require investment in institutional capacity, cross-ministerial collaboration, and strong coordination between finance ministries, environment agencies and economic planners. And especially, in leadership capability.

    African countries must take charge of this capacity and capability acceleration.

    Second, development partners can respond by providing money as well as supporting African leadership, aligning with national strategies, and being willing to co-design mechanisms that meet both investor expectations and local realities.

    Capacity is especially crucial given the scale of Africa’s needs. According to the African Development Bank, Africa will require over US$200 billion annually by 2030 to meet its climate goals. Donor aid will provide only a fraction of this. It will require smart, coordinated investment and careful debt management. Country platforms provide the structure to govern the process.

    Seizing the opportunity

    Country platforms represent one of the most promising innovations in climate and development finance architecture. Properly designed and led, they offer African countries the opportunity to take ownership of their climate and development futures – on their own terms.

    Country platforms could be the “buckle” that finally enables the supply and demand sides of climate finance to come together. It will require commitment, strategic and technical capability, and, above all, smart leadership.

    – Development finance in a post-aid world: the case for country platforms
    – https://theconversation.com/development-finance-in-a-post-aid-world-the-case-for-country-platforms-257994

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Housing Bill: Greens condemn SNP ‘rhetoric over reality’ as action on empty homes ditched

    Source: Scottish Greens

    04 Jun 2025 Housing

    Empty homes in Scotland must be used to tackle the housing emergency.

    More in Housing

    The Scottish Greens have condemned the SNP Government for voting down plans to bring more empty homes back into use.

    The proposals, which were put forward by the Greens as amendments to the Housing (Scotland) Bill, would have empowered councils to issue compulsory sales orders on long-term unoccupied residential properties.

    Recent Scottish Government statistics have shown that 31,596 homes in Scotland are classified as having been empty for more than a year. This is more than the number of homelessness applications made across Scotland last year. It means the powers proposed by the Greens would have been a key step towards alleviating the housing emergency.

    However, the SNP and the Conservatives voted down the plans at Stage 2 of the Bill process. They did so despite polling commissioned by the Scottish Greens showing that the majority of people (69%) want to see powers introduced that would force owners of derelict homes to sell up.

    Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman, who brought the amendment, said that the Government’s decision not to back the proposals showed it wasn’t serious about considering all options to tackle the housing emergency.

    Ms Chapman said: 

    “The Scottish Government agrees that we are in the midst of a growing housing emergency. But, once again, we’re seeing that its rhetoric isn’t translating into reality.

    “Home ownership is a distant dream for people all over Scotland. Too many people are trapped in the private rented sector or are having to live with their parents or sleep on friends’ sofas because rents are so high. Seeing empty, neglected homes in their area must feel like a kick in the teeth.

    “The compulsory sales orders amendment that I brought forward would have rapidly opened up thousands of homes to Scottish people. Instead of backing a near-instant boost to affordable housing supply, the SNP has opted to do nothing.

    “Every abandoned flat and empty plot is a missed opportunity to provide a secure home for someone who desperately needs it. The Scottish Greens will continue to do all we can to bring these vacant spaces back into use.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Extreme weather’s true damage cost is often a mystery – that’s a problem for understanding storm risk, but it can be fixed

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By John Nielsen-Gammon, Regents Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University

    Hail can be destructive, yet the cost of the damage often isn’t publicly tracked. NOAA/NSSL

    On Jan. 5, 2025, at about 2:35 in the afternoon, the first severe hailstorm of the season dropped quarter-size hail in Chatham, Mississippi. According to the federal storm events database, there were no injuries, but it caused $10,000 in property damage.

    How do we know the storm caused $10,000 in damage? We don’t.

    That estimate is probably a best guess from someone whose primary job is weather forecasting. Yet these guesses, and thousands like them, form the foundation for publicly available tallies of the costs of severe weather.

    If the damage estimates from hailstorms are consistently lower in one county than the next, potential property buyers might think it’s because there’s less risk of hailstorms. Instead, it might just be because different people are making the estimates.

    Hail damage in Dallas in June 2012.
    Rondo Estrello/Flickr, CC BY-SA

    We are atmospheric scientists at Texas A&M University who lead the Office of the Texas State Climatologist. Through our involvement in state-level planning for weather-related disasters, we have seen county-scale patterns of storm damage over the past 20 years that just didn’t make sense. So, we decided to dig deeper.

    We looked at storm event reports for a mix of seven urban and rural counties in southeast Texas, with populations ranging from 50,000 to 5 million. We included all reported types of extreme weather. We also talked with people from the two National Weather Service offices that cover the area.

    Storm damage investigations vary widely

    Typically, two specific types of extreme weather receive special attention.

    After a tornado, the National Weather Service conducts an on-site damage survey, examining its track and destruction. That survey forms the basis for the official estimate of a tornado’s strength on the enhanced Fujita scale. Weather Service staff are able to make decent damage cost estimates from knowledge of home values in the area.

    They also investigate flash flood damage in detail, and loss information is available from the National Flood Insurance Program, the main source of flood insurance for U.S. homes.

    Tornadoes in May 2025 destroyed homes in communities in several states, including London, Ky.
    AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley

    Most other losses from extreme weather are privately insured, if they’re insured at all.

    Insured loss information is collected by reinsurance companies – the companies that insure the insurance companies – and gets tabulated for major events. Insurance companies use their own detailed information to try to make better decisions on rates than their competitors do, so event-based loss data by county from insurance companies isn’t readily available.

    Losing billion-dollar disaster data

    There’s one big window into how disaster damage has changed over the years in the U.S.

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, compiled information for major disasters, including insured losses by state. Bulk data won’t tell communities or counties about their specific risk, but it enabled NOAA to calculate overall damage estimates, which it released as its billion-dollar disasters list.

    From that program, we know that the number and cost of billion-dollar disasters in the United States has increased dramatically in recent years. News articles and even scientific papers often point to climate change as the primary culprit, but a much larger driver has been the increasing number and value of buildings and other types of infrastructure, particularly along hurricane-prone coasts.

    Critics in the past year called for more transparency and vetting of the procedures used to estimate billion-dollar disasters. But that’s not going to happen, because NOAA in May 2025 stopped making billion-dollar disaster estimates and retired its user interface.

    Previous estimates can still be retrieved from NOAA’s online data archive, but by shutting down that program, the window into current and future disaster losses and insurance claims is now closed.

    Emergency managers at the county level also make local damage estimates, but the resources they have available vary widely. They may estimate damages only when the total might be large enough to trigger a disaster declaration that makes relief funds available from the federal government.

    Patching together very rough estimates

    Without insurance data or county estimates, the local offices of the National Weather Service are on their own to estimate losses.

    There is no standard operating procedure that every office must follow. One office might choose to simply not provide damage estimates for any hailstorms because the staff doesn’t see how it could come up with accurate values. Others may make estimates, but with varying methods.

    The result is a patchwork of damage estimates. Accurate values are more likely for rare events that cause extensive damage. Loss estimates from more frequent events that don’t reach a high damage threshold are generally far less reliable.

    The number of severe hail reports in southeast Texas listed in the National Centers for Environmental Information’s storm events database is strongly correlated with population. The county with the most reports and greatest detail in those reports is home to Houston. Hailstorms in the three easternmost counties are rarely associated with damage estimates.
    John Nielsen-Gammon and B.J. Baule

    Do you want to look at local damage trends? Forget about it. For most extreme weather events, estimation methods vary over time and are not documented.

    Do you want to direct funding to help communities improve resilience to natural disasters where the need is greatest? Forget about it. The places experiencing the largest per capita damages depend not just on actual damages but on the different practices of local National Weather Service offices.

    Are you moving to a location that might be vulnerable to extreme weather? Companies are starting to provide localized risk estimates through real estate websites, but the algorithms tend to be proprietary, and there’s no independent validation.

    4 steps to improve disaster data

    We believe a few fixes could make NOAA’s storm events database and the corresponding values in the larger SHELDUS database, managed by Arizona State University, more reliable. Both databases include county-level disasters and loss estimates for some of those disasters.

    First, the National Weather Service could develop standard procedures for local offices for estimating disaster damages.

    Second, additional state support could encourage local emergency managers to make concrete damage estimates from individual events and share them with the National Weather Service. The local emergency manager generally knows the extent of damage much better than a forecaster sitting in an office a few counties away.

    Third, state or federal governments and insurance companies can agree to make public the aggregate loss information at the county level or other scale that doesn’t jeopardize the privacy of their policyholders. If all companies provide this data, there is no competitive disadvantage for doing so.

    Fourth, NOAA could create a small “tiger team” of damage specialists to make well-informed, consistent damage estimates of larger events and train local offices on how to handle the smaller stuff.

    With these processes in place, the U.S. wouldn’t need a billion-dollar disasters program anymore. We’d have reliable information on all the disasters.

    John Nielsen-Gammon receives funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of Texas.

    William Baule receives funding from NOAA, the State of Texas, & the Austin Community Foundation.

    – ref. Extreme weather’s true damage cost is often a mystery – that’s a problem for understanding storm risk, but it can be fixed – https://theconversation.com/extreme-weathers-true-damage-cost-is-often-a-mystery-thats-a-problem-for-understanding-storm-risk-but-it-can-be-fixed-257105

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘Loyal to the oil’ – how religion and striking it rich shape Canada’s hockey fandom

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Cody Musselman, Preceptor, College Writing Program, Harvard University

    Some Edmonton Oilers fans are pinning their Stanley Cup hopes on captain Connor McDavid. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

    Déjà vu is a common occurrence in the world of sports, and the Edmonton Oilers are no strangers to repeat matchups. The Canadian team faced off against the New York Islanders in both 1983 and ’84 for hockey’s biggest prize, the Stanley Cup. In this year’s National Hockey League finals, the Oilers will try to avenge their Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers in 2024.

    Edmontonians who have been “loyal to the oil,” as fans say, have been waiting for redemption ever since. The Trump administration’s threats toward its northern neighbor has fueled a wave of nationalism, making even more fans eager for a Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup – which has not happened since 1993. With hopes pinned to Edmonton, the finals also brings renewed attention to some of Canada’s biggest exports: hockey and oil.

    Novelist Leslie McFarlane once observed that for Canadians, “hockey is more than a game; it is almost a religion.” Prayers and superstitions abound, from wearing special clothing to fans averting their eyes during penalty shots.

    The Oilers also evoke another aspect of Canadian society that, for some, has almost religious importance: resource extraction. In American and Canadian culture, oil has long been entangled with religion. It’s a national blessing from God, in some people’s eyes, and a means to the “good life” for those who persevere to find it. For many people in communities whose economies center around resource extraction, the possibility of success is valued above its environmental risks.

    We are scholars of religion who study sports and how oil shapes society, or petro-cultures. The Edmonton Oilers showcase a worldview in which triumph, luck and rugged work pay off – beliefs at home on the ice or in the oil field. The Stanley Cup Final offers a glimpse into how the oil industry has helped shaped the religious fervor around Canada’s favorite sport.

    Edmonton Oilers fan Dale Steil’s boots before the team’s playoff game against the Los Angeles Kings on April 26, 2024.
    AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

    Boomtown

    Edmonton is the capital of Alberta, a province known for its massive oil, gas and oil sands reserves. With five refineries producing an average of 3.8 million barrels a day, oil and gas is Alberta’s biggest industry – and a way of life.

    This is especially true in Edmonton, known as the “Oil Capital of Canada.” Here, oil not only structures the local economy, but it also shapes identities, architecture and everyday experiences.

    Visit the West Edmonton Mall, for example, and you’ll see a statue of three oil workers drilling, reminding shoppers that petroleum is the bedrock of their commerce. Visit the Canadian Energy Museum to learn how oil and gas have remade the region since the late 1940s, and glimpse items such as engraved hard hats and the “Oil Patch Kid,” a spin on the iconic “Cabbage Patch Kids” toys. Tour the Greater Edmonton area and see how pump jacks dot the horizon. Oil is everywhere, shaping futures, fortunes and possibility.

    Pump jacks near Acme, Alberta – a regular sight.
    Michael Interisano/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    Set against this backdrop, the Oilers’ name is unsurprising. It is not uncommon, after all, to name teams after local industries. Football’s Pittsburgh Steelers pay homage to the steel mills that once employed much of the team’s fan base. The Tennessee Oilers were originally the Houston Oilers, prompting other Texas teams such as the XFL’s Roughnecks to follow suit. Further north, the name of basketball’s Detroit Pistons references car manufacturing.

    Teams with industry-inspired names play double duty, venerating both a place and a trade. Some fans are not only cheering for the home team, but also cheering for themselves – affirming that their industry and their labor matter.

    Ales Hemsky of the Edmonton Oilers skates out from under the oil derrick for a game at Rexall Place in 2008 in Edmonton, Alberta.
    Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images

    In a TikTok video from last year’s Stanley Cups playoffs, a man overcome with joy at the Oilers’ victory over the Dallas Stars claps his hands and hops around his living room. The caption reads, “My first-generation immigrant oil rig working Filipino father who has never played a second of hockey in his life … happily cheering for the Oilers advancing in the playoffs. Better Bring that cup home for him oily boys.” He appears to be cheering for the Oilers not because they are a hockey team, but because they are an oil team.

    And indeed, the Oilers are an oily team. The Oilers’ Oilfield Network, for example, describes itself as “exclusively promot[ing] companies in the Oil and Gas industry,” allowing leaders to connect “through the power of Oilers hockey.”

    The Oilers’ connection with industry is further underscored by their logos. The current one features a simple drop of oil, but past designs featured machinery gears and an oil worker pulling a lever shaped like a hockey stick.

    Simply put, “Edmonton is all oil,” Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner shared after defeating the Dallas Stars to win the 2025 Western Conference Final.

    Liquid gold

    There is a long tradition of pairing hockey with oil – and with Canada itself.

    After the British North America Act founded Canada in 1867, the new nation searched for a distinctive identity through sport and other cultural forms.

    Enter hockey. The winter game evolved in Canada from the Gaelic game of “shinty” and the First Nations’ game of lacrosse and soon became part of the glue holding the nation together.

    Ever since, media, politicians, sports groups and major industries have helped fuel fan fervor and promoted hockey as integral to Canada’s rugged frontiersman character.

    The Montreal Amateur Athletic Association posing with the first Stanley Cup in 1893.
    Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images

    In 1936, Imperial Oil, one of Canada’s largest petroleum companies, began sponsoring Hockey Night in Canada, a national radio show that reached millions each week. Several years later, Imperial Oil played a major role in bringing the show to television, where the Imperial Oil Choir sang the theme song. Imperial Oil and its gas stations, Esso, also sponsored youth hockey programs across the nation. In 2019, Imperial inked a deal to be the NHL’s “official retail fuel” in Canada.

    Striking it rich

    Connections between hockey and industry in Alberta’s oil country aren’t just about sponsorships. Central to both cultures is the idea of luck – historically, one of the many things it takes to extract fossil fuels. “Striking it rich” in the oil fields has become entangled with the idea of divine providence, especially among the many Christian laborers.

    Philosopher Terra Schwerin Rowe has written about North America’s “petro-theology,” explaining how many perceive oil as a free-flowing gift from God meant to be taken from the Earth – if you can find it.

    A Canadian oil worker kisses his wife and daughter goodbye as he sets off to work in northern Alberta in the 1950s.
    John Chillingworth/Getty Images

    Oil represents fortune, and who wouldn’t want to borrow a bit of that for their team? Sports are thrilling because sometimes talent, team chemistry and the home-field advantage still lose to a stroke of good luck. Oil culture pairs the idea of divine favor with an insistence on rough-and-tumble endurance, similar to hockey.

    Sometimes if you don’t strike it rich the first time, you have to keep on drilling. The next well may be the one to bring wealth. Oil prospectors know this, but so do sports fans who maintain hope season to season.

    Soon fans from around the world will join Edmonton locals in rooting for the Oilers. They’ll throw their hands up in despair if captain Connor McDavid enters the “sin bin” – the penalty box – or dance in celebration to the Oilers’ theme, “La Bamba.” Some of them will be cheering, too, for oil.

    This is an updated version of an article originally published on June 19, 2024.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. ‘Loyal to the oil’ – how religion and striking it rich shape Canada’s hockey fandom – https://theconversation.com/loyal-to-the-oil-how-religion-and-striking-it-rich-shape-canadas-hockey-fandom-258024

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –